Paradigma and Azeroth (Chapter 2)

=Chapter 2: The Arcane That Feeds Us=


 * Allyden’s stomach protested. After seven straight hours of study her thoughts of complex theories and case studies gave way to a simple yearning for food; perhaps a chop of lamb, a side of fresh beans from the market... or bread.  For the past four days the young student had sustained on nothing but conjured bread and water.  The skill was a blessing, since most her money was going to the academy, but she was beginning to hate the plain taste.


 * She closed her eyes and began to concentrate on recalling her conjuring rotes. "Orinadi ki" or "Kianadi or?" she questioned in the back of her mind while quietly reciting the incantations.  She visualized the Arcane swirling from all directions, jumping and fluxing with the syllables of her rote and seeping into her hand.  She opened her eyes and looked into her palm.  A small lump of white mass oozed through her fingers.  Dough.  Must have been "kianadi kor."


 * With a low grumble and shrugged she ate the mess. Such discomfort was the price of knowledge.

Of all the powers, Arcane is likely the most versatile and pervasive. Arcane may influence many magics, and is a relatively easy power to access. There is little surprise that popular Dalaran theory claims the Arcane acts as a catalyst in almost any conjuration in reality. Furthermore, an examination of any construct in the physical world will likely reveal at least slight traces of this power. One could easily surmise that Arcane is the primary source of energy for all things within our world. For evidence, we merely need to examine the Well of Eternity and its instrumental links to our world’s past.

According to released ancient lore and new discoveries by Dwarven archaeologists, the Well of Eternity was created by the Titans to be "the fount of life for the world." From the shores of the Well life began to spread, radiating forth and eventually covering the globe in lush green, and fantastic creatures. Such development implies the ability for Arcane to manipulate all other powers. From this beginning the Kaldorei, or Night Elves, developed, and with them the coming of the only race ever to successfully perform a close study the Well of Eternity: the Quel'dorei.

The Quel'dorei, or "Highborne," were the first users of pure Arcane power and the only race in our world to utilize the Well of Eternity directly. The Elves found 'that they could use their newfound powers to either create or destroy at their leisure." (Kaldorei and the Well of Eternity, pg 9)  This great amount of control could only be achieved if the power emanated by the Well was capable of affecting all powers.  One could give examples of this by observing the abilities of the well-practiced Arcane devotee.  With effort, the Arcanist is able to summon fire and ice, transmute living material, and even manipulate the flow of Arcane to foil the manipulation of a power, preventing another from effectively bending reality (also known as silencing).  This is due to the Arcane power crossing other powers in the universe and the great level of proliferation this power has reached within other’s realms.

We are given insight into the nature of the Well of Eternity and Arcane energy through the efforts of the Quel’dorei. Azshara and her followers began to fall prey to the demons of the Burning Legion, pledging their loyalty to Sargeras, an inhabitant of the Twisting Nether and proclaimed Destroyer of Worlds. Sargeras used the Well of Eternity as a gateway between the Twisting Nether and our world. Due to the vast power the Well of Eternity contains as well as the relative ease of Sargeras’ near entry into this world, we may safely make the two following assumptions.

First, the Well of Eternity is likely positioned very near the Arcane source point in the Radiating Powers model. The sheer amount of energy that flows forth from the Well is a clear sign of the intense strength and the corresponding close proximity. If one were to "travel" through the Arcane power of the well they would likely reach the source of Arcane in this world fairly quick. (See figure 2.2)

Second, we may safely assume that the Twisting Nether--a dimension of energy separate from our physical world--is a phenomenon of the Great Dark. We are aware that one is able to affect the physical world by manipulating the powers fractured from the Great Dark due to all things being of that basic medium. Therefore, if one is able to manipulate the Twisting Nether from the physical world, such as a the Quel'dorei opening a portal between the two locations, then both must have the same energy composition--the Great Dark. This theory is further supported by Sargeras’ recorded method of detecting the Highborne’s use of the Well of Eternity. The fel being sensed ripples through the Twisting Nether resulting from abnormally heavy Arcane use. The only way that the Arcane could travel through the Twisting Nether would be if both were composed of the Great Dark.

Third, we can speculate that the Arcane and Twisting Nether are connected through the energy of the Great Dark. Theoretically, if one were to move to the source of Arcane power one would reach a threshold where only the slightest increment of force separates the Arcane and the ether of the universe. If the power of the Twisting Nether were to meet at the same point one could step over the threshold of the Arcane in order to travel to and from the regions. (See figure 2.3)

To summarize, through the Quel'dorei records we have established that the Arcane is a basic power within the Universe, interacting in our physical reality as an energy source. Through observation we find that the Arcane is in all things, and that the power gives a medium for growth. Additionally, we have gained insight into the Radiating Powers Model by producing sufficient evidence to theorize that the Great Dark is within both the physical world and the Great Dark and that each power echoes through that base ether.