Chain of Worlds

As we headed up the mountain towards the crashed Aerie of Summer, we entered a cloud of darkness centered on the mountain. Within the darkness were a multitude of spirit forms. These forms appear to be the husks that remain of other spirits.

It is unclear when these spirits appeared after the fall.

As we progressed up the mountain, we encountered undead who were equipped and dressed in a way consistent with the undead army that sent us to Furlough in the first place. We dispatched these undead and eventually reached the site of the crashed Aerie near the temple at the top of the mountain.

Baern began to have a strong desire to plant his giant acorn in the temple. While I wished to search the Aerie, it did seem desirable to first secure our surroundings. Therefore, we made our way to the temple. Here we encountered an undead warrior guarding a skeleton in a circle. The skeleton had the Sword of Summer inserted into her skull. It was within this circle that Baern wished to plant the acorn.

Once we defeated the warrior, I studied the circle. It was similar in design to the circle we recovered the Grotius Cube from (though still active). Designed to focus energies into the circle and then into the outer planes. I now believe that this circle was designed to allow the Lich Queen to potentially ascend into a quasi-deity.

I constructed a secondary circle around the other to keep the spirit forms away from the Queen when I suppressed the circle. I was concerned that these spirits would be able reanimate the Queen if they were able to infuse her body.

Seconds after I suppressed the circle, the Lich Queen came back into action. What power! She dropped her own circle and was barely slowed by my own (I have made notes that I believe will strengthen my future efforts). She recovered two swords before departing.

In retrospect, this is what I believe happened: The two swords represented the phylactery of the Lich Queen and her hand matron (the guard we defeated). The circle had blocked the Lich Queen from her phylactery until it was suppressed. Once this occurred, she was able to restore herself and depart.

Planting the acorn had an immediate effect. An oak tree began to sprout from the spot and the darkness was quickly suppressed. Though in retrospect, in may have been the departure of the Lich Queen that caused the dissipation.

Baern’s instructions did not include any warning or consideration about freeing the Lich Queen. I think this may be an indication that while the Mother remains, she has been altered on a behavioral level. It is as if she has become more animalistic, more feral. I suspect that this change may be caused by the Primal worship of the Mother that we encountered to the north.

It is now time to leave Ascension and see as to the fate of the other Aeries.

Posted by Savin at 1:12 PM 0 comments  

Labels: Savin, Summary

We finally have reached Ascension but the city is not the center of learning it was when we left.

As we entered the city, everyone was required to hand over their books to have them inspected by the Scriveners and have their mark updated. In my day, a Scrivener mark was a simple indication of the scribe guild that made the copy. Now, however, it looks more like governmental censorship. Books are “reviewed” before the mark is applied.

I was able to only hand over two of my many books by a clever explanation of the arcane situation. Unfortunately, one of the books I was forced to pass over was my journal. It seemed innocuous at the time, but soon I would get additional information that would change this view.

Since entering the city, it has become increasingly clear that the Patriarch runs Ascension as a theocracy. Church enforcers roam the streets. The University shows the greatest impact. Here, scientific investigation has been replaced by religious doctrine. All of this close mindedness appears to stem from the fact that the Patriarch was the first to reappear after the fall with divine powers. This, combined with the complete destruction of the existing university hierarchy, has allowed the church to dictate magical theory.

We have met with the Patriarch, and there is something wrong with him. I cannot fully determine the nature of the issue, but I suspect that he may6 be under the influence of an outside force.

I have recovered my tomes, and the party has established a source of income. I will continue to build influence with the University and, hopefully, I can reestablish a proper research group.

In the meantime, there is a crashed Aerie near to Ascension. If I can examine the dualistic elements that make up the power room, I may be able to determine precisely what occurred during the Fall. Unfortunately, the undead army that was threatening Ascension at the time of the Fall seems to be reestablishing itself on the mountain.

Posted by Savin at 10:24 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Savin, Summary, World

I have recently had two separate conversations with two unlikely sources of information.

The first was with Baern who put forward an interesting theory. When we all passed through the portal from Haven to Furlough, we each had an encounter with beings representing themselves as the four gods of Furlough. Each of us was asked to make a choice.

