The shard Eira took from the Temple of no Return appeared as purple light swirling in a solid form. Taking it filled her body with essence and left a dark spiral in her palm, glowing purple and black. It gave her the power to wield darkness magic.
Eira’s claim
Eira first saw the shard in recurring visions, with an old mage reaching for it but unable to take it. A spiral mark appeared in her palm during the visions, becoming more vivid and painful as they continued. An ancient text connected the symbol with Arcanis and a temple in the Land of Darkness.
When Eira entered the temple, the man from her visions urged her to claim the shard. Touching it sent waves of essence through her body. She emerged with a changed physique, stronger and leaner, and found that the darkness no longer threatened to overtake her mind as before. She still needed food and water, and the new strength did not give her complete control of her spells.
The spiral mark
The same spiral appeared among the symbols on the Aethrendar Gate. Aurion recognized the resemblance, although he could not explain the connection.
A voice later spoke through the spiral when Eira lay mortally wounded. It told Lythariel how to carry her toward safety and opened a gate for them.
The spiral shard is the artifact Eira took from the Temple of no Return. Its power entered her body and left a dark spiral glowing purple in her palm. It gave her immense darkness magic, but drawing on that power nearly consumed her life.
Eira’s claim
Before reaching the temple, Eira saw the shard in recurring visions: purple light swirling in a solid form, with an old mage unable to reach it. A spiral mark appeared in her palm during the visions and grew more vivid as they continued.
Inside the temple, the man urged her to take the shard. Touching it sent waves of essence through her body, and she emerged carrying its power. Her physique changed, becoming leaner and stronger, while the darkness around her no longer threatened to overtake her mind as it had before. She still needed food, water and control of her magic.
Power and creation
The shard’s power began overtaking Eira’s life force. To survive, she expelled it into Lythariel, creating both her mentor and darkness magic. She altered Xalmyrra itself to give Lythariel a life and history. Lythariel carries a fragment of that power, rather than simply having learned the same magic.
A voice can also speak through the shard. It guided Lythariel toward an open gate when Eira lay mortally wounded. Later, Xol’Zahir spoke directly to Eira through the spiral shard, drawing her into a vision of a green valley and asking for help.
The spiral shard is an artifact whose stored essence gave Jorhan the power to sustain the atraxi and remake Xalmyrra. He held two shards, using them to control the essence reservoir in Atraxis Prime and maintain the region’s repeating cycles. Eira retrieved one from the Temple of no Return; it later passed to Aldar.
Form and power
The shard is a small spiral-shaped object that can enter a wielder’s palm, where it appears as a dark spiral glowing purple. Claiming it releases a violent surge of essence. It restored Aldred Behn’s youth, and both Jorhan’s and Aldar’s transformations sent shockwaves through the surrounding chambers and streets.
Its reserves are finite. Jorhan initially failed to make the second shard enter his palm, but he used both shards to regulate the flow of essence sustaining the atraxi.
History
Aldred and Jorhan
Aldred discovered a shard beneath the council hall in Irrathis, behind a sealed door that had unexpectedly opened. Taking it restored his youth and gave him immense strength. Jorhan found another in a similar chamber. Their subsequent fight destroyed Xalmyrra and killed Aldred, leaving Jorhan with both shards.
Jorhan gathered the surviving atraxi around a new reservoir of essence. With Amos and Jareth, he built the Temple of no Return and placed a shard within it. His own shard maintained the storms and veil separating Xalmyrra from Valrindor; the temple shard remade the land as he remembered it when each cycle ended. He became known as Xol’Zahir, the god of darkness.
Eira’s shard
Thalena, using the name Arcanis, linked the spiral to the legend of an ancient savior. She arranged with Hrzai for Eira to take the temple’s shard, changing an earlier plan for David to claim it.
Eira took the shard during the final Xalmyrran cycle. Its power began consuming her life, and she expelled it into Lythariel, creating both her mentor and darkness magic. She altered Xalmyrra to give Lythariel a life and history.
