Ley Magic

Like Gem Magic, Ley Magic has had plenty of historical sources uncovered over the last few centuries. However, unlike Gem Magic, Ley Magic is actively studied and not seen as an impossible dream pursued by manic arcanists.
Ley Magic revolves around the idea of tapping into the innate magic of the world itself rather than through the influence of one or more deities. Ley Magic is the only "natural" magic in Athunis; even druids, who can tap into a similar form of nature magic, are influenced by a deity of a certain portfolio. Individuals that study and practice Ley Magic are called Geomancers.
The core practice of Ley Megic involves tapping into the natural veins of Arcane Energy that flows across Athunis; known as Ley Lines. These Ley Lines, also known as the "veins of Azuth", spider web across the planet forming what is known as the Weave. The Weave is invisible to those without a trained eye or affinity for such things, and allows for the flow of powerful and dangerous raw magic. Those with the proper training could not only see and identify the Weave, they could also tap into it and pull some of that raw magic from the Ley Line and bend it to their will. It is believed that the Weave flows throughout the entirety of Athuni, touching all corners of the Prime Material Plane.
During the Wars with Magic the Weave was mapped almost in its entirety. Several of these maps have been uncovered and studied. Through this study arcanists have discovered that the Weave does not flow like it once did. There are several theories as to why this occurred; the most widely accepted of these cites the Rapture at the end of the Wars with Magic as the cause. The very landscape of Athunis was changed that day, it only makes sense that the Weave would have changed with it.
Since this and all Arcane Energy was unavailable to us mortals during the Era of Nothingness, Ley Magic and the Weave was largely forgotten. In recent centuries, as information was discovered and revisited, the mapping of the Weave has resumed. Though the task itself is a daunting one, and very few people have the ability to comprehend the existence of such powerful magic without going mad.
Arcanists studying the Weave have made some headway however. Some Ley Lines have been mapped successfully and overlaps have been noted. The areas of these overlaps are known as Nodes, and as one would expect the potency of raw magic is stronger at these Nodes. A few sites with many overlapping Ley Lines have also been noted; known as a Nexus.
A Nexus is the largest and most potent source of raw magic in the Weave. It is also the site of Planar Flumes, or gateways, to the nearest Astral Dominions and Elemental Realms. Utilizing a spell known as "Plane Shift" at the site of one of these Planar Flumes all but insures safe travel for a mortal to another plane of existence. Doing so without the raw magic influence of a Nexus brings about significant risk. Would be planar travelers be warned...