The choices were as follows:
Bearn: The Mother (clearly)
Olen: The Father (again, clearly)
Myself (Savin): The Brother (The offer was of knowledge)
Voss: The Brother (likely for reasons similar to my own)
Yulia: Unknown. We did not discuss our respective encounters until very recently (for reasons of our own) and Yulia is, temporarily, not with he group.

Here is what Baern asserts:
1. Yulia chose the Father.
2. The current state of the Furlough pantheon is a direct reflection of these choices
a. Two chose the Brother and Barrera now represents this diety (where before the Brother was the least openly worshipped)
b. Two chose the Father and the Ecclesiarch (a Father aligned relio-political faction) now rules Ascension.
c. One chose the Mother. Worship is scattered and weakened. Common wisdom holds that the Mother was wounded during the fall (Those of Ascension say it was the Brother though this could be propaganda)
d. None chose the Daughter and she appears withdrawn or gone from the world.

This is a compelling theory. In fact, it allows me to place several additional pieces together.

As we know, Deities are little more than stabilized Thaumological Fields that have obtained consciousness (or at least an approximation thereof). Consider if, during our transition from Haven, something blocked the "belief field" (see my landmark paper on the sources of magic) from reaching the gods. This would have resulted in the instantaneous disruption of their being. The five of us, however, were in transition through the astral plane and thus were unaffected by the blockage.

In desperation, the gods must have waylaid our travel and used us to keep their field stable during the disruption. The Father and The Brother would have maintained greater strength while the Daughter would have been largely (or completely) disrupted.

Greater research is required to confirm the validity of this theory.

The second conversation was with the Memory Devil in Eddington. While great knowledge could be gained by actually having the Devil use its powers, this conversation was with the Devil itself. It has been trapped on Furlough since the fall. Unfortunately, the creature was far from a trained Arcane scholar so any practical knowledge was hard to come by. One thing it did say, however, was that divine worshop was flawed and that, "they worshipped mortal beings rather than true gods." At the very least, this statement would indicate the existence of additional forces at work.

Posted by Savin at 6:41 PM 0 comments  

Labels: Gods, Magic, Savin, Theory

We found ourselves in Eddington wrapped up in a rather laborious legal case. I won't cover the details here (suffice it to say, that Olen's order appears to hold some sway as arbiters) I made an air tight arcane illustration of repairing the city's irrigation system which is sure to carry the day. Mayor Mary Stolhman(also a member of the order of Saint Tac'Ol like Olen and Sir Kenneth von Trapp) heard the case herself.

After the trial was recessed, we (wisely) decided to watch the mayor to protect her from any nefarious action.

And well we did. We followed the mayor and her guard to an abandoned tower. Shortly after additional troops arrived that were dressed as town guard. But they were not. Rather, they were there to kill the mayor. We fought them.

When the Ascension representative, Sir Kenneth von Trapp, arrived, we assumed that the assassins were in his employ. He, however, acted as if WE were the assassins. We were able to convince him otherwise and dispatch the true danger within the tower.

Within the tower was an interesting sight. In addition to the assassins, Mary Stohlman was conversing with a Berbalang, an extraplanar creature that can recover memories of a being by consuming part of their corpse. Any form of remains is adequate, regardless of their condition. Let me reiterate: REGARDLESS OF THEIR CONDITION. Think of the possibilities!

After the battle was done the three members of The Order of Saint Tac'Ol set to accusations. Olen, amazingly, seemed to be the least insane of the three. They were arguing the fate of the Berbalang. Meanwhile, Baern and I conversed directly with the creature.

It appears that Baern is suffering somewhat of a challenge of his faith. I suspect it stems from him learning that goblins (who he hates) were the first to rediscover and worship the Mother (his chosen "diety") This has placed him in a strange conflict and has knocked him off of his typically dogmatic stance.

The Berbalang seemed controlled in its current situation and I find the "all devils are evil" argument simplistic at best. In this, surprisingly, Bearn and I were in agreement.

