God cores are artifacts from the Malverand Empire that give shard wielders extraordinary magical power. They include cores with independent gods and others that channel power directly through the wielder. They are relics of Arcanis's work; the unused stock is guarded beneath Maraveth.
Forms and wielders
First-generation cores can house a separate god. Their forms reflect different powers: the burning frost crystal can awaken Pyrathalor, while Horol'Khai's core takes the shape of an hourglass. A shard can become embedded in its wielder's palm, providing a connection through which the god speaks and supplies magic. The Malverand vault deliberately cuts off that connection, allowing its occupants to speak without divine interference.
Second-generation cores are small iridescent orbs without a separate god. They channel power more directly but respond only to mages who already possess exceptional essence. The guardians' unsuccessful attempts were complicated by their refusal to release their existing cores. Garrik received an orb from Isaac; it dissolved into his palm and enhanced his earth and divine magic.
Limits and surviving stock
The cores' power can decline. When Sigvariel's old shard was dying, he accepted the hourglass, destroying his previous core in the process. Michael had helped modify an existing artifact with essence from hundreds of temporal mages over centuries. He and Raphael could not construct new base cores after the god-forger's disappearance.
Unused first-generation cores and unresponsive second-generation orbs remained in the vault. Isandriel took the burning frost crystal and later gave two second-generation orbs to Thalion, alongside an empty star-shaped prototype. He warned that the orbs might still fail to respond, leaving their use to Thalion's judgment.
God cores are artifacts that hold immense reserves of essence and connect a wielder to extraordinary magical power. The Malverand Empire developed them to create new kinds of magic: some bring an independent god into being, while others give their power directly to the wielder. Their reserves can also sustain machinery and spells long beyond a mage's own endurance.
Forms and wielders
First-generation cores can house a separate, sentient god, whose connection to a wielder passes through the shard. Their forms vary: Hrzai's golden tree, the burning frost crystal that awakens Pyrathalor, and Horol'Khai's hourglass are distinct artifacts. A core can sink into a wielder's palm, leaving a mark through which the god communicates and supplies magic. The vault beneath Maraveth deliberately interrupts that connection, keeping its discussions beyond the gods' hearing.
Second-generation cores appear as small iridescent orbs. They lack a separate god and channel power directly through the wielder. They respond to exceptionally strong mages; the guardians' attempts to take them while keeping their old shards failed. Garrik's core enhances his earth and divine magic. Ignatius and Zero likewise absorbed orbs when they channeled essence into them, gaining power immediately.
Construction and limits
The early cores combine essence, spells and the will of many contributing mages. Their personalities and intentions shape what emerges. Arcanis's first successful prototype was charged by thousands of mages with the intent to heal and restore; the resulting golden being could heal his severed arm. Some later cores developed independent wills when their makers had expected only stored power.
Their power can run down. Michael and Raphael could modify an existing core into the hourglass through centuries of contributions from temporal mages, but could not manufacture a new base core after Arcanis vanished. The artifacts surviving in the vault were therefore a limited stock, with different designs and purposes.
History and uses
Malverand's experiments
Arcanis developed the cores beyond the empire's ordinary essence cores, using Barachiel's copying magic to gather spells and essence. The first golden-tree prototype produced a healing being that touched the artifact and vanished. The being later reappeared in Xalmyrra as Hrzai. Other guardian shards followed; even ostensibly empty ones began speaking to their wielders. Arcanis's attempt to make the power easier to control led to second-generation cores, initially unresponsive and stored in the vault. The unique spiral shard was another experiment, whose activation devastated Morozkaya.
Power beyond a wielder
The Vireen expedition carried god cores as power reserves. Eira used two to open its return gate, then drew on the surviving cores to advance a timerift. Later she connected Ignatius's and Zero's severed shard-bearing hands to prototype engines, sustaining the Order's long-term temporal stasis with additional essence cores.
God cores are artifacts that hold immense reserves of essence and connect a wielder to extraordinary magical power. The Malverand Empire developed them to create new kinds of magic: some bring an independent god into being, while others give their power directly to the wielder. Their reserves can also sustain machinery and spells long beyond a mage's own endurance.
Forms and wielders
First-generation cores can house a separate, sentient god, whose connection to a wielder passes through the shard. Their forms vary: Hrzai's golden tree, the burning frost crystal that awakens Pyrathalor, and Horol'Khai's hourglass are distinct artifacts. A core can sink into a wielder's palm, leaving a mark through which the god communicates and supplies magic. The gods' connection can be interrupted: the vault beneath Maraveth deliberately cuts them off from their wielders.
Second-generation cores appear as small iridescent orbs. They lack a separate god and channel power directly through the wielder. Compatibility matters as much as possession: the orbs respond to exceptionally strong mages, and the Malverand guardians' attempts to take them while keeping their old shards failed. Garrik's core enhances his earth and divine magic; Ignatius and Zero likewise absorbed orbs when they channeled essence into them.
Construction and limits
The early Malverand cores combine essence, spells and the will of many contributing mages. Their personalities and intentions shape what emerges. Arcanis's first successful prototype was charged by thousands of mages with the intent to heal and restore; the resulting golden being could heal his severed arm. Later cores could also develop independent wills when their makers had expected only stored power.
Jareth explains how essence and will gather around a shared cause. Nerissa was herself constructed from a special god-core crystal. This constructed origin does not explain every god: Ozaith describes natural gods' cores as essentially similar, but formed differently. Nahm was a natural god before absorbing the geometric core and becoming partly constructed.
Studies of the star shard reveal material patterns that act as instructions. The geometric core shares its quasicrystal structure; nonrepeating patterns make Nahm function despite his apparent symmetry. Understanding those structures remains a separate problem from replenishing their essence.
The power is finite. Cores can become nearly empty, crack or be destroyed, and their immense stored energy is difficult to replace. God-bearing cores without followers draw on finite reserves and can run down. Michael and Raphael could modify an existing core into the hourglass through centuries of contributions from temporal mages, but could not manufacture a new base core after Arcanis vanished. After the gods became human, Jareth and Thalena discussed making new cores while avoiding further sentient creations.
History and uses
Malverand's experiments
Arcanis developed the cores beyond the empire's ordinary essence cores, using Barachiel's copying magic to gather spells and essence. The first golden-tree prototype produced a healing being that touched the artifact and vanished. The being later reappeared in Xalmyrra as Hrzai. Other guardian shards followed; even ostensibly empty ones began speaking to their wielders. Arcanis's attempt to make the power easier to control led to second-generation cores, initially unresponsive and stored in the vault. The unique spiral shard was another experiment, whose activation devastated Morozkaya.
Stored power and the surviving cores
The Vireen expedition carried god cores as power reserves. Eira used two to open its return gate, then drew on the surviving cores to advance a timerift. Later she connected Ignatius's and Zero's severed shard-bearing hands to prototype engines, powering long-term temporal stasis with additional essence cores.
After the Order's release, Eira recovered the nearly depleted second-generation cores of Aelius and Zayren; she later removed Eliona's. Cassian's severing of the gods' connection to the God Realm left Hrzai's golden tree inert; other released cores were destroyed. At the Council, Garrik removed his orb and left it on the table. Aelius passed it to Cassian after proposing secure Thalassai storage alongside Eliona's.
Thalena's account
In Thalena's Shores of Eternity, the later Council kept two second-generation cores in Chronasis and reserved them for dangerous missions. They were to be removed afterward so the power could go to the mage best suited to each task.