Do you have any other characters in the next book with other superhuman gifts? Do they guide the characters?
Absolutely, but there are two types of superhuman gifts.
The first arises from the manipulation of forces that don’t exist in our world–what one might call “magic.” These powers are natural to that world, though with spectacular effects such as unnatural vision or manipulation of natural phenomena. They are attained through study, discipline, and willpower.
The latter comes from the gods themselves–blessings bestowed upon mortals for devotion or sacrifice, but sometimes through sheer divine whim.
Each god grants gifts that mirror their own nature. The Dragon God offers visions and prophecy. The Tiger God grants endurance and sharpened senses. The Mighty Roc bestows charisma, beauty, and wisdom. The Orca God blesses those who live and fight on the sea with unity and survival instinct. Yet all gods are fundamentally warlike. Their blessings can uplift–or twist–depending on the heart of those who wield them.
For example, Agni’s mother received her god’s gift of foresight to see a strike forthcoming in battle.
In Book Two, new gifts will emerge.
Can the people see their gods?
Rarely, and at great cost.
In Son of the Borderlands, a priestess leads a rite to glimpse the Dragon God in the Lands Beyond for brief seconds–and it taxes several priests so much that they cannot stand.
The gods do not walk among men–were they to appear in true form, their worshippers would collapse in awe or terror. In past ages, the gods bore great children, who alone shaped the world and created works that exist to this day.
The gods are represented through towering effigies that dominate temple halls. Each reflects its god–facing the god’s cardinal direction, built in terrain the god favors. A temple of the Orca God may be built in a grand grotto. A temple to the Tiger God, in a place of fierce sun.
The Mortal Realms are henotheistic–each tribe devoutly worships its own god, yet acknowledges the others. Still, every deity rules strongest in its homeland, with its influence fading with distance.
Can you describe the weather of the Mortal Realms?
The Mortal Realms do not represent a whole “planet,” but they contain an Earth-like range of climates.
The northern continent resembles Northern Europe’s or northern North America’s climate. It contains fertile plains giving way to harsh tundras. The southern lands are more varied and divided by mountain chains, harboring valleys and plains where most reside, but also jungles, deserts, and savannas.
But encircling it all is a sea of unnatural barriers, as if the world itself, or the gods, refuse to let mortals stray too far. To the north, the sea thickens into unbearable cold and impassable ice. To the south, ferocious heat breeds sea leviathans that wreck any ship that dares. To the east, storms and waves can break the hardiest ships. To the west, the sun burns and the winds die, leaving ghost ships stranded in still waters.
What do their homes look like?
Architecture in the Mortal Realms reflects survival above all else.
Son of the Borderlands focuses on the Dragonlands, where most dwell in fertile valleys and plains. The Spires are contested, and in Agni’s words, “yield neither grain nor iron.” Commoners live in huts of timber and cob, while lords reside in stone houses, and high nobles dwell in castles that dominate cities.
In the Aloi deserts, bands live in hide tents that can be struck and carried through changing seasons. In the far north, people build ice domes or bone-framed shelters to withstand ferocious cold.
But every home stands as a reflection of its people.