Lux Aeterna
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"I find it most curious, the effects of my first actions. What was originally something so tame, something so innocuous, flared with ceaseless activity at but a mere thought. A strange rift came into existence before I even had the chance to gaze upon this "Cosmoria". Feeling panicked, without words to say, I tried to look everywhere for this foreboding object. It could not be found. I suppose I was bewildered. It, admittedly, took me a great deal of time to realize that it was a part of me.
I soon discovered that my first thoughts created a gateway between my realm and the physical universe. I could see the wondrous realm of Cosmoria. When the drumming of cosmic reactions and gleaming opalescent lights died down, I bore witness to a deviant, incongruous cosmos. From what I could measure however, it was a rather 'stable' place. A place of spirals of stars and gas. Countless points of light danced about, and it was truly a sight to behold. Such structures were tame however, in comparison to the roots festering above and below. Like a black hole, it began ripping me apart, tearing apart the very concepts that comprised me. An entire plane, subsumed by this now terrifying rift. I had no choice but to close the gateway, ripping it off of me and sealing it in Cosmoria.
The Lux Aeterna emerged from this gateway. It found its ability to project its energy across Cosmoria. I believe that was the birth of Thaumaturgy, or at least its potential. From there, only a handful planes and concepts strayed too close to Cosmoria to be consumed by this beast. While intervention was an option, I could not simply destroy this part of myself... I even fed it. What would occur over many years was remarkable. Denizens of Cosmoria, the smallest beings, managed to understand and control the realm of light. Its exotic energies, never seen by them prior, flourished across its stars. I am glad I did not destroy it... but I doubt I could now."
The Lux Aeterna is another name for the core of Cosmoria and one of its most defining features. The Lux Aeterna is a cyclone of energy fueled by the violent clash between the physical and non-physical universe. It is reminiscent of Cosmoria in its earliest days, the heat of creation caused all forces to act as one. In this environment, the distinction between substance and form disappears, creating the dreamlike environment found in the Lux Aeterna. Since so much energy is locked in the core of Cosmoria, it often tries to escape once a chance presents itself. Allowing this energy to escape into the rest of Cosmoria is the practice of Thaumaturgy.
The Lux Aeterna is visible in most of Cosmoria during night time, giving rise to a great number of religions. From the side, the view that most would have, bands of amaranth, pink, and orange clouds define its appearance. Slightly wider than it is tall, its appearance from above reveals a chaotic structure made up of numerous whirling cyclones, storms, and streams that constantly battle with one another for dominance. Arcs of lightning often astronomical units in length add to its chaotic appearance.
Zaphenim's Mansion
Death
Angels
Escape
Aeternal Energy
Aeternal Energy is the all-permeating energy-field within the Lux Aeterna. Objects with conceptual potential have Aeternal energy whereas objects with little conceptual potential have none. In other words, sapient beings who are capable of conceptualization have far more access to Aeternal Energy.
This energy exists in an open system, with the very existence of sapience capable of producing an indefinite amount. It is thought to have existed since the Aeterna's creation following the Cosmic Primordia, implying a very early start to sapience as well. Aeternal Energy is responsible for numerous things, and many have believed that it is the cause of the Lux Aeterna's constant state of flux. Aeternal Energy does not have a force carrier. In areas where it is highly concentrated, it glows very brightly, exhibiting effects which appear to warp space around it.
Aeternal Energy is thought to come through a user's Pylon to perform Thaumaturgy. It can be morphed in various ways, allowing an adept Magi to do a variety of different feats. Channeling Aeternal Energy is difficult for most people, requiring intense focus and mental fortitude. A learner must also be careful enough to keep their Pylon in a stable state, as too much Aeternal Energy may shatter one as mentioned previously.
Pylons
See Pylons
Cores
The Aeterna is a host to independent entities, called Cores, within its boundaries. Cores hold the appearance of large, white wisps of light which flicker and move quickly. It is thought that these Cores manifest from high-energy events, though this is not entirely proven. Most Cores are found floating aimlessly, typically around large coagulations of matter. It is thought that there are trillions of Cores in The Aeterna, appearing and disappearing over many years. Independent Cores are hazardous due to their high energy and sporadic movements.
Occasionally, Cores merge with one another, creating a conscience with multiple minds. If this happens often enough, a unified sapient core may appear in its place. Such Cores represent an island of stability, similar to a faux pylon, within the chaos of the Aeterna. Sapient Cores may combine with others as well, resulting in a collective conscience of two or more Cores. The largest of these have the equivalent of billions of minds in a single body.
Spirits
Main Article: Spirits
The Spirits are Thaumic entities, born from Cores and Pylons. While lesser, non-sapient Cores disintegrate outside The Aeterna, Spirits may survive and wander near rifts. They usually have a long lifespan, though they also disintegrate if given time. If an Spirits leaves, they have a longer lifespan depending on how many Cores make it up. They typically hold an innate affinity for Thaumaturgy, and are thought of as dangerous or enigmatic. Surviving Spirits have hardly been studied due to their rarity. Additionally, an Spirits is able to retreat to the Lux Aeterna at any time, resisting its chaotic effects with little to no effort.
