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The source of all magic, the Lux Aeterna, is undoubtedly a treacherous yet mystical domain. An abode for the Angels, the Lux Aeterna is widely known as the source of Thaumic power. The Aeterna, as it is colloquially known, is a sea of energy located not within Cosmoria itself but within the collective thought conscious of all life, the Noosphere.
Like a dream, the Aeterna itself is not a stable, within it lies not physical dimensions but the concept of physical dimensions. As such, it is ever-changing, and sometimes contradictory. The vast amounts of energy contained within the Aeterna's great sweeping chaos can intrude upon Cosmoria itself, waging war against stable reality as the Aeterna spills its wrathful fire across space.
Zaphenim's Mansion[]
Death[]
Angels[]
Escape[]
Aeternal Energy[]
Aeternal Energy is the all-permeating energy-field within the Lux Aeterna. Objects with conceptual potential have Aeternal energy whereas objects with little conceptual potential have none. In other words, sapient beings who are capable of conceptualization have far more access to Aeternal Energy.
This energy exists in an open system, with the very existence of sapience capable of producing an indefinite amount. It is thought to have existed since the Aeterna's creation following the Cosmic Primordia, implying a very early start to sapience as well. Aeternal Energy is responsible for numerous things, and many have believed that it is the cause of the Lux Aeterna's constant state of flux. Aeternal Energy does not have a force carrier. In areas where it is highly concentrated, it glows very brightly, exhibiting effects which appear to warp space around it.
Aeternal Energy is thought to come through a user's Pylon to perform Thaumaturgy. It can be morphed in various ways, allowing an adept Magi to do a variety of different feats. Channeling Aeternal Energy is difficult for most people, requiring intense focus and mental fortitude. A learner must also be careful enough to keep their Pylon in a stable state, as too much Aeternal Energy may shatter one as mentioned previously.
Pylons[]
A Pylon is a manifestation of consciousness within the Aeterna. As life evolved across Aylathiya, as it struggled in a race towards intelligence, the hand of natural-selection guided life towards sapience. This sapience would give rise to "the mind," a distinct entity from the physical form. This mind, or soul, gave species the advantage of abstract thoughts beyond that of simpler animals, a byproduct of simply becoming more intelligent. These souls interact with the Lux Aeterna, forming a Pylon. Similar to a rock jutting out of a river, the Pylons create a disturbance in the Lux Aeterna. The power of the Pylon, or how much weight it has in the Aeterna, is directly proportional to the Thaumic potential of it.
A Pylon gaining weight too quickly may cause Thaumic Insanity, a debilitating condition incurable by any means. The process is slow, taking many decades for most people. The onset of this disease is harmful, as those effected exhibit unusual physical and mental characteristics. The severity of such effects vary from person to person, but all become extremely unstable. After a certain point, the mind of a person breaks down, resulting in the mental disorder. Mania, hallucinations, and occasional delirium are common.
A more serious condition is the runaway increase in weight by a pylon caused by over-exertion. In the physical universe, this manifests as a sudden release of energy called "shattering." When shattered, Magi lose control of the flow of power, rendering any Thaumic usage impossible unless it heals. Irreparable shattering is often characterized by the complete death of the Magi in question, as their bodies begin behaving much more like material in the Aeterna. These exotic forms of matter are largely incompatible with the physical universe. The afflicted individual often physically distorts into impossible shapes.
Occasionally, this manifests as "pylon corruption event." Pylon corruption is essentially the creation of a new parasitic consciousness in the pylon itself, hijacking the mind of its host Magi. Often beings of great power, corrupted pylons represent a constant threat to any magi.
Faux Pylons[]
Faux Pylons are artificial constructs created within the Lux Aeterna whose applications have only barely been explored. The creation of such machines, one could call them, requires numerous Magi. Faux Pylons do not have any brains to connect to, requiring an artificial brain to be constructed. No mere artificial brain will work, however. What is needed is an all new class of computer only barely within the realm of feasibility for the wealthiest of civilizations.
The Aeterna does not allow for conventional matter to be placed within it. Conventional matter breaks down as its atoms become stripped of their physicality and replaced with the "concept" of atoms. In order to build within the Lux Aeterna, one needs to build in concepts, requiring manipulation of the Noosphere. A certain arrangement of concepts will be able to conceptualize themselves. What is meant by this is that it is possible to create a sort of very simple mind within the Aeterna whose only capability is conceptualizing itself. How this is done is a complicated process based on the knowledge that certain patterns of thought within Aylathiya will allow a user to affect the Lux Aeterna. This is the basic idea behind all Thaumaturgy, so a specific type of Thaumaturgy whose affects lie mostly within the Lux Aeterna is most useful in the creation of Faux Pylons.
After the creation of the simple Faux Pylon, it exists as a solid foundation for which more complicated concepts can be layered on top. Eventually, the Faux Pylon will grow in complexity to the point of being able to engage in simple calculations. This is more than enough to then implant into an artificial mind within Aylathiya. This process gives pylons to machines. Machines with pylons exhibit increased emotional capacity, ability to grasp abstract concepts, and an increased desire for self-preservation. POLIKY is one example of a machine with a Faux Pylon.
Cores[]
The Aeterna is a host to independent entities, called Cores, within its boundaries. Cores hold the appearance of large, white wisps of light which flicker and move quickly. It is thought that these Cores manifest from high-energy events, though this is not entirely proven. Most Cores are found floating aimlessly, typically around large coagulations of matter. It is thought that there are trillions of Cores in The Aeterna, appearing and disappearing over many years. Independent Cores are hazardous due to their high energy and sporadic movements.
