Overview
The source is the breach beneath Zarephon where dense white essence enters Valrindor. It feeds the River of Eternity, fills the Plains of Eternity with essence that mutates local life, anchors the Oracles of Eternity's prophecies, and becomes what Rahmavir and Raphael's faction fight to claim in the Eternal War.
A separate planted essence core is once mistaken for the source during Thamrielle's attempt to steal it. The object is a strong essence core placed so the right person would take it and lead the Oracles to Thalion.
The Oracles guard the source under Abraxas. Rahmavir and Myrravel send armies toward the River of Eternity, Raphael uses the breach as a reservoir for Gabriel, and Alistair sabotages the later closure attempt. Control of the source promises power, origin magic, and a proposed answer to the spreading Plains. The breach resists faction control.
Nature
The Zarephon access point lies at the bottom of a deep lake inside the mountain cave. White essence flows through a small rift there, pools along the lake floor, and is carried outward through the river. The pressure and essence density around the lake make direct access dangerous even for powerful mages.
During Thamrielle's ancient incursion, she draws an overwhelmingly bright crystal from the lakebed and believes she has taken the source. The object is the planted essence core. She carries it away, encases it in dull stone, and keeps it close until Abraxas takes it from her.
The rift contains spell-like instructions that Eira can perceive and manipulate. In her ancient visit to Zarephon, her contact with it brings messages about Barachiel and a destroyer, alters her magic, and precedes the golden wisp's later emergence as Orin. Over time, the intensified essence around Zarephon mutates fish, birds, plants, astragons, and dragons across the Plains.
The source is the tear through which Ozaith entered Valrindor from another world. The later journey through the rift leads Eira, Kaelion, Xarion, and Ozaith to Zarephon (Intergalactic Empire). Travel through the breach passes through the void and can be out of sync between worlds.
The breach also carries the black-box construct that becomes Abraxas from the imperial Zarephon side into Valrindor. After reassembling, Abraxas grows up in Zarephon, becomes Keeper of Prophecies, and guards the source against misuse of origin magic.
Power and Use
The source anchors the Oracles' prophecies and releases the dense essence that sustains the Plains. It also gives Valrindor access to origin magic, a family of ancient-magic particles and technologies with its own casting rules. Essence and magic also exist across Valrindor away from the source. Closing the breach would reduce the flow of essence into Valrindor over time. Magic would continue after closure.
Rahmavir seeks the source because the Plains are consuming its lands and because closing the breach could stop the uncontrolled essence flow. After Rahmavir and Raphael's faction take Zarephon, they study the murals, lake, and origin-magic traditions. The source remains difficult to close or use. Origin magic begins spreading through Rahmavir's ranks, and most practitioners remain limited.
The planted essence core radiates overwhelming essence, resists Isandriel's unmaking, draws pursuit through its essence trail, and can unleash destructive white-blue tendrils edged with void-black force. It is powerful enough to be mistaken for the source by Thamrielle, Kharvos, Isandriel, and others until Abraxas reveals its nature.
Raphael also uses the source as a reservoir for Gabriel. Gabriel's body is placed at the bottom of the lake near the tear and absorbs source essence over years, later producing shard-like crystals and allowing Gabriel to descend more freely through small amounts of belief.
History
During Eira's early visit to Zarephon, she reaches the city with Hrzai and a golden wisp. She enters the guarded cave and descends through the lake to the rift leaking liquid white essence. After her contact with the rift, the Oracles become more structured, their prophecies intensify, and the surrounding land begins developing into the Plains of Eternity.
The Oracles guard the source. Rahmavir and Myrravel eventually seek access to it, and Barachiel's investigation pulls Malverand into the Eternal War; the Eternal War draws northeastern Valrindor's armies, rulers, and Oracle religion into the struggle over the breach.
Rahmavir and Raphael's faction later defeat the Oracles and take Zarephon during Abraxas's absence. Their victory gives them access to the source cave, Oracle records, and origin-magic knowledge. The breach resists their control.
During the later closure attempt, Eira, Kaelion, Xarion, and Ozaith descend into the lake. Nero guards the cave and river approaches. Alistair secretly triggers objects taken through the breach from the imperial side, destroying Zarephon's mountain, cave, murals, and much of the valley. The breach widens enough for the group to pass through and sends them into the Malverand Intergalactic Empire.
After Zarephon's destruction, the breach persists in an unstable state. It later becomes slightly larger and slips further out of sync. Closure may require synchronization inside the void and action at the lakebed. the empire keeps the breach open during the Proxion system emergency.
Related
- Eternal War
- Essence
- Essence core
- Origin magic
- Oracles of Eternity
- Plains of Eternity
- River of Eternity
- The void
- Zarephon
- Zarephon (Intergalactic Empire)
Secrets and Mysteries
Eira's first contact with the source widens the rift before the Plains of Eternity develop. Abraxas guards it against the Data-Scar threat.