Astral

Legend

“Before the dawn of time, there was an entity of swirling chaotic energies; in these energies, patterns and rhythm emerged and grew. Eventually it leaked its energies into the Void, creating Void gardens — the seeds of our world.”

—Skjald Valgrif

 

Description

The Astral is exactly what is unclear, but its vast swirling coloured energies are the origin of everything that exists. Seemingly it’s some sort of memory, able to stay liquefied and able to blend as long as it stays within the astral. But as soon as it leaks, it either begins to solidify into something, manipulating whatever it touched and tainted. Or it crystallises into coloured magic shards, which retain their energetic force in a keyed pattern.

Everything dissolves in the Astral; that is, two of the elder divine races don’t. Both Vornir and Boriac can without dissolving and have stayed there for twenty millennia or so. They have somewhat merged with the flow of the astral sea—although not even they understand it fully. Nor do the younger divines, gods sprung from astral energies used as links binding void gardens to the astral. However, they appear to possess knowledge about their ancestral sea that others lack.

The astral energies can be used by mana manipulators, often through the gods serving as catalysts, or through manipulating what it had become in the void or on our world. An elect few, and some very powerful mana manipulators, have learnt to avoid dissolving, so they can stay there for a time. Others, the Astravellers, utilise the internal spin of the astral sea and rifts or astral gates/sites to enter the astral and step out at a different place on our world.

“Born as his mother stepped into the astral. Staggering, she emerged, and a Stoicheian came to aid.”

—Skjald Kazumix

 

History

The Astral is said to once have been part of The Void, but something stirred it, and a motion began. Slowly growing into a cacophonic maelstrom of immense size and suddenly sparkling alive to itself. Through time, its outer skin cracked, and its swirling, energetic sea leaked through these cracks.

When it touched things, they were manipulated; some of the tainted became creatures of the Void, others the divine races now inhabiting both the Void and the Astral, forming everything to their whims. As their creations grew in number, they used the mana sea to spin links reaching out to void findings. These energetic conductors fed the astral with interactive energies and memories, so it grew further.

Seemingly out of nowhere, the links burst into existence and became gods due to mortals’ perception of them. But as the perception and understanding of mortals have grown, it’s now an established theory that the massive energetic burst of the mana sea that created the gods was the mana sea trying to break the weaving bonds of the Vornir. Thus do the gods actively work to undo the world’s reforming and free the astral, even though that would mean everything’s dissolution. A grand scheme both mortals and elder divines work to prevent.

“It felt like a short stay, but even her grandchildren’s grandchildren had aged to dust.”

—Skjald Sigurd

 

Organisation

 

The astral consists of energies, mostly in a fluid or gassy state lingering in coloured mists or swirling maelstroms, but also when bound by strong-willed beings or by consistency in itself—in solid form! Moving around in the astral sets the energies in motion, as does any attempt at manipulating them, so if not careful, the motion can multiply, creating an unbalanced and energetic vacuum.

Each of the eight main colour streams tries to get its servants, the gods, to make it the most dominant stream.Although the gods, sharper than their ‘parent’, know that that imbalance could be fatal for the astrals’ free spin.

The Astral can also be used as transportation using Astravel. As one can step into the Astral through any activated Astral site or gate, benefit from its swirling ‘op top’ of our world, and in a short time step out, having travelled great distances here.

“So interesting it was, the news gathered at Outlands, revealing the godly agenda.”

—Skjald Yell'a'Beard

 

Special

At times the astrals uncontrolled leak into our world and crystallise into multicoloured Magic Shards. Which can be used in many ways.

“Staring at the twisting and curling multicolour—unable to crystallise. She vanished.”

—Skjald El Mary