Overview
God cores are Malverand essence artifacts created through Arcanis's artificial-divinity research. Within Malverand's artifact tradition, they surpass gates and essence towers.
Forms
God cores can take core, crystal, shard, orb, and palm-mark forms. The first successful god core is Hrzai, whose original artifact form is the golden tree.
First-Generation Cores
First-generation god cores can house or produce an independent godlike being. Examples include Hrzai through the golden tree, Tal'Massar, Nerissa, Kharvos, the burning frost crystal line that produces Pyrathalor, and the modified hourglass core that brings forth Horol’Khai.
Second-Generation Cores
Second-generation god cores are iridescent orbs or shards. A compatible wielder channels their god-core power directly. Examples include the cores carried by Garrik, Zero, Ignatius, Azarion, Eliona, Koriel, and Rhaeniel.
Four shardlike artifacts come from the same god-core research line. The spiral shard begins as a unique god core shaped in a spiral, the geometric core is a missing god core, the hourglass shard is a modified existing core, and the star shard is part of the same late Malverand research tradition.
Properties
- God cores require immense quantities of essence and spellwork. Later attempts to make or recreate them require hundreds or thousands of mages.
- God cores can power gates, skyships, temporal stasis, and essence engines.
- First-generation cores can contain or produce independent godlike beings. Second-generation cores put god-core power directly into the wielder.
- Core power is finite. Cores can be drained, cracked, depleted, lost, destroyed, or rendered nearly empty.
- Second-generation cores require compatible wielders, respond only to exceptional candidates, and can fail for mages already carrying another god core.
- God cores with resident entities allow gods to communicate across vast distances.
- The vault beneath Maraveth cuts gods off from their wielders and blocks divine interference in vault conversations.
History & Origins
God cores originate in Arcanis's late Malverand research alongside essence towers, gates, Malverand hearts, and essence technology. The earliest successful creation grows from a spell-carved crystal into a golden tree. After Thamrielle establishes a mind link with it, the tree brings forth a healing being powerful enough to restore Arcanis's severed arm; the being then touches the tree and vanishes. Centuries later, the same golden being reappears in Xalmyrra during a plague, ends it, and begins teaching divine magic under the name Hrzai. The class receives the name "god core" after the golden tree's first success, and Arcanis continues refining the process.
The early cores are made from essence, will, and personalities drawn from the mages used in their creation. Specific contributors can shape later cores: Thamrielle's essence is largely used to create Kharvos, and Kharvos and Thamrielle together forge the core that becomes Pyrathalor.
Arcanis and his team later create additional varieties, including second-generation cores and shardlike prototypes. The later stock is split between guardian use and storage in the vault beneath Maraveth. The Vireen expedition carries god cores and Malverand hearts because their reserves can power gates and allow a return from another world.
After Barachiel disappears, surviving cores become guarded relics. Michael, Raphael, Isandriel, Thalion Zenith, and Eremion later distribute or modify remaining cores for selected wielders. Eira uses remaining cores to power Vireen's gate, adjust a temporal rift, and keep long-term stasis machinery running.
Effects on Magic and Technology
God cores create engineered gods, empower shard wielders, and keep Malverand essence technology active long after the empire's fall.