Aether

The Realm

Aether is a place of unbound creation, of magic in its purest, of energy and destruction and rebirth. The physical nature of Aether is that of chaos. It is described as a great burning landscape, rent asunder with lightning and fire and motion, where thunder roars and wind howls as they and every other force in physics battle for dominance. Surrounding and infusing this storm of energy is the power of magic. Mana falls from the sky like rain, and the air is charged with resonance and potential for mighty spells and works of arcane power.

The power of Aether is such that it can be felt in the air as one travels there. It seeps into the skin, pervasive and infectious, making everything appear clearer, sharper, brighter, and more beautiful. Aether's energy makes things seem more real than they are in the Fallen World, more idealised into the way they should be. This majesty is both inspiring and heart-rending, evoking both joy and fear in the hearts of mortals.

According to the Obrimos, those who draw on it most for their strength, the Aether is the place of creation. From the Supernal Fires that burn there, they say, the power of Prime spills forth into the universe, responsible for the birth of the other Supernal Realms and the Fallen World. On the pentacle, they place Aether at the apex, for so it should be; position the Fallen World in the center of the pentacle, with the Abyss separating it from the pentacle's lines, and according to these mystics, a pattern can be formed. Stygia and Pandemonium form the nadir of the design, as they represent the Underworld, beneath and darker than the Fallen World. Adjacent to the Fallen World are the Primal Wild and Arcadia, most similar to the material realms, and so positioned beside them, but separated by the Abyss. But above the rest lies Aether, source of creation, only below and acting as a conduit for the primal light and truth. Other mages dismiss these claims as typical of the Obrimos, elitist and arrogant.

The Watchtower of the Golden Key is the Watchtower of the Aether. It is described as a place of endless mechanisms, machine components of gold and silver and glass occupied in some great task unknown to the Awakened. The operation of this mechanism creates music, a great chorus of artificial sounds combining into one harmonic whole. There, machines scuttle from place to place, engaged in unknowable tasks, and voices whisper to those who tread its halls, guiding the Awakened through the great golden doors of the tower. The beacon of the Watchtower is the Eye of Heaven, a great burning eye that is so bright as to be visible from across the dark gulf of the Abyss.

Arcana

Forces

The gross expression of Aether. Dynamism and energy constantly suffuse Aether. Lightning rends through the skies, whilst the ground burns with a supernatural intensity. Wind constantly rips through Aether, changing in speed and direction, and the sky blazes with light. From this roiling maelstrom of energy stems the Arcanum of Forces. This Arcanum impacts on the Fallen World through the myriad forms of energy at work there; heat, electricity, light, motion, gravity, sound, and nuclear radiation.

Prime

The subtle expression of Aether, the Arcanum of Prime represents the raw power and potential of magic. Aether is a realm of creation, and heavily saturated with magic, and so it is infused with the prima materia, the energy of magic and the fire of creation, and this is represented in Prime. In short, the Arcanum of Prime deals with the essence of magic itself. It interacts with the Fallen World via the various forms of pure magic to be found there; Mana, Hallows, the enchantment of objects, resonance, and tass.

Death - Inferior

Aether is a realm of constant creation. Even the destruction wreaked by the fire and lightning of the Arcanum of Forces is merely a tool, a means to clear away the old and make room for the new. In this environment of creation, growth, and beginnings, the powers of decay and endings hold little sway. As such, the Arcanum of Death, as it deals primarily with such forces, is restricted to those who would draw their magic from this realm.

Inhabitants

The Angels

The Angels, or Most High as they are sometimes known, are the principal inhabitants of Aether. Glorious, powerful, and terrifying, the Angels embody their home superbly. These beings are said to be so awe-inspiring, so beautiful, and so terrible that to look upon their awesome inner light is to burn the eyes, and that their voices resonate with the power of thunder. They are the denizens and the guardians of Aether, and their power is magnificent and fearsome to behold.

The Most High are often referred to as angels, but if they are such, they are not the beatific, benevolent winged spirits that the word invokes today. Rather, they are the Old Testament angels, the wrathful destroyers bringing the ire of Heaven down upon errant mortals. Their manifestations are uniformly strikingly beautiful and alien. Whirlwinds of fire or peacock fans of burning eyes are as common as winged humans, androgynous and unearthly. Close to the Prime as they are, the divisive nature of gender is alien and base to them.

