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Governments in fantasy maintain order and stability. They rely on several mechanisms to keep things calm and peaceful between citizens and other countries. In exchange for keeping people safe, they must comply with the rules and regulations they set forth. On the opposite end is chaos. Nowhere is this more evident than a complete and utter lack of government or anarchy in fantasy.
At its most basic, anarchy in fantasy is a country that has no effective government. Rather, it’s every man for himself and there are no laws in place that keep people in line. This makes relations between each person complex as well as that between its citizens and other kingdoms. How do they make deals that work for both sides and how can those who break them be punished if there is no central entity in charge?
Anarchy in fantasy is a very fascinating topic to explore. At its heart, it examines precisely what people are capable of doing without any government protection whatsoever. This brings out the best and absolute worst behavior in people since they can do whatever they want anytime and not have to worry about being punished at all.
In perspective of worldbuilding, anarchy is a magnet for all sorts of characters. It only appears in countries where the government in power collapsed or decayed to nothingness. People flock there to carve out their own personal fiefdoms or scheme to maneuver themselves into high-ranking positions in a group working to establish a semblance of government there.
Where anarchy in fantasy truly shines is in the story. People fight over things they consider theirs, whether it be land or resources or other people. It offers a glimpse into the fate of a country that is slowly falling apart and perhaps there’s still time to stop it before it’s too late. The protagonist must navigate a nation where the idea of law changes by the moment.
With this being the seventh article in the fantasy government series, if you like this one and are interested in reading more or any of our many others, they can be found on our blog page.
In simple terms, anarchy refers to a place suffering from a breakdown in being governed. Bedlam runs rampant as people do whatever they want, consequences be damned. While anarchy in fantasy is mostly a temporary state of matters, there are times where it becomes permanent.
Anarchy arises when the government in power ceases to function. It can be a number of reasons from civil war to the deities obliterating its leaders off the face of the planet. The lack of order and stability leads to people fighting over things like money that’s essentially worthless or food and housing.
While it’s merely transitory, as it won’t be long until a new regime arises in power to restore order, anarchy causes scars that take a long time to heal. It brings out the worst in people as criminals run rampant, stealing everything they can get their hands on to committing murder, knowing that they can get away with it.
The nobility quarrel with each other, determined to settle all their scores. Lords and ladies hire mercenaries to raid their rivals’ sources of food and burn their farmland as they take advantage of the chaos engulfing the kingdom with the goal of making it out on top. They even force the peasants to do the dirty work for them.
While it sees the worst, anarchy in fantasy sees the best in people. Public-minded citizens band together to fend off roving bandits and restore a bit of law and order in their communities. They work together to grow crops and build homes. They also reestablish a monetary system to buy and sell goods at prices fair to both sides. The reason they do all these is they’re looking to the future, to a time where this lawlessness state of matters is a thing of the past.
An absence of government in a country can lead to a religious revival. During times of turmoil, people, seeing all the wicked acts going on, seek guidance from the deities to help them get through it. They flock to holy institutions to pray and get some respite from the craziness around them.
The lack of a central government spurs all kinds of people to flock there, as if they saw a siren. Some well-intentioned people hope to aid the people struggling by offering them more than words of comfort. They bring with them weapons and food and many other things.
People with nefarious intentions swarm a country experiencing a breakdown in authority. They have visions of hitting it big by stealing priceless artifacts or swindling people out of their land so they can call themselves members of the nobility. Criminal syndicates move in, eager to carve out their own territory and muscle out their competition while making massive profits before law and order is reestablished.
Two major aspects of worldbuilding are how countries perceive and interact with each other. A country in anarchy draws attention from not just its neighbors, but those on the same continent. All these nations fear the chaos engulfing that one may spread beyond its borders and reach them. Some seek to aid their friend; others see an opportunity to increase their power and influence.
A country in disorder can have far-ranging ramifications as hostile rivals scheme to fill the power vacuum. The trouble is, they may have to fight other countries who are doing the same thing which could lead to a major war breaking out. Think of it as a powder keg that’s just waiting to explode, which will bring nothing but ruin to all.
One important thing to note is how members of the fallen government fare in the new circumstances. Those wise enough have already fled, fearful of the percolating anger from citizens. The unlucky ones still in the country are hunted down as the people take out their anger for the present state of matters. Bloodlust sets in as people savagely punish them, desiring vengeance for how they were treated when the regime was still in power.
Anarchy in fantasy isn’t all bad. While it generally brings more trouble than good, it offers an opportunity for people to start anew. Some dispirited folks can move far away from the cities and learn how to grow their own crops and be self-sufficient. They bring their families and close friends with them so they can form a close-knit community where everyone knows everyone and gets along. The troubles of the world are but a painful memory in the past.
In regard to the story, anarchy is a great topic to explore. Showing how things are now makes the audience want to learn more about how it all came to be. While there are no singular events that made it happen, it’s the result of a chain of events that may have begun years or decades earlier.
Glancing back into the past shines a light in how things were then. There were grave problems the country papered over, choosing not to worry about them at all. Politicians, bureaucrats, and rulers focused solely on increasing their power at other people’s expenses. They overextended themselves and a series of events occurred where they all lost their power.
A nation in anarchy is suffering from a long sequence of decisions that led it to where it is now. The hero sees nobleman warring against nobleman, peasant against peasant, and so on since society’s ground to a screeching halt. Everywhere chaos reigns supreme.
While it’s considered the freest society since there’s no government, the hero sees up close the cost of living in anarchy. Cherished heirlooms are stolen, families starve because someone took all their food, and so on.
The protagonist is forced to navigate a nation where he cannot distinguish friend from foe. This makes interacting with everyone tense, as he has no way of knowing if the people he’s communicating with intend to harm him. Even kind-hearted folks have their own agenda!
He helps people by righting wrongs but in the end, does it change the fact that the country is gripped in chaos? Sure, he may help someone here and there but in the end, does it matter? Those are two questions only he can answer himself.
The hero is then faced with a pivotal choice to make. Should he try to help the country get back on its feet or let it continue withering away until there’s absolutely nothing left?
Anarchy in fantasy erases the line between good and evil. Good people may commit heinous acts for noble reasons and vice-versa. In its purest terms, anarchy is merely a commentary on human nature and the lengths people will go to to protect themselves and their loved ones.
That is what makes it a fascinating topic to explore. There’s no way of understanding how far people are willing to go to unless you’re in their shoes and know what they know.
Even more interesting is how things got to the point where the government in power fell, ushering in a period of volatility. By looking into the past to a time when the country was more stable, you see cracks in that stability that were deliberately ignored by the people in charge. Was there still time to prevent the anarchy currently embroiling the country in the present or was it already too late by then?
Anarchy in worldbuilding is like a siren calling. A country suffering a breakdown in order leads to people turning their attention towards it. From both inside and outside, people scheme to settle scores, wipe out rivals, or score impressive plots of land and give themselves fancy titles to show their newfound clout. The same applies to the other nations.
In the story, a state of lawlessness strips the hero of the notion that he’s safe. Instead, he must move through a world where everyone is only interested in themselves, not the common good. Interested persons will pounce on him if they think he has something worthwhile to offer that will bolster their position at his expense.
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