Etherial Waylines

Etherial waylines are metaphysical paths that connect various important locations in Hysal through The Ether. They were formed over the centuries by Soulstriders, as a byproduct of their teleportation abilities. Since the creation and expansion of the Coursier Station system, these paths have become more numerous and well traveled, but many mysteries, and worries, still remain surounding them.

Manifestation

Description

The waylines are best described as long tubes or tunnels of Wild Mana energy, which are invisible to everyone but Soulbound Mages. For them, they appear as translucent, bluish tubes of energy coming straight down from the sky. Anyone can step into them, but only soulstriders will feel their pull, and be able to use them.

Formation

The most popular theory surounding their existance stipulates that they were created by the constant travels of Soulstriders along specific routes, such as between larger cities. These travels back and forth would in time leave behind streaks of wild mana, which began to merge and come together, into what we now know as waylines. This process seemed to have taken many decades or even centuries, and new ones are still being formed to this day, while older, less used ones are slowly decaying away.

How do they work

A wayline allows a soulstrider to travel along it at much greater speed than otherwise allowing them to cover thousands of kilometers in mere seconds. Then, using another innate ability called wayfinding, they always know where they are going, even if for most others, the network seems unavigable. The hardest part for them, especialy when working as a coursier, is to find the shortest route to their destination.

Usage

The existance of such reliable paths serves soulstriders greatly, especialy for those working as Coursier for The Continental Guild. This is because traveling along one of those paths saves both time and energy, allowing for more numerous and efficient travels between important locations.

Localization

What are Nexus Points?

Nexus points are specific locations, about the size of a small house, where more than one Wayline meet, forming a sort of knot over said location. These Nexus points can be anywhere in the physical realm, but are overwelmingly found within Coursier Station. Much more rarely, they can also be found inside or near prominent temples, Castles or any other important location/building.

Waylines Network

Dozens of waylines connect the majority of the largest cities in Arros and Enaskia together, in a network that spans most of the two continent and which is mainly operated by The Continental Guild of Coursiers.
Other locations, such as some High Suriat and other temples are included within the network. Osiani cultures had developed a similar network centuries before the eastern continents, but their relative isolation kept its existance a secret. While the network that links Osian together is older, the one over Enaskia and Arros is considerably larger.
In Arros especialy, most large cities feature a nexus point, on which a coursier station was built on, while in Enaskia, pass the eastern coast, the network significantly thins out. This is because from its inception in the Kingdom of Naurcia 200 years ago, it has slowly spread westward, but hasn't had time to reach the same density so far from Naurcia.

Not straight lines

While a wayline map may show them as straight and flat, they are anything but. They are best described as large arcs, with both ends anchored at ground level, and the rest rising high above it, all the way up into The Ether, where it becomes straight again for a while, before curving back down, towards the ground. The section of the Etherial wayline that is located within The Ether represents more than 90% of its total lenght, but less than 10% of the travel time is spent here.

Type

Metaphysical

Potential impacts on the Ether
Waylines are invisible to anyone but Soulstriders and other Soulbound Mages with exceptionaly strong abilities. However, despite not being visible to most, many scholars and some theologians ponder on the potential impacts that etherial waylines have on The Ether dimension itself. While the process by which waylines form is somewhat well understood, its impacts, if any, on the dimension itself is unknown. This worry is compounded by the secrecy that The Continental Guild of Coursiers the main users and operators of the waylines, as they were directly responsible for the creation and consolidation of most current transcontinental waylines.