Overview
The Plains of Eternity are an essence-saturated region in northeastern Valrindor. Essence overflows there, behaves unpredictably, and gradually pushes the plains into surrounding lands and seas. The region surrounds Zarephon, the Oracles of Eternity, and the source. Rahmavir tries to stop the source from flooding the world. The Oracles refuse to let Rahmavir, Myrravel, Ulzathir, or Raphael's faction control its flow.
Geography and Travel
The plains lie north of Ulzathir, near Rahmavir, Myrravel, Tharendur, Ashtarim, and the ocean routes east of Valrindor. Their expansion blocks direct routes, forces long detours, and makes maps of northeastern Valrindor incomplete. At the border, the region forms a strange haze, a green tint, or a wall of dense essence; from above Valrindor, its spread marks the world with a greenish tint.
Travel through the plains requires adaptation. Adult mages struggle to breathe, move, and cast safely until their bodies adjust to the volatile essence. People born inside the plains handle the environment naturally. Flying above the plains is dangerous, sailing near them exposes ships to enormous aquatic creatures, and spellcasting can misfire until travelers adjust to the local flow.
Roads, villages, guard towers, inns, and scattered settlements stand near the safer approaches. Myriandel and Zarephon lie deeper within the region. Older trade and diplomatic routes once passed through Zarephon before the Eternal War made travel through the heart of the plains far more dangerous.
Environment
The plains have dense haze, warped essence, blue or green grasses, immense trees, unusual flowers, rivers, cliffs, valleys, waterfalls, and overflow-warped terrain. Some areas look beautiful and almost utopian to travelers who can survive them. Deeper regions become harder to navigate and increasingly hostile.
Source and war
The Oracles of Eternity keep their seat in Zarephon beneath the source mountain. Beneath its mountain, the source leaks dense white essence into a deep lake and river system. Rahmavir seeks the source to stop the plains from overflowing into the world. The Oracles guard it and refuse to let Rahmavir, Myrravel, Ulzathir, or Raphael's faction control its flow.
The Eternal War and the later failed attempt to close the source draw in Myrravel, Ulzathir, Malverand-aligned armies, Abraxas, Thamrielle, Aurelia, Viviana, Gren, Isandriel, Eira, Kaelion, and Xarion. Abraxas is feared as the Dark Lord or ruler of the Plains of Eternity. He guards the source and contains origin magic and threats from the void.
During Eira's ancient visit to Zarephon, the breach lies beneath the mountain before the plains reach their later scale. She investigates the lake and widens the rift, allowing more essence to surge into Valrindor. Much later, the failed attempt to close the source destroys Zarephon's mountain and sends Eira, Kaelion, Xarion, and Ozaith through the breach. The breach remains open after the failed closure attempt because the Malverand Intergalactic Empire depends on it during the Proxion system attack.