Predictably, and regrettably, a fight broke out. Baern and myself (again to my surprise) found ourselves the only neutral combatants in the fight (at least to start). I used my powers to attempt to calm the situation but did not seem to be able to. In the end, however, Sir Kenneth von Trapp forced our hand and the Berbalang escaped. I fear that the covenant it had with the mayor, Mary Stohlman may now be void and it may prove a danger to Eddington.

Also, the identity of the assassins remains unknown.

Posted by Savin at 6:03 PM 0 comments  

Labels: Savin, Summary

I have been pondering this for a time but am only now able to get my thoughts into some semblance of order.
This encounter has haunted me.

While in Steirhold, we encountered a dwarf who was able to create yet ANOTHER form of magic that I am unfamiliar with. He did it through the application of a Runic Language.

He said that his master had encountered a book in a room but was unable to take the book from the chamber. The book described sounds eerily like the Malefactrum (Oh to have a copy!). He learned what he could and now has passed the skill on to others.

These runes are fascinating. They appear to represent the basic building blocks of a magical focusing system. It is like all of the maths and formulae I use to channel magics were simplified to a simple alphabet. There is a simplicity and RIGHTNESS to these runes that I have never seen in any other setting. It is like seeing a horse (or at least a fine painting of one) after only ever hearing rough descriptions of the animal.

It was a revelation.

I must get a copy of the Malefactrum of my own.

Posted by Savin at 5:57 PM 0 comments  

Labels: Magic, Savin, Theory

The Squared Law of Planar Stacking and thoughts of the Cubed...

It is quite possible that the fall (as it is so colloquially termed by the layman) was triggered by energies released by the activation of the Grotius Cube during the God wars. As is my wont, I will examine my theories on the subject so that future scholars can see the thought process of what (undoubtedly) is a great historical figure in their time.

Let us start that with what we know:

1. The Grotius Cube was activated approximately 500 years ago during the God Wars. It was created by renowned artificer Nisendor Insenthel
2. The Grotius Cube works on the cubic law of Planar binding. This is NOT a law that I am currently familiar with. Indeed, the SQUARED law of planar stacking served as the basis of much metaphysical theory of my time.
3. The Cubic law was apparently forwarded by one Ansanthum Grotius, a theoretician that I am unfamiliar with (despite the fact that he predates me by several centuries).
4. The Astral plane seems to have either been removed or amalgamated with wherever it is that the gods live. This has therefore likely resulted in a large reduction of the total number of planes. Since things powered or using the Squared Law of Planar stacking were highly dependent upon this number, a reduction in the total number of planes would have greatly reduced their power
5. Trian's multi-planar divergent theory appears to be at least partially correct. I was, however, told that there significant issue with the theory. Of course there are! Anyone even glancing at his meta-stasic calculations could see that! Consider the following timeline (based upon our current apparent temporal location) and note the 400 year echo:
a. Roughly 1100 years ago the Squared law of Planar stacking was postulated leading to the creation of extra-dimensional spaces and serving as the power source for the creation of the Aeries.
b. Roughly 700 years ago (400 years later) Mount Pushkin was discovered and the link to Furlough was established. This increased the linked Realm count from one to two.
c. Roughly 500 years ago, during the God Wars, the Grotius Cube was created. This was the first (and as far as I know only) example of an application of the Cubic law of Planar stacking.
d. 97 years ago (roughly 400 years later) a magical realignment occurred. The result of this may have been the connection of a third Realm to Haven. Indeed the energies that created the tiefling may have originated from this realm.
It is now necessary to examine the Squared law of Planar Stacking before trying to recreate the Cubic law. I will also, unfortunately, be forced to examine Trian's multi-planar divergence theory.

The Squared Law of Planar Stacking
The Squared Law of Planar Stacking states that energy resistance caused by the proximity of different planes decreases by the square of their distance.

Of course, in this case distance is an abstract concept and doesn't necessarily refer to physical distance (though in the case of extra-dimensional spaces it can)

The direct consequence of this is that Planes (and extra dimensional spaces) cannot exist within the same Meta-Magical space. The planes themselves exude a repulsive force that keeps them apart. In the case of extra-dimensional spaces, this force is fairly weak on the physical plane and can actually be overcome. The result of two planes co-existing is spectacular, to say the least.

