Worldbuilding a Cannibalistic Theocracy: Behind the Scenes of Siyanda’s Factions, Talents, and Priesthood

Let’s talk about a society so dark that no one can see the disease digging its fingers into the minds of the people.

Creating something like this took patience. I’m not even sure I could have done it years ago, before the experiences that shaped me. But over time, I started noticing things. Hearing things. Fears, warnings, conspiracy theories, oppressions, excuses, turning a blind eye. These things leave a silent impression at first, but across countries and cultures, they pile up. Patterns emerge.

That’s where my worldbuilding began.

The Comfort of Shadows

I know this isn’t a vast fantasy world with invented languages (not in book one, anyway). My goal was something else: comfort. I wanted readers to feel comfortable in the shadows, to see how easily one could settle there and accept what all the characters had accepted: that there was a place for them, provided they were gifted with a specific Talent. That it was normal and safe.

I mimicked what I saw around me, then slowly released inky secrets in the form of revelations or casual conversation, until it finally clicks: Did that say cannibalism??

Talents: The Magic We Already Have

You’ll find in my characters something we all share: talents. I believe the best “magic” in fantasy is built on what we already possess, on what we feel could be possible.

You see, I grew up in a family of immense musical talent. My relatives would pick up a guitar and play. Trumpet? Flute? Saxophone? Drums? Trombone? Piano? No problem. Sing? Dance? Easy. I didn’t possess any of those gifts. I tried, I really did, but earplugs were definitely designed with any audience of mine in mind. I still love to sing. I sing to my students all the time, slightly off-key. It’s more heart than notes. (They smile politely, one finger in an ear.)

Watching my family felt like witnessing real magic. The ability to make music was so far from me that it left me awed! But we all know people who make things look easy: a friend with a green thumb whose house is a jungle while yours is a plant graveyard; a colleague who becomes your personal counselor because they always know how to connect; or grandma, who makes every meal taste like you haven’t eaten in a month. (Seriously, how does she do it?)

These are the Talents my characters possess. The same ones you have. The magic that lives in all of us, amplified and accepted as something deeply special, defining our very character.

The Shadow That Spreads

But let me return to my world, the place where these wonderfully magical people live. In a world where Talent runs rampant, life should be ideal. Yet in any world – in any corner of it – a shadow lives. It lives to grow and consume, and it starts with the strength it perceives.

That darkness spread across my imagined world for centuries, constricting lives, separating people, controlling them, convincing them that their happiness and their Talent depended on division and absolute obedience. And if there is one thing people excel at, it is warping and manipulating faith. A faith that constricts rather than frees, that pulls the puppet strings of the people. A faith that rises in power until the faith that once burned in their souls is forgotten.

Sound familiar?

How deep do you think the rabbit hole goes? What would you do to escape?

See you next time,
I.M.He