Wellsprings
General
Wellsprings are perhaps one of the most enigmatic constructs in all of Vael'Eteria. Their exact origin is submerged under muddy, dark waters and infested with rumors and contradictions. What little concrete knowledge that had been uncovered in past times is believed to have been either purged by the Amnesia Pulse or lost in the ensuing chaos of the Great Sorrow.
As of the writing of this literary work, Wellsprings are officially classified as primordial Artifacts of Power of unknown and heavily debated origin.
Theories
The Wellspring Intelligence
Are Wellsprings created artificially or are they a naturally occurring phenomenon that is determined by unknown factors on both a metaphysical and physical level? This is one of the core subjects of a debate that has been ongoing for millennia among philosophers and scholars. Fortunately, a common ground, albeit under a shaky foundation, has managed to be built regarding this topic, and that is the theory of the so-called Wellspring Intelligence. Whether it is sapient or not is rigorously discussed, as are the possible candidates behind this intelligence.
Two of these have received the most attention over millennia: The mystical Voice of Leno and Goddess Aquriga, the latter of which is fervently worshiped by the Faith of Well Waters.
Some insist that they are one and the same, while most would settle for the two to at least be connected to one degree or another.
Grown from Sereoth
"Some say that the Wellsprings come forth wherever knots within the Fabric of Reality have grown to be.
Others that it is damaged FoR that causes Seroeth to amass, which in turn, supposedly, slowly slowly heals it. And then there are those who simply leave it ambiguous by saying that the Wellsprings are made at the behest of Goddess Aquriga.
One of the theories regarding Wellsprings, is that they grow naturally on locations that essentially function as valves for Sereoth Moisture that passively escapes from the confines of the White Sanctum.
For reasons unknown, either due to certain metaphysical and/or physical triggers, the Sereoth Moisture will over time amass in impressive quantities on a rare few of these locations, thus creating something akin to a natural spring you may stumble upon out in the wild.
Rare but well-known
Wellsprings are not overly common in Alézun'Teran but are abundant enough that one cannot claim they are mere myths.
A major reason for this is due to the infamy and fame of certain Wellsprings, most of which can be found in Varldstan Cericor, such as the Anvelian Wellspring.
Inconspicuous nature
Despite their general infamy, Wellsprings are quite inconspicuous in nature. Unless their nature is well-known or if you are aware of what exactly to look for, it can be close to impossible to distinguish Wellsprings from the natural and ordinary ones. Not every natural spring or the odd well in the middle of nowhere has anything extraordinary connected to its existence.
Anti-Memetic Field
There has been some speculation in regards to why Wellsprings are so often regarded as un-extraordinary and uninteresting by the general populous. Even those who regularly lay witness to the miraculous events and phenomena that their nature causes, will often find themselves regard the Wellsprings as ordinary albeit slightly odd.
One theory that has been proposed, is that Wellsprings passively emits a Anti-Memetic Field that causes individuals and certain entities to ignore their extraordinary nature on a subconscious level, and thus they are able to stay unnoticed for far longer than they normally would have.
Varying A.M Strength
It is believed that this A.M-Field varies in strength, not only among various Wellsprings but also for singular Wellsprings; a majority of known Wellsprings generally have a low output of the A.M-Field, but there do come certain periods where that output is unusually strong, which causes those near it to regard it as an ordinary well.
General Description
Most Wellsprings appear to be just ordinary, barebone wells built from granite blocks. They are perpetually coated in frost and gives off a continuous faint stream of cold vapor.
In the air around them, gleaming white-blue particles may periodically dance around and above them.
Enigmatic effects
Wellsprings are to many who know of them, synonymous with enigmatic effects and phenomena. These are either passive or active in nature and can affect both the physical and metaphysical.
If it is true they are grown from Sereoth then this is not too surprising, since it is essentially Reality in concentrated liquid form.
