The First Land Herald/434-06-38 (1)

Article Number: 31

Dateline: 434-06-38

STUNNING SUCCESS OF ELEMENTAL EXPERIMENT: A FIRST LOOK INTO THE PLANE OF ELECTRICITY As I write this, my skin still tingles with the charge that hung in the air today. I recoiled from my doorknob — and, indeed, just about everything I touched as I returned home — as tiny shocks leapt at my fingertips. Today, we made the first known opening into an Elemental plane with spatial dimensions — that is, one that we could walk into. What we observed there was wondrous. But first, the story. Our experiments all began with the simple notion by Perune and Saragos that Aether may be reinforced to form a barrier against extraplanar beings, such as demons. It was our sincere hope to develop a defense against those, our most dangerous and vile foes, that did not rely on the tragically tainted Sorcery — or, worse, Arcane magic, as was used with the Philosopher's Knot (see the Herald article from 430-09-35). Saragos had the brilliant idea that Aether might be woven, like threads on a loom. Although we fumbled with this at first, we attracted the attention of the Grove Scholar Uryutis, an incredibly studied Gnome whose focus was entirely on Aether. He visited to enlighten us on the nature of Aether itself (see the Herald article from 429-10-15) and began to guide us as we moved forward. With his help, our second attempt resulted in a truly incredible anomaly that I now believe bored a temporary hole into the Plane of Aether, giving us newfound insight into this Element and its origins (see the Herald article from 433-09-25). Next, we could not help but wonder what would happen if we attempted such a "hole" into the only Elemental Plane known to potentially support life: the Plane of Electricity. You see, most Elemental Planes are more like singularities, in theory anyway. The Plane of Fire is simply Fire in its purest, most ideal form. There is no air to breathe, no ground, no space, no time. Yet scholars have for some time theorized that the Plane of Electricity is the odd plane out, containing at least spatial dimensions. I give Perune all the credit for devising what we would do next. First, we gathered upon the Handsome Plateau near Ker'Leor. We were fortunate that we were able to bring together a large group of both Warrior Mages and Bards for the tasks, including the Warrior Mages Perune, Saragos, Mazrian, Falcrain, Ayrell, Qetu, Siendra, Dasheek, Rehlyn, Samech, Trieo, and Fyriestorme, and the Bards Broichan, Lilliwea, Iryta, Grancz, Raithren, Muskapo, Jorenn, Lupdels, Corcus, and myself. I also would find myself particularly grateful for the attendance of many Empaths and Clerics for triage. We did not have time to have them all call themselves out, but I did at least notice the Empaths Qiyan, Kaelie, Inauri, Dantia, Zuhaich, Allye, and Aislynn, and the Clerics Liurilias, Romola, Jertaug, and Crystell. We chose this location due to its proximity to the Suur Pillar, which legend says was formed by Meraud and Firulf Themselves. Researchers from the Gealeranendae College of Magical History studied this obelisk thoroughly and discovered it appears to open miniature gateways to the Plane of Electricity, summoning magical storms and the lightning cats known as seordmaor. Upon arrival, Perune and Saragos firmly planted two copper staves into the ground, to act as lightning rods, and Perune opened an enormous Electrical Fissure. Perune then divided the Warrior Mages into two groups standing to either side of the rods, with Bards attending each group. Everyone not an Elementalist was advised to stand well clear. He explained that the Warrior Mages would be using ritual foci to "pull back the natural weave of Aether surrounding the staves." In other words, as Aether is the canvas that allows the Abiding to be painted upon it, creating a hole in that Aether might allow for the widening of the Fissure and perhaps an entrance into the Plane of Electricity. Perune and Saragos would be weaving threads across the created breach in an attempt to keep everything stabilized. Bards would, as before, help guide the Warrior Mages with our unique sense of Aether, viewing the harmonics of the weave. Warrior Mages prepared by casting Grounding Field, while Bards cast Echoes of Aether. As we began our work, I noticed the familiar taste of copper in my mouth, as at previous experiments. A small arc of electricity crackled between the two staves. Energy pulsed again, my skin tingling, and with a loud zapping noise, a coil of electricity wound around one of the staves, arcing to the other. It was working. The staves began to glow red, clearly enduring immense heat, as arcs of lurid blue and green continued to snap between them. Uryutis began to form the same geometric ward he used to aid us in the last experiment, urging us to continue. "You must finish what you started!" With an ascending screech, a pair of thick bolts erupted from the staves and slammed together, forming a thick bolus of knotted lightning that hovered about eight spans above the ground, discharging massive bolts in random directions. Throughout our work, those closest — and even some of the observers — were struck by this lightning, though thankfully no one was killed. A dangerous cluster of bolts was situated close to Saragos and myself, a bolt moving ever closer to me. I chose to maintain my ground. Saragos glanced at me, clearly worried, but I urged him to go forward, and he leaned into his task, exerting his will upon the lightning ball and forcing the cluster back into it. I took a bolt in the chest in the process, but thankfully several Empaths were immediately upon me. Shifting suddenly, the lightning ball erupted with a surge of power as two jagged bolts slammed into the copper staves. Arcing bands of plasma roared upward and ribboned outward. The staves thrummed and glowed white hot, vibrating, and I realized they would not last much longer under the strain. Mazrian stepped forward, preparing a spell I did not recognize, but Uryutis began gesturing wildly, shouting warnings at him to stop. After a moment's hesitation, Mazrian released his spell and instead grabbed hold of the staves, redirecting tremendous energies into his Grounding Field! He was enwreathed in vivid bands of electricity, but the rising bands of plasma began to slow, then stopped entirely, the bolus