Malazan - Magic System Explained! 

This is the least sure I’ve been about a magic system when making a video like this. You don’t get repeated straight forward explanations within Malazan like you do WoT, so if I made any mistakes please leave them here! Special thank you to Andy Smith for helping make this: ru-vid.com/show-UCw9jFR-Nd_PxHkwS9MQ1pIg

Daniel: "Malazan, magic system explained" Me: *impossible....*

What I learned from the books: the Jaghut dont need fridges

I think you did a good job using bubble universe/pocket dimension analogy. Even the practitioners themselves don’t totally know the limits and capabilities and are constantly surprising themselves and others with what they’re able to achieve. Thanks for continuing to shine a lot of the series-I really enjoyed the video!

Very interesting video, Daniel. Thanks for posting it. A minor point that might help to explain the magic better is that Esslemont and Erikson have compared the magic as similar to music in our world. Every one could possibly learn to play an instrument (Warren) but not everyone has the same natural ability. So if you want to learn magic you need to find a teacher. Humans typically only have access to other humans as teachers so they are unlikely to be taught how to access Elder Warren's. So, if you find a teacher willing to teach you the drums that doesn't mean that you will be able to play piano. As magic is so powerful it is not easy to find someone who is willing to teach you. You could become a rival or a tyrant, so why would they trust you enough to impart their hard won knowledge. Lastly for this analogy, while learning guitar could result in calluses and bloody fingers, a misstep learning magic could be fatal to you and everyone around you, so there is a risk reward aspect that helps limit the numbers of active magic users. The system becomes even more complicated when you add in the spiritual magics and pacts with supernatural entities that can confer magical power.

Me, having never picked up one of the books in my life: Hell ye tell me everything

Some notes I've made while reading the series. We're told that all life is magic. We're also told multiple times that warrens are K'rul's blood. The Errant tells us directly that holds are fed by spilled mortal blood, and is pissed that K'rul upset that system by offering humans this magic by making availble to them his own blood. Worship is also critical in becoming a god, and I think "worship" in a more nuanced personal way can also give access to certain types of magic depending on how a person is or what they may become, hence why some people are born with an affinity to something and why other people learn access later in life. As for the terminology of where elder warrens sit, I think it's just nuance based on language and knowledge. Outside of Lether the knowledge of holds is esoteric, but worship of the holds and some of the gods associated with them still allows access to them. I.E. Mael is still worshipped by some and the hold of water can still be accessed. The beast hold through the worship of Fener as a god of war by cults in the Malazan military, as well as the cult of Fener's Reve, is also still active, and is lost when Fener is taken from his seat. Warrens are refined magic and easy to use, and holds are raw and uncontrollable. Holds are not flexible in their use, and hold magic often gets out of control and causes mass destruction. This is directly related to some of the themes in the book when talking about cultures and how adaptable their social systems and beliefs are. I.E. Kurald Galain is described are more hold than warren, which directly relates to how their culture has remained stagnant for most of the life of their people, and they're still prone to self destruction and metaphorically consuming themselves. The T'lan Imass never bothered trying to learn to use Tellann to develop any sort of healing magic, which is consistent with their single mindedness when it comes to their commitment to war. Access to holds/elder warrens has to be granted by someone of great power, and it's my theory that K'rul's warrens are quite literally allowing people to use his blood/veins to act as a buffer to focus/filter raw magical power and quite literally slow down the transfer of energy from the realm to the magic user, to make it easier to use and shape. This also relates to others allowing access to race specific elder warrens. High house shadow, it being a fragment of Kurald Emurlahn, was not even accessible to humans until Shadowthrone ascended and took power over that fragment, either inadvertently or purposely allowing human access. I think genetics also play a part in how K'rul and others were able to give access to certain magic types, and also relates to the strength of those magics. Humans share a sizeable chunk of genetics with the Imass, and Telas, being the warren of fire, can exhibit some pretty stong powers among humans, so maybe this is due to Imass genes. It would also explain why some people are naturally attuned to some warrens, just based on lucky gentics. It would also explain why the warrens related to light, dark, and shadow aren't very blatantly destructive or powerful; humans don't generally have much in terms of genetics from the Tiste races. But some remnant hybrid populations like the Shake can directly access Kurald Galain, albeit at the great cost of spilling a lot of their own blood (I'm not sure if it was due to the original Shake being Edur/Andii, or being so diluted with human blood, but if they were true Edur it's probably due to being halfbloods that were subsequently heavuly diluted), which also reinforces the genetic factors when it comes to warren magic access.

