Paradigma and Azeroth

''Deep in the stacks of the library rests a book. The smooth cover could be made of black pearl, and the pages are thin sheets of deep purple. The object shimmers like a gem in your hands. Bizarre characters shimmer on the pages like fire when turned to the light, and burn just as bright when placed in shadow. The book begins on the first page—-naturally—-and, depending on your curiosity, you may find finely-written words there in an understandable tongue.''

In dedication to my ambitious brother, Adalandier. May his death not be in vain.

Special acknowledgements to Veras Winvale and Kelith Vedan for inspiring me to delve into the study of existence, Kretan Moongazer and Archmage Kurimatsu for their accompaniment into the most perilous reaches of Azeroth, Norviere for showing me the importance of passing knowledge, and all those who have lived and died in the service of our world.

Additional Orcish, Common, and Gutterspeak editions available upon request.

Paradigma and Azeroth
 * --by Lilithia E. Emberfall

Preface
When I was a student of Dalaran I was taught absolutes. The reigning theory at the time was that all things considered "magic" were through the Arcane. Arcane was the primary source of all magical feats. If a Mage conjured a ball of fire, that fire was brought forth through Arcane energies. If a Priest healed, the man of the cloth was calling the Light through an Arcane pathway. If a tree grew, the plant was feeding from Arcane sources.

As you can see, my education at the time was rather limited.

The Cult of the Damned—or the Scourge, as it is called today—and their liberal use of magics otherwise considered to be impossible or illusions caused great alarm in Dalaran. Warlocks, as they became popularly known, manipulated energies which they called the Dark. The Warlocks’ magics were affected by some of the Mages’ Arcane techniques, yet many of the spells were unique despite resembling those of their Mage counterparts’. The Scourge had seemingly found a new source of power, having few dependencies on the Arcane that were once considered essential for any magical acts. Yet more disturbing, many of those that used the Dark were never exposed to formal training, seeming to have a completely intuitive understanding of their craft. Unnerved and increasingly less confident in the Arcane’s supremacy over the realm of magic, as well as their own teaching methods, those within Dalaran began to doubt their old theories and models. Just as explorers hundreds of years ago learned the world was not flat, the Mages of Dalaran began to wonder if the Arcane was not the root of all power in Azeroth.

The Mages of Dalaran began to experience what is called a “paradigm shift:” a change in the way they perceive not just their world, but the very fabric of reality. During this turbulent time in the history of Azeroth we are able to see the diversity of Creation and perhaps piece together the puzzle that is existence. Hopefully this book will inspire you to examine the world and open your mind to new ideas, as well as consider several possibilities as to the nature of Azeroth and the Universe.

Remember as you read this book that what is proposed is only theory. The ideas presented should in no way be considered absolute truths; this is merely a proposition based off information and observation. Open your mind, enrich your being, and realize how subjective truths may be.

Section One
Ripples in the Pool

Hold a quartz prism up to the sun on a clear day. As you do this the light refracts within the crystal and shines a small rainbow on a target surface. By doing this simple experiment we may observe the individual elements of the sunlight, from red, orange, yellow, green, and all the way to violet. (See figure 1.1) Through closer inspection one could pinpoint the most pure concentrations of each colour on this rainbow—the brightest blue, the healthiest green, the most vibrant orange. Between each of these points the colours mix, giving way to shades of yellow-green, indigo-blue, orange-red, and the like, fading in and out as they move from one concentrated area to the next.

Let us shine these colours on a still, crystal-clear lake. There on the surface of the water they phase from one to the next, just as before. In order to further illustrate the nature of the colours’ blending take a pair of pebbles and drop one where yellow is most pure and the other where green. Notice how the waves ripple through the water and pay careful attention to where they meet; the colours of green and yellow blend where the two sets of ripples converge. (See figure 1.2)

This may be done with any points on the line. If you drop a pebble on the place of red and another on green you may notice that the pair of ripples do meet, though their collision is not nearly as strong as that of two closer pebble landings, and would likely take a larger pebble piercing the surface of the water to bring the two sets of ripples together. (See figure 1.3)

Imagine the colours riding the ripples in the water, radiating from their central positions and blending where the waves cross. Though creating new shades each is emerging from the original ‘whole’ light of the sun. This is a central concept in the theory which this book is intended to detail. If you’re following thus far, then we are ready to proceed to the next concept.

In the water colour ripple example we determined that the original light of the sun was actually a combination of several component colours. By using the ripples in the water we demonstrated how the colours blend and interact. Now we are ready to apply this example to the focus theory, the Radiating Powers Model. The tricky part of the model is construction. Let us build a six-sided figure out of wood, each face an equilateral triangle—the length and height of each side being exactly the same. Now, in the exact center of each triangle place a small round chunk of sponge. At this point you should have a three-dimensional figure such as this in the diagram to the right. (See figure 1.4)

Let us place our construct in our crystal-clear lake from the previous example. Make sure that it is fully submerged and floating beneath the surface of the water. Imagine how the water is seeping through the sponge bits, making both nearly one and the same. Now for the greatest stretch of imagination: Make the wood vanish, leaving the bits of sponge suspended in water at the exact locations they rested on the frame. Now, suspended within the water the bits of sponge should form an arrangement similar to the six-sided diamond that was there once before. (See figure 1.5)

We now have the six sponge pieces floating in the water, each the same distance from one another. The water, the substance which they are suspended in, permeates the points and all space around the sponges; in a way, the sponges are as much of the water as the water is of the sponges. (This concept is very important and shall be explained ahead.)

Recall the colour line experiment in which we dropped pebbles in water, causing the surface to ripple. In that experiment we imagined that the colours of the spectrum followed the waves, crashing and blending into new shades. Apply the ripple of the water to beneath the surface, radiating from the sponges at a constant rate, then imagine each sponge as radiating a different colour—a point of red, a point of green, and so-forth. The waves use the medium of the water to travel, much like wind blows through the air. Through the water these waves travel, colliding with each other and creating shades of colours all around the form. In the center of this form we have the area in which all the waves meet—the convergence point. (See figure 1.6)

In this model, each of the points is a power of the Radiating Powers Model. The water in our example is the Nether, the most basic component of all powers, being outside, inside, and within all parts of this model. The powers travel on the Nether as waves travel on water. Without the Nether no power could be supported, radiate, or exist as the powers are just as much Nether as they are themselves. The powers blend in varying combinations at different locations in the model, but all converge and mix in the center. Let us briefly examine the powers which we observe in this world.

First there are the four Force Powers: Arcane, which is the raw power of manifestation and the binding energy of our world. Elements, which is that of water, earth, fire, wind, and static. Chaos, which is responsible for random fluctuations and other disturbances—creation and destruction—of what would otherwise be constants upon coming in contact with other powers. Lastly, we have Nature, which expands and grows the strength of the powers which it comes in contact with.

Accompanying the previous we have the two Pattern Powers, Light and Dark. Light has a characteristic to evenly distribute all powers within the space which they cross, whereas Dark interacts with other powers by concentrating all contacting powers into concentrated areas.

(Please note that we have only briefly reviewed these powers for the sake of explaining the forthcoming model and associated explanations. Further descriptions of the powers’ behaviors may be found in their proper sections, which may be found in later pages.)

This, in a very small nutshell, is the Radiating Powers Model, and the basis of this book.