Core

Current Information

The Core is a pseudostar at the center of the Void that provides light to the once-dark Void. It was previously an unstable pocket dimension protected and contained by a rocky spherical barrier. The Core was created by the Celestial Ralte to imprison Taretok, but he was released in 1924 and destroyed the barrier. With the anomalous pocket dimension of the Core suddenly entering Realspace, a violent reaction occurred that made the Core release the excess energy it had been storing for millions of years. Essentially, the Core became a relatively small and cold star fueled by dimensional energy similar to that generated upon entering or exiting Subspace.
Only three groups are known to have reached the Core's barrier:

• A Renaissance-era expedition with one survivor, who managed to breach the barrier and enter the Core with magic while falling from his ship, but was then trapped inside when the barrier resealed.

• The Amaranthine Order established several temporary outposts on the Core's surface. They succeeded in breaching the Core's barrier several times, but the tiny fractures quickly healed, releasing a massive blast of energy when they closed. They concluded that, to enter the Core and free Taretok from an assumed inner prison, they would need to create a much larger breach that would remain open for at least an hour so a team could enter and leave safely. This necessitated a massive amount of magical energy, which drove many of their later plans. Unbeknownst to them, Taretok had chosen to remain within the Core after the Fall of Asmana, and was not, as they assumed, kept captive inside a second prison that prevented him from reaching the brief fractures they created.

• The Free Forces breached the Core for the last time in 1924 using energy cores stolen from the Amaranthine Order. As with before, the wound quickly began to heal, but the Free Forces used a warship's hull to hold the breach open for roughly 20 minutes. After convincing Taretok to help them, he widened the breach enough to overwhelm its regenerative powers and destroy the barrier.

Historical Information: Until 1924 AC

The Core is a mysterious spherical object at the center of the Void. Little is known about the Core, as reaching it is very difficult due to the dangers of the Shivering Reach, and its existence was mostly theoretical until the advent of electrical heating allowed the first ships to come within sight of it. Several expeditions have been made to the Core, with some disappearing within the Shivering Reach and possibly even making it to the Core, but no survivors have returned.

Alternative Name(s)

The Threshold

Type

Dimensional, Pocket

Location under

Void