Dimension Magic

Most people I know were born much later but I still remember a time when dimension magic was not around. It took the world by storm and rightfully so. I am glad that through it all the Keepers managed to get their own limited supply at least.

— High Sage Syronikir

Dimension magic is the rarest magic in Niorath and also one of the most powerful. Depending on the skills of the caster it allows people to teleport or manipulate forces of the space around them. Some of the dimension casters specialise in conjuring all kinds of creatures from the realm of Nervonia.

History

Ancient Time

In ancient records there is no mention of any type of dimension magic being used. This is of course not that strange as thus far there are no records of anyone being born with the ability to cast dimension magic. Although the Void Falls must have existed during this time but were most likely not yet discovered.

First Discoveries

Somewhere between 400 and 500 AE the first Void Falls were discovered. Various sources claim this was during an expedition that a neighbouring Halfling country undertook to the Fungi Chaos in southern Onerega. It did not take very long for them to realise that the magic from these Falls allowed the casters to travel short distances and conjure things out of seemingly empty space.
When news got out many nations in the vicinity attempted to get as many Void Falls as they could from the Fungi Chaos. Eventually this led to open conflict between various countries as many tried to lay claim to the region. In the end the Fungi Chaos was divided into 5 regions.
Later on other sources were discovered by organisations in Avak'am and Pavanor but almost all of those locations are tightly kept secrets.

Advancement

Progress for dimension magic was slow due to the limited amount of casters but nonetheless some new discoveries were made over time. The most important one perhaps being the creation of teleportation circles. By using the Void Falls these circles allowed those that stepped in them to instantly teleport to another teleportation circle. As these are quite costly to create and maintain they are not that common even today.

Void Falls

Nobody in Niorath is born with the ability to cast dimension magic. All those who can cast it have received it from Void Falls which makes it quite a coveted resource. The only publicly known location where these Falls can be found is the Fungi Chaos in souther Oneraga. Because of that the Fungi Chaos has been the source of several conflicts by neighbouring countries.
In other places such as Avak'am and Pavanor there are known to be Void Falls as well. These were, however, found by private organisations or nations who kept their origin secret. All the public really knows is that there are most likely some amount of these Falls somewhere in the Wasai desert and the country of Evilyea.

Uses

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Teleportation

One of the most important uses of dimension magic is the ability to use teleportation. For those that are not yet skilled enough casters this is limited to short distances as longer distances are much more difficult to manage. Even advanced casters can have issues with this. It is for this reason that the use of teleportation circles has become the most common method of transport as this is the safest way to teleport. To use certain teleportation circles you still need to have a key and password. These safety measures were introduced by many mages who wanted to protect themselves.

Control of Forces

A dimension caster is often able to manipulate the space and the forces around him. These can be quite powerful abilities such as reversing gravity or even slowing and stopping time. These are of course very localised effects but are still rightly seen as some of the most powerful magic around.
But dimension magic also gives access to smaller changes of the environment. It can be used to create temporary doors through walls, mend broking things or create impenatrable barriers. In this regard dimension magic can be used defensively as well.

Conjuration

One of the most powerful uses of dimension magic is the ability to conjure a very wide variety of creatures from the various realms of Nervonia. Other types of magic can conjure beings from those realms as well but they are limited to only one type of creature. A fire caster will only be able to conjure an elemental fire being.
Dimension casters on the other hand can conjure any type of creature. This can be either from elemental, celeastial or death realms. It is a common belief that dimension casters can even conjure beings from the Primal Chaos itself but keep this ability hidden.

Offensive

In addition to the already powerful abilities, dimension magic can also be used to deal more direct damage. With the manipulation of the forces and space various weapons can be created out of thin air. The forces themselves can be bundled into beams of force which can knock people back or even break their bones.

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Organisations

Some sources of Void Crystals were found by organisations. One of the most powerful and famous one are the Shining Crystals who originated from Evilyea. Before the discovery they were a normal mages association which offered their services to the population of that country. However, once they found a large amount of Void Falls they quickly monetised on it.
Today they are one of the largest mage organisations in the world. If someone wants to travel fast to another country they can use the teleportation circles that they keep. Due to the enormous fees that they require it is not used by anyone but the elite. As they are present in many countries of which some are even on opposing sides, they maintain a complete neutrality. No one dares to really oppose them. If an army would through their portals without permission, it would be very easy for them to just accidently 'lose' said army in the middle of the ocean.

Further Reading