Protection: The Sword and the Shield

Econ 101

......Author's Note

This chapter is not necessary to the story. It is just meant to clarify the societal and economic makeup of the Magical World as I see it. It started with me trying to figure out what uber wealthy would look like in the magical world as well as how a magical economy could support itself when magic exists.

If you do not care about such things, feel free to skip this chapter. It will not affect your ability to follow the plot unless very minor details bother you as they bother me.

......The Magical World

The magical world as I see it has a population of about 3 million witches and wizards.

It is split into 70 countries with about 40-50,000 magicals each. The Magical UK has 40,000

Due to the influence of the Romans, the Turks and Imperialism, all of Europe, the Americas, Northern Africa, the Middle East and Asia use wanded, focus based magic. The central countries, as they are called, typically carry a wand and a non-magical weapon, generally a sword or dagger magically strengthened.

Sub-Saharan Africa on the other hand uses a weaponed, focus based magic. The citizens of Atlantis, which is the name of the African magical union, which consists of 5 nation states, traditionally carry shortened spears. Each spear is a magical focus on its own. Depending on the nation state the Atlantean may carry a magically strengthened shield as well. Globalism has introduced other weapon foci as well. The most popular new style using a quarter staff.

The Native magicals of the Americas, including the "Indians", the Mayans and the Aztecs had all been practically wiped out by magical war which was then compounded by a plague and then compounded again by the arrival of Europeans at the beginning of colonialism. They integrated with the European magical communities that immigrated to the Americas and use wands but still held on to much of their ritual magic history.

......Society

The driving force for muggle society is in many ways the desire for magic. Magic allows for the easiest and most efficient method to solve any problem and muggles have been using their minds to try to achieve that perfect ease and efficiency for centuries.

Magicals on the other hand are not seeking greater efficiency or ease but are looking for comfort. On a macro societal level that means that they are trying to find a system that works most comfortably with magic. As such each magical country will stay culturally in the age that was most easily melded with magic.

In Western Europe, that means the feudal age. For the Americas, it is the steam engine age. For the Greeks it is the age of the Olympian pantheon, etc.

The world however cannot be ignored and while these countries hold to the era they like most, the constant influx of muggleborns forces certain adaptations. The most interesting of these is the Americas where the magical community is fairly accurately represented by a niche muggle style called steam punk.

......Government

Most magical countries run on a form of government based on the societal era they are living in. For the Magical UK that means that the country is run by an aristocracy.

More specifically, the aristocracy of the UK is split into two chambers. The upper chamber is the hereditary Seats and the lower chamber is the non-hereditary seats. All members of the Wizengamot are magical nobles and hold the titles, in order of importance and starting from the lowest rank; Baron, Viscount, Earl, Marquess and Duke. It takes a 4/5 majority of the rank above to elevate a family and only the King or Queen of England can elevate a family to a Dutchie. (The other method was recently outlawed by the Wizengamot after the ascension of Lord Remus Lupin-Marauder to a hereditary seat)