The best fantasy worlds aren’t just dragons, swords, and magic - they’re the result of carefully considered worldbuilding, driven by clear creative decision making. Take Westeros (A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin), Roshar (The Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson), and Thedas (Dragon Age by Bioware, EA) - three highly iconic and influential fantasy worlds, each of which provide a uniquely different approach to fantasy worldbuilding.

Nevertheless, they share quite a bit in common when it comes to several of the key creative decisions that make them work so well. These similarities could serve as a valuable worldbuilding guide for the creative process of building a fantasy world. 

Societal conflict

Westeros, Roshar, and Thedas all feature societies that experience some form of conflict, sometimes inspired by real life, that characters are then forced to navigate or overcome. This conflict generates the seeds of dramatic fantasy stories, that fantasy writers can then pay off later down the narrative line.

In Westeros, many of the main characters are members of the noble houses that rule over the various regions of the fictional world. These noble houses often clash with each other in their pursuit of more land, wealth, and power - leading to military skirmishes, assassinations, politically motivated marriages, and the formation of alliances. This dog-eat-dog system sees characters either making big decisions or suffering the consequences of them. For example, Robb Stark’s decision to break a marriage pact with House Frey, leading to the notorious Red Wedding. 

In Roshar, one of the most powerful nations in the entire world, Alethkar, operates within extremely rigid societal structures - at least, at the very beginning of The Stormlight Archive series. Day-to-day, the people of Alethkar are sorted into either a higher or lower class based on whether they have dark eyes or light eyes. There are also rules that uphold a strict gender binary, forcing people into categories and determining what is and isn’t acceptable. These are pressures that several characters in the fantasy novels eventually struggle against - like Danlinar, Adolin, Navani, Jasnah, and Kaladin -  subsequently forming the basis of their narrative arcs. 

In Thedas, there are several nations in which mages are forbidden from performing magic outside The Circle, an organization run by the Templars, for fear of them falling afoul of demons and blood magic. This has led to mages sacrificing their freedom - under threat of death - and often experiencing abuse at the hands of Templars. Through the events of Dragon Age II and Dragon Age: Inquisition, several circles of mages rebel against the Templars - leading to an all-out-war between the two groups, and serving as a significant conflict for players to make decisions around.

Uniting disruptors

Westeros, Roshar, and Thedas also utilize fantastical elements that then disrupt existing societal systems, forcing otherwise conflicting people or groups to overcome differences and work together for a greater good.

In Westeros, the continent is threatened by the growing numbers of The Others, supernatural beings, attempting to break through The Wall that separates its northernmost region. Unlike the noble house system, The Others cannot be mastered through manipulation, assassination, and territorial skirmishes. These are creatures who cannot be reasoned with, cannot be bargained with, and don’t care a whit for the political games of the landed gentry. As such, it forces the otherwise previously hostile groups of The Wildlings and The Night’s Watch to work together to stop their invasion. 

In Roshar, the world is facing the possible coming of another Desolation - a cataclysmic event that causes mass death and destruction, forcing humanity to once again rebuild itself from the ground up. Multiple Desolations have already happened in the world’s history by the time the main characters of the The Stormlight Archive realize that a malevolent force called Odium is responsible and that another could be on the horizon. As such, people from across the different cultures and classes of Roshar called Knights Radiants, come together in the hopes of preventing the looming Desolation. 

In Thedas, the Blight is an event that has occurred several times in the world’s backstory, with the first game, Dragon Age: Origins, focusing on the events of the Fifth Blight. A Blight occurs when the Darkspawn - a species of creatures who live underground - infect an Old God with the Taint, turning it into an Archdemon. The Archdemon then leads the Darkspawn in an invasion of the surface, killing everyone in their path and destroying the land in their wake. In Origins, stopping the Blight forces a group of otherwise conflicting characters from across Thedas - such as mages and Templars - to come together to destroy the Archdemon and save the world. 

Magical systems with narrative and thematic purpose

Great fantasy worlds like Westeros, Roshar, and Thedas don’t just have magic systems for the sake of it, they all have magic systems that each serve key narrative and thematic purposes in this immersive world. 

In Westeros, magic is incredibly rare and powerful. Whenever magic is used in A Song of Ice and Fire, it is often to perform some amazing feat - like bringing someone back from the dead, or creating a shadow to murder an aspiring king. The more supernatural elements of the world act like natural disasters or the work of ancient, unknowable forces. This approach serves to reinforce the world feel and major theme, of peoples’ lives being at the mercy of beings more powerful than them, whether they’re warring nobles or immortal gods.

 In Roshar, the magic system of Surgebinding becomes the driving force that brings the major characters of The Stormlight Archive together. Surgebinding is when someone draws on a source of light, in order to perform various abilities or gain certain effects. A Knights Radiant has formed a bond with a Spren - an ephemeral being - and is able to draw upon them to perform for power. The Knights Radiants in The Stormlight Archive come from different nations and backgrounds across Roshar, all under the leadership of Dalinar - who encourages them to work together against Odium. This reflects the series’ core theme of rejecting societal restrictions and cultural differences for the sake of collaboration.

In Thedas, mages are the only ones who can perform magic, as they have the ability to tap into a spiritual dimension called the Fade. For some mages, especially the less experienced ones, tapping into the Fade can leave them vulnerable to the various spirits and demons who roam the Fade. This threat of possession has led to the mass oppression of mages by the Templars, which is eventually challenged in the events of Dragon Age II and Dragon Age: Inquisition (depending on the player’s choices in game). Thedas’ magic system is another way in which the Dragon Age series examines how and why systems of power are formed and broken.  

But knowing how to build a high fantasy world is just the first step. The next thing to do as a fantasy author is to start making your locations, characters, history, and magic system - all of which you can do in LegendKeeper’s worldbuilding platform. Begin your free trial now!