Aeons

The Aeons, as should be common knowledge to any member of the esteemed academia, are the deities to whom we owe all. They are our benevolent creators and watchers. Shepherding us in the ways to truth and light. They exist as a pantheon of gods, each championing a specific set of virtues of life. Now until recently we Magi believed that our Sage Drak, god of magic was the strongest of these gods. However as I will explain later this classic thinking has recently been put to the test with the recent conflict that we now find ourselves in. While we know little about these gods, we do know that we are not their first creation. Geological and archaeological explorations have found traces of ‘The Sovereign’, whose civilization predates our own by many hundreds of centuries.

For your reference I have provided a list of the key Aeons here.

The Sovereign

Our understanding of the Sovereign is very limited, and Drak himself will not broach the subject to any mortal. So we are left to discover what we can on our own. As I reference later in this term paper, the Archaeological survey of the Titis Ruins by Arch Mage Antonious Blooth showed that the Sovereign were a race that the Aeons themselves had worked in union to create, perfect in every way that the could be. Yet they expanded at an unsustainable rate, and began to quickly over populate our tiny planet. This led to the creation of mirror copies of our world, known as ‘Planes’. These planes could be travel to through the use of a system of waygates. Granting the Sovereign access to limitless resources and space to expand. But something happened, what that was we can’t be sure. What we do know is that they are gone, leaving only ruins and monuments in their wake. Well that and Aethersteel.

Aethersteel

This should be common knowledge to every candidate wishing entry to the Serenity Academy of magic, but the term paper requirements state that I must mention this topic in depth. Aethersteel as a compound is quite possibly the greatest invention of the Sovereign culture. As a material it has the ability to draw aethers into itself, storing them in massive quantities This creates a massive force multiplier that permits the wielder unspeakably large amounts of energy at their disposal. The effects are nearly indescribable. With the right application, the very laws of universe can be outright shattered. Gravity, Time, space, all at the control of he who unlocks the secrets of Aethersteel. Unfortunately it is also a very limited resource. Not occurring naturally the only sources of the material are those created by the Sovereign so long ago, and there is a very finite amount of it out there.

Aethers

One can go into great depth into Aethers and the Aetherial physics that dictates their actions, but allow me to give you an introductory course.

Aethers are  a charged particle that exists in a plane of existence known as the ‘Nexus’. This plane, which sits just outside the edge of human understanding allow for the transfer of aetherial energies throughout the world(s). Aetherial energy can neither be created, nor destroyed by normal means. However it can be transferred, and in doing that transfer some energy bleeds through the Nexus into our world. Let me give you an example:

You light a match, you the match burn, you see smoke rise and feel the heat of the flame. In reality what you have done is cause a collection of earth aethers to discharge their aetherial energies. This causes the Earth aethers to lose their energy and break apart, at the same time attracting water, fire and air aethers. This transfer of energy causes a bleed through to occur from the Nexus, resulting in smoke from the water and air aethers, and heat from the fire aethers as the match burns to dust.

However Aethers need to get that charge from something right? With only bleed through it would result in an unbalanced Nexus…this is where Void aethers come in. Void aethers done follow the normal laws. No they take energy into the Nexus, from the mental psychi. Have a breakthrough thought? Your excess mental energy is powering Void Aethers inside the nexus, which then bleeds to other aethers.

So with all that being said, if one can be taught to directly impact the way void aethers behave…..well, anything is possible, with just a thought.

The Sun

So that brings us to our current predicament. The catalyst of all of this if it were. Our sun, like everything else in nature, is a collection of aethers. All charged up and transferring their energy to each others. However it has begun to die, and in doing so it has ejected large amounts of aethers from itself. Many of which are colliding with our planet. So not only do we have the death of our star to contend with, but this influx of unbalanced magical energies has created a tidal wave of other occurrences. From the rebirth of magic among those who were once drabs to the reopening of the Sovereign waygate network.

Waygates

Why is the opening of these waygates such a concern? For generations we have studied these pedestals of stone left behind for us by the Sovereign. Many scholars have debated the use of these artifacts. Were they some sort of teleportation terminus? Or were they simply religious relics? As it turned out they were something few of us had theorized. These were in fact a transportation system to walk between parallel planes of existence on our planet. Taking us to other worlds, all within our world. Now the gateways function completely automatically, connecting two gates to two planes on a very complex mathematical time table. But once you can discern this equation, the breadth of worlds open to you is nearly limitless. Who knows, perhaps one day we may even figure out how to control them and select our own destinations. But for now, we venture forth, into unexplored worlds, and in doing so we have discovered that we are in fact not alone. That in fact the other Aeons have been busy forging their own races, in their own image.

Now each of these races ventures through the waygates, each searching for something different ad yet all looking for the same thing. Some look for treasure, lost caches of aethersteel. Some for wisdom, relics, books and the secrets of the universe. Some only seek resources and the conquest of those who oppose them. However in the end they all seek the same thing, a way to survive.