Luckily, most phenomena are forewarned by a thick layer of frost that covers the Wellspring, and the cold vapors also thicken and drops in temperature. Unfortunately, this occurs within the span of a few seconds to minutes and one might not have time enough to distance themselves from what is about to come forth.
A Natural Gateway
One of the undoubtedly most infamous abilities of a Wellspring, is its possible function as a natural Gateway. If one manages to reach the bottom of the Wellspring during irregular times when the Sereoth has crystallized, one may get a glimpse of other Realms through the strangely pristine mirror-esque surface. Either that, a still blackness or an apparent whirlwind of red, black, and white colors reminiscent of devastating storm clouds.
If one is not careful, one might end up in these strange and alien Realms as the crystalline Sereoth liquefies, and one will have real difficulty returning. If one is alive, that is.
Wellspring Reality Distortions
Besides the natural Gateways, there is a few other phenomena that are closely connected to the Wellsprings. One is that Reality appears to become distorted near their vicinity. Temporal and spatial effects are arguably the most common ones, where space might appear much larger or smaller on the inside than on the outside, or time might flow either faster or slower within its confines.
Void Maws
Another is known as Reality Disintegration, which causes the space in front of one to evaporate like vapor from a boiling cauldron. What one ends up looking upon is nothing but an empty cold blackness, something that has given this phenomenon the name of Void Maws. Fortunately, they are not common and do not usually last that long, with reality regenerating within a few hours. No one is sure what causes it though, and research into this phenomenon is dangerous to one's health, to say the least.
Lightning storm
One of the most common phenomena that might occur are the lightning storms. Several pillars of lightning will erupt from the Wellspring and act similar to a tornado; quickly spinning around its axis for several seconds. It is usually sapphire blue to the color, though may shift between red and yellow.
One constant is that it will be surrounded by purple embers that leave symbols of soot on wooden and metallic surfaces that vanishes after about twenty-four hours. No real significance about the symbols has yet been discovered and they may very well be nothing but random creations, similar to snowflakes and their crystalline beautiful forms.
Light Distortions
Light Physicality is another known phenomenon, where light might take a physical solid form similar to hard light constructs. The same goes for dark areas, where the absence of light has gained a physical presence that might look like a solid black wall made out of crystal. These will de-materialize in a few hours at most.
Laughing Ice Bubbles
A few times a year, at the sleepiest and darkest hours of the night, a faint laughing sound will be heard from the Wellspring. Frost will cover its outer surface in a thick layer and the cold water vapor will sink towards its bottom.
Soon, the apparent source of the laughter becomes visible: Frozen bubbles covered in frost that floats up in the air. Usually, it is only a handful in various sizes. After a few minutes, they will burst at the sound of a giggle. There is possibly a connection between them and the Realm of Little Porcelain.
Connection Realms
The Wellspring Storm
While the blackness is said to be the Caverns of Void, the supposed storm is believed to be wholly unique to the Wellsprings. So much so that it is called the Wellspring Storm that is believed to connect with every Wellspring in existence. A chaotic Realm where creation and annihilation are constants.
The Wellspring Sea
More unconfirmed documented reports mention another possible Wellspring Connection Realm that is commonly referred to as the Wellspring Wilds. Witnesses say that the Wellsprings open up into a huge structure that floats above a swirling whirlwind of both liquid and gaseous Sereoth. And far below that is a seemingly endless Realm of a still ocean, sprinkled with tall towers of silver and sapphire.
Connection to the Realm of Time?
Wellsprings also appear to have a strange connection with the Realm of Afratme, which governs the Aspects of Time and Frequency. Some Well-Arrived Individuals appear to be Time-Displaced Individuals as well, at least to a certain degree. The WA-Individuals may also have been either blessed or cursed by scattered visions of both past, present, and future.
Daktories' Wellspring.
Alkharions' Wellspring.
The Oak Drom.
White Sanctum.
The Voice of Leno
Deusa Machincor Realm.
The Beach of Milk 'n' Roses.
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