A shard wielder is a mage who draws on a shard bound into their body. A god can grant a shard through a pact, joining its power to the wielder’s own essence.
Pacts
Accepting a god’s pact can cause a shard to form within the wielder’s palm. When Jin accepted Tianlei’s pact, a lightning mark appeared in his hand. Zal’therak’s shard merged with Silas’s skin and veins as a glistening crystal.
Gods can speak inside their wielders’ minds, give instructions and teach their magic. Zal’therak began teaching Silas veils and illusions after Silas accepted his pact. Not all wielders speak with their gods: Tianlei never spoke to Ren Wuye, but communicated directly with Jin, who channeled his power more easily than most wielders. Tianlei required Jin to obey his orders and help defeat the darkness.
Power and limits
A shard greatly amplifies its wielder’s power, but does not make it unlimited. During the Shaper Attack on Rimvold, Jin ran out of essence while fighting Virel and had to be rescued despite Tianlei’s power.
Shards protect their wielders from the storms that erase memories around Xalmyrra.
A shard wielder is a mage who draws on a shard bound into their body. A god can grant a shard through a pact, joining its power to the wielder’s own essence.
Pacts
Accepting a god’s pact can cause a shard to form within the wielder’s palm. When Jin accepted Tianlei’s pact, a lightning mark appeared in his hand. Zal’therak’s shard merged with Silas’s skin and veins as a glistening crystal.
Gods can speak inside their wielders’ minds, give instructions and teach their magic. Zal’therak began teaching Silas veils and illusions after Silas accepted his pact. Not all wielders speak with their gods: Tianlei never spoke to Ren Wuye, but communicated directly with Jin, who channeled his power more easily than most wielders. Tianlei required Jin to obey his orders and help defeat the darkness.
Power and limits
Shards provide reserves of essence that can sustain a wielder when the surrounding land has been drained. Their power is finite. During the Shaper Attack on Rimvold, Jin ran out of essence while fighting Virel and had to be rescued despite Tianlei’s power.
Before Xalmyrra’s cycles ended, shards protected their wielders from the storms that erased memories around the region.
Ending a pact
Pacts can end after their purpose is fulfilled. Hrzai’s pact with Belanor ended after he completed his task.
A shard wielder is a mage who draws on a shard bound into their body. A god can grant a shard through a pact, joining its power to the wielder’s own essence. The title also applies to users of second generation god cores, which have no separate god.
Pacts
Accepting a god’s pact can cause a shard to form within the wielder’s palm. When Jin accepted Tianlei’s pact, a lightning mark appeared in his hand. Zal’therak’s shard merged with Silas’s skin and veins as a glistening crystal.
Gods can speak inside their wielders’ minds, give instructions and teach their magic. Zal’therak began teaching Silas veils and illusions after Silas accepted his pact. Not all wielders speak with their gods: Tianlei never spoke to Ren Wuye, but communicated directly with Jin, who channeled his power more easily than most wielders. Tianlei required Jin to obey his orders and help defeat the darkness.
Power and limits
Shards provide reserves of essence that can sustain a wielder when the surrounding land has been drained. Their power is finite. During the Shaper Attack on Rimvold, Jin ran out of essence while fighting Virel and had to be rescued despite Tianlei’s power.
Before Xalmyrra’s cycles ended, shards protected their wielders from the storms that erased memories around the region.
Godless cores
Second generation god cores have no separate god, letting their wielders channel the power more easily. They resonate only with mages who already possess exceptional essence. Garrik became a shard wielder when an iridescent orb dissolved into his palm. It enhanced his earth and divine magic and extended his lifespan without placing a god inside him.
Ending pacts and removing shards
Pacts can end after their purpose is fulfilled. Hrzai’s pact with Belanor ended after he completed his task. A shard can remain attached to a severed hand. Tianlei’s shard stayed in Jin’s removed hand, and Tianlei later formed a temporary pact with Xarion.
A shard wielder is a mage who draws on a shard bound into their body. A god can grant a shard through a pact, joining its power to the wielder’s own essence. The title also applies to users of second generation god cores, which have no separate god.
Pacts
Accepting a god’s pact can cause a shard to form within the wielder’s palm. When Jin accepted Tianlei’s pact, a lightning mark appeared in his hand. Zal’therak’s shard merged with Silas’s skin and veins as a glistening crystal.
