Aethercite
Aether is the leftover primordial force of creation, produced naturally by select ancient beings, but is rather scarce everywhere else. Compared to Mana that can create and destroy matter and energy, Aether can break physical laws entirely, producing effects that defy logic and imagination.
While most humans and elves are able to naturally gather and store mana in their bodies through their Mana Lung, they cannot store aether except in the tiniest of amounts. Aether is otherwise rare on the surface world of Vreathe. Since it is required for casting the most powerful and complex Magic spells, people need a way to store it and carry it around. To do this, they carry around a piece of Aethercite, which is simply any object that can store aether. This can range from a simple piece of charcoal to a diamond.
Using Aether in magic
Aether is not a requirement to cast magic, but the magic cast only with mana is simplistic, involving only the most basic of functions. One can use mana to destroy thermal energy, making something very cold very quickly. An experienced mage can combine this destruction of thermal energy with the creation of water using a specific combination of Hydrogen and Oxygen to create a mass of actual ice. No more can be done to the Ice beyond this simple creation and manipulation.
With the addition of even small levels of aether, a mage can create an ice crystal in any shape they desire, even giving it a temporary life of its own, allowing it to move in impossible ways. This ice crystal might give off light of its own and can be manipulated to grow, shrink, split apart, or explode on command.
The supply of aether in the ashes and embers of creation are said to be infinite but it is too far away to be used by the people of Vreathe. The Olimians were said to have built giant ships that could leave the world but even they could not retrieve it.
Aethercite
Aethercite is simply any object that stores aether naturally. Through countless years of research, it was discovered that three elements of nature and their compounds are able to store aether most efficiently: Carbon, Oxygen, and Nitrogen. Charcoal and bones can be used as aethercite, but once the supply of aether is used up, these objects dissolve to ash. Crystals such as Quartz and Diamonds do not get destroyed when they run out, but finding crystals that have stored aether requires mining deep into the earth.
Not every crystal found will have aether in it, but a crystal charged with Aether will often have an unnatural characteristic, such as becoming magnetic or giving off the wrong colored light. A blood red ruby aethercite crystal for example will give off blue light and this light will not mix with the ruby's natural color. An Emerald will become magnetic. A Topaz crystal will become weightless.
Quartz is by far the most commonly used Aethercite crystal on the world of Vreathe. It stores large amounts of both Mana and Aether and is stable no matter how much energy it stores.
Quartz Crystal by Chrispy_0 (Blender)
A selection of Aethercite materials
((For a much larger selection of Aethercite crystals, see the Aethercite Catalogue.))| Image | Description |
|---|---|
 Charcoal by Chrispy_0 (Blender) |
CharcoalBecause plants are unintelligent living things, they never technically cast magic, but being living things they can store magical energies in small amounts. Throughout their lives, ambient energies will flow into them and be stored in the wood, mana and aether both. When a tree is cut down, the wood can be heated in a kiln with minimal oxygen, reducing it to blackened chunks of charcoal.These pieces of charcoal contain minimal amounts of aether, but still more than the average person has inside them. They usually only last for a spell or two, and when the spell is cast, the aethercite will crumble into ash. Poorer mages often carry around a bag of charcoal in order to cast more powerful spells, leaving their hands blackened with coal dust. They are often called Char-Slingers or Kiln-rats by much richer mages for not being able to afford proper aethercite. |
 Drake Scales by Chrispy_0 (Blender) |
Drake HideDrakes are any of various species of lesser dragons, offspring of the Dragon Lords. Drakes are relatively feral and considered unintelligent, and do not normally cast magic. Being technical dragons, they do produce aether naturally, though in small amounts.Drakes are often hunted for their meat and skins. A single drake scale has as much aether in it as a piece of charcoal and wont disappear when the supply of aether is depleted. It also has excellent mana storage capabilities. Larger scales are often picked off of hides and polished for use in jewerly. Large enough hides of quality scales are turned into leathers and made into lightweight armor, boosting protection against the elements. Some knights will adhere these hides to steel plate armor, making it appear like it is made of drake skin. |
 Flawless Diamond by Chrispy_0 (Blender) |
DiamondMade of Carbon, diamonds are both the ultimate mana battery and the ultimate aether battery. Diamonds can store absurd amounts of magical energies proportional to their size and like Quartz, there is little effect to the material when it reaches its maximum magical charge. Diamonds also seem to want to keep their magical energies locked inside and the larger the diamond the more difficult it is to draw energy from it to cast a spell. Very large diamonds larger than 100 carats can't have their magic energy drawn by most mages unless it is cut into smaller pieces.Natural aethercite diamonds are extraordinarily rare in Eastern Vreathe, being known from just three sources, including the Moon Nodan. This second, lesser moon of Vreathe has the corpse of a Dragon Lord, that of Anarian the Diamond. When he crashed into Nodan long ago, he created a gigantic black scar on the moon. Pieces of his crystallized body made their way to Vreathe. These dragon stars are black as night and apear like voids, and only a handful are known to exist. Other sources include several volcanic pipes in the Empire of Irrelith and the Centaur Lands. |
Sources of Aethercite
Back in the early days of Vreathe, aether was as bountiful as the stars in the sky. In current times, it is quite rare and normally locked up in aethercite buried deep under the surface of Vreathe. Accessing it can be difficult at times, but there are still ways of accessing it.
Aethercite Mines of Rosika
The Island of Rosika is a large island in Southwest Cassel. The aethercite mines on the island are said to have the largest deposit of magic crystals in the known world. It is said that the mines were created by the falling arm of Eralli, the Goddess of Earth. The Empire of Irellith and the Kingdoms of Cassel have gone to war with each other numerous times over the last thousand years for control of the mines. Currently, Cassel is in Control of the entire island and the Barons are loyal to King Eldon.
Graverobbing
Bones buried in the earth will naturally gather aethercite over long periods of time, similar to living trees. Animal bones aren't that difficult to acquire, but human bones often yield more magical power. Many graveyards have been dug up and robbed of their bones for the aethercite. There are usually protections put in place in modern graveyards to prevent this. Mages that use human bones to cast spells are often called Necromancers, though actual Necromancy is extremely rare on the world of Vreathe...
Dragon Craters
The Dragon Lords were composed almost entirely of pure aether. When they died, their bodies came crashing into the earth creating large impact craters, spreading chunks of their mostly crystalized bodies all over the world. Most of this aethercite was already been harvested and used many thousands of years ago, but finding a crystal or two isn't difficult if one is determined. The Loralkas Crater is one example. The Corruption of Maeos is another example.
A neat energy, packed into quite some unique "containers" here. Especially loved the charcoal. In the first sentence "but is very rare everywhere else" I would use scarce. It packs more of a punch, but no worries about such little things, right? I could mouse over all things things and grasp the content in the first sentence. This made the whole thing feel well, whole - well made indeed.
Thanks for the suggestion, and thanks for reading and leaving feedback. It helps a lot!