Darkness is corruption that consumes living land and produces warped creatures. The Land of Darkness borders southern Xalmyrra, where its fog and beasts threaten villages and travelers.
Effects and travel
Corrupted ground is blackened and brittle, with dead trees, warped animals and pools of purple sludge. Dense fog hides the sky, makes breathing difficult and leaves a metallic, bitter taste in the air. Creatures emerge from the darkness, and exposure pulls at travelers' thoughts. Strong mages can endure longer than weaker ones, but their resistance has limits.
Divine devices repel the surrounding fog into a moving dome of light. Travelers remain inside it for breathable air and carry Essence cores to maintain their magic. The enclosure does not stop every creature or mental attack. Kaelion used illusions to conceal his party and taught Eira and Lirien to anchor their thoughts against hostile influence.
Restoration
Lythariel drew in corruption and used life magic to turn barren ground into vegetation. The effort left her too exhausted to stand. Eira later restored a large battlefield after an uncontrolled release of shard power, but collapsed afterward. Such feats reclaimed particular areas without ending the darkness threatening Xalmyrra.
Darkness is corruption caused by excessive Essence draining. It consumes land and living things, forms choking fog and leaves little surrounding power for mages to draw upon. The Land of Darkness is a vast expanse of this corruption beside Xalmyrra.
Effects and travel
Corrupted ground is blackened and brittle, with dead trees, warped animals and pools of purple sludge. Dense fog hides the sky, makes breathing difficult and leaves a metallic, bitter taste in the air. Creatures emerge from the darkness, and exposure pulls at travelers' thoughts. Strong mages can endure longer than weaker ones, but their resistance has limits.
Darkness repellers, infused with divine magic, repel the surrounding fog into a moving dome of light. Travelers remain inside it for breathable air and carry Essence cores to maintain their magic. The enclosure does not stop every creature or mental attack. Kaelion used illusions to conceal his party and taught Eira and Lirien to anchor their thoughts against hostile influence.
Restoration
Lythariel drew in corruption and used life magic to turn barren ground into vegetation. The effort left her too exhausted to stand. Eira later restored a large battlefield after an uncontrolled release of shard power, but collapsed afterward. Such feats reclaimed particular areas without ending the darkness threatening Xalmyrra.
Darkness is corruption caused by excessive Essence draining. It consumes living land, fills it with choking fog and can transform people and animals into monsters. Shard wielders have moved and contained it on a vast scale, but repeated overuse continues to create new corruption. Darkness magic can manipulate shadows and, when accompanied by life magic, help restore damaged land.
Effects
Corrupted ground is blackened and brittle, with withered trees and pools of purple sludge. Dense purple-black fog hides the sky and makes breathing difficult. The air tastes metallic and bitter. Darkness drains living things and wears down the minds of those exposed to it.
People and animals overtaken by darkness can become darkness creatures. The mind fails before the body changes. Strong mages can endure longer, but strength does not make exposure harmless. The scarcity of surrounding Essence also makes sustained casting difficult without stored reserves or a god's power.
Protection and restoration
Divine magic can keep corruption outside a protective enclosure. Darkness repellers use this principle to provide travelers with breathable air inside a moving golden dome. Expeditions carry Essence cores and supplies rather than relying on the depleted land. The dome does not remove every danger: creatures can attack it, and mental attacks still demand protection and concentration.
Lythariel can draw in corruption and use life magic to turn ruined ground into vegetation. Her early restoration left her unable to stand. Eira also restored a large battlefield after an uncontrolled release of shard power, but collapsed afterward. These were demanding uses of their combined powers, rather than a property of every shadow-shaped spell.
History
Jorhan's containment
Jorhan used the spiral shard to gather corruption into the Land of Darkness and shape it to his will. He maintained the dark storms around Xalmyrra, which confined its people through the cycles. His claim that he had been born from the people's wish for deliverance concealed his identity as an atraxi shard wielder.
In the final Xalmyrran cycle, he released his longstanding hold during the confrontation that culminated in Arcanis's fight against him. The storms disappeared and much of the darkness withdrew. This ended Xalmyrra's confinement, but did not remove the effects of Essence overuse elsewhere.
Darkness is corruption caused by excessive Essence draining. It consumes living land, fills it with choking fog and can transform people and animals into monsters. Shard wielders have moved and contained it on a vast scale, but repeated overuse continues to create new corruption. Darkness magic can manipulate shadows and, when accompanied by life magic, help restore damaged land.
Effects
Corrupted ground is blackened and brittle, with withered trees and pools of purple sludge. Dense purple-black fog hides the sky and makes breathing difficult. The air tastes metallic and bitter. Darkness drains living things and wears down the minds of those exposed to it.
People and animals overtaken by darkness can become darkness creatures. The mind fails before the body changes. Strong mages can endure longer, but strength does not make exposure harmless. The scarcity of surrounding Essence also makes sustained casting difficult without stored reserves or a god's power.
