A lesson on Aether

*by Dr\_Prospector*

Mid conversation in the RuneForge:

Agatha, speaking with formality, a hint of urgency in her tone, "It was these same ancients who left us the old places, ancient caches of wonders created before the night of falling stars for those who could brave the journey and return alive."

Sthenos, a strangely meek yet broad shouldered form sat in excitement, basking in the light of Agatha's teachings, awaiting the lessons of Aether's origins "...and the Aether was birthed in one of the old places too right?"

"Correct... though it was not then what it is today." Pausing for a moment, the time having finally come to reveal it's secrets to her eager pupil. "Masters of materials beyond our understanding, these ancients wielded great power quite casually. From what we've learned, they could move entire mountains will ease. The source of their powers were in how they could weave different materials together in such specific ways, their creations could be mistaken for living beings. Often times much more powerful in one way or another than their creators, they also required much more energy to construct and operate."

"Like the forge, always hungering for more Aether."

"In a way... yes, exactly. They had built these constructions long before Aether existed though and energy was an increasingly scarce resource for the ancients. To the point where wars would erupt either to decrease the demand for it, or to steal it from one another." Agatha choosing her next words carefully, "Then... by accident, one Ancient discovered a way to weave special materials so specific, more intricate, so beautifully, that it started weaving itself. It was akin to creating life from inanimus. From there, it was a altered to produce small amounts of energy, dismantled when used, but able to rebuild itself from the surrounding environment to produce more energy yet again after."

Sthenos having already understood this much from simply watching how Aether reacted to various stimuli in previous lessons. "So, in what ways were these materials weaved, I've not seen the strands of this weave, no single thread can be found to pull on to unravel it that I can see."

Agatha laughed, "...You would not believe me if I explained just how many threads exist in a single speck of Aether. They are simply too small to see, far less to grasp with one's hand, Sthenos. The ancients had creations built with eyes and hands much, much smaller than their own to accomplish this. We've had some sights on such constructs that appear to have the ability to do so, but so far, no one has figured out how to work such magic."

"But we use so much ancient magic already, what's so different about this?"

"...we use a fragment of the ancient magic. Of your form, by comparison, we can use one foot of your entire body. The magics we do know to use require such specific knowledge and control, we're lucky to have unlocked as much as we have."

"So if we can use this construction, could we learn more about the Aether? Could we learn where we came from?"

With a sigh, "Sthenos, please don't go venturing out to look for the old places, it's simply too dangerous. We have soldiers to clear the path for us, in time we will discover the old world in it's entirety."

A droop in Stheno's posture.

Agatha restoring some hope in her pupil. "Though there is some I can share with you on this. You are aware that Aether is our blood, our heart, and our very souls. When I say this, I mean it quite literally. It wasn't until we encountered the Aether ourselves so long ago that we became able to venture forth and even speak to one another as we do."

"Rokar, as defensible and necessary for our survival, was too a creation of the Ancients. The glass made of interlaced diamonds, harder than nature can create itself, with crystal structures spanning hundreds of (insert rokary measurement unit). It was always meant to be our home, as the ancients were our originators as well... indirectly."

"Before the night of the falling stars, many generations ago we were simple creatures, what the ancients would call vegetation, plants, herbs, many names for many different members of our kind. Though our lifespans would challenge those of the ancients, we were docile, calm, very slowly moving if at all. We were rooted in place, unable to move from our birth places. The world outside Rokar was desolate, while wondrous due to the Ancient's works, it was also Barren compared the world outside today. The Ancients preserved our kind within Rokar, shielded from the harsh environment then."

Entirely silent and in trance, Sthenos listened, absorbing this much wanted knowledge.

"Then the night of falling stars came and destroyed much of what was left of the outside world, taking with it, nearly every ancient. It was Rokar that shielded us from the heavens itself. The few ancients that remained, breathed life into Rokar, infusing it with Aether to preserve it for generations. Sadly, from what we've uncovered, a great sickness would eventually destroy the Ancients that survived that night."

"...and then what?" Sthenos, like and eager child begged.

"And then we were all alone... for a time. Generations passed, Rokar holding strong all the while, our kind being taken care of by the living magics that would supply us with nutrients and hydration. We were safe, but unable to do anything but simply exist, keeping Rokar company where it was otherwise alone... If not for the Aether that had been built into our home. Over time though, the Aether, a seemingly inate material began to change. It was as if in this new silence it could hear us all wishing for something more. The Aether grew with us, and was almost like it too wanted more out of it's existence."

"This is when Rokar became our true birthplace. The Aether weaved itself toward our lesser forms, growing alongside us, listening to our needs, our wishes, and our desires, few and as simple as they might have been back then. It would eventually weave within our ancestors as well, allowing them to communicate with each other, and eventually... it started to change us. Perhaps it longed for it's creators, or maybe it was the only form it had an example for, but slowly, our ancestors merged with the Aether, and we became one with it."

"Days and years carried on, with each, we began to look more like our creators, act more like them, move more like them, until we could leave our roots behind and fend for ourselves. The Aether then, having become a collective network of our ancestor's minds to communicate, allowed itself to be broken up. Much like the power sources they had been made into, carried by the ancients, each of our ancestors carried a portion of Aether within themselves, infused with every fiber of their form. The Aether made us stronger, able to take in information from the world around us we previous couldn't, think and communicate with each other as we began our new way of life."

"These new abilities, while literally lifting us up to walk in the steps of the ancients, also posed great challenges. What were our ancestors to do with this new existence? What dangers must be learned of the outside world that by now had flourished in the absence of the ancients? Generations of trial and error, rediscovering magics left behind in Rokar let alone discovering that other creations existed elsewhere out there."

"By then, the Aether was a part of us. It gave us a soul we lacked before, a curiosity when we had been satisfied with our previous place in the world, and even more so, the ability to seek new lives for ourselves. The Aether is us, in a way. As I am now, I have outgrown my form long ago, the Aether itself having preserved me in this forge. While I may resemble our ancestors, held by my roots, too weak to venture forth, it allows me to continue working the ancient magics we do know of so that you, and your generation can seek out new knowledge left for us by the ancients."

An excitement brewing in Stheno.

Agatha's tone changed to that of a warning "But! Now that you know of this, as a RuneSmith, it is your duty to keep this knowledge precious and safe. We've detected trouble at another Forge in Rokar, and since then I have not been able to reach out to the RuneSmith there. I fear what sort of power could silence them, or what else may be happening there. We are assembling forces to investigate, but until we know more, I want you to stay close. Stay away from Rokar, Stay away from the old places. Focus on your weavings of the wild Aether, for we may very well need them in the future. Though it is plentiful, I cannot reach out into the wild to collect samples for research. And be careful. While the Aether we know is very helpful and can do much with proper understanding, this wild Aether does not listen to us."

Months have gone by since the discovery of the unraveled, paired with malicious corrupt aether. Most who are sent to combat it aren't returning. Word of this new Aether corrupting the hearts and souls of their native Aether hearts horrify Agatha. Sthenos has gone missing recently, some eyes having seen heading toward one of the old places, one thought to be the originating site of the Aether that was placed within Rokar before the night of falling stars.

"Champion! There isn't much time. Sthenos is heading for the Old Place and I can't hear (him/her) anymore. I fear they may have fallen... and more still, that the knowledge I've given Sthenos has fallen into the wrong hands. Please bring back anything you can find of Sthenos!"