Aetherial Axis

The Axis extends outwards in two directions, both perpendicular to the world of Flesh. It describes and supports the length of the world of breathing metaphor, where you stand on sorrow, drown in elation, and hold thoughts in your hands. The Surreality of the Breathing Lands is often difficult for newcomers to grasp, the Deeper Well, about which the preponderance is of the Architect, shall serve as a strong foundation for wisdom.

— Craftlord Bolor Gaiaros, Architect of the Deeper Well

The Hand of the Mountain wound the Breath and Flesh of the the Swirling Shadow about the Axis, tying it up into the Breathing Metaphor. As the Shadow unwound and spread, fibrous, throughout the aetherous realms it gave defiant shape to metaphors, which as artifacts of divine thought were never meant to know form. In this way, the Axis that defined spirit now also defines Dreaming.

— Lightbearer Kirik Sul, Shining Provost of the Palace of Sight

Purpose / Function

The Aetherial Axis defines and serves as a support structure for spiritual reality, composed of the Breath of the World-Weary. Its length holds open space for that breath to exist, providing room for it. In turn, this allows it to serve as a reservoir of material for the natural production of souls. It may also be used for other spiritual constructions.
The Axis is named as such because there is a trend among attempts to map the spiritual dimension to resemble graphs, and to utilize the vast structure as a literal axis by which locations and phenomena may be referenced. These attempts have been met with, at best, limited success.

Alterations

At the conclusion of the War of Shadow, Velir-of-the-Dawn used the Worldforge to wind Vassar's Flesh and Breath around the Axis. While the majority would disperse throughout spiritual reality, a significant quantity would remain lingering around the Axis, though not enough to disrupt its function.

Architecture

The physical superstructure of the Aetherial Axis is simple in design: an incredibly vast cylinder or column. However, a peculiarity of its design is that there is no true interior, nor surface, and it is impossible to be beside the structure. One may draw closer, but in approaching one will find the Axis to be smaller and more distant. The prevailing interpretation is that it is a dimensionless body.

History

When Kogrun, Mallat, and Pennak convened to render the world of themselves, it was decided that their renderings of Flesh would be largely isolated from their will, that creation might remain independent, and its design absolute. However, the world could not be wholly isolated if it was to be populated by living things. Thus, they devised the Aetherial Axis, which would proscribe a shape for their remnant Breath, which would be anchored to the Flesh by wholly perpendicular causeways.

Alternative Names

The Poet's Line, Backbone of Dreams

Type

Megastructure, Trans-orbital