Tapestrum Arcanum

The Tapestrum Arcanum or simply The Tapestry, as it is colloquially known, is the ”layer” of magic that rests atop all of Nascindor. All wizards, magi and sorcerers project their will unto the Tapestry for their feats of magical prowess, and it acts as the only source of such power.

Research and expeditions into the Tapestry have revealed that it is somewhat of a replica of the real world, but not perfect. Geometry often isn't logical, and there's pure magical energy everywhere, forming vortices and nebulae of multi-colored mist and lights that paint this simulacra of Nascindor in hues of blue and indigo.

Voyagers

Within the ranks of the Enlightened Few, there exists the radical group known as the Voyagers, who seek to permanently project their presence into the Tapestry. To this end, they go through rituals in which their physical form is made catatonic while they project, making return impossible. The Voyagers are seen as extreme even by the Enlightened Few themselves, but as they are only a danger to themselves and studying the physical changes in their bodies while their essence is in the Tapestry has lead to fascinating discoveries, they are allowed to continue their bizarre practices.

The Tapestrum and the Varlem Desert

The Varlem Desert continues to defy expectations even in the Tapestry. Whereas most of Nascindor is reflected in the Tapestry mostly identical to its real counterpart, the Varlem Desert consists of nothing but raw magic in constant turmoil, immaterial and everchanging.

For this reason, magi and sorcerers do not generally project into the Tapestry when in the desert, for there is no guarantee that they will find their way back to their real selves. The few that have done so successfully all claim to have met a presence and had a life-altering experience interacting with it. Of course, these individuals were deemed deranged by the Enlightened Few and submitted for mind-wiping.

When I saw it, it saw me. The most exquisite feeling of peace washed over me and I knew that I was in the presence of something greater than me. Greater than all of us. Something that can save us.

— _{A Varlemite mage describing her encounter within the Tapestry}

Anomalies

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Black Forest in its entirety is anomalous within the Tapestry. There are large swathes of utter silence that dot the mirrored forest where it seems that, just like its real counterpart, the forest in the Tapestry is dead. Casting magic is not possible in these ”dead zones”, and those who are magically gifted report great unease and anxiety when forced to linger in these places for extended periods.

But far more sinister and dangerous are the areas which are active within the Tapestry. For it is in these pockets that the corruption of the Heart of Hate has slipped into the very fabric of magic itself, turning the wondrous blues and purples of the so-called ”healthy” Tapestry into a barren, ominous landscape reflecting the deranged dreams of the Adversary.

Projecting into this nightmare is outlawed by the church of Resounding Truth, and anyone caught doing so is sentenced to incarceration or, what is more likely due to their harrowin experience within the nightmare, consigned to a mental institute. As such, the only ones who have glimpsed into the madness roiling underneath the already nightmarish reality of the Black Forest are select few, with rarely granted permission from the church.

Projection is an art and the Tapestrum is the canvas.

–Grand Vizier Zakiyah Farek, Guildmaster of the Enlightened Few

by AI-generated

_{”Magic in Motion”, the supposed work of an unnamed Druvenian street artist depicting the Varlem Desert within the Tapestry.}