Ley Lines
This is one scholar's opinion about the makeup of the world, even if a common opinion.
We all know that the world is made out of one form of thing--anima. This author will use the words anima and aether interchangeably, but mainly the latter. Because he thinks it flows better off the tongue. That said, even though aether is one substance, the forms of matter in the world are many. Why? How do we discuss the elements, if fire and water are really just aether?
The answer, friends and colleagues, is aspecting. There are, I believe, 4 primal elements, each of which comes in two cardinalities and two densities. All together, this makes 16 aspects, although we usually speak of the 8 prime aspects (disregarding density). And we all know that 8 and 16 are the numbers of perfection, so this must be the correct number. These aspects work in pairs, pushing and pulling that all may be in balance.
Elements
The elements are four: fire, earth, air, and water.
Fire is aggressive, water is reactive. Earth is stubborn, air is fickle.
Fire burns, earth crushes and covers, water erodes, air tears apart.
Fire illuminates, earth builds, water refreshes, air inspires.
Cardinalities
Luminous aether is bright, infused with potential and bubbling with possibility, breaking down the status quo and bringing change. Umbral aether is sluggish and calm, promoting stasis and constancy.
Densities
Diffuse aether cannot be seen by the normal eye, surrounding all things. It interacts with the nimbus, not the body. Condensed aether is physical and interacts with the body, not the nimbus.
Prime Aspects
| Name | Opposite | Complements | Main (Material) Source | Association |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luminous Fire | Umbral Water | Umbral Earth, Luminous Water | Eua, the sun | light, illumination, action |
| Umbral Fire | Luminous Water | Umbral Water, Umbral Air | Core of Quartus | Warmth, order/law, strength |
| Umbral Earth | Luminous Air | Luminous Fire, Umbral Air | Core of Quartus | Stability, tradition, endurance |
| Luminous Earth | Umbral Air | Luminous Water, Umbral Air | Surface of Quartus, | Fertility, agriculture, sensuality |
| Umbral Water | Luminous Fire | Umbral Fire, Luminous Air | Deep Oceans | Memory, history, darkness, rest |
| Luminous Water | Umbral Fire | Luminous Fire, Luminous Earth | Surface of the oceans | illusions, storms, destruction, commerce |
| Umbral Air | Luminous Earth | Umbral Earth, Umbral Fire | Caves, isolated valleys | Dreams, civilization, stasis |
| Luminous Air | Umbral Earth | Luminous Earth, Umbral Water | High winds | Freedom, change, wanderlust |
Given all of this, how do the aspects move and flow throughout Quartus? Via the veins of the earth, called ley lines.
Ley Lines
Channels for aetheric flow, they surround us. Imperceptible to most, even to the mages (normally), they channel energy. Do they change the world...or do they reflect the changes in the world? Lines of water tend to follow rivers...but do rivers change course because the ley line moved, or did the ley line move because the river changed course? I don't pretend to know. What I do know is that the lines matter. Metaphysical changes follow the lines and boil up into the perceptible world at and near nodes, places where ley lines converge, diverge, or intersect. These come in four different categories--divergent nodes (fonts), where luminous-aspected aether bursts forth into the shell we can perceive, convergent nodes (sinks), where umbral-aspected aether sinks down into the parallel worlds, contrasting intersection nodes (clashes), where two or more lines of opposing aspects draw close together and conflict, and complementary intersection nodes (harmonies), where two or more lines of complementary aspects intersect and mingle, bringing forth new forms of matter in their union.
