World of Shikari

Notes from the Weave

The Journal

This is where I think out loud.

Essays, craft reflections, and the occasional honest detour into what it took to build the world of Shikari. The Codex is the encyclopedia — permanent, in-world, neutral. The Journal is human. Opinionated. Written about the world, not as the world.

By Thalen Runehart
2 essays so far

Featured Essay

Latest
Craft & World-BuildingJune 20265 min read

Why I Built a Magic System That Can't Be Cheated

The Weave responds only to truth, not to force. That rule binds me as much as it binds my characters. An essay on constraints, trust, and what a magic system actually promises the reader.

#magic system#craft#hard magic

More from the Journal

Craft & World-BuildingApril 2026

The Magic System Behind The Weave: How Breath Becomes Power

Why the Weave responds only to truth, what it actually costs to wield it, and why I find the Severed more frightening than any monster.

6 min readRead →

Looking for the in-world reference?

The Journal is the voice. The Codex is the world.

If you want the lore presented straight — the Seven Orders, the rules of the Weave, the history before the Sundering — that lives in the Codex. Different room. Same world.