An essence core is a crystal holding a portable supply of Essence. Mages draw on that stored power to cast spells, while many ordinary tools and vehicles use cores as their fuel.
Charge and use
Charged cores can glow. As their essence is used, they dim; a fully spent core is a dull, empty crystal. Hard use can also damage a core or leave it cracked.
An essence tower can recharge a depleted core, but the process takes time. Travellers may pay for a fresh core or exchange spent crystals with a tower attendant. Fine cutting and workmanship distinguish some cores from simpler specimens, and supplies can be bought with coins.
Mages differ in how much they rely on cores. Some depend on the essence they carry, while others can also draw from the world around them. During a storm at sea, Deylin drew from both sources, then needed fresh cores as his supply dwindled. Drawing more essence from nearby would have aged the weaker people aboard.
Practical uses
Cores supply spellcasting, protective devices, lanterns and transport. Lirien placed a core in a device that raised a protective dome, while Thalvian fitted several into an orrery. The devices put the stored essence to use; the core itself provides their supply.
Keeping that supply charged matters. A wagon can be left motionless when its cores run out, and travellers must allow for recharge time and cost. Sustained casting likewise requires replacements once the available cores are exhausted.
Core use can also shape a contest. The Xalmyrran tournament at Irrathis forbade drawing essence from the world, making skill and efficient use of stored power important.
An essence core is a crystalline store of Essence used as portable fuel for spells and magical equipment. A mage can draw from a core instead of relying entirely on personal reserves or essence taken from the surrounding world.
Charge and limits
Cores vary in size and quality. Charged crystals can glow, then dim as their essence is spent. A fully depleted core is a dull, empty crystal; hard use can also damage it or leave it cracked.
Spent cores can be recharged at an essence tower or exchanged with an attendant for a charged supply. Recharging takes time, while buying fresh cores can cost more. Cores are bought and traded alongside ordinary coins.
Stored fuel does not remove the caster's own limitations. Jin began his mountain trial with only two small cores and could not yet draw more essence from the environment, so every spell reduced the supply he needed to survive. More experienced mages may combine core essence with other sources. Arinella called for cores during emergency healing but still needed additional essence from people and the land around her.
Equipment and spellcasting
Cores power lanterns, transport and protective devices. Thalvian installed several in an orrery, while a traveller's protective device took a single core in its chamber. A wagon can stop when its supply runs out, and prolonged casting requires replacement cores.
Core-powered equipment also supports research on gates. At Thalassai, Cassian channelled essence from cores through Cyrena's apparatus into a gate. His precision mattered, the gate's responses remained incomplete, and he became exhausted. Providing fuel did not ensure that the machinery could open a passage.
Some duels forbid drawing essence from the environment. Such rules make efficiency and control part of the contest.
Essence shapers
As darkness threatened Maraveth, Malcairn and Zharrek worked on a way to store essence within human flesh. Their process embedded microscopic fragments of cores in the body, with essence supplied by Zal'therak. The altered people became essence shapers, able to store essence within their bodies. They and their descendants still needed to recharge at towers.
An essence core is a crystalline store of concentrated Essence, carried as fuel for magic or installed in magical equipment. Cores let mages draw on a supply beyond their own reserves, but that supply can be exhausted.
Storage and recharge
Cores vary in size, quality and capacity. A charged core can glow; spending its essence dims the crystal until it is dull and empty. Hard use may also damage or crack it.
Essence towers restore depleted charges and produce cores. At Irrathis, the tower gathered essence and condensed it into crystalline cores. Attendants exchange spent cores for charged ones, and travellers can buy supplies with coins. Recharging takes time; buying fresh cores may be the faster, more expensive option.
Stored essence supplies a spell, but casting still requires control and effort. In Thalassai's gate research, Cassian directed power from cores through Cyrena's apparatus and became exhausted despite that fuel. Arinella used cores in emergency healing and still needed more essence from people and the land around her.
Uses
Cores fuel lanterns, transport, protective devices and apparatus such as orreries and gates. A wagon may stop when its cores run dry; a mage sustaining spells needs fresh supplies. Some duels forbid drawing from the environment, making efficient use of stored power important.
Engineers can also work with particular kinds of essence. Cyrena and Deylin made a core from Pyrathalor's essence, which Aelius could draw on.
Core technology also played a part in the transformation of humans into essence shapers. As darkness threatened Maraveth, Malcairn and Zharrek embedded microscopic core fragments in flesh, using essence supplied by Zal'therak. The shapers and their descendants stored power within their altered bodies but remained dependent on recharging at towers.