After Jorhan took Eira into his custody, she cut off the hand bearing the shard to evade his senses and escape. The separation cost her both life magic and darkness magic, but she kept her ability to sense essence. She returned to Irrathis and gave the severed hand to Aldar. The shard responded to him, releasing purple light and shockwaves before settling in his palm.
Thalena’s defeat of Jorhan ended the cycles. Aldar retained the shard as he took up the work of rebuilding Xalmyrra.
Spiral shards are artifacts holding immense stores of essence, rather than gods. Two survived from the Malverand era, supplying the power behind Jorhan’s Xalmyrran cycles. Their wielders can control darkness and cast spells far beyond the power available in the surrounding land.
Form and limits
A shard is a small spiral-shaped object that can sink into a wielder’s palm and remain visible there as a dark spiral. It glows purple when active. The reserve is finite, and using it can damage the wielder: Jorhan absorbed darkness into himself while clearing corrupted lands.
The object does not answer everyone who holds it. Sariel could not wield the shards, and Eremion and Uriandel had also failed to claim them. Jorhan held one in his palm and the other in his opposite hand. The second had not fully responded to him, although he could use its power. Aurion’s successful claiming released purple light and shockwaves that threw other mages away.
Aldar learned to gather and shape corruption after taking his shard. The star shard is a separate, empty prototype designed to work similarly to the original spiral shard by absorbing essence.
History
Custody in Xalmyrra
Sariel took both shards from Malverand and brought them to Xalmyrra. He sealed one beneath the council hall in Irrathis, behind a door intended to open for the true wielder. He intended to seal the other on an uninhabited island to the west.
Aldred Behn found the shard beneath Irrathis. Taking it restored his youth and gave him enormous strength. Jorhan claimed the other shard and fought Aldred, destroying much of Xalmyrra. Aldred died, and Jorhan took both fragments.
Jorhan used the shards to control the essence reservoir sustaining the atraxi in Atraxis Prime. His own shard maintained the storms and veil separating Xalmyrra from Valrindor. The shard within the Temple of no Return remade the land as he remembered it when each cycle ended.
Eira and Aldar
Thalena, using the name Arcanis, linked the spiral with the legend of an ancient savior. With Hrzai, she arranged for Eira to take the temple’s shard in place of an earlier plan for Deylin to claim it.
Eira retrieved the shard from the temple during the final Xalmyrran cycle. Its power began consuming her life, forcing her to expel it into Lythariel. She created both her mentor and darkness magic, altering Xalmyrra to give Lythariel a life and history.
Later, Eira severed the hand carrying the shard so she could escape Jorhan’s custody. She lost her life magic and darkness magic, although her ability to sense essence remained. After returning to Irrathis, she gave the severed hand to Aldar. The shard responded to him, filling his palm with purple light and releasing shockwaves across the courtyard. Thalena’s defeat of Jorhan ended the cycles, leaving Aldar to help restore the damaged region.
Jorhan and Aurion
Jorhan used his remaining shard to clear corruption in Durakarn. He gathered darkness into himself as he worked, clearing the ruined capital and opening a path through the blighted land. His final cleansing cleared a town and the land beyond it, but killed him. Brynor tried to stop Aurion from taking the shard left behind. Aurion claimed it, withstanding the surge until the spiral rested in his palm.
The spiral shard is an essence-storing god core created by Arcanis for Barachiel. The original artifact split into two fragments. Their power let Jorhan sustain the atraxi and trap Xalmyrra within repeating cycles; the surviving fragments are now held by Aldar and Aurion.
Form and function
The shard is a small spiral-shaped object that can enter a wielder’s palm and remain visible there as a dark spiral. It glows purple when active and can become dormant after separation from its wielder. It contains immense stores of essence, rather than a god.
Its reserve supports spells far beyond what a mage can draw from the surrounding land. It can reshape life and corruption: Barachiel restored fertile ground and grew food, while Jorhan cleared darkness from ruined lands. Aldar learned to gather and control corruption after taking his fragment. The power still requires skill; when he first faced Raphael, he had not mastered the shard’s healing abilities.