Daniel : Chaois isn't evil. Me: Phone calling the Ordo Hereticus.

This literally just convinced me to start Malazan. Complex magic system? Count me in !!

I've never read Malazan but if daddy goblin tells me to watch, imma watch!

I've been waiting for this video before deciding whether or not to read Malazan and now I think I'm gonna give it a shot. Great video!

The physical drain is more of a guideline used for narrative convenience when it suits the story. Would like a video going into each Warren and talking about Ascendants. They are the coolest part of the series.

I love the magic system. It feels so mysterious and original. I kind of like that I dont fully understand it

hey Daniel, thank you for this! as a writer, super interesting to see how others are doing this. but on another note, as a disabled viewer, i'm hoping you'll add captions one day? this video was especially complicated for me because the music was too loud compared to your voice, and i had a very hard time understanding some of the things you were saying. i hope you'll consider having captions on your videos, be it from yourself or a third-party. thank you for your work!

I know this is great breakdown when I can follow along without ever having read the source material.

I am become 5000% smarter. the power of malazan is real

Finally the grate goblin has returned to the best of his videos in explaining magic systems. I hope he does a lot more of these in the future, thank you Daniel for the content.

This started sounding like the Warhammer 40k magic with the warp divided into elemental planes. However it became its own thing.

Such a great book series I'm glad people are still talking about it

this video was great for making the incredibly complicated magic system easier to understand. I really appreciate it, also the visuals are great and your pronunciations are hilarious.

Never heard of Malazan till yesterday, when youtube decided it is the only content that will be in my feed. Legit 7 videos yesterday, +23 videos today

I've read the series 2 or 3 times and it is so great to see more people talking about it. You also do a good job explaining what took forever for me to grasp. Mainly I needed to re-read the first book to get a grasp of it.

Excited to hear more Malazan discussion in the future!! 💙🔥

I'm 60% through Memories of ICE right now. Best tip I got to getting started was to just accept that you don't know everything and let the story happen

I just finished Memories of Ice a few weeks ago and I’ve really been enjoying the series. I’ll start House of Chains sometime in the next few weeks

I started..garden of the moon twice but I promise to my self started a 3rd time and stick to it. Nice video.

Interesting stuff. I haven't tackled the Malazan books yet. I started the 1st book years ago and was instantly confused and gave up. Tempted to dive back in again.

0:00 *Clap* *Clap* Magic System Review!

I'm almost caught up with the dresden files and plan to continue the wheel of time next, but hopefully start Malazan after that :)

I’m just getting into fantasy. I had a goal to read 20 books this year and I’ve read 4 so far just finishing “to sleep in a sea of stars” and now I’m starting my first fantasy series “mistborn”. I’ll be ready for malazan after I read a couple smaller fantasy series.

Just started Gardens of the Moon and this helps a lot to understand!

What great visuals you've found to explain complex fantasy physics! This has made me want to read Malazan more then any other video so far - though Brittany made a great one recently - but I still feel I must work my way up to it, only got back into big fantasy reads (and reading in general) a year ago. First the Wheel of Time.

Commenting for algorithm cause you put in so much effort for this amazing, incredible, awesome, great video!

This was really good for me. I started reading Malazan because i consistently see it mentioned in top 10 lists where I've already read most of the list. I got to book 4? I think, its very fuzzy, but I think that was the point? Anyway, I really appreciate the immensity of what the authors have created, and all the interviews ive seen with erikson leave me with the impression that he is a smoart dude. I will go back to this series for sure (after I finish my "pre-show" WoT reread and catch up on my sanderson, and maybe read broken earth haha, but eventually...) and I appreciate having this breakdown of the magic system - because not understanding the magic was one of my main holdups with the series (and the fact that everyone is a demi-god with absurd power levels). sorry for the long brick of text

It took me 2 years to read all 10 books and I must say it's simply THE BEST fantasy saga ever written. At least compared to "Wheel of Time" and "Song of fire and ice". Some of the most memorable characters and most epic battles described in a book. Huge respect to Steven Erikson!

