30 Days of World-Building - Day 20 - Plot Hooks II

Exercise 20 - What questions are you asking in your novel? What is the primary message you are trying communicate through your novel? What is the overall question that should be answered by the end of your novel? Are you setting up a major conflict between your hero and the villain? Or is your question as simple as "who will win?"

Throughout the novel, the conflict between sorcerers and the Shadow Realm remains a major turning point. Both of the main protagonists, as well as a couple sub-protagonists, are all connected to the Shadow Realm via the taint, and are therefore victim of the degenerative effects of the taint. The broad question is simple: "How do people living under such a heavy burden manage to live life to it's fullest potential? Are they carefree because of this? Or do they hide themselves away, fearing the inevitable?"

While there is no distinguished "villain" in my novel (aside from the King of Shadows himself), the numerous servants of the Shadow Realm serve to detract Hadrian from his path of understanding. Some of the people he meets even go so far as to blackmail him, saying that the taint isn't worth the repercussions in the future.