The star shard is a separate prototype Arcanis designed to work similarly, with less destructive absorption of essence.
Claiming and dangers
A mage can try to claim the shard by holding it and channeling essence into it. If it responds, it enters the palm and releases a violent surge of power. Candidates can die or be thrown back by shockwaves. Sariel repeatedly failed, and many mages died during public attempts in Maraveth. Eremion and Uriandel could not make a fragment respond while carrying their own god shards; they were told to sever their existing pacts before trying again.
Merely holding the object does not make someone its wielder. Jorhan could use the second fragment’s power while holding it, although it had not fully responded to him. The shards’ reserves are finite, and drawing on them can damage the wielder. Barachiel’s body steadily broke under the original shard’s power; Jorhan took darkness into himself while clearing corrupted lands.
History
Barachiel and the split
Arcanis made the spiral shard during the Malverand Empire. It was empty when Barachiel first took it aboard a skyship above Morozkaya. Arcanis instructed him to fill it from the earth, sky and city. The attempt became an uncontrolled drain that consumed the essence of millions, ruined the city and stripped life from the peninsula. Earthquakes and a tsunami followed. Barachiel regained control in time to save the four guardians accompanying him.
He then isolated corruption, restored fertile land and produced food across the empire. His power ended wars, although the shard continued damaging his body.
When Barachiel entered the Aethrendar Gate toward Vireen, a being inside attacked him. Unable to leave with the artifact without destabilizing the gate, he cut off his hand and threw it back. Two fragments emerged on the Valrindor side, where Arcanis caught them. Barachiel reached Vireen without the shard and died there.
The guardians kept the fragments while seeking a new wielder. After repeated failures, Sariel took both to Xalmyrra. He sealed one beneath the council hall in Irrathis. He intended to seal the other on an uninhabited island to the west.
Xalmyrra and its later wielders
Aldred Behn claimed the shard beneath Irrathis. It restored his youth and gave him the strength to oppose Jorhan. Jorhan claimed the other fragment, defeated Aldred and took both. He controlled the essence reservoir sustaining the atraxi in Atraxis Prime. His own shard maintained the surrounding storms and veil; the temple shard remade the land as he remembered it when each cycle ended.
Thalena used the name Arcanis to link the spiral with the legend of an ancient savior. With Hrzai, she arranged for Eira to take the temple’s shard in place of an earlier plan for Deylin to claim it.
Eira took the shard from the Temple of no Return during the final Xalmyrran cycle. Its power began consuming her life, and she expelled it into Lythariel, creating both her mentor and darkness magic. She altered Xalmyrra to give Lythariel a history. Later, she cut off the hand bearing the shard to escape Jorhan’s custody and gave the severed hand to Aldar in Irrathis. The fragment responded to him. Thalena’s defeat of Jorhan ended the cycles.
Jorhan used his remaining shard to clear corruption in Durakarn, taking darkness into himself as he worked. His final cleansing killed him, leaving the fragment behind. Aurion took it despite Brynor’s warning and returned with it to Irrathis.
The spiral shard was an essence-storing god core created by Arcanis for Barachiel. The original artifact split into two fragments, which passed through several wielders and supplied the power behind Jorhan’s Xalmyrran cycles. Both fragments eventually broke.
Form and function
The shard is a small spiral-shaped crystal that can sink into a wielder’s palm, leaving a dark spiral visible in the skin. Its active light ranges through purple and violet; a detached fragment can become dormant while still holding immense reserves of essence. It contains stored essence rather than a god.
That reserve lets a wielder cast spells far beyond the power they can draw from the surrounding land. It can also reshape life and corruption. Barachiel restored barren ground and grew food, while Jorhan and Aldar gathered, redirected and cleared darkness. The power requires control: Aldar had to learn to shape corruption, and he had not mastered the shard’s healing abilities when he first faced Raphael.
The spiral shard is distinct from the star shard. Arcanis designed that prototype to work similarly, but with less destructive absorption of essence.