shifting and beginning to stabilize. The lightning ball unfurled slightly then, a thick bolt crackling against the space before Perune. It appeared to bend and arc, gaining in intensity, as if it would erupt at any moment. Perune reached forward and embraced the bolt, wrapping the arc around his arms and redirecting the energies into his Grounding Field. He suddenly pointed outward, sending massive bolts back into the lightning ball, which appeared to stabilize it even further. Finally, with a whining, staccato yowl, the lightning ball began to spiral violently, casting more bolts in random directions. I heard a strange undertone, a frequency within my reach and familiar, and suddenly I understood how to stabilize the bolus. Raising my hands, I gathered a weave of Aether around a powerful note. I heard a symphony of chaos emitted from the ball, a single undercurrent playing at the edge of my vocal range. Closing my eyes, I inhaled deeply, raising my voice as I channeled more and more energy into my song. Everything went silent except for that single note, that one errant note that must be matched. I began to scream, pushing my voice to its extreme, forcing harmonic convergence. I sensed the note mingle with the frequency of the ball, correcting its instability. I willed the tone downward, balancing it. At long last, the bolus was nearly stable, and I let the note fade. Uryutis urged all Elementalists to lean into the task, to will the electricity inward and complete the stabilization. Everyone reacted, physically leaning toward the bolus, as if shoving against a massive door. With a deafening, ascending whine, punctuated by a series of raging electrical discharges, the ball of lightning underwent a series of involutions and began to expand. Twisting and knotting around itself, it continued to grow before abruptly snapping outward, melting the copper staves entirely and forming a stable ring! We'd done it. A portal. On the other side I could see a strange, softly illuminated, metallic hallway lined with pipes. Unbelievably, the space on the other side was inhabitable.We were able to pass through and view an area both incredibly alien and surprisingly normal. Webs of copper piping covered the walls, and an elastic ground appeared to be composed of darkly dyed fiber woven with strips of rubber. The smell of ozone and lubricating solvents surrounded us, and the warm air was extremely dry. The Elemental mana I perceived was deafening. [Included is a sketch, done in black and white, showcasing the complexity of the copper piping and the crackling portal, strange shadows lunging from the entrance. It appears like nothing more than the foyer of some genius inventor's vessel.] Traveling forward, the piping bended abruptly, forming a winding path. A plaque featured elemental symbols — signs of language and understanding similar to our own — and a broad arrow pointing west. We found that the piping fed into a large pool filled with silvery-black liquid, from which emerged a half dozen stacked columns about the diameter of a Gor'Tog's height, each crackling with energy as their surfaces churned with the fluid. In the other direction, we saw the piping branch outward from a structure of flattened framework, running through a series of access boxes. Finally, we found the end to the corridor, abruptly surrounded by an ephemeral bubble of blue energy. We viewed an unfathomably vast metallic vertical structure, composed of equal parts metal lattice, dodecahedrons crackling with energy, and rippling spikes of pure energy. Occasional errant whips of electricity soared outward from the structure and raked along the surface of the bubble, filling the area with blinding white light and a piercing whine that descended in tone as the incredible energy was shunted elsewhere. In the distance beyond the structure was simply emptiness. [Another sketch is included, the use of perspective showcasing a beautiful architectural view of the structure, which somehow does not follow a perfectly straight trajectory, instead zigzagging as it stretches vertically. The lattice work is rung with dodecahedrons of various sizes, each of which is lashed by raging bolts of electricity.In the background, the artist's black is inked so deeply that the void seems palpable.] Many of us focused upon the structure, perceiving in our own ways. For myself, I was deafened by an overwhelming cacophony of sound. My limbs went numb, my eardrums ruptured. I began to hum, faintly harmonizing with the tumult, until I could sense a pattern. A singular section of the structure appeared to lead the group with various progressions. As I focused on that section, for a fleeting moment, I detected someone aware of my attention. Someone ancient. Suddenly my senses went silent. From what I could tell, Saragos sensed similarly to myself, in his own way. The ancient presence. The stunning machinations. The immense power and unknowable purpose. A Paladin I spoke to mentioned an incredible order, neither Holy nor Profane, bizarre but somehow righteous. Selesthiel, a Crystal Hand Monk, told me of an ocean of complex equations written in a language unlike any known to him, following rules beyond understanding, with transformations following no evident logic. Father Liurilias spoke of the raw magnitude of Firulf's power. Kaelie, an Empath, sensed nothing of either life or death. I was also flooded by the weight of the history of the place. I could sense a seemingly endless chain of master and apprentice, forging unfathomable creations, binding runes to nothingness. Designing the parameters of these cosmos, wrestling back the void. Beyond the first who discovered this place, my mind only reeled with the alienness of what came before. There is too much left to report it all here. Suffice it to say, there is much more to discuss and learn. We will assuredly gather again to speak more on it and make further plans. The portal remains open, as of now, for any intrepid enough to go and view for him or herself. Sincerely, Navesi Daerthon True Bard, Zoluren's Herald, Planonaut Editor in Chief, the First Land Herald

Real Date: Unknown Date

Subject(s): Bard Demons Echoes of Aether Elemental Planes Ethereal Fissure Firulf Gaeleranendae College Grounding Field Handsome Plateau Ker'Leor Meraud Perune Philosopher's Knot Saragos Uryutis Warrior Mage

Author(s): Navesi