I really like the Malazan magic system because it feels very grounded in sociology/anthropology. Like especially the way Holds relate to Warrens and the way gods ascend or get forgotten and the way power builds up around people, places, and ideas feels very much based in how belief grows and changes in human societies. Erikson really drives home how magical/divine power is created by layers and layers of belief over generations.

*MINOR SPOILERS MAYBE* One thing I would add to "The Magic System Explained" is the concept of ascension. I think the books make it clear that there are multiple pathways to godhood and power and the magic of the warrens is just one way. But, the act of ascension can bring power to an existing warren or can even carve away its own place separate from the warren or elder warren it originally came from. It seems just as possible that 'beings' have the power to pull additional power from chaos itself, to theoretically create infinite warrens. However, I expect this isn't being done because its dramatically easier to 'take your neighbor's hill' than to 'build a brand new mountain out of the sea'. Hence the struggle for power over the existing warrens. To find a path to ascension is to carve a new space for yourself in the pantheon or to take somebody else's. This is heightened by the notion that warrens can also be sundered, blockaded, or destroyed. One last thing I would add is that warrens and their worship and correlation to those magical practice is the influence on geography and culture. It seems very abundant throughout the 10 books that the local cultural practices and customs are linked to the practice and potency of specific magics and their prominence or absence in specific geographic places. A great example is the dichotomy of 'developed cultures' versus 'hunter gatherer' societies that are depicted. There is an obvious correlation between the "progress" of society and the need/development/creation of beliefs and therefore warrens that reflect these more diverse values in more complex socio-cultural places. These more "privative" societies often worship more based human needs and vales (and fears) like fire, water, earth, and beasts. Geographically, people also tend to value the lands they are home to and see more minor ascensions or partial ascensions related to the value of a place itself. Raraku, for example.

*Dosent once mention spirit magic* Oh shit here comes the bottle fans

One thing to add about the younger and elder warrens. It is hinted at that at least some of the younger warrens are somehow connected to the elder ones, making the younger warrens kind of the PG-13 version of the elder warrens. If a mage is willing to face the considerable risks and expend the necessary research and willpower, they CAN access an elder warren that is close to their younger warren. In most cases, it just isn't really worth it.

I've gone through the core Malazan series twice now but this is the first time I've heard these words spoken aloud by someone other than myself and it's throwing me off.

Now I want to read Malazan. THANKS DANIEL!

I've read the entire book of the fallen and Malazan empire series and I couldn't come close to explaining the magic system. Every time I felt like I was starting to understand it a new wrench would be thrown in works.

You're a mad man for even attempting to make this video. You did an amazing job!

I’m interested in starting Malazan eventually but I can’t right now because I’m currently going through Wheel of Time for the very first time and I can’t read two massive series at once.

Let’s get it!

Broooooo this was the most perfectly timed video release ever!!!!! I’m literally working on a magic system, and studying other series magic systems... THIS ONE was the one confusing me😂😅

I hear the name Malizan and bet the shivers. It always feels like I need to re-read the whole series again before reading any newer book in the setting because the series is so huge with loads of charecters and details that by the time a new title is released, I have forgotten too much for the contents to make sense.

There are magic systems other than holds and warrens (wax magic, necromancy, soul shifting and spice bois) however this was a very clear representation of these systems as far as we know from the books.

Please make this a more frequent series 🙏

Am I the only finding this magic system super creepy? 😱 Thanks, Daniel, it was interesting to say the least!

Do more videos like this, please. I like getting into specifics about books.

Erikson: The magic system of Malazan shouldn't be explained Daniel: Bet.

This reminds me a bit of 40k, the immaterium, the warp and psychers

Is it just me or is Daniel’s usual intro a really good hook?

I'm about to finish GotM.. So this helped a lot thanks!

Great overview Daniel ive read every book of malazan so far except assail (reading now) and kellanveds reach i think its great how u managed to give the overview with minimal spoilers please continue enlightening us rabble to the world's beyond our own

(SPOILER ALERT) Some humans can acess the elder warrens (6:15) Im pretty sure Beak could access them (or atleast some of them, if not all of them). Rip Beak, I literally cried when he sacrificed himself to save everyone else.

This definitely has intrigued me to read the series. I kind of want to wait for it to be out in paperback though (I don't like mass market paperback).

Each magic is a candle in your mind. And each one is a different color. Just picture lighting one and you can access the magic.