Claiming and limits
A mage can try to claim the shard by holding it and channeling essence into it. When it responds, it enters the palm and releases a violent surge of power. Claiming it can kill the candidate or throw them back in a shockwave. Sariel repeatedly failed to take a fragment, and many candidates in Maraveth died attempting it. Eremion and Uriandel could not make it respond while carrying their own god shards; they were told to sever their existing pacts before trying again.
Possession does not guarantee that the shard will answer. Jorhan could draw on the second fragment’s power while holding it, although it had not fully responded to him. The stored essence is finite. As Alistair found when he claimed Aldar’s nearly depleted fragment, a low reserve limited how many times he could use it without reducing its maximum power per spell.
Heavy use also endangered the wielder. The original shard steadily damaged Barachiel’s body. Jorhan absorbed darkness into himself while clearing corrupted land, and Aurion’s overuse left his arm blackened by corruption and darkness.
History
The original shard
Arcanis made the spiral shard during the Malverand Empire. It was empty when Barachiel first took it aboard a skyship above Morozkaya. Arcanis instructed him to fill it from the earth, sky and city. The attempt became an uncontrolled drain, consuming the essence of millions of people and stripping life from the peninsula. Shockwaves destroyed the ship and damaged the city; earthquakes and a tsunami followed. Barachiel regained control in time to save the four guardians accompanying him.
He then used the shard to isolate corruption, restore fertile land and produce food throughout Malverand. Its power ended wars, but the strain continued to break down his body.
When Barachiel entered the Aethrendar Gate toward Vireen, a being inside attacked him. Unable to leave with the shard without destabilizing the gate, he cut off his hand and threw it back. Two fragments emerged on the Valrindor side, where Arcanis caught them. Barachiel reached Vireen without the artifact and died there.
The Xalmyrran shards
The guardians held the fragments while seeking another wielder. After his failed attempts, Sariel took both to Xalmyrra. He sealed one beneath the council hall in Irrathis. He intended to seal the other on an uninhabited island to the west.
Aldred Behn claimed the shard beneath Irrathis. It restored his youth and gave him the strength to oppose Jorhan. Jorhan claimed the other shard, defeated Aldred and took both. He used them to control the essence reservoir sustaining the atraxi in Atraxis Prime. His own shard maintained the surrounding storms and veil; the temple shard remade the land as he remembered it when each cycle ended.
Thalena used the name Arcanis to link the spiral with the legend of an ancient savior. With Hrzai, she arranged for Eira to take the temple’s shard in place of an earlier plan for Deylin to claim it.
Eira took the shard from the Temple of no Return during the final Xalmyrran cycle. Its power began consuming her life, and she expelled it into Lythariel, creating both her mentor and darkness magic while altering Xalmyrra to give Lythariel a history. Later, Eira cut off the hand bearing the shard to escape Jorhan’s custody. She brought the severed hand back to Irrathis and gave it to Aldar, who claimed the fragment. Thalena’s defeat of Jorhan ended the cycles.
Jorhan used his remaining shard to clear corruption in Durakarn, absorbing darkness as he worked. His final cleansing killed him, leaving the shard behind. Aurion took it despite Brynor’s warning.
The last fragments
Aurion spent nearly all of his shard’s reserve shielding Garrik’s forces at Omberion against exploding skyships. Beneath the Luminary Halls, he used his final spell to restore Seralyth from her preserved body as the woman he remembered. The shard shattered into small crystals.
Aldar used his fragment to trap Cyndarel behind a dark veil that threatened memory loss to those crossing it. During the fighting outside the city, Alistair killed Aldar and Raphael, then burned away Aldar’s hand to recover the dormant purple crystal. He claimed it alongside Raphael’s Malverand heart and used the resulting power while impersonating Aldar.
Alistair’s shard began cracking as he fought Azarion. He later cut off his own shard hand and gave it to Cassian. The fragment cracked further in Cassian’s possession, ending its power to control the darkness.