d20 Red Anvil Productions The Elemental Dimension of Magic.pdf

The Elemental Dimension

of Magic

The Elemental Dimension of Magic

In order to understand a dimension composed entirely of magic, one first has to define it. Every world has its own

definition and manifestation. Indeed, more often than not a resident god controls the threads of the arcane and radiates

them through the fabric of the time. Yet, magic seems to transcend these origins. When gods die, their magic often

lingers. Magic manifests in more than a dozen forms, but, in the end, it is still magic.

Magic as Element

It is easy to point out fire as an element. We see it

about us every day, just as we see water, or the blowing

wind and most certainly earth. Magic warps and twists

and follows the commands of those who call upon it.

Yet, at the same time, it works upon the world. Magic

seems to know what it is doing yet has no direct mind of its

own. It transcends definition and limitation. Attempts

to bottle it and place boundaries upon it, saying, "Here

then, lie the boundaries of what is the arcane," fail time and

again. Indeed, with magic more often than not, the only

consistent rule is that whatever rules you establish will

eventually be broken.

as air, and all wield it to one degree or another. Each

realm has separate rules that govern its magic, generally

regulated through the will of powerful minds manifest as

gods. And yet leave them, and quite often their rules

cease to apply. Paradoxically, despite having different

rules governing its nature from realm to realm, magic often

produces identical effects in each such as fireballs and

lightning bolts.

Indeed, most spellcasters dispute the notion that magic

functions differently from place to place. It works the

same in all the dimensions to which they have traveled,

after all. That is to say, except those few who walk

among the different dimensions of mankind. The

wanderers have seen a slightly different path. As it is,

they have acquired greater knowledge, and from them I,

in turn, have acquired it. After careful analysis of the

travels of many wanderers, a pattern began to emerge.

This is the manifestation of magic. It breaks rules. It

binds logic and forces it through a tiny mesh of human

understanding. It pretends to follow pattern and format,

but in the end those who use it end up dust and it continues

flowing. Gods die; mortals fade; entire races become

extinct and, yet, the magic remains. This then, is how

one defines an element. Magic is a fundamental

building block of the universe, as basic a part of existence

as anything else.

While the definition of magic changed from world to

world, the force of its presence flowed as if an elemental

force from one realm to another. Quite often this fabric

would manifest in apocalyptic disruptions of one place,

which in turn affected someplace else. And so it was,

simple reason demanded; a nexus may exist, a

corresponding representation in the aspects of element.

After all, if fire, air, water and earth each had their own

domain, so too could magic".

What is it? Ultimately, magic is whatever you want it

to be. Literally. On the sunken world of Deris-bar,

magic only works in proper conjunction with the stars. On

the world of Lykra-han, magic works only by patient

blood sacrifice of a willing subject. In the world of the

Throne of the Emerald Dawn, magic flows as freely

-From the 170,000 Scrolls of Bitterbark the Mad

Dimensional Topography

Traveling to the dimension

makes its way up these passageways into larger and

larger tributaries until it reaches the Ideological Barrier.

"Refreshed" magic gets circulated back through the

same passageways into the flow of other dimensions.

Occasionally, mix-ups or eddies take place in the natural

flow of these winds, which often cause unusual effects in

the world to which said winds connect. Sometimes they

show up as portals to other realms. Indeed, quite often

when 'spent' magic mixes with pure untapped magic a

storm of incredible magical power results. Though

exceedingly rare in occurrence, they can sometimes

spread across dozens of worlds, grabbing random

objects or inhabitants and tossing them into another.

The Ideological Barrier

The core of the Dimension of Magic has a nigh

impenetrable shell surrounding it. It contains the

remnants of split thoughts, which cause it to retain a

definition of its own. This may sound like a bunch of

gibberish, but ultimately means that getting into the core

takes a lot of effort. Magic does not work easily, since

the material itself contains an entire core concept of

magic specifically dedicated to being nothing else but

itself. It is an idea and spell solely for the purpose of

being, a "selfish" spell in that it resists all attempts to

alter its nature.

One way to overcome it is teleport to the other side. This

presents a problem in that many spell casters cannot

teleport somewhere without having an ability to visualize

the locale to which they travel. Scrying spells of any kind

do not penetrate the barrier. As such, anyone

teleporting blindly to the other side enters a totally

random area of space. In the core, this can get very

deadly.

Another method of entrance involves using a Sphere of

annihilation. This powerful device causes the Barrier

around it in a fairly wide area to shatter, allowing a craft

to enter. However, this also causes a shock wave of

deadly proportions, meaning anyone who uses it will

suffer for it unless properly shielded by non-magical

means since the shock wave bypasses all such effects.

