Information and Communication

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The selection your news outlet is an important process in this modern era.  Websites and television channels offering their version of the truth seem endless.  The time in which we live has been referred to at times as "The Information Age."  Sources are differentiated by having different topical focuses or political slants.  Some consumers focus on one primary outlet for their information, while others go to specialized outlets for individual topics of interest.  In devising a Fantasy world, the topic of information dissemination leads us to a number of questions with significant implications.  

    With all of the information available to us today, most people consider themselves relatively savvy consumers.  However, most of us don't regularly research the politics of both sides on an issue or visit multiple sources to fact-check.  We go with sources we trust.  For many people, they still trust what their preacher tells them from the pulpit every Sunday, which has a long tradition.  Others will listen to the statements made directly by the government (town crier or media rep) for political movements and changes in the world.  Some prefer to listen to those who have seen situations firsthand (tv personalities and editorial writers, or travelling merchants and tinkers) who share their experiences in anecdotal form.  Then there are those who enjoy rumor and gossip, which is available from pretty much all of the sources at some time or another, if you catch them in the right mood.   

    Information sources are naturally less reliable in a Fantasy setting (even Tolkein's palantir could mislead the user) than we are use to.  Eyewitness accounts are notoriously untrustworthy, even when the viewer has the best intentions at heart.  Written messages can be easily lost, damaged, delayed, or faked (though this can necessitate the fun of seal making).  Authoritative texts did not (well, some today still don't) have the peer review process that modern scholarship requires, plus mistakes could have been made in the scribing porcess, or in subsequent copying.  All of these problems may arise when seeking after knowledge, assuming that the information is even there to be found.  In an interesting twist, those absorbing the information might recognize the information as false, or misleading, and use that knowledge to their advantage.

    We are all concerned about the validity of the information we receive and establish a kind of relationship with the mouthpiece who delivers it (the somewhat recent flap over Brian Williams is a fine example of the perceived betrayal of that trust).  While it may be more difficult in a Fantasy setting to prove that information is false or misleading (intentionally or not), the breaking of trust is that much more significant.  Giving your word seems like a cute relic of the past, but it was extremely significant to our forebears for the simple reason that important decisions often had to be made on very limited information.  Consequently, being caught in a lie or breaking your word in a world that relies so heavily on hearsay could have a serious impact on both social and business relationships.  

    In a Fantasy world, knowing who to trust is one of the most important factors in survival (see: GoT).  In many adventuring stories, your characters will be outsiders.  Without someone to vouch for them, they will quite naturally be viewed with mistrust and apprehension (doubly so if they are carrying weapons).  It may serve you best to send them off in disguise to gain the trust of the populace, but they should beware of being found out and destroying that fragile bond.  Knowing who to go to for good information and who to ignore as untrustworthy are complementary skills.  Sifting widely circulated rumors for truth may be the most valuable skill of all.  

    Misleading your characters though lies and half-truths is a time-tested plot device.  Is it the aged councilor (who secretly needs money to keep his ailing wife in healing draughts), or the back alley foot-pad out to save his own skin who is telling you the truth?  There is the old 'misunderstood prophecy' route, which Star Wars beat us over the head with.  The turn-coat in your midst out for personal gain also has a strong presence in the genre (as well as Shakespeare).  When information is so scanty, it is hard to know who to trust.  The gullible and the openhearted may be ripe for the picking.  Perhaps only the keen-eyed and the cynical would survive in a time like that.  However, they may also miss out on opportunities that the believers would jump at.  Playing with that dynamic within a party of travelers can be a fun opportunity for character development.