Occasionally, Cores merge with one another, creating a conscience with multiple minds. If this happens often enough, a unified sapient core may appear in its place. Such Cores represent an island of stability, similar to a faux pylon, within the chaos of the Aeterna. Sapient Cores may combine with others as well, resulting in a collective conscience of two or more Cores. The largest of these have the equivalent of billions of minds in a single body.
Spirits[]
Main Article: Spirits
The Spirits are Thaumic entities, born from Cores and Pylons. While lesser, non-sapient Cores disintegrate outside The Aeterna, Spirits may survive and wander near rifts. They usually have a long lifespan, though they also disintegrate if given time. If an Spirits leaves, they have a longer lifespan depending on how many Cores make it up. They typically hold an innate affinity for Thaumaturgy, and are thought of as dangerous or enigmatic. Surviving Spirits have hardly been studied due to their rarity. Additionally, an Spirits is able to retreat to the Lux Aeterna at any time, resisting its chaotic effects with little to no effort.
Mother Sydiah is likely the most recognized Spirits in history. As the leader of Sedrua, she has used her abilities to expand her empire in the name of The Aeterna. One of her most notable feats was creating Sydiah's Architects, millions of Spirits which served under her. They were responsible for making Sedrua, building many structures and populating countless worlds as the empire expanded. In an attempt to re-enforce her empire, Sydiah attempted to use a great amount of power. It instead triggered a large Aeterna Cascade, returning her to The Aeterna with no way out for millennia. This is known as the Wane of Reality, an event which started Sedrua's downfall.
Aeterna Cascades[]
Since natural rifts are extremely rare, most Spirits exit through events named Aeterna Cascades. These events are caused by a Core creating rifts, subconsciously channeling Aeternal Energy in a way similar to Thaumaturgy. This allows an emerging Spirits to leave the Aeterna. If a large collective conscience attempts to leave the Aeterna on its own, the co-responding Cascade may emit large amounts of energy. This is especially true with any Cores which have the conscience of thousands or more. The energy caused by Aeterna Cascades may disintegrate the Cores, scattering them back to The Aeterna. Ones which survive this are regarded as the strongest of all Spirits.
History[]
The Lux Aeterna formed 6.5 billion years ago as one of tens of thousands of ideals within the Noosphere.
Little happened in the Aeterna for the next several billion years. When the first sapient organisms came into existence, activity resumed in the Aeterna. The activity of the first lifeforms and, consequently, the first Magi sent shock waves through the Aeterna. The first sapient life forms triggered numerous Aeterna Cascades as they disturbed their Pylons. At this point, the Pylons began to move about as they do to this day. The Cores began stirring as well during this period. This took place at an indeterminate time in the deep past.
These Cores likely combined to create Spirits as they do now; however, concrete evidence before 7.5 million BCE has not been found. It is thought that Azurade had a part in this, increasing the Aeterna's activity to produce such entities. As matter flowed into The Aeterna, it disintegrated, though fragments remained and exhibited unusual characteristics. As the number of sapient individuals increased, the Aeterna became more chaotic.
The Aeterna underwent many large Cascades, with several more happening until the most recent one in 129,591 BCE. This would be the creation of Mother Sydiah, a result of billions of sapient Cores. She went on to extract other Cores from The Aeterna, creating Sydiah's Architects and going on to establishing Sedrua. Aeternalism was spawned from faith in her origins, as Sydiah believed the Aeterna was like a heaven or oasis. Her followers grew in numbers, expanding Sedrua until the Wane of Reality created rifts and trapped Sydiah in The Aeterna. With Sydiah's Pylon shattered, she could not leave The Aeterna. Instead, she existed in a state of perpetual degeneration. Many Architects followed Sydiah through the rifts, choosing to abandon Sedrua as they thought it was their time. Approximately 19% of all Architects disappeared during the Wane of Reality. The remaining 81% were left to pick up the pieces, including Vurilia Jutopati who founded Novel Aeternalism alongside his comrades.
In Sydiah's place remained her Hinterlands, a series of growing rifts connecting directly to The Aeterna. These rifts were very much hostile, wreaking havoc in their proximity. As such, many Architects died, as they either failed to contain them or sacrificed themselves as previously mentioned. Sedruan sectors had to deal with them on their own, using technology in an attempt to close the rifts. Perceived inaction from Sedrua caused mass distrust in its government, eventually fueling the need for change. Novel Aeternalism was popularized as more believed the Wane of Reality to be a mistake, and not an intended action. This belief evolved and made the relegion evolve in the following millennia. From then, Sedrua entered into a state of decline.
Eventually, Scientific discoveries created Eidolite and allowed Hardlight to be produced in significant quantities. Further research refined the understanding of The Aeterna, with many nations unlocking its history. Pylons, Cores, and remnant materials were studied alongside historical documents, revealing its nature to many people.
Around this time, several nations became the forefront of research into the Aeterna. With a far more naturalistic view of the plane, various organizations took advantage of its energy in different ways. Most notably, the integration of Thaumaturgy with technology. Numerous weapons, megastructures, and even settlements became integrated with direct connections to the Aeterna.
Upon the turn of 96,378 CE, the Angelic Awakening occurred. Mother Sydiah and her Angel brethren rose from the Aeterna after Itrian Yutira and Thonde Yutira freed them. Upon her re-emergence, Sydiah punished Vurilia Jutopati for bringing Sedrua away from her ideals. She believed that his inaction with isolationism is what caused its downfall. As a result, Vurilia became trapped in The Aeterna, held by the forces of unreality. For thousands of years, it is thought that Vurilia suffered, constantly buffeted by the Aeterna like eroding away at a coastline.