There still is one idea I'm toying with that would change things pretty dramatically toward the end, but I can't figure out how to make it work with later events. It would be cool if I could get it work though.

Chapter 4 is done. Now for Chapter 5 wherein I need to fake some knowledge of sword fighting.

The need for fake knowledge has been moved til later, I realized it was too soon in Chapter 5.

If these hypothetical situations get too tiresome let me know.

This is a fantasy setting so there is magic. One magical device creates a dome that renders everything inside invisible from the outside. Conversely, if you are inside it, all light from the outside is blocked so you would appear to be on a disc of ground in a complete void. How likely would that be to freak somebody out? I'm thinking it would at least freak out some people.

Especially if the ground under their feet looks like a void, I'm definitely thinking freakout.

If I was from a world of magic where this sort of thing is commonplace I'd probably be more annoyed than freaked.

Well, I envisioned the ground as still being there. And a light source inside would still illuminate things, it's just the inside surface of the dome would be perfect black, absolutely no reflected light, and thus look like a void that would appear to extend indefinitely.

It's a setting with magic, but something like this would be so rare that nobody would have experienced it before.

Yeah, if it's not a surprise thing, but something that the inhabitants of the 'verse knew existed, maybe less chance of being freaked out. Guess it's all in how it's used.

It would be as much a surprise thing for people in that world as in the real world. Sort of like we know incredible things can be done with technology but had no idea it could this. Actually, that's pretty much an exact corollary. Technology in this setting is powered with magic and it comes with a pretty dramatic price that hardly anyone knows about and those that do try to deny it.

Gud, if it blocks out light, would it also block out everything else? Kind of a sensory-deprivation area? (Also - air? would they start feeling like they were suffocating because they were?)

As I figured it there would be no light and sound from the outside would be greatly muffled and distorted, but you'd still get smell and wind albeit reduced. Also I was figuring one could only use dim illumination inside because every bit of light get absorbed and turned into heat.