Back in April, I made a post about capital cities and related aspects of worldbuilding. Today, I’ll share some thoughts on the larger picture.

As a fantasy reader, one thing that will rarely stop surprising me is how much variety there can be. You can find a story that takes place in the span of days or just hours, in a very small area – and you can have sprawling stories that describe events taking place over years or even decades across vast worlds. The amount of worldbuilding can differ a lot, and the larger the scope, the more intricate it’ll be.

In most cases, there will be factions with opposing goals and interests. Their roles can also differ – they can be the driving force behind the story, or a background element. They can also be an aspect of the backstory as their past shapes the present, and past slights might become obstacles in the way of a traveling adventurer.

The way a specific faction is managed can also be a contributor to starting the story – if a group is led by a neglectful ruler, infighting and power vacuum can lead to conflict between groups who want to take some benefit from the situation. A tyrannical ruler might lead to the existence of rebel groups and insurgents bent on changing things for the better, but who need to stay careful and avoid being stopped too soon, which can be a common aspect in fantasy stories in some way.

When factions are in conflict, the reasons might also differ – they can be caused by disregarding past deals and treaties, territorial disputes, different moral standings, securing resources, and many other causes. The actual cause might also be different than what the people involved would proclaim as the actual cause. All such things might impact how the populace views the conflict and whether they might be willing to support someone not aligned with the views of their leaders.

If a conflict between factions isn’t merely the background element of worldbuilding, but a major element, it also needs to be dynamic, and for events to have consequences. Even if things end up with the status quo preserved, there will be ripple effects in how it affects the involved sides, as it’s likely there will be gains and losses.

When creating a sprawling world with several factions, I think it’s good to have some clear idea about their goals, views, values, and other aspects of their existence. Some questions to ask can be:

What is their power structure? Are they led by a ruler with absolute power, or some wider political system? Is there a particular reason for that related to the story being told? How does the ruling party (whether solitary or not) treat opposing ideas? This can be connected to other aspects of worldbuilding – if the faction in question is religious, how closely is religion tied to the ruling structures? How are the key tenets of their faith related to conflict – are they peacekeepers or zealots?

What are their values and goals? Motivation is a key aspect in storytelling. Things don’t happen out of nowhere. Is there a need not being met? A danger that needs to be dealt with? Threat from within or from the outside? What a faction considers important will affect what they’re willing to start a conflict over, whether as the initiator or as the defender.

This will also affect who might be potential allies and which differences might be too much to overcome, even if their goals are shared. An enemy of an enemy might be a friend – if the circumstances are right – but that might only lead to another problem later. Hard choices to make are a good way to spice up a story, especially when the stakes are clearly high.

The will to compromise. It’s rare to be able to achieve a flawless victory, whether it’s a revolution or a large war between kingdoms. Wars are extremely costly and, unless the populace is in direct danger, will rarely have large support. At some point, staying in a war instead of moving to negotiation might lead to instability from within and losing support. Few things can undermine the results as falling apart when things are going well – a small crack that can be exploited by the opponents and turn things around.

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Building a fictional setting from scratch can seem daunting, more so if those ideas reach far. Some prefer to have the questions answered first and go from there. Others might be willing to try and see how things shape up. Both approaches have their pros and cons. Either way, the key is to not forget anything and avoid inconsistencies. Notes are a useful friend.

So, that’s it for my worldbuilding thoughts for today. I’ll welcome your comments – whether from stories you’ve read or stories you’ve created: what’s something you consider important so that a faction in a story feels believable – or relatable?