Protection and restoration
Divine magic can keep corruption outside a protective enclosure. Darkness repellers use this principle to provide travelers with breathable air inside a moving golden dome. Expeditions carry Essence cores and supplies rather than relying on the depleted land. The dome does not remove every danger: creatures can attack it, and mental attacks still demand protection and concentration.
Lythariel can draw in corruption and use life magic to turn ruined ground into vegetation. Her early restoration left her unable to stand. Eira also restored a large battlefield after an uncontrolled release of shard power, but collapsed afterward. These were demanding uses of their combined powers, rather than a property of every shadow-shaped spell.
History
Jorhan's control
Jorhan deliberately spread darkness through western Durakarn, draining Essence on a vast scale and consuming cities, people and creatures. Isandriel and Thamrielle fought his corrupted forces, but their spells fed the corruption further. With the guardians unable to counter him, Isandriel evacuated the western territories into Sigvariel's and Jeremiah's protection.
Jorhan used the spiral shard to gather corruption into the Land of Darkness and shape it to his will. He maintained the dark storms around Xalmyrra, which confined its people through the cycles. His claim that he had been born from the people's wish for deliverance concealed his identity as an atraxi shard wielder.
In the final Xalmyrran cycle, he released his longstanding hold during the confrontation that culminated in Arcanis's fight against him. The storms disappeared and much of the darkness withdrew. This ended Xalmyrra's confinement, but did not remove the effects of Essence overuse elsewhere.
After the final cycle
Aldar learned to control corruption with his spiral shard and helped reclaim affected Xalmyrran settlements. Other patches remained, including those around Brondoris and Velundra.
Jorhan spent his remaining strength clearing a route through the darkness toward Durakarn, absorbing corruption as he went. His final release cleared a town and the surrounding land; he and Eshmir died in the process. Reclaimed areas could support new life, while other parts of Valrindor remained corrupted.
Darkness is corruption caused by excessive Essence draining. It consumes living land, fills it with choking fog and can transform people and animals into monsters. Shard wielders have moved and contained it on a vast scale, but repeated overuse continues to create new corruption. Darkness magic can manipulate shadows and, when accompanied by life magic, help restore damaged land.
Effects
Corrupted ground is blackened and brittle, with withered trees and pools of purple sludge. Dense purple-black fog hides the sky and makes breathing difficult. The air tastes metallic and bitter. Darkness drains living things and wears down the minds of those exposed to it.
People and animals overtaken by darkness can become darkness creatures. The mind fails before the body changes. Strong mages can endure longer, but strength does not make exposure harmless. The scarcity of surrounding Essence also makes sustained casting difficult without stored reserves or a god's power.
Corruption can recede as life returns. Continued excessive draining prevents that recovery, leaving new darkness where land is repeatedly exhausted.
Protection and restoration
Divine magic can keep corruption outside a protective enclosure. Darkness repellers use this principle to provide travelers with breathable air inside a moving golden dome. Expeditions carry Essence cores and supplies rather than relying on the depleted land. The dome does not remove every danger: creatures can attack it, and mental attacks still demand protection and concentration.
Lythariel can draw in corruption and use life magic to turn ruined ground into vegetation. Her early restoration left her unable to stand. Eira also restored a large battlefield after an uncontrolled release of shard power, but collapsed afterward. These were demanding uses of their combined powers, rather than a property of every shadow-shaped spell.
History
Malverand's response
In the early Malverand Empire, direct draining and the first Essence towers left patches of corruption that could take months to heal. Eremion banned draining within Maraveth, and the council moved towers into more abundant lands to keep supplying the city without exhausting its surroundings.
The spiral shard gave Barachiel another means of responding. Its activation drained millions of lives and devastated Morozkaya. Afterward, Barachiel moved corruption far from populated lands and restored fertile ground. The shard's power damaged his own body even as he used it to reclaim the empire.
After his disappearance, the loss of an effective wielder allowed darkness to spread again. The guardians managed cores and tower output to limit further damage, but their wars and excessive draining worsened the corruption. Jorhan's later containment gave some of them an excuse to continue using Essence heavily.
Jorhan's control
Jorhan deliberately spread darkness through western Durakarn, draining Essence on a vast scale and consuming cities, people and creatures. Isandriel and Thamrielle fought his corrupted forces, but their spells fed the corruption further. With the guardians unable to counter him, Isandriel evacuated the western territories into Sigvariel's and Jeremiah's protection.
Jorhan used the spiral shard to gather corruption into the Land of Darkness and shape it to his will. He maintained the dark storms around Xalmyrra, which confined its people through the cycles. His claim that he had been born from the people's wish for deliverance concealed his identity as an atraxi shard wielder.