Gods can speak inside their wielders’ minds, give instructions and teach their magic. Zal’therak began teaching Silas veils and illusions after Silas accepted his pact. Not all wielders speak with their gods: Tianlei never spoke to Ren Wuye, but communicated directly with Jin, who channeled his power more easily than most wielders. Tianlei required Jin to obey his orders and help defeat the darkness.
Power and limits
Shards provide reserves of essence that can sustain a wielder when the surrounding land has been drained. Their power is finite. During the Shaper Attack on Rimvold, Jin ran out of essence while fighting Virel and had to be rescued despite Tianlei’s power.
Before Xalmyrra’s cycles ended, shards protected their wielders from the storms that erased memories around the region.
Godless cores
Second generation god cores channel their power directly through the wielder rather than through a god in a separate plane. They are easier to channel, but resonate only with mages who already possess exceptional essence. Garrik became a shard wielder when an iridescent orb dissolved into his palm. It enhanced his earth and divine magic and extended his lifespan without placing a god inside him.
Compatibility still determines whether a core responds. Azarion’s core answered him immediately, while those offered to Koriel and Rhaeniel initially remained unresponsive.
Ending pacts and removing shards
Pacts can end after their purpose is fulfilled. Hrzai’s pact with Belanor ended after he completed his task. Tianlei also formed a temporary pact with Xarion. When Xarion agreed to end it, Tianlei renewed his pact with Jin as the two mages shook hands.
Shards can also be physically removed. In ancient Malverand, Eira conserved several gods by having their wielders’ hands severed and new hands regrown. The removed shards were kept in separate cases, while two second generation cores powered engines.
A shard wielder is a mage who draws on a shard bound into their body. A god can grant a shard through a pact, joining its power to the wielder’s own essence. The title also applies to users of second generation god cores, which have no separate god.
Pacts
Accepting a god’s pact can cause a shard to form within the wielder’s palm. When Jin accepted Tianlei’s pact, a lightning mark appeared in his hand. Zal’therak’s shard merged with Silas’s skin and veins as a glistening crystal. A wielder sufficiently attuned to their god can conceal the shard in their palm.
Gods can speak inside their wielders’ minds, give instructions and teach their magic. Zal’therak began teaching Silas veils and illusions after Silas accepted his pact. Not all wielders speak with their gods: Tianlei never spoke to Ren Wuye, but communicated directly with Jin, who channeled his power more easily than most wielders. Tianlei required Jin to obey his orders and help defeat the darkness.
A god need not keep a wielder continuously. Nerissa waited years after her previous wielder died before choosing Nero, who was twenty when she chose him.
Power and limits
Shards provide reserves of essence that can sustain a wielder when the surrounding land has been drained. Their power is finite. During the Shaper Attack on Rimvold, Jin ran out of essence while fighting Virel and had to be rescued despite Tianlei’s power.
New power can require extensive practice. Maric’s pact with Renneth strengthened his water magic and gave him fire and earth magic. He spent several hours each night training with Nero to develop his skills. Possessing a shard also does not give mastery of every art: Aldar still had limited healing knowledge while wielding a spiral shard.
Before Xalmyrra’s cycles ended, shards protected their wielders from the storms that erased memories around the region.
Godless cores
Second generation god cores channel their power directly through the wielder rather than through a god in a separate plane. They are easier to channel, but resonate only with mages who already possess exceptional essence. Garrik became a shard wielder when an iridescent orb dissolved into his palm. It enhanced his earth and divine magic and extended his lifespan without placing a god inside him.
Compatibility still determines whether a core responds. Azarion’s core answered him immediately, while those offered to Koriel and Rhaeniel initially remained unresponsive.
Ending pacts and removing shards
Pacts can end after their purpose is fulfilled. Hrzai’s pact with Belanor ended after he completed his task. Tianlei also formed a temporary pact with Xarion. When Xarion agreed to end it, Tianlei renewed his pact with Jin as the two mages shook hands.
Shards can also be physically removed. In ancient Malverand, Eira conserved several gods by having their wielders’ hands severed and new hands regrown. The removed shards were kept in separate cases, while two second generation cores powered engines.
Thalena’s account
In Thalena’s Shores of Eternity, Alistair severed several wielders’ hands and forced Cassian to destroy their god cores. The Valrindor Council later reserved two second generation cores for dangerous missions, agreeing that they would be removed from their wielders afterward.