The Weave

"While the workings of the Weave are largely unknown, we do know that it is unstable and must have a caretaker to maintain it. Veasna the Weaver was the one who took up this position when the world was new.   With the disappearance of the Weaver, the Weave was left without its maintainer. For lack of a better comparison, it unraveled without their careful hands keeping the threads of it in place. This led to the final stage of the catastrophe that was Gods' End."  

~ The Weave of the World

 

What is the Weave?

The Weave is a metaphysical force that is the source of all magic in Aduran. It was created at the same time as the world and is entangled in the very fabric of it, the metaphorical strands woven between the different planes of existence. It is a stabilizing force that keeps the world and different planes from cracking apart while also fueling the magic of both gods and mortals. The manipulation of the Weave is how spells are cast, and ambient magic leaks from it to infuse the different planes of existence. It's due to this ambient magic that many species of both flora and fauna- as well as certain races- exist that wouldn't otherwise in a world devoid of it.   Though the Weave is such an intrinsic part of this world, it is also extremely unstable if left alone. Though it's unknown why exactly this is so, it's prone to... unraveling, to put it simply. It's almost as if the Weave was left half-finished, requiring constant maintenance to be kept together and functioning. Though it's impossible to stop the manipulation of it due to the fact that magic is so ingrained in both mortals and deities alike, said manipulation has a tendency of worsening the unraveling.   For this reason, the god of magic must constantly monitor and maintain the integrity of the Weave in order to prevent disaster. The original maintainer, Veasna, had taken on this duty as soon as they came into being. The duty was then passed on to those that ascended to take her place during Gods' End, and passed down until it landed in the hands of the current god.  

Effects of Unraveling

As shown in the world-wide disaster that was Gods' End  , the neglection of the Weave has dire consequences. When Veasna disappeared, the Weave was left to unravel without their careful tending. Two effects were seen in the wake of this.  

Dead Zones

  In some areas, magic just... failed. The Weave collapsed and took nearly all the magic in the area with it. Species that sustained themselves on the ambient magic the Weave gave off started to die off or wither, though some were able to hold on if they weren't wholly dependent on it to survive. No spells were able to be cast once the ambient magic was drained away and the Weave wasn't there to manipulate. Spells or other arcane effects that had been powered by the ambient magic failed altogether- including hallowed ground and barriers.   Magic disappeared from these places, except for what very little was naturally entangled in sapient species.  

Surge Zones

  On the other hand, some areas gained too much magic. These were places where the Weave became tangled, stoppering the natural flow until it exploded out in Wild Magic Surges. The effects of this differed with every Surge, but most if not all of them had devastating consequences. The most terrifying example was a fireball storm centered on a town where the tangle was in the dead center. It was quickly turned to ash, and little record is left except for those who managed to bear witness and survive.   The Surges also fueled whatever effects the disappearance of the other gods caused in the areas where the tangles were located. Natural disasters became worse, the battle frenzy grew stronger, the undead became even more vicious and lost any thought they may have still had. This effect combined with the lack of protections in the dead zones is what nearly ended the world.