The Dark Ether

From Atlantic Roleplay Wiki

The Dark Ether. by Alucard de'Lenfent

A loosely bound collection of pages, written in a deep crimson ink

Foreword:

I last touched upon the subject of the Dark Ether, in my book "Necromancy - the Dark Art". In that tome I referred to the winds of magic, and not to the specific schools thereof, I shall address this matter in part, with this volume. Allow me a moment to recap for those unfamiliar with my previous works: magic draws its power from 'winds' of ether that travel the world in rivers of magical energy invisible to the untrained eye. It is from these rivers of magic that those who practice the arcane arts draw forth their power. They draw mana from this stream, and use it to fuel their spells and scrolls. All wizards (with the exception of elementalists) use this method to cast spells, and it has been in use for millennia. It is important when thinking of the Winds of Magic to realize that the rivers themselves has no set routes; they stream around the realm like loose ribbons in a gale, rarely staying in one place for long. Certain areas attract the Winds in greater quantities, sacred sites, stone circles, and temples. For whatever reason these sites focus the Winds.

The Winds of Black Magic however are not so free roaming. Indeed they are often static within an area. Places of evil, hatred and corruption attract this tainted ether, and as such it can be found anywhere where mankind is present in great numbers. Not only do these places attract the Dark Magic, but also they fuel it. It grows darker in darker places, leaving its taint on all it touches. In sufficient concentration it can drive men to commit further deeds of evil, such is its power. In this way Dark Magic is self-perpetuating in a way that few other forces are.

It is the aim of all those who dare walk the path to power that is shunned by the cowardly to harness this black ether, for it is the only form of energy that will power the darkest of spells. But with the greater power of this form of magic, so comes the greater cost.

Dark Ether will not be bound to the will of all save the strongest Mages and Necromancers, indeed, many of those who delves to deeply into its power speak of it possessing a consciousness of its very own. Such an event is not impossible, for the connection of the Dark Ether with The Void is strong indeed, who can say what power holds an interest in its use?