Myriad reasons exist as to why so few have heard of this

dimension. To begin with, by its very nature it prohibits

easy travel. Only those well acquainted with its secrets

can navigate the powerful barrier that surrounds it.

Further, the dimension itself is deadly. It conforms to the

desires and wishes of those who enter its confines, often

with exceedingly lethal results. One must understand

that mortal beings are complex creatures, with multiple

layers that make up who they are. When all of these run

amok and are unleashed at the same time or in the

wrong place, potent forces are unleashed. Finally, even

when one overcomes the environmental effects

involved, the denizens of the dimension often look

harshly upon uninvited intruders.

Geography of a dimension

Difficulties arise when attempting to assign geographic

regions to a dimension, since, in theory at least, the

space in which it resides extends infinitely in all

directions. And yet, one can definitely identify distinct

zones within this realm. Just as one might find forests,

mountains, lakes or swamps on a conventional map, so,

too, does the Dimension of Magic contain its own

geography.

The Celestial Winds

The majority of the dimension consists of vast streams

of pure magic current. These winds weave in and out

amongst all the other dimensions in a hidden pocket

beneath the space the winds occupy. Through the

winds, the Dimension of Magic flows and ebbs in any

world or dimension where magic exists. Most of these

flows mix in and out of the fabric of each area they

touch, making magic very difficult to distinguish as a

separate element. Only someone intimately familiar with

the true nature of magic could possibly hope to navigate

the winds to another area of the dimension.

The current flows in two directions, both to and from the

center of the dimension, much like the blood vessels of a

living body. "Spent" magic, disrupted or cast, slowly

The final known method of entering the barrier involves

the use of Psionics. While many argue that magic and

psionics carry a common root bond, as far as the Barrier

is concerned, psionics affect it without any difficulty at

all. Indeed, shaping, molding or simply removing the

barrier using Psionic disciplines allows a traveler to enter

or leave at their virtual leisure. However, since most

psionicists powerful enough to bypass the barrier do not

possess sufficient magical lore to navigate the winds,

this is a rare occurrence indeed.

Over time, some communities have nestled themselves

in the barrier as well. Since the material does no direct

harm to those in contact with it, it allows others to build

on top of them. An incredibly wide array of creatures,

from dozens of different worlds ply their trade across the

huge Barrier surface, though few ever attempt to venture

into the Core below them. Most of the inhabitants of

these cities are descendants of castaways lost amongst

the other dimensions that have attempted to find a new

life for themselves. Indeed, most of them do not even

remember the original world of their inhabitance, having

since adapted to their new surroundings as if they were

their own.

wear away the stable zone. This generally makes the

owner the absolute lord of their region, causing the

denizens to serve with a fanatical devotion. Obviously,

exceptions to this rule exist.

Entering and exiting a stable zone poses none of the

problems that a being faces entering the core. On the

other hand, while anyone may physically enter without

difficulty, the film between a stable zone and the Wish

Storms does reflect any spells cast upon it back at the

caster (including area of effect spells). Visibility can also

cause problems, since the winds generally do not allow

great amounts of it. As such, the characters could find

themselves thrust by the winds into a stable zone and

never even know it. Of course, given the speed of the

winds, this impact most likely will hurt. A lot.

Wish Storms

The most powerful spell mortals can cast causes great

ripples on the fabric of magic. More particularly, when a

wish causes paradox or great disruption, it scars the

magic, causing a taint. Still, the fields of magic are vast

and ultimately nature can handle it. However, when the

effect of these wishes builds up through the infinite

number of worlds which exist, ultimately they create

powerful mutating storms.

And yet, all but the most powerful of minds has

fractures, and thus when one part of a being conflicts

with another they quite often end up with dueling desires

that rip them apart. Even beyond that, the gold, gems,

magic items and rubble from infinite kingdoms and

palaces formed by the magic corruption whips around at

hundreds of miles per hour tearing the flesh off any who

still remain. They riddle the vast majority of the core.

They slowly purge the magic of the taint that the magic

acquires over the millennium before it eeks back through

the barrier and out into the realms where magic flows yet

again.

Stable Zones

However, when one mind builds up a chain of increasing

self-definition, using their desires to discover their inner

natures, to strengthen who they are and to beat back the

results of the Wish Storms, they create stable zones.

These stable zones house the inhabitants of the inner

cores. Still, magic enjoys a considerable amount of

power, even here. Those who previously exhibited no

magical potential suddenly find themselves able to cast

spells by merely focusing their thoughts. Amazingly

enough some trade occurs between stable zones, and

almost all contain some civilization. Still, the size differs

between a few hundred feet to hundreds of miles.

Generally speaking, when the core mind creating the

stable zone dies, the winds break through and slowly

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