There are (or were) three known exceptions to this law. They are (were) the Prime Material, the Shadow, and the Astral Plane these three Planes exist conterminously (ie their separation is effectively 0). This exception is what allowed the creation of extra dimensional spaces which are, in essence miniature planes created as bubbles within the Astral.

There were a multitude of practical consequences and applications of the Squared Law. I will outline some of the most prominent here:
1. The creation of Extra-Dimensional spaces. I discuss this above. Effectively these spaces are miniature Planes and share most of their characteristics.
2. A great energy source. Two specially created extra dimensional spaces can be kept in close proximity and the resulting repellent energy can be siphoned off and used for other purposes. Indeed, the Aeries use this as their power source. It is difficult to establish these sources and, the spaces will eventually evaporate but this discovery did result in the establishment of a powerful and relatively stable energy source.
3. Higher level magics. The metaplanes are under a constant inward pressure. It is unknown what this pressure represents (though it may be proof of an outer edge of the universe). As a result of this pressure, the outer planes were constantly generating HUGE amounts of energy as the Squared Law pushed them apart. In particular, several groups of planes or Plane Sets generated tremendous energies as dozens or even hundreds of planes resisted being forced together. Higher level magics (both Arcane and Divine) tap into this energy source to supplement the metasphere. Additionally, this is a common source of magic used by magical items.

The current planar landscape seems to have been completely rearranged. For starters, there seem to be VASTLY fewer planes. This, in part, explains my inability to access many of my former spells and the lack of function of many of my arcane implements.

Trian's multi-planar divergence Theory (Such as it is...)

I already have it on good authority that there are flaws in the following but that it is PARTIALLY correct. Thus it is worth at least a partial examination of the theory. I will skip the rambling and often flawed meta-mathmatical proofs and cut to the basis of the theory.

Haven and Furlough each represent separate realms rather than planes. Each appears to encapsulate its own set of planes (though some theorists hold that the Astral Plane is, in fact, common between the two). Up until the fall the two appeared to share the same metaphysical rules and magic worked the same in both.

Common wisdom is that there are exactly two such realms and that (in some way) they balance each other out access was assumed to always have been possible but simply was not discovered until recently. Trian's theory, conversely, postulates that there are an infinite number of realms that do not typically have access to each other. Some event in the past cause Furlough and Haven to come into contact.

Trian's theory is more compelling in a number of ways. In particular, it better explains the limited access points between the two realms as well as the timing of the contact. The specifics are where the flaws begin to creep in.

The Cubic Law of Planar Stacking (and beyond?)
The basic tenant of a cubic law of Planar Stacking would be that energy resistance caused by the proximity of different planes decreases by the CUBE of their distance. This does not match with observed results but could be explained if the additional energy was being dumped into another "place" (excuse the imprecise language).

This does, somewhat follow from the squared law. If one looks at energy output from two proximate planes on ONLY the material plane, energy output only appears to rise in a LINEAR fashion as they approach. The squared growth curve is only observable if one includes the astral and shadow planes (curious how this bears out in the new planar reality – I must get some proper instrumentation!). Thus it is conceivable that even GREATER energy is occurring but on a currently unobserved plane or "place".

It would appear that the Grotius Cube operates (operated?) by harnessing this law. Since it appears functional, the law appears to hold merit.

Here is where we get into dangerous territory. Where was that energy going? What was the consequence of interrupting its flow? Might this energy having been keeping Trian's Realms apart? By tapping into the cubed part of their energies, did the Grotius Cube set into motion the "collision" of a third Realm? And if a third, is there a fourth or more. Perhaps the truth is that the energies of planar stacking are truly INFINITE but they are all that are keeping our Realm separate from INCREASINGLY disparate ones.

Posted by Savin at 6:23 PM 0 comments  

Labels: Magic, Savin, Theory

It would appear that the changes wrought upon this world were greater even than I expected. While a shifting of the metamagical planes had obvious effects upon the performance of both Arcane and Divine conjuring, it also appears that there were additional implications.

