Anti-Magick of Hekara's Abyss

Myth says that Kiune and Majari's duel upset Lajaka, Ice Dragon of Lassa so much, that he wielded an anti-magick spell to protect Hekara's Abyss from further destruction.
Whether true or not, from the time of their duel to the present, no wielder has been able to use magick anywhere near the dragon's lair.

~Genophyte Pendarrin of the Iovan Palace School

Anti-Magick of Hekara's Abyss

by Genophyte Pendarrin

All artwork by Shade Melodique
unless otherwise stated
featured image: biletskiy, Envato

The Duel

So what happens when Adraoshen, King of Condi and the leader of the Jonna Empire, gets upset when the two dragons his grandfather and father relied upon to create the fledgling empire retreat to their lairs? He calls for able-bodied siojhetioxh and warriors to travel to the dragon lairs and master a dragon, walking in the footsteps of Eserial and her son.
And what happens when rival lightartist siojhetioxh answer the call? Why, they both travel to Hekara's Abyss in search of Lajaka, Ice Dragon of Lassa, of course. Once they and their retinues realized the rival had the same idea, they did all they could to beat the other into the hidden lair.
In the end, unable to find a way inside and desperate to 'win', they rained magick destruction down on the canyon while trying to take out each other. Eyewitness accounts say they destroyed chunks of the Guardians, the two mountains towering over the Abyss.
As one might imagine, this show of unnecessary force upset Lajaka.

Annoyed Dragon

The Guardians are just that--guardians. They tower over the part of the Kordi Rini canyon known as Hekara's Abyss, where the rushing waters have cut deepest. Somewhere in this Abyss are the entrance caves to the underground lair.
These entrances are difficult to find by design. It is the first trial adventurers undertake if they wish to become a dragon companion--no cheating, by using dragonpriest official entries. Both Kiune and Majari failed to find one and decided a magick duel would solve their problems. Once they got rid of their rival, they could find a cave in peace.
Instead, Majari blew the top off the eastern mount with lightning attacks, while Kiune destroyed the cliffs facing the river on the west with crackling lightballs. This upset the dragon, who saw his priests, pilgrims, and other guests imperiled by the base revenge.
To make certain such a thing never happened again, Lajaka wielded a spell after the duel (rescuer accounts say during the rescue attempts, dragonpriests say afterwards, when it became evident the two lightartists had ended each other and everyone was safely down the mountains).
From that day on, no mystery artist unless sanctioned by the dragon himself, could wield a spell.

The Wielding

Ask any mystery artist who has attempted even a minor candlelight spell in the Abyss, and they will tell you it can't be done. If a wielder is over halfway up the backside of either Guardian, or if they are far enough around the bases they can see the canyon, there is no use trying. No wielding, grand or simple, will work.
Mystery artists have attempted to study the phenomenon, but since they can't wield, it's hard to identify exactly what Lajaka did--and dragonpriests refused to speak about it, because they did not want someone attempting to weasel around it.
They, of course, still wielded spells. This frustrated researchers more.

Many sylfaodolon have altars scattered around the Abyss. Priests discovered they could not perform customary rites at them. Prayers to their deities returned nothing, which led them to conclude they approved of the prohibition.
This approval quelled most outrage over the anti-magick spell.

Sitarna, a teacher at the Mom'keir Institute out of Kathar di'omo, first realized the dragonpriests, to avoid the anti-magick wielding, used the magick lattice that spanned the entirety of the Abyss. What, exactly, this lattice did had intrigued mystery artists for millennia. Their curiosity intensified with every wielder who burned to ash trying to touch the potent power held within the strands. And now dragonpriests wove in and out of it without mishap?
Myth says he burned to ash attempting to touch the lattice after observing a dragonpriest manipulate it. Colleagues say he suffered magick burn, but he recovered after a year and refused to go near the Abyss again ('recover', as in he could function, but his wielding ability remained stunted. He could still teach, but not light a candle).
After his failure, other artists tried to access the lattice but never succeeded. Without being able to interact with it, they could not figure out how the dragonpriests bypassed the spell.
Centuries passed before another scholar had a breakthrough. While helping bury the dead after the slaughter of the dragonpriests by two religious cults, Lerasha qua Velomaoh discovered the bodies still linked to the lattice. As they were dead and unable to protest, she investigated and realized a mark on the priests' breasts held the key. This mark triggered a safety spell in the lattice. Unable to find a way to transfer the mark, she buried the dead, wrote a treatise, and spent the rest of her life hunting for an answer.

Map

The spell only affects Hekara's Abyss, though the lattice extends into the mountains beyond. The tops of the mountains, and the areas facing the river, are affected. It's a gradual effect, so the full brunt does not hit wielders all at once.
Grand spells like kick-portals are affected first, then progress to the simplest ones. In modern times, with the increase of tourism to the ruins in the Abyss and pilgrimages to the sylfaodolon altars, rescue efforts for those in trouble (especially during the snowy seasons) are restricted to noxyen and wagon, and physical means of healing until the afflicted reach healing huts. The huts are official places that healers can use without inhibition.
This has led to more than one death, and given the Abyss a reputation as a dangerous place (which it is, and not just for this).