Mother Sydiah is likely the most recognized Spirits in history. As the leader of Sedrua, she has used her abilities to expand her empire in the name of The Aeterna. One of her most notable feats was creating Sydiah's Architects, millions of Spirits which served under her. They were responsible for making Sedrua, building many structures and populating countless worlds as the empire expanded. In an attempt to re-enforce her empire, Sydiah attempted to use a great amount of power. It instead triggered a large Aeterna Cascade, returning her to The Aeterna with no way out for millennia. This is known as the Wane of Reality, an event which started Sedrua's downfall.
Aeterna Cascades
Since natural rifts are extremely rare, most Spirits exit through events named Aeterna Cascades. These events are caused by a Core creating rifts, subconsciously channeling Aeternal Energy in a way similar to Thaumaturgy. This allows an emerging Spirits to leave the Aeterna. If a large collective conscience attempts to leave the Aeterna on its own, the co-responding Cascade may emit large amounts of energy. This is especially true with any Cores which have the conscience of thousands or more. The energy caused by Aeterna Cascades may disintegrate the Cores, scattering them back to The Aeterna. Ones which survive this are regarded as the strongest of all Spirits.
History
The Lux Aeterna formed 6.5 billion years ago as one of tens of thousands of ideals within the Noosphere. An ideal, usually called a Platonic Plane, was a simple concept from which more complicated ideas could be constructed. The Lux Aeterna was particularly aggressive, devouring planes near to it until expanding into the form it has today. How exactly is subsumed these other planes is unknown.
Little happened in the Aeterna for the next several billion years. When the first sapient organisms came into existence, activity resumed in the Aeterna. The activity of the first lifeforms and, consequently, the first Magi sent shock waves through the Aeterna. The first sapient life forms triggered numerous Aeterna Cascades as they disturbed their Pylons. At this point, the Pylons began to move about as they do to this day. The Cores began stirring as well during this period. This took place at an indeterminate time in the deep past.
These Cores likely combined to create Spirits as they do now; however, concrete evidence before 7.5 million BCE has not been found. It is thought that Azurade had a part in this, increasing the Aeterna's activity to produce such entities. As matter flowed into The Aeterna, it disintegrated, though fragments remained and exhibited unusual characteristics. As the number of sapient individuals increased, the Aeterna became more chaotic.
The Aeterna underwent many large Cascades, with several more happening until the most recent one in 129,591 BCE. This would be the creation of Mother Sydiah, a result of billions of sapient Cores. She went on to extract other Cores from The Aeterna, creating Sydiah's Architects and going on to establishing Sedrua. Aeternalism was spawned from faith in her origins, as Sydiah believed the Aeterna was like a heaven or oasis. Her followers grew in numbers, expanding Sedrua until the Wane of Reality created rifts and trapped Sydiah in The Aeterna. With Sydiah's Pylon shattered, she could not leave The Aeterna. Instead, she existed in a state of perpetual degeneration. Many Architects followed Sydiah through the rifts, choosing to abandon Sedrua as they thought it was their time. Approximately 19% of all Architects disappeared during the Wane of Reality. The remaining 81% were left to pick up the pieces, including Vurilia Jutopati who founded Novel Aeternalism alongside his comrades.
In Sydiah's place remained her Hinterlands, a series of growing rifts connecting directly to The Aeterna. These rifts were very much hostile, wreaking havoc in their proximity. As such, many Architects died, as they either failed to contain them or sacrificed themselves as previously mentioned. Sedruan sectors had to deal with them on their own, using technology in an attempt to close the rifts. Perceived inaction from Sedrua caused mass distrust in its government, eventually fueling the need for change. Novel Aeternalism was popularized as more believed the Wane of Reality to be a mistake, and not an intended action. This belief evolved and made the relegion evolve in the following millennia. From then, Sedrua entered into a state of decline.
Eventually, Scientific discoveries created Eidolite and allowed Hardlight to be produced in significant quantities. Further research refined the understanding of The Aeterna, with many nations unlocking its history. Pylons, Cores, and remnant materials were studied alongside historical documents, revealing its nature to many people.
Around this time, several nations became the forefront of research into the Aeterna. With a far more naturalistic view of the plane, various organizations took advantage of its energy in different ways. Most notably, the integration of Thaumaturgy with technology. Numerous weapons, megastructures, and even settlements became integrated with direct connections to the Aeterna.
Upon the turn of 99,678 CE, the Angelic Awakening occurred. Mother Sydiah and her Angel brethren rose from the Aeterna after Itrian Yutira and Thonde Yutira freed them. Upon her re-emergence, Sydiah punished Vurilia Jutopati for bringing Sedrua away from her ideals. She believed that his inaction with isolationism is what caused its downfall. As a result, Vurilia became trapped in The Aeterna, held by the forces of unreality. For thousands of years, it is thought that Vurilia suffered, constantly buffeted by the Aeterna like eroding away at a coastline.