“I was informed this morning that the curriculum states I must take the class on three outings to places of significant magical value. Well, truth be told, they wanted five. The two places I sent the dean of abjuration, I expect will count as two. He still lives, and may continue to do so, as long as they reunite his halves before sundown.
As the term final is mere weeks away, and I expect there to be some survivors to fail that test, I must apparently do my due diligence.
“Before you is the Aether. It is the source of…sigh
Teleportation is a wonderful spell, though it does have its side effects. I suppose I have to give those with nary a constitution some time to keep their insides from being outside. Oh my.
They say the best learning is by experience, so I will trust that those of you who felt the urge to run out of the protective sigil to “relieve themselves”, as your classmate did, won’t.
While there are pockets of air in the Aether, we are not in one of them. And as the circle is one way…well, as you can see from his futile attempts, his decision was rash, and ultimately fatal.
“As I was saying, before you is the Aether. This is the source of all magic. It matters not if you are a god, a dragon, an infernal or a goblin witchdoctor. If you manage to decipher the runes on a scroll, the energy that responds to your will, is drawn from here.”
“Once upon a time, there was a civilization here. Only the gods know who they were, and they don’t speak of them. They were the stewards of the Aether – protectors, nurterers, caretakers.
“The Aether is alive, in a manner of speaking. Scholars are divided on how literal that statement should be taken, but as much as I despise gossip, I must admit the legends surrounding it are… fascinating.
“Across the endless expanse, there are settlements, islands if you will, drifting in the void. Most are barren and featureless, yet even the plain ones show signs they were once part of something greater. Others bear ruined architecture, and a rare few are still inhabited. Though there are species native to the Aether, most came from elsewhere. Of those, many seek to exploit the presumably empty Aether, for personal gain, resurrecting ships left behind to ride on unseen tides. Personally, I prefer to rely on my own powers than to depend on a technology I do not completely understand.
“Of the species native to the Aether, only a rare few are civilized, a rarer still not openly hostile.
Take the Laaminar: elegant beings with serpentine tails in place of legs. Quiet, but learned. They have a taste for music, oddly enough. When I mentioned the Ivory Bard, the Laaminari I spoke to became almost talkative. Their people, it seems, are descended from those who once served the original caretakers.
You will always find one Laaminar bound to each floating isle. If the settlement is barren, the Laaminar will be in a sort of hibernation—some sealed in chambers, others encased in protective spheres.
If awakened, they begin repairs. Given time, they restore the island to habitability. At the very least, mine is
While it is highly doubtful you lot will find yourselves back here, in the event that does occur, under no circumstances should you approach or allow to be approached by a human in a lab coat. The coat changes but the face does not. He calls himself Doktor, a scientist, allegedly. If you fail to heed my warning, you could end up on his examination table. If you’re lucky.
Some believe the Aether is an egg, containing an embryonic god, titan, or even an entire universe. Others claim it is the web that binds all creation together.
“The former notion is almost ludicrous. Titans are born from other titans; gods ascend by taking the spark of another. If the Aether were capable of birthing its own being, it would mean annihilation for everything else—including gods and titans alike.
“Yet in truth, the Aether does bind the universe. It permeates all things. If harnessed properly, it can fuel miracles—or atrocities. Wizards, and to a lesser extent sorcerers, manipulate it directly. Priests are granted access through their gods. And so forth.
“That line of thinking does raise a troubling question: what happens if the Aether were ever unbound?
“That line of thinking does beg the question and the Aether be unbound however. Time works differently here. For example, while within this protective bubble, time works normally. For us. We have been here for a few minutes. Our lost classmate, has been suffocating slowly for what I imagine to be hours now. I am going to shift our bubble away from here. His slow thrashing is likely drawing the attention of aetherwyrms looking for an easy meal. I’d rather not provide one a literal hot pocket buffet of students.
“Time functions strangely here. Within this protective bubble, it moves normally—for us. We’ve been here mere minutes.
Our departed classmate, however, has been suffocating slowly for what I estimate to be several hours now.
I am going to shift our bubble elsewhere. His slow thrashing is likely to draw the attention of aetherwyrms seeking an easy meal. And I, for one, would rather not have to explain why I did not defend a literal hot-pocket buffet of students.”
A Darkness Rising 