The Sonomancy System: Magic Built on Suffering

“Magic always costs something. In the Rift, it costs everything.”

Today I want to pull back the veil on one of the most challenging aspects of crafting the Makerborn series: building a magic system that reflects the brutal reality of a world where hope itself has become a luxury few can afford.

Sonomancy—the art of sound-based magic that permeates the Rift—emerged from a simple question: What if magic wasn’t a gift, but a burden? What if every spell cast brought the user closer to losing their humanity?

In most fantasy, magic elevates its wielders above ordinary mortals. In the world of Makerborn, it degrades them. Sonomancers begin their training as children, their throats scarred by the special collars that bind their voices to eldritch frequencies. Each incantation tears at vocal cords never meant to channel such otherworldly power. The more powerful the magic, the more grotesque the transformation becomes.

The collared magic users scattered throughout the Blackened Lands serve as living reminders of magic’s price. Their twisted forms and hollow voices echo across the desolate landscape like warnings unheeded. They are weapons forged in suffering, tools created by those with power to wield against those without.

But here’s where the system becomes truly dark: the Old Gods, imprisoned beneath the world’s crust, feed on this magical suffering. Every spell cast tightens their bonds while simultaneously giving them sustenance. The very act of using magic to fight against the ancient evil makes that evil stronger.

This creates the moral complexity that defines grimdark fantasy. There are no clean choices in the Rift. The mother’s quest for vengeance requires her to engage with a system that perpetuates the very oppression she seeks to escape. Each use of Sonomantic power brings her closer to becoming the monster she fights against.

As readers journey deeper into this world, they’ll discover that the true horror isn’t the twisted creatures or the blood-soaked battlefields. It’s the realization that in some circumstances, becoming the monster might be the only way to protect what you love.

The Rift doesn’t suffer heroes. It only tolerates survivors.

— Daymon