Twin Moons & Sword Wounds

While fantasy stories do give an author a tremendous amount of creative liberty, there is still a need for a certain degree of believability. Whether it is the costs of magic, the flora and fauna, or geography, there is an awful lot of research that goes into creating a story world from scratch. When I started plotting the Battles in Bloomtide series, I knew I would need to create a fantasy map and royal family trees. What I didn’t expect was to find myself researching the tidal effects of twin moons or the average speeds of hypothetical creatures based on wing size. Now that I am knee deep into writing my second draft, I thought I would share a list of some of the delightfully unexpected rabbit holes I have found myself in over the past few years.

1. Two moons effects…on everything.
Nalavaris’ two moons were a part of the world from early on, with an origin myth to boot. I knew that our own moon effects the tides and is used for time measurement; but I didn’t expect the research that went into how things would change with another moon added to the mix. What if one is full and the other 3/4? Do they go through their phases at the same speed?

2. How fast would a gryphon fly?
The sacred mount of the royals are supposed to carry with them a certain degree of awe, but I was in awe of the research I found myself doing about the correlation between speed and wingspans, side estimations, and the dynamics involved in both ascent and descent.

3. Speaking of gryphons, where would they live?
While I knew that gryphons were a lion/eagle creature combination, I didn’t have a clear understanding of what their natural habitat might be. Ocean cliffs with sea breeze updrafts? Vast savannas with rocky outcroppings? Where and how would they nest?

4. Mythology deep dives for Scotland, Sweden & Germany.
My own family history inspired more than the character names in Nalavaris, for the guardians are all have ancient roots (that I got to twist a little) taken from the lands of my immigrant ancestors. Exploring the meaning behind the name of a town in Scotland where generations of my family lived, the enigmatic wood wives of folklore…these rich stories gave rise to Nalavaris’ own rich mythology.

5. So much about swords.
What kind of injuries would do the most damage? What could kill, maim, or simply bruise? What are the parts of a sword? What are sword fights like? How much energy is expelled beneath all that armor while wielding? What does the clash really sound like? This has turned out to be a much deeper rabbit hole than I ever expected.

6. High Council, War Council, Who’s On A Council
Even in the fantasy realm, there’s plenty of administration that has to be done, especially when your main characters are members of an Imperial Family. A customized bureaucracy had to be developed based on what Nalavaris traditions and customs, with a whole system for the delegated seat protocols. If you would have asked me, even when I first started writing, if I believed I would be researching late into the evening on council members, I would have laughed out loud.

All this to say—building a believable fantasy world means becoming a part-time historian, biologist, physicist, and mythologist… all in service of a story that feels real, even if it's entirely made up. The rabbit holes I’ve wandered down have surprised me, challenged me, and in many cases, totally enchanted me. And honestly? I wouldn’t trade a single one of them.
Every bit of strange and specific knowledge adds a layer of richness to Nalavaris. Even if most readers never see all the details, I like knowing they’re there, woven into the bones of the story. That, to me, is part of the joy of writing fantasy—creating a world where even the unbelievable has its own internal truth.

So, tell me: what’s the most unexpected thing you’ve ever researched for a story, hobby, or passion project? Was it a myth you couldn’t stop reading about? An oddly specific weather pattern? A historical footnote that spiraled into a full obsession? I’d love to hear your tales from the rabbit hole—drop them in the comments below!