In the final Xalmyrran cycle, he released his longstanding hold during the confrontation that culminated in Arcanis's fight against him. The storms disappeared and much of the darkness withdrew. This ended Xalmyrra's confinement, but did not remove the effects of Essence overuse elsewhere.
After the final cycle
Aldar learned to control corruption with his spiral shard and helped reclaim affected Xalmyrran settlements. Other patches remained, including those around Brondoris and Velundra.
Jorhan spent his remaining strength clearing a route through the darkness toward Durakarn, absorbing corruption as he went. His final release cleared a town and the surrounding land; he and Eshmir died in the process. Reclaimed areas could support new life, while other parts of Valrindor remained corrupted.
Darkness is corruption caused by excessive Essence draining. It consumes living land, fills it with choking fog and can transform people and animals into monsters. Shard wielders have moved and contained it on a vast scale, but repeated overuse continues to create new corruption. Darkness magic can manipulate shadows and, when accompanied by life magic, help restore damaged land.
Effects
Corrupted ground is blackened and brittle, with withered trees and pools of purple sludge. Dense purple-black fog hides the sky and makes breathing difficult. The air tastes metallic and bitter. Darkness drains living things and wears down the minds of those exposed to it.
People and animals overtaken by darkness can become darkness creatures. The mind fails before the body changes; transformed mages can retain their spells. Strong mages can endure longer, but strength does not make exposure harmless. The scarcity of surrounding Essence also makes sustained casting difficult without stored reserves or a god's power.
Corruption can recede as life returns. Continued excessive draining prevents that recovery, leaving new darkness where land is repeatedly exhausted.
Protection and restoration
Divine magic can keep corruption outside a protective enclosure. Darkness repellers use this principle to provide travelers with breathable air inside a moving golden dome. Expeditions carry Essence cores and supplies rather than relying on the depleted land. The dome does not remove every danger: creatures can attack it, and mental attacks still demand protection and concentration.
Lythariel can draw in corruption and use life magic to turn ruined ground into vegetation. Her early restoration left her unable to stand. Eira also restored a large battlefield after an uncontrolled release of shard power, but collapsed afterward. These were demanding uses of their combined powers, rather than a property of every shadow-shaped spell.
History
Malverand's response
In the early Malverand Empire, direct draining and the first Essence towers left patches of corruption that could take months to heal. Eremion banned draining within Maraveth, and the council moved towers into more abundant lands to keep supplying the city without exhausting its surroundings.
The spiral shard gave Barachiel another means of responding. Its activation drained millions of lives and devastated Morozkaya. Afterward, Barachiel moved corruption far from populated lands and restored fertile ground. The shard's power damaged his own body even as he used it to reclaim the empire.
After his disappearance, the loss of an effective wielder allowed darkness to spread again. The guardians managed cores and tower output to limit further damage, but their wars and excessive draining worsened the corruption. Jorhan's later containment gave some of them an excuse to continue using Essence heavily.
Jorhan's control
Jorhan deliberately spread darkness through western Durakarn, draining Essence on a vast scale and consuming cities, people and creatures. Isandriel and Thamrielle fought his corrupted forces, but their spells fed the corruption further. With the guardians unable to counter him, Isandriel evacuated the western territories into Sigvariel's and Jeremiah's protection.
Jorhan used the spiral shard to gather corruption into the Land of Darkness and shape it to his will. He maintained the dark storms around Xalmyrra, which confined its people through the cycles. His claim that he had been born from the people's wish for deliverance concealed his identity as an atraxi shard wielder.
In the final Xalmyrran cycle, he released his longstanding hold during the confrontation that culminated in Arcanis's fight against him. The storms disappeared and much of the darkness withdrew. This ended Xalmyrra's confinement, but did not remove the effects of Essence overuse elsewhere.
After the final cycle
Aldar learned to control corruption with his spiral shard and helped reclaim affected Xalmyrran settlements. Other patches remained, including those around Brondoris and Velundra.
Jorhan spent his remaining strength clearing a route through the darkness toward Durakarn, absorbing corruption as he went. His final release cleared a town and the surrounding land; he and Eshmir died in the process. Reclaimed areas could support new life, while other parts of Valrindor remained corrupted.
Aldar later surrounded Cyndarel with dense darkness and battered its shields with black and purple lightning. Raphael feared that passing through the veil would strip away memories and spells. The trapped guardians relied on shields, air and stored Essence while seeking a protected route out.
Current condition
By the Valrindor Council, darkness still obstructs travel and threatens settlements. The remaining spiral shard cracked in Cassian's hands, ending its power to control the corruption.
Seralyth demonstrated darkness and life magic at the Council and pledged help against corruption. The delegates established an anti-darkness strike force and chose Ithyreon for its first mission. The expedition is still being prepared at this point.
Thalena's account
In Thalena's Shores of Eternity, continued Essence overuse unleashed a new wave of darkness that consumed Varentis and Zeydrith.