The Aether

Aether is the black expanse between worlds, and the night through which Haven drifts, to a destination unknown. Little is known about the Aether or the horrors it holds, but there are few on Haven more knowledgable on the subject or as equipped to fight its terrors as the Unda. Refugees of the Aether, they know what lies beyond the edge of the world, for they were beings of energy that came from the dark beyond in search of a new home. Most Unda consider it their holy duty and obligation to fight all Aether beings that invade.

Aether can manifest in the form of terrifying and otherworldly creatures, but also more insidiously as Aether corruption. Corruption can spread like wildfire when left unchecked, and is known to have infected whole villages. Once an item, person, or creature has been tainted by it, the target must be purified, or in more serious cases, destroyed. Unda are particularly adept at identifying the severity of Aether corruption, and possess a multitude of methods for dealing with it. Common folk with basic survival skills have learned that an item corrupted with Aether can be destroyed in the hottest flames of a well-tended fire.

## **Aether Outbreaks**

While the Unda of the Black Seas know that Aether poses a constant threat to the very existence of Haven, not everyone on land is as aware of this danger. Not long after their arrival on Haven and their subsequent war with the Fairfolk, Unda began sending Envoys to other Races, telling them the danger of the Aether and asking permission to cleanse it from their lands. Outbreaks of Aether can be small and controlled, or they can be cataclysmic. For every outbreak that occurs on land, there are countless battles fought by Unda protectors beneath the water at “The Eight Gates”, eight powerful ritual circles that are on the very edge of Haven. The world’s very physical existence is held together by these eight points, and as a result they are guarded heavily by the Unda against creatures of the Aether seeking to unravel Zet'Tallan's work.

### **Third Era (1500-2019 P.E.)**

When the Third Era was nearing its end, a sudden spike of Aether corruption grew to immeasurable proportions at the heart of Haven, the town of Compass Rose. A great Aether beast called Muldratha rose to such power that the Gods sent Heralds to empower the town's defenders, and the Unda suffered great losses in their fight to quell the corruption. Even with the beast destroyed, the Unda were forced to fall back to the sea to regroup and send out a larger army, for Muldratha was only the beginning of a larger crisis. The ensuing War of Time was not a conflict created by Aether incursions, but by cultists seeking to undo the current timeline and forge a new one. However, the conflict resulted in the world turning a blind eye towards a growing Aether corruption, and the collateral damage to the Eight Gates weakened the Unda against the next outbreak.

### **Fourth/Current Era (2020-2278 P.E.)**

Following the conclusion of the War of Time, this second Aether outbreak was discovered to have been festering within the soil of compass rose. Though the Unda tried everything that they could, eventually the corruption seeped into the Keystone’s root and was too much for Zet'tallan to withstand. He withdrew himself into a developmental state, cutting off the pieces of himself that were corrupt and forming himself into a tree on the underside of Haven, where Luna and Sol take turns keeping watch over him. The Wanderer’s dormancy sparked rumors and panic. Tensions were high and Unda diplomacy was beginning to fail. At this point, most Unda were recalled to the sea; Zet’tallan would be safe for the time being, but the Eight Gates - the world’s anchors at the edge of the Unda territories - would need twice as much protection.