Astral Site/Gate

Legend

“The first raised in the Dark Ages, to ease travel into The Void. Others, to control Mana leaks, as well as aid Astravel in the World.”

—Skjald Ulrich

 

Description

They all share the same besic design; a central base coloured pillar, 8 double-tiles, and 8 outer pillars. Aside from that, they vary in size and carvings of both pillars and tiles. Carvings, often so intriguing and elaborate, that astravellers without hurry spend a day or more studying them. The enigmatic designs and execusite craftsmanship also attract scholars and magic practioners who at times find answers in the complex designs -but most often they travel on with newfound puzzeles on their minds.

They are sacred to all races, whom will go any length to hunt anyone damaging the sites. Some are very ancient and where raised in the void. Hauled onto the worlds surface when it was created, alongside most other void gardens and racial settlements. Others are younger, either grown from when Elthuun wandered the newborn world, planting shards where the mana seas echo was strongest. Others are the work of SarcianSarcian divines and Archaic, who created the sites to tame mana leaks at earthnodes.

These sacred sites, now placed at the worlds leyline grid are very strong earthnodes and thus its somewhat dangerous manipulating the mana sea for magic paths when nearby. They are used for Astravel, a way of travelling vast distances in but a blink of the eye, by inserting mana energy into the mouth-tubes of the side pillars, and then activating it standing at the tiles.

“Used for their original purpose, Astravel, they also have a deeper purpose.”

—Skjald El Mary

 

History

Dark Ages

As the Boriac and Sarcian realised that the internal energies of the mana links were growing, they began to erect a astral gates on each of the end points. They used Lewesia Gneiss, a special rock resistant to any and all astral influence from the Void Garden that later became Mt. Ljostia.

“Surpassed in discovery, Boriacs acknowledged the Sarcian discovery.”

—Skjald Vinotis

 

First Age

Its said that Elthuun’s shard-seeds grew into astral sites, but it was Sarcian and Archaic who created them atop his marked spots. It’s quite interesting that it was the Sarcian’s who spearheaded this worldly task with the Archaic, as it as such are the only major thing Sarcians are known for. None the less the work made strong bonds between Archaic and Sarcian.

“Boriac the finders, Vornir the tamers, and Sarcian the balancers.”

—Skjald Valgrif

 

Second Age

When the Divine Races tried to eradicate Vampires, many of the old gates to the Astral became unstable, some even defunct, due to the worlds tilting and The Rim forming. Thus the Sarcian and Archaic began constructing a new grid of site gates, both to keep Astravel but also to somewhat control the energies that the Gods craved. Thus, Sarcians helped transport Lewesia Gneiss from Ljostari to sites throughout the world, where Archaic undertook the task of constructing the sites/gates.

“Scolars ponder the Sarcian grid. Did it only fix what the 1st Cataclysm inflicted on Elthuun’s grid, or is there more?”

—Skjald Sigurd

 

Third Age

As the wanderers came sailing… scholars debate if they knew astravel at all… or merely needed the untainted mobility. None the less… they soon learned and mastered it.

“The uncaring Vular… the considering Jomzaar… and the cautious Rimzir… all in the same boats.”

—Skjald Kazumix

 

Fourth Age

With the sweep of the Deep Blue Tsunami, a large number of the site/gates were destroyed, became defunct, or were outright deathtraps, releasing lightning from above or bringing instant dissolution of astravelers. The Sarcian and Archaic once more relocated, repaired, or built gates on new sites. This time though, Lewesia Gneiss was tainted by the Mt. Vula eruption, and it was in this process that they found out that Lewesia Gneiss could be Enhanced into Magic devices, such as mirriors, doors, portals, and the like. Acting as greatly improved entries to and from the Astral.

“Suddely mobile portals could be utilised, and became the most craved of artefacts.”

—Skjald Yell'a'Beard

 

Organisation

As a result of the Hymn of Truenames, tilting of the world, and disruption of the ancient grid, Astravel now results in a slight empowerment of the gods of the Colour realms one uses in the travel. Thus, one can, if preferred, choose longer travels to round undesired colour realms. It, of course, means that one has a higher risk of unpreferred encounters.

The ground tiles indicate the colour of the site and the destination, and the centre pillar indicates the colour of the site/gate within the grids cell. The surrounding pillars indicate the colours to be used for travel in that Direction. The actual destination site/gate in that directions cell, depends on what magic shard colour is used as head for the travel-path.

—Skjald Sejrik

 

The site/gate system allows an astraveller to activate known gates, pass onto the astral, and reappear at a specific colour sub-colour somewhere else in our world. The skilled can build up paths of immense length, using astral sites and gates as navigation points for their’steps’ in and out of the astral.

“Sites are fed colours to build the pats, portals are merely fed a destination.”

—Skjald El Mary

 

Special

To activate, one needs to use Shards of the required color(s), either the magic ones that are consumed when travelling or the divine ones that persist in travel, so the user retains them for further use.

“How the divine shards survive is a mystery, but they seem bonded..”

—Skjald Vinotis