Quote Originally Posted by Zen Clark View Post
What can be used to find the right balance? The concept that the map is based on is still deep in the making, and I'm wanting to work on map that is both physically accurate along with being something that I can based some of the cultural aspects on.
A Magical Society: Guide to Mapping (Linked to above) uses the idea of being a lazy deity. You have the magic to make impossible things happen, but you don't want to waste it on trivialities. So if something doesn't need to be magic, it shouldn't be, but if you need an impossibility, you should include it, and then work the natural consequences of it out.

For instance: Rivers don't flow between oceans. Unless there's a good reason for magic to cause a river to do so. In that case, the river would have salt water. Unless there was a reason to invest further magic to desalinate it.