The Nexus

The Nexus, flows through Creation, just beyond physical reality, providing mystical energies that underpin all that is or will ever be. It is the force that powers magic. It is from which Creation emerges.

Periodically, the energy of The Nexus erupts geyser-like into the physical reality. These areas are called Nexus Points. After spewing nexial energies into Creation, Nexus Points often collapse unto themselves. That wild and raw power is absorbed by Creation and used to support what already exists or to create new formations.

There are, however, a few Nexus Points that are more “stable,” if such a word can be used, like the one at the center of what has come to be called “Rhedrin.” The “world” of Rhedrin is not truly a world. It is a platform of Order. It is a dimension unto itself.

These “stable” Nexus Points are places of high ambient magic. They continually express nexial power into Creation. From these places, entire worlds or dimensions are formed as they flow further and further away from the Nexus Point, which birthed them. This is not the only way creation evolves, and sometimes, the nascent realms fail, only to be absorbed by other parts of Creation. Nexus Points have been called “Fonts of creation” due to this phenomenon. Given their nature, Nexus Points also tend to be arcane crossroads, connecting all places in Creation.

On rare occasions, when the power released is too much to be absorbed quickly, a Chaos Storm can form. It will ravage worlds and dimensions as it traverses Creation. Over time, its chaotic energy is consumed until all is orderly once again.

The Inn is an “expression” of The Nexus.

When Nexus bursts forth and kisses Creation, That Nexus Point takes an ordered form. The forms can be fleeting, cast free, or disappearing as The Nexus Point collapses.  The expression of stable Nexus Points are robust in structure, The Inn is such an example. Kairee, in her in-depth study of The Inn and The Nexus, found a very ancient reference to a lone barstool within a pocket dimension. It was from that barstool that The Inn formed.

When Kairee first arrived at The Inn, there was just The Inn.  From the steps of The Inn, the town flowed. First, the courtyard and stables appeared, and over time, buildings and streets appeared. Now The Inn sits at the center of the dimensional place called “Rhedrin.”

A heraldic placard of a rouge-dragon rampant upon a field sable hangs before The Inn’s door. The Inn is sometimes called “The Red Dragon,” “The Scarlet Drake,” or “The Crimson Wyrm,” but most just call it “The Inn.” It may look like a 2-story stone building with a tavern on the first level and rooms to let on the second floor, but it is so much more. The Inn, as an expression of The Nexus, is magical.

Order any drink from the bar, and it will magically appear. There is no limit to the number of rooms to be rented. The barroom seems to resize depending on the number of people within. There is always a free seat at the bar, a table, or a drinking booth is always available.

The Inn, and the Rhedrin dimension, is at that crossroads of all places, but it is not easy to find. Once there, it is not easy to leave. You must have the will to find the way.  

There were innkeeper’s before Kairee’s arrival, but they were not mages and did not see the potential. She moved quickly to make it her own. Her private suite is a pocket dimension anchored to The Inn and sustained by its power. She dove into its mysteries and those of The Nexus.  Her relationship with The Nexus is deep. She was called to it and chosen to be The Inn’s keeper.  More about her ties to The Inn and to the Nexus itself will be revealed in the forthcoming books.

The Nexus powers magic.

Being Chaos Refined, it is wild and unpredictable. Touching such raw power, even for experienced Arch-mages, can scramble the mind and overwhelm the mage in such ways as to make viable life a dream forgotten.

Fortunately for mages and other magically attuned beings, the arcane power they use has been further refined in the process of creation. Though magic can be found throughout Creation, the form it takes varies from world to world, dimension to dimension. The gods and magically capable beings born of those worlds are naturally adapted to channel the local Arcana. It flows more smoothly through them, and they draw it unto themselves like they draw breath. They shape it according to the natural flow in their world. Mages develop magical traditions and disciplines attuned to the uniqueness of that world’s Arcana. 

For example, on some worlds, a medium like blood or wine is needed to tap the arcane power. In other realms, specific places must be accessed, or different items, which contain uniquely formed stores of energy, must be gathered for use with particular spells. Yet, there are worlds where no such gyrations are required. Just as there are a variety of magical types, there are an untold number of arcane disciplines designed to maximize a mage’s ability to leverage the power of the arcane. Under it all, however, the workings of the arcane remain the same. It is through the mage’s force of will that arcane energies are gathered, shaped, and expressed in what is called “magic.”

Mages, in general, are like magical batteries. They draw power from the ambient environment and store it within themselves. They can shape that power through their casting using the disciplines they have learned.

Not every mage is skilled or powerful enough to learn new disciplines or to taste and shape arcane energies that are not from their homeworld. Some can do such; however, there should be no expectation that all mages have that ability, and if they do, that it is easy.

The ability to master many disciplines, even from across all of  Creation, is one of the attributes that differentiate an Arch-mage from other, lesser mages. That, however, is not to say it is the only requirement.

The Arcane is rich and robust. There is always something new to learn and deeper secrets to uncover.

When Creation was young, there were no barriers between worlds and dimensions, nor between life and death. One did not have to rely on magic to traverse Creation. 

One day an abomination arose. No one knew from whence The Blood King came, but it brought rage and destruction as it rampaged. A veritable force of nature, It turned against the gods.

The Blood King assaulted the heavens and brought death and destruction to the First Divine Court. After the death of one of their own, the gods flung The Blood King down to the mortal realm. Uniting with the other divinities, both Light and Dark, from across Creation, they summoned their Avatars. They set them against The Blood King and its perverse followers.

Once The Blood King was cast from Creation, the coalition of the gods shattered. The gods of Light and of Darkness turned upon each other. Factions within each turned on their brothers and sisters. All sought advantage and power. Avatars, once heroes, were seen as threats by some of the gods. Mortals, as always, were caught in the middle.

Lamenting the wanton destruction their war had wrought and having realized there was nothing to gain, sense returned, and the gods sought lasting peace. Thus, The Celestial Accord came to be. 

The gods erected barriers between dimensions and worlds. Life and death were segregated. The gods of Light returned to their heavens, and the dark gods and their demonic followers retreated to the hellish realms. The living and the dead were separated. Mortals kept to their own and protected from the depredations of the demonic. Arcane paths remained between all places, but they were closed to all except those with the power to find them and the will to use them. Thus the gods sought to secure peace and failing that, to limit the destruction through mystical barriers and binding treaties.