Supply and craftsmanship
Cores circulate as trade goods alongside coins. Their value and usefulness vary with charge and workmanship, from small travel supplies to carefully cut crystals and engineered objects.
Large constructions can take far longer to charge than ordinary supplies. Thalena forged two blades from specially worked core material. Hrzai warned that recharging the weapons after use would take years.
An essence core is a crystalline store of concentrated Essence. It supplies portable fuel for spells and magical equipment, letting people carry power wherever it is needed.
Storage and recharge
Cores vary in size, quality and capacity. Charged crystals can glow, then dim as their essence is drawn away. An exhausted core is a dull, empty crystal. Hard use can also damage it or leave it cracked.
Essence towers produce cores and restore depleted charges. The tower at Irrathis gathered essence and condensed it into crystalline cores. Travellers can pay for fresh supplies or exchange spent cores with attendants, but recharging takes time and a fresh purchase can cost more.
Fuel does not replace the caster's control or effort. Cassian directed core essence through apparatus during Thalassai's gate experiments and still became exhausted. Arinella drew on cores during emergency healing, then needed additional essence from the people and land around her.
Uses
Cores power lanterns, transport, protective devices and equipment such as orreries and gates. Shipboard engines take power from arrays of cores housed within the vessel. The supply and the engine's operation are separate concerns: when Garrik's ship lost performance, the eventual problem lay in tampered engines.
Limited supplies affect ordinary travel and sustained casting. A wagon can be stranded when its cores run out; a mage needs replacements once a spell has consumed the available charge. Some duels prohibit drawing essence from the environment, rewarding efficient use of stored power.
Core material can also hold unusual contents. Cyrena and Deylin made a core from Pyrathalor's essence for Aelius to use.
Craftsmanship and trade
Cores circulate as payment and goods alongside coins. Workmanship matters as well as charge: a basalt essence core chosen as a gift for Morindel was both a functioning device and an artistic object, reflecting dark rainbow hues.
Specially worked core material formed the two blades Thalena forged. Hrzai warned that recharging them after use would take years. Such objects demand far more time than an ordinary exchange of depleted travel cores.
Essence shapers
As darkness threatened Maraveth, Malcairn and Zharrek developed a way to embed microscopic core fragments in human flesh, using essence supplied by Zal'therak. The resulting essence shapers and their descendants could store power within their changed bodies, but remained dependent on recharging at towers.
An essence core is a crystalline store of concentrated Essence. Cores serve as portable fuel for magic, supplying a traveller's spells or the equipment of cities and ships. Their usefulness depends on their stored charge and on the mage or device drawing from it.
Stored power
Mages channel core essence into spells, drawing on a supply beyond their own reserves. This does not remove the need for control or effort. In gate experiments, Cassian directed essence through apparatus and became exhausted despite the available cores. Arinella used cores for emergency healing but still needed more essence from people and the land around her.
Cores vary in size, quality and capacity. Charged crystals can glow; as their essence is spent, they dim and become dull, empty crystals. Hard use may also damage or crack them.
A depleted core can be recharged at an essence tower or exchanged for a charged one. Recharging takes time, and buying fresh cores can cost more. Limited supplies affect travel and combat: a wagon may stop when its fuel runs out, while sustained casting requires replacements. Some duels forbid drawing essence from the environment, making efficient use of stored power part of the contest.
Uses
Cores fuel lanterns, transport, protective devices and equipment such as orreries and gates. Shipboard engines draw from arrays of cores housed within the vessel. The machinery determines how the stored power is used; charged cores alone do not ensure a working engine or an opened gate.
Core material can hold unusual kinds of essence. Cyrena and Deylin made a core from Pyrathalor's essence for Aelius to use, giving him access to its stored power.
Core technology also entered living bodies. As darkness threatened Maraveth, Malcairn and Zharrek embedded microscopic core fragments in human flesh, using essence supplied by Zal'therak. The resulting essence shapers and their descendants stored power within their altered bodies but still needed to recharge at towers.
Craftsmanship and trade
Core material can be worked into objects rather than carried only as separate crystals. Compressed essence cores form the heavy blades Thalena forged and crystalline elements in Thalassai footwear. Hrzai warned that recharging the blades after use would take years.
