The Binding of Leystones
By 5750 BGW, the Leystones had become silent sentinels across the elven lands, anchoring the chaotic flow of magic beneath the surface of The Ancient Reach. Yet despite their presence, the wild energy of the ley lines continued to pulse erratically. Though the Leystones regulated power at their points of placement, the space between them became treacherous—a volatile dance of surging magic that warped the land, igniting storms of raw arcane force.
It was Elandriel Starmirror who first proposed the concept of the Binding—a ritual not to create new Leystones, but to weave the existing ones into a unified network, spreading their stabilizing influence across the entire expanse of ley lines. If successful, the Binding would thread the stones together like beads upon an invisible string, linking them into a web capable of restraining the wildest currents of magic.
The Great Convergence
The Binding was to be performed at Starheart, the first and most potent Leystone beneath Lumispire. This stone, already rooted in the heart of a leyline intersection, would act as the center of the web. Elven sages from across the land gathered at the Spire of Echoing Stars, converging beneath the First Tree for a ritual that would demand both precision and sacrifice.
In preparation, smaller Binding Stones, crafted from the same Sylrathil used in the original Leystones, were placed along the lengths of key ley lines. These smaller stones—known as Niralin, or Echo Stones—would serve as channels to connect distant Leystones, ensuring that no gap remained unguarded.
The ritual was held during The Starsdoor, a rare celestial event when the boundaries between the mortal world and the ethereal plane grew thin. Elven druids and arcanists sang the Hymn of the Ley, weaving their voices into the Weave itself. As their voices rose, the Leystones began to glow in unison, linked by threads of silver light that danced across the landscape like veins of starlight.
The Consequences of Binding
When the final verse was sung, the land fell silent. The ley lines that had once roared beneath the elven cities now hummed softly, their power tempered and controlled. Magic flowed evenly through the Reach, ushering in an unprecedented age of arcane mastery.
However, the Binding was not without cost. Though the leylines were stabilized, some regions experienced strange phenomena:
- The Hollowed Plains – Once fertile lands became barren and cracked, as if drained of their essence. Scholars believe the Binding inadvertently severed the leyline that once nurtured this region, creating a magically depleted wasteland.
- Moonveil Cradle – In Mountainrun, the leyline twisted unnaturally, giving birth to a grove where time moved differently, trapping those who wandered too close in endless twilightEverything So Far In Mo….
- The Shrouded Mire – South of Lumispire, a leyline frayed during the ritual, spawning a mist-choked marsh where shadows cling unnaturally to travelers.
Legacy of the Binding
The Binding of the Leystones marked the height of elven arcane advancement. Cities flourished under the protection of the leyline network, and the elves extended their dominion over magic with unrivaled precision. Yet, the Binding planted the seeds of future conflict.
Vaeril Dusktide, a radical arcanist, believed the Binding to be incomplete—arguing that the ley lines could be bent further, molded to the will of those who dared seize their full potential. His dissent would lead directly to the First Elven Schism in 5700 BGWHistory in the Reach.
Though the Binding tamed the leylines, it could not tame the ambitions of those who sought to control them. The Leystones, once symbols of unity, became silent witnesses to the growing divisions within elven society.