6:19 when that Attack Titan image first popped up, I thought it to be really random, but actually, it is quite meaningful considering the 4th season of AoT. Eren is indeed becoming a demon. I don't know if you did this on purpose Daniel, but either way, it's obvious that you've put LOTS of time and energy into this video. Good job man! Note: Mentioning AoT in a Malazan video is pretty weird, I know, but I found that little detail really interesting :D Also, this video made me want to read Malazan. I think I'll give it a shot.

Sometimes my friends assume I know everything about every book because I read/write a lot. My mate was like: *what's the magic system in that malazan series like?* Me: well, not having read the series.... I'll just link him this video now.

For a more in depth perspective of Elder magic and the younger magic, you'll need to read Forge of Darkness and Fall of Light. They give better lines to define by because they give the origins of the younger magic. It's still incredibly vague, but you get to see the things only hinted at in the OG series. The caveat being having to read the prequel series, which isn't completed yet and won't be until after the release of The God is Not Willing, a sequel series to the 10. They are very different that the OG series and ICE books. I like them and find them non-negotiable when trying to understand the whole, but you can skip them entirely.

Recently finished Bonehunters. I have no idea what is going on most of the time! Especially concerning the magic systems in world. But after watching this video I can happily conclude that neither does anyone else 😂

Something to keep in mind is that not all magic originates from the Warrens or the Holds. There are other paths to power, usually through making deals with local spirits of the land and drawing upon their strength. You see this with the Wickans and also with Samar Dev. Both make distinctions between what they do and magic stemming from Warrens and Holds, calling it "ancient magic."

I'm just a few chapters into Gardens. I like the story and the prose, but man is it hard to follow. I liked hearing that it's kind of supposed to be that way. I've already listened to several sections more than once. I'm now looking around for content like this to get some insight without spoilers. Good video. Thanks.

You should do a cosmere magic tire list

Minor spoiler: You mention at the end that Chaos is the warren of Dragons, but I think it's actually Starvald Demelain. Otherwise, love the video! Malazan is my favorite series, and it's great to see it get some well-deserved attention

4:30 Too late, Gang-Plank Galleon is already blasting in my mind.

My impression from reading is that people choose to learn how to use warrens, and that none are born with innate powers, but maybe I remember incorrectly. Also, you never seem to pronounce glottal stops. K'rul and D'riss, for example, I'm pretty sure should be two syllables.

I'm so thankful for these explanatory videos on Malazan! I'm just a few hours into the Gardens of the Moon and already you managed to reduce my frustration with the book by half!

Pretty good summary. One thing to remember is that no-one in Malazan knows exactly how the magic works, and what we get is always from the perspective of someone in the world. So of course we are not going to get full, consistent explanations. Magic is available to anyone in Malazan provided they are willing to apply themselves to it, and they can find a teacher. In that sense, it’s like any other trade or field of knowledge. And some people are much better at it than others. Also, there can be good reasons why someone does not want to get involved in it, just like with anything else. The Holds are an older system, which sort of combines what later becomes the Warrens and Houses. There are Warrens that don’t have Houses associated with them. Also, divination with the Holds is done with tiles, and not with the Deck of Dragons as it is with the Warren/Hold system. I like to think of this as Erikson and Esslemont’s joke about switching from the D&D system of gaming to GURPs, which allowed more flexibility and rounded the corners of the wheels.

I absolutely love this magic system. It’s both original and yet the same time it feels very classical.

This is one my main issues with Malazan, even though I believe it is within the top 5 best fantasy series of all time. While the broad strokes of the magic system are easily understandable, in many cases the power differential between gods or even "human"-like characters is SO unclear that it utterly destroys the feeling of stakes in a fight, simply because we don't *know* the limits of 80% of the characters in it or how they came to that power in the first place. Rather than mysterious it just ends up being annoying imo, with the metaphysics feeling very inconsistent.

I'm not sure that I'm going to make it through this series but I am interested to know how the magic works so I'll watch this anyway. I'm just not enjoying it thus far.

Yes please do a video or videos explaining each Warren please and thank you.

My read through(s) I got the impression that the difference between Warrens and Holds were the age of order set on them " Deck of dragons " (Mankinds age ) and Age of "elders?" they had stones/tablets ? these both were tied to the treehouses "azath" that instilled order in chaos and separated them out, but even while typing this I can already see holes in this. damn it gets more confusing the more you attempt to explain it.