Value reflects workmanship as well as usable power. A basalt essence core chosen as a gift for Morindel was a functioning device with exceptional artistry and dark rainbow hues. Qirath produces high-quality cores from mined crystals. Cores circulate as payment and trade goods alongside coins; valuable specimens may also serve as gifts.
History
During the rise of the Malverand Empire, the god-forger Arcanis developed machinery to gather essence into specially mined crystals. He taught a select group of engineers and mages to reproduce it, warning that proximity to the equipment was dangerous for most people. Isolated towers housed artifacts that produced usable cores, widening access to magic beyond trained mages.
Production carried an environmental cost. Heavy drawing of essence left blackened, corrupted land. Draining was eventually banned in Maraveth, while core production expanded into essence-rich regions such as Morindel. Towers remained important for both making cores and restoring spent charges; the tower at Irrathis gathered essence and condensed it into crystalline cores.
Arcanis later built an exceptional skyship entirely from essence-core material, selecting the finest cores available across Malverand. His god cores were a further specialized development: containers designed to hold extraordinary quantities of essence and spells to create new forms of magic.
An essence core is a crystalline store of concentrated Essence. Cores provide portable fuel for magic, from a traveller's few spells to the machinery of cities and ships. Their usefulness depends on the charge they hold and on the mage or device drawing from it.
Stored power
Mages channel essence from cores into spells. This gives them a supply beyond their own reserves, but does not remove the need for control or effort. A caster may combine core power with other sources: Arinella used cores during emergency healing and still needed to draw more essence from the people and land around her. In gate experiments, Cassian directed core essence through equipment and became exhausted despite the available fuel.
Cores vary in size, quality and capacity. Charged crystals can glow; as their essence is spent, they dim and become dull, empty crystals. A depleted core can be recharged at an essence tower or exchanged for a charged one. Recharging takes time, and buying fresh cores can cost more. Damage also matters: a core may crack under hard use.
Limited supplies shape travel and combat. A wagon can be stranded when its cores run out, and sustained spellcasting requires replacements. Deylin needed fresh cores during a storm at sea because further nearby drawing would have aged the weaker people aboard. Some duels prohibit drawing essence from the environment, making efficient use of stored power part of the contest.
Uses
Cores power lanterns, transport and protective devices. Engineers fit them into equipment such as orreries, and shipboard engines draw from arrays of cores housed within the vessel. The machinery determines how that stored power is used; a supply of charged cores does not by itself ensure a working engine or an opened gate.
Core material can hold unusual kinds of essence. Cyrena and Deylin made a core from Pyrathalor's essence for Aelius to use, giving him access to its stored power.
Core technology has also been incorporated into living bodies. As darkness threatened Maraveth, Malcairn and Zharrek developed a process using microscopic core fragments embedded in flesh, with essence supplied by Zal'therak. The resulting essence shapers and their descendants could store essence within their altered bodies, but remained dependent on recharging at towers.
Jin guided black particles into a large core entirely emptied of essence, and the mages sealed them inside.
Craftsmanship and trade
Core material can be worked into objects as well as carried as separate crystals. Compressed essence cores form the heavy blades Thalena forged and crystalline elements in Thalassai footwear. Her weapons hold a large reservoir: Hrzai warned that recharging the blades after use would take years.
Value reflects workmanship as well as usable power. A basalt essence core selected as a gift for Morindel was a functioning device crafted with exceptional artistry and dark rainbow hues. Qirath produces high-quality cores from its mined crystals. Cores circulate as payment and trade goods alongside coins; valuable specimens also serve as gifts.
History
During the rise of the Malverand Empire, the god-forger Arcanis developed machinery that gathered essence into specially mined crystals. He taught a select group of engineers and mages to reproduce the equipment, warning that proximity to it was dangerous for most people. Isolated towers housed the artifacts that produced usable cores, widening access to magic beyond trained mages.
Production carried an environmental cost. Heavy drawing of essence left blackened, corrupted land. Draining was eventually banned in Maraveth, while core production expanded into essence-rich regions such as Morindel. Towers remained important both for making cores and restoring their spent charge; the tower at Irrathis gathered essence and condensed it into crystalline cores.
Arcanis later built an exceptional skyship entirely from essence-core material, choosing the finest cores available across Malverand. His god cores were a further, specialized development: containers designed to hold extraordinary quantities of essence and spells to create new forms of magic.
The other Valrindor had its own development of core technology. There, the work arose through the combined efforts of many people rather than a single inventor like Arcanis.