Aether

**Aether** is a naturally occurring oil-like substance found in geological formations on Evarencia, most often occurring naturally in the ground. It comes in a variety of colors with Blue and Red being the most common. Aether is noted for having unique properties that lend itself to utilization in both artifice and powering technological devices. Certain types of aether have medical applications. Being one of the primary fuels for many technologies across the realm, aether is highly sought after any industrializing people and has quickly become important across society, politics, and technology. Some aether is dangerous to handle due to being radioactive.

Aether has been encountered throughout the campaign of *WovenRealm* on numerous occasions*.* It has served an integral role in many plots of the meta-narrative surrounding *WovenRealm.*

## History of Aether Use

Aether, in one form or another, has been utilized throughout Evarencia's history. It is thought by scholars to have been used primarily as a reagent for magical items and their enchanting, and Aether has been used for a long time to 'power cast' spells and allow mages to push themselves past their typical limits. Other names for aether throughout history have been "blood of the gods," and "Weave's tears." Blue aether has long been a fuel source for lanterns, able to produce light for a much longer time than through traditional oil; it has been powering devices through electricity since the power has been harnessed by folk via natural means.

Aether did not become the hot commodity it is in modern Evarencia until more recent history after the advent of many of the modern technologies present in the realm that have heralded the new Industrial Age such as the steam engine. With the advent of the Industrial Age, Aether became vastly important as a driving force of the development of technology. The foundation of inventor societies such as the Cult of the Immortal Engine, Society of Inventors, and the Geartact helped to launch the development of technology to heights previous generations could As technologies advanced, so did the various uses of aether. Biomancy discovered the use of green aether in a pharmaceutical setting. Many technologies derive their power from aether with many political commentators believing acquisition of aether wells to be one of the primary goals of continued Kovithian expansion.

## Formation

Aether is usually found deep within the earth, but sky whales have the curious ability to create gold aether. Scholars can only speculate and theorize as to how aether is created deep in the earth. Cultures in history often referred to Aether as having been the blood of slain gods with the superstition that aether is the blood of the dead giant gods being one of the most common. The Order of the Weave's public opinion holds that the theory that aether is the result of the Weave's 'discarded molts' throughout the ages, covered in geologic stone over time is ironclad. If you are so bold to suggest that aether is derived from the ancient fossilized organic remains of enchanted algaes decomposed in a specific way and pressurized over deep time, you would be laughed out of most academic circles.

Some types of aether are formed through the synthesis of two other types of naturally occurring aethers.

## Types

Different types of aether exist with each type taking on a set of unique properties. There are six known types of aether with two of them only ever being observed through artificial synthesis. Aether types are named for their color as each one is a distinctive color.

### Blue Aether

Blue aether gives off a slight glow and is a light blue in color. It is perhaps the most commonly found aether in the world. It is noted for being highly conductive, making it useful for powering electrically driven engines and devices. It has a low volatility, making it relatively safe to handle compared to other aethers. It can be concentrated and placed into batteries. Blue aether is also known for interacting with magic users, acting as a sort of stimulant to their magic.

### Red Aether

Found frequently in deposits in the earth, red aether may not be as common as blue aether, but it is still encountered in adequate quantities to still be considered a major power source for engines. It is reddish-orange in color and noted for being less luminous than other aethers. It is noted for being highly flammable and volatile, igniting from a simple spark. When burned, it has a high energy potential making it a great use as fuel for steam powered technology.

### Green Aether

Green aether is a sickly green color that gives off a soft, ominous glow. It is created through the synthesis of blue and red aether, and its natural occurrence is rare but not impossible. Being highly volatile and radioactive, it is dangerous to handle without proper precautions. Its mutagenic properties make it a primary component in Biomancy. When burned, green aether produces banefire and can pass its radioactive properties into the air. Rumors of a steam priest aether micro-fusion engine powered on banefire make for another potential use for green aether.

### Gold Aether

Interestingly, gold aether cannot be found deep in the earth like other aethers. It is a natural byproduct of sky whales feeding on psionic energies. Gold aether is non-volatile making it safe to handle. If burned, gold aether is noted for burning completely clean compared to other energy sources. Gold aether has properties that lend itself better to medicinal sciences and arcane arts than powering technology; it is one of the primary treatments of radiation sickness and the other mutagenic effects of the radioactive aethers.

### Silver Aether

The special mixture of gold aether mixed with a grimstone additive. The resulting synthetic aether is a radioactive type that creates strange, psionic anomalies. Many scholars believe the Silver Blade Nomads make use of silver aether in their secret ritual surgeries known to cure even the worst cases of lycanthropy. It does not occur naturally, though if a skywhale were to come into contact with a sizeable grimstone deposit, it could possibly create silver aether.

### Violet Aether

The most recently discovered of the aethers, violet aether has only ever been observed in an artificial setting. Like green aether, it is created through the combination of green and red aether, but unlike green aether, violet aether is created through a complex synthesis process known only to the Cult of the Immortal Engine. It does not have mutagenic properties and only is radioactive when burned, creating banefire.