I like your new elvish tattoo!

Could you make a version of this video with full spoilers? I have finished TCG and would love to hear this same video produced with relevant examples and characters, where you could actually reference the text and say "In scene X when Y used C Warren, this is an example of how Erikson allows Y to manipulate C" or "We see that J has access to not only the warren of C but also B and A and this is because of Reason".

Daniel explains Malazan magic system...someone asks a question regarding Quick Ben...blank look comes over Daniel's face and turns camera off. ;)

In the Novels of the Malazan Empire there actually is a human mage able to draw from an elder warren, but I'm not sure if it's been explained how yet in the Path to Ascendency novels.

Great video, is there a chance of a spoiler version? It's been so long since I've read the books it would be nice to get a bit of a refresher 😁

Rank A Song of Ice and Fire books!!

Sounds amazing, I'll have to give them a try. I had a go at Wheel of Time based on how much you love it, but I just can't get in to. Halfway through book two and it's feeling like a chore. Makes me sad, feel like I'm missing out on one of Fantasy's greats. :( Hopefully Malazan won't be like that for me.

I just thought to take a break from binging youtube vids, and moved to instagram where I saw you posted, so I had to return here😅😊

Do more malazan videos. On my 3 read through of mbotf

Humans can access the Elder Warrens/Holds, it's just incredibly rare depending on where you are

No mention of the only human known to have full access to all the warrens? :( One of my favorite characters. Welp, I guess you can't put everything in the video.

Ah dang, this video makes me want to pick up the series- can I Google anything or should I stay away from the internet? 😂 Also, there's ten books in the series?

good explanation.

The deadly sword of anomander rake 🔥🔥🔥🔥

Your book can arrive soon enough

Beautiful thing about the magic is that it's available for everyone. You just need to work at it. Some special few are born Savants, to whom the Warren's dragon will approach and have conversations with once their abilities start manifesting. Others have to train for it. (K'rul created the Warren's by tying pure dragons to them, and doing other things I'll leave for discovery.) Because magic is egalitarian, healing magic is widely available. Because healing is everywhere essentially, people live longer, ailments are dealt with. Thus there's no need for more childbirth to compensate for infant mortality. Women therefore don't have to be kept home for child bearing and as such the society is largely not sexist. Just one thing the magic does for the world.

i have not read and may never read Malazan but Im still watching this video because i am a nerd for learning about magic systems

So cool😊

Love malazan!

Don't go to Starvald Demelain. Just don't. It's not worth it.

Man, I can't believe that King K. Rool invented magic in Malazan.

Wtf dude?? You only read the first 10? That is like the tip of the iceberg. Minimun read empire saga, path of ascencion snd karkhanas. Mostly Karkhanas if you want to know about the origin of the "magic" And then at least one reread. When you reread gardens of the moon, your mind is gonna blow.

Spoilers for later Malazan and especially for the Kharkhanas trilogy!!! The difference between Warrens and Holds is who made them. Warrens (including the elder Warrens) were created by K'rul. The Holds were created by The Errant, another elder god. The core of the story is (SPOILERS!!!) is that K'Rul actually created the elder warrens first. The Errant saw what he did and realized he could do the same but charge blood sacrifice for it. K'rul offered his magic/Warrens for free for all by becoming the blood sacrifice himself. The Errant on the other hand realized that he can tie the magic to himself and make the mortals make the bloody sacrifices for it on which he would parasite. So, K'rul created Warrens/chained Chaos in order to offer magic to all. The Errant did the same in order to gain power over the mortals and gaining powerful source of might. A lot happened later that blurred and complicated the whole situation, but this was the original move. So simply put, the Warrens and Holds are originally two rival magic sources/systems that partially merged, meddeld and connected later. Edit: I've forgot to mention that the creation of younger Warrens was essentially a K'rul's reaction on what The Errant did. That is the reason why he chained (volunteering) dragons in them - to provide them protection (root) from meddling that happened with the elder Warrens and Holds.

Minor: I missed the Toblakai Warren in the flowchart. Beyond the topics you undertook to describe: Alike the step from holds to warrens there are hints of further development called paths in Esslemonts books, working along the intersection between different warrens, seemingly connected to D'riss (Blood and Bones)