Turmoil
Although every area of Aeternia is heavily defined by its relationship with Turmoil, little is known for sure about this phenomenon. Reports of its effects vary wildly: people and objects may pop into / out of existence entirely, animals become strangely mutated, and grand illusions seem to confuse even reality itself.Eliminating Turmoil
There is no proven way to eliminate Turmoil, but it can be suppressed in a location using pure elemental magic. The Turmoil may return if this magic is not maintained, and so populations tend to congregate around areas where there is already a significant elemental presence. However, some areas of Aeternia have stronger / weaker Turmoil presence, to a degree that cannot entirely be explained by the presence of elemental magic.Theories
The nature of Turmoil makes it very difficult to experiment with. Turmoil appears to "resist" being controlled, as much as a force of nature can possibly "resist" anything. This has led to several competing theories about what Turmoil is and what can be done about it. Here is a sample of those have have been published broadly:Tangled-Leyline Theory
Those with strong magical backgrounds latch onto a theory where Aeternia sits on a sort of intersection of multiple leylines. According to the theory, the instability of multiple distinct sources of magic causes unpredictable effects to appear in the world as the excitation of one leyline interferes with another. The theory holds that the release of pure elemental magic makes one of the leylines so dominant in the area that minor fluctuations in the others become practically invisible.Divine Littering Theory
A theory popular among the more anti-religious scholars maintains that Aeternia is akin to a cosmic trash can for the divines to litter all over while their attention is mainly focused on other areas.New Element Theory
Many who are more attuned to nature believe that Turmoil is an element in its own right, complete with its own rules that govern it (we just don't know what the rules are). If it could be understood, the theory goes, then we could live in harmony with it. They draw an analogy to fire: initially, mortal races were oppressed by fire, but once we learned the rules that govern it, we were able to harness it to rise higher than was once thought possible.Whatever nuggets of truth those theories may hold, one truth remains above all: Turmoil is, for all intents and purposes, a chaotic and unpredictable force of nature.
Localization
Exignis experiences much less Turmoil than the other areas of Aeternia:
- The great wall, Invictus Una, keeps the country safe from entry by land
- Strict protocols at the various port cities keep it from spreading by sea
- Each major population center is ruled by a firelord, ensuring that any breaches can be dealt with swiftly
Type
Metaphysical, Elemental