Basically, have a novel I'm writing, and trying to kinda build out the world a bit to make it seem more lived in, and also have a believable, interesting inciting incident. So, as it stands now, here is my basic concept: The Chosen One and Dark One are both immortal and indestructible. After countless battles which resulted in neither gaining ground on the other, the Chosen One plunged his sword into the earth, and created a huge, impenetrable barrier of light called the Divide, splitting the eastern part of the realm from the western. Hundreds of years later, the Chosen One rules as prince in the thriving western part of the Divide, while the easterners struggle, having warring factions, and living in constant fear of the Dark One, who goes around burning and pillaging whatever he pleases. ---------- Now, I'm really having trouble figuring out what some of the consequences of this Divide would be, and how they may inform my worldbuilding and inciting incident. So, I was wanting my inciting incident to be someone being seen breaching through the Divide, and going to the eastern side (the side with the Dark One). This, of course, has the Dark One hear about it, and go searching for this person. However, I guess I was wanting something that would have both the Chosen One and the Dark One looking for them, and that's not really practical for the Chosen One if the person is on the other side of the impenetrable barrier. Any ideas for how one might be able to get around this? Alternatively, I've also thought that I could make it a one-way barrier, wherein people could go from the light side to the dark side, but not from the dark to the light. In this way, elements such as deserters and banishments could be introduced. And in this situation, instead of the person breaching the Divide at the start, it would be the Chosen One's niece who passes from the light side to the dark. The Dark One wants to find her to try to draw out the Chosen One to the dark side. Can't really decide between these two right now. I guess the biggest thing is that, in early iterations of the story, there was also quite a bit of political intrigue, and I want to find a way to keep this. Perhaps I could still keep some of it, as someone would have to rule on the light side of the Divide in the Chosen One's stead. Again, just really struggling to figure out the best way to go about this. I want the fantastical, whimsical elements that come from the Chosen One vs. Dark One tropes, but I also want the political intrigue.
What it sort of reminds me of is the land of the dead in mythology. A god can go there and return, but a mortal can't return, unless he has the boon of a god or something. Maybe the Chosen One can pass freely both ways? Or maybe he gets help from someone who can, and needs to make sure he stays on this person's good side until he gets back. This could be a wild, unpredictable character, mysterious and strange, like a half-mad prophet. Or he needs some talisman or amulet to allow him to pass freely, and needs to guard it dearly. Maybe many people on the other side know he has it and try desperately to take it from him.
Well, you could take a look at the Berlin wall, some of the politics involved, and maybe extrapolate ideas from there..
I saw Neal Degrasse Tyson interview George RR Martin and he asked him where he got his motivation to write stuff in GoT from. He said he was visiting I'm not sure if it was a ruin or a historical site or whatever, but there was this long black brick wall that caught his eye. It was about 5' high and went on for a shot while, i don't even remember how long. As he was looking at it he said he thought to himself, you know what would be kool? if it was a mile high, stretched out of sight in each direction, and.....was made of ice!!! I can put normal people on one side and separated from the wildlings on the other. Oh, and its there...to keep the white walkers out. So, in a nutshell, he looked at an existing barrier and let his imagination run wild.
The Dark One could try and lure people across by somehow spreading rumours that the grass is indeed much more vibrant on the barrier's other side. No taxes! It's really warm all the time, what with all the fire. Guarantee there would be even generational resentment towards the Chosen One for dividing friend and family for lifetimes, so that could also be leveraged by the evil dude too. I think it might be more intriguing if there's something the emigratory subject needs to know, some secret that grants passage. Something else, if you want to turn the story on its head, is the Chosen One could have been deceived into thinking his niece passed through the barrier (possibly by those that want to rule in his stead). So while he's on his quest to save his niece, she escapes her captors and crosses into the dark side anyways just to find him and hopefully save the realm.