Though other, lesser members of the Celestial Host of Aether are believed to exist, the Most High are the most powerful and famous of them. It is believed by some that the Angels represent the Ideals from which their lesser brethren are born, just as the Fallen World harks to the Ideals of the Supernal Realm. These lesser denizens all have their collective purpose, but little is known of the nature of this purpose, and it is debatable whether or not these myriad entities can all be understood by a single mage without having unlocked the Final Key.

The craft of Supernal summoning identifies two types of being that can be called from a Supernal Realm; manifest beings, embodying the Gross Arcanum of that Realm, and recondite beings, embodying the Subtle Arcanum. The Angels of Aether are no exception. Those that can be summoned are divided as follows;

• Seraphim, the manifest Angels of Aether, embodying the Arcanum of Forces. Seraphim derive their name from the highest order of angels in Christian mythology, which in turn derive their name from the Hebrew word seraph, meaning a burning, fiery state. These Angels are made from the purest energies of the universe. They are zealous creatures touched by divine fire, intolerant of moral rectitude. Many appear as angels from mythoi the world over, composed of pure energy. Others take more elemental forms; twisting columns of fire, pulsating orbs of light, crackling motes of electricity, and so on. They are unsubtle creatures, appearing in great bursts of light or gusts of wind. A Seraph is typically a skilled combatant, a stern judge of righteousness, and a bastion of morality and devotion to its cause.
• Cherubim, the recondite Angels of Aether, embodying the Arcanum of Prime. Cherubim serve as divinely inspired sages and teachers, and complement the fervour of the Seraphim with their gentleness and wisdom. Their name comes from the Babylonian word karabu, meaning blessed or propitious. They too follow some divine purpose, but are less fervent about this goal and more capable of understanding human foibles and flaws; thus, they also serve as mediators and advisors. Cherubim tend to glow with the soft blue-white light of Mana, and are often adorned with many eyes. It is reckoned by some that Mana flows from Aether into the other worlds by the will of the Cherubim, and if true this would make them creatures of incalculable power. They are less intense than their cousins, but only a fool would mistake this comparative calm for weakness.

Oracle of the Golden Key

The Oracle of the Golden Key is something of a Promethean figure in the annals of the mages. Like the other Oracles, the Oracle of the Obrimos fought in the war against the Exarchs, and lost. When the Silver Ladder was destroyed, the Oracle reached out and grasped into the heavens, and managed to cling on to a star. This star pulled the Oracle up into the inner workings of Aether, into the as-yet-unlit Watchtower of the Golden Key. There, he found the Eye of Heaven, the great burning eye at the center of the Realm, and unveiled its light, creating the beacon of the Watchtower of the Golden Key and simultaneously placing a new star in the skies of the Fallen World. And so the people of the material world could again reach up and draw upon the power of Aether.

If the stories are to be believed, the Oracle is responsible for bringing fire to mankind. Like the other Oracles, the Oracle of the Obrimos gave a gift to humanity in the dark times after the Fall of Atlantis, to protect them from the horrors that now preyed upon them. Unlike the other Oracles, the gift was delivered in person. Each of the four other Oracles sent their gifts through visions and dreams, but the Oracle of the Obrimos felt that the gifts of Aether could not be reliably passed down in such a manner. And so the Oracle brought forth from the Watchtower a brand lit with the Supernal Fire, and despite the objections of the other Oracles, brought the fire down to Earth for use as a conduit for the other gifts. The consequences of this act vary. In some versions of the story, the Oracle succeeds in getting back to Aether after a long and perilous journey. In others, the Oracle is unable to return, and is captured by the Exarchs or by the acamoth. Other stories say that the Oracle perished in the Fallen World, but that another Oracle of the Golden Key arose to guard the Watchtower and ensure that the beacon remains lit.

According to the Thrice-Great, a Legacy of Obrimos and Silver Ladder astrologers, the name of the present Oracle may be Aion. But as with just about everything about the Oracles, this is entirely unverifiable.

References

• Summoners, pp. 76-77
• Tome of the Watchtowers, pp. 104-106, 109-110