Palantir (Corrupting Communication Orb of LOTR)
An aspect of a fantasy world that I don’t think I’ve talked about is communication. They don’t have phones, email, or texting. They have other modes, which can be mundane or magical. I’m just going to dive into the categories:
- Regular Mail– Letters and scrolls being sent through non-magical means is probably the easiest to write. It can be carried by people on foot or horseback, which both have real world entities to copy. You also have messenger birds or other animals if you want to get creative. The challenge here is explaining how the sender knows exactly where the receiver is if the person is a wandering adventurer. This is where a magical addition might be needed to act as a locator.
- Familiars– This is specific for anyone who uses magic. Basically, they can summon an animal or have their own helper beast that can travel with a message. This is something that can fix the issue with the first category since there is magic involved in the sending. Of course, there are downsides here depending on the system. For a non-summoned, flesh-and-blood familiar, being away from their master can cause weakness or put them in danger. So, this can be a method used in extreme circumstances.
- Magical Messages– A spell can be used and not only by casters. This method can be done through a scroll or with the help of a caster. So, anyone can use it. Many authors have this be instantaneous or within seconds, which helps move the story along. It can be done through a voice showing up in the mind, a ghostly vision of the sender, or even appearing out of the surrounding. One risk that I’ve seen added to this method is that those with magic can spy on the message. So, it doesn’t always have the protection of a physical letter, which requires more effort to be stolen.
- Relic– An item that allows for sending messages is popular as well. Much of the risk depends on how it works too. If it’s simply sending a verbal message then you don’t typically see an issue. If it’s mental and has a way of spying as well, you can add the threat of corruption. This brings up the issue of forced mental communication as well, which can cause damage to both minds. I don’t think this should really be a problem unless it adds to the story though. A relic that party members share to talk when away or separated on a mission would be common, so adding risk would be an unnecessary wrinkle.
- Telepathy– I’m putting this in its own category for the non-magical version. Some characters simply have this ability for one reason or other. While people typically think of using it to spy on thoughts, it can be used to communicate. It can require focus and knowing the target if going long distance. For example, a telepathy shouldn’t be allowed to communicate with a person they’ve never met and lives thousands of miles away. It would be jarring for the target and make the telepathy far too powerful because it would allow for other actions. This can only be initiated by the telepath unless they open a two-way line with the mind of someone else.
Those are the only general categories I can think of. Anybody know of others?