I will be ordering my notes by topic rather than a strict chronological ordering as the usefulness of this is greater.

It would appear that the nation of Barrera has been afflicted by some form of transformational magic. The result of this is that they have been infused with extraplanar energies resulting in a change of form. I have witnessed this event in action as Olen, the brother of my challenging student Voss, was exposed to these energies. It has resulted in him growing horns and a tail. It has also had some emotional and intellectual impact upon him but I have been unable to fully determine the extent of these changes. It remains to be seen if these are simply the result of the trauma of transformation or if Olen is now being influenced by another presence.

The encounter that resulted in Olen's transformation seems to fit a pattern that was outlined on a map we obtained from some other transformed creatures. Unlike the residents of Barrera (who referred to themselves as Tieflings) these creatures did not have the same level of civilization. They resembled wolfmen or bipedal hyenas. I believe the old Eladrin wordform would be gnoll. They had captured a number of races (humans, goblins, elves, Halflings, dwarves, wolves, dogs, and cattle) and were exposing each in turn to extraplanar energies. We stopped this exposure but I was forced (as a precaution) to dispose of the goblins who seemed to be about to transform. I would have wished to hold at least one as a specimen to examine the transformation but felt that the ethical argument with the rest of the party untenable. As it was, Olen's newly agitated state seemed to have made him unable to listen to my reasoning. Perhaps if he better understood the metaphysics...

During the encounter I was, at least, able to take extensive notes on the rift itself. It seemed to be leading to a plane of anger and fire (not a plane I am familiar with further increasing the evidence of a planar flattening). We have since also encountered some undead that seemed to be animated with pieces of demonic flesh rather than the typical application of necromantic energies.

In any event, having rescued these groups, we led them back towards the elvish settlement. At the settlement, I engaged some shamen and druids in a discussion of magics. Several decades after the fall (the fall was timed at our crossing between universes) it appears that they began to draw energy through nature. Druids existed in our time, of course, but they drew their magical control through a Collective Spontaneous Thaumological Field (see: A treatise on the origins of magic in the modern world - Savin Thonät). It appears that this is different now. At first, while wading through the nature coloured gibberish of these "practitioners" I assumed that this was the manifestation of a Collective Spontaneous Thaumological Field coalescing a new consciousness. Or, given the constant reference to the Mother, simply a new manifestation of an old one.

But this is different. Before, druidic powers manifested as divine energy. Now they are something different, something more primal. Indeed, the forest itself seems to have taken on an intelligence and will of its own. We encountered this phenomena while moving through the forest to return the dwarves to Seigholm. The forest has grown wild, way more quickly than the passing of 97 years would account for. A central tree, towers over the forest and here we encountered creatures that appeared to be ambulatory fungus. They appeared to share a hive mentality of a sort so it is unclear whether they were actually intelligent or simply the puppets of a central mind. The result is that these primal powers are subtly different from the divine that they seem to have replaced. More raw and less controlled. It will be curious to see what their long term consequences will be upon their users.

Oh for access to an arcane library! All I have picked up is a basic magical primer from a goblin caster (a poorly instructed specimen to say the least). I am familiar with the book but this copy has an added introduction. It also, curiously, lacks a scrivener's mark. Clearly a scribe too embarrassed to admit to the work (I don't blame them, it is a poor tomb)

Finally, there has been an intermittent "banging" as if upon a great forcefield reverberating through the magical field (or manasphere). This event has been increasing in frequency but is, blessedly, getting less powerful. It originates to the South East (towards Barrera) and is quite annoying.

A bit of history we have heard it (I definitely question the source). It appears that Barrera and Ascension have been at war for fifty years (hence the Ascension citizens using the Barreran's transformations to literally demonize them). Local belief (at least amongst those of Ascension) is that during the fall, the Son tried to kill the Father and successfully killed the Daughter and wounded the Mother. I suspect if I could question a Barreran on the topic they would (given their worship of the Son) give quite a different answer.

Posted by Savin at 5:35 PM 0 comments  

Labels: Savin, Summary, Theory