Ley Lines
From Eran
The Mantle coursing through Theras flows through so-called ley lines, or mana streams, functioning almost like veins sustaining Theras, most flowing more or less parallel along in a general north-south direction. It is these that mages tap into for their power. Ley lines are only visible through magic (mage sight will reveal them), but any mage can with a moment of concentration (roll against IQ + magery) feel the approximate distance he is from a ley line. When seen, they flow as shining courtains extending into the sky, flowing through the landscape. Some ley lines flow are stable and flow in set patterns. These are known as Major Ley Lines and are mostly mapped out by the various wizard guilds. Most ley lines are more random in their flow though and change at various paces. Some change their pattern much like the weather does, others linger for weeks, months, some even years before finding a new course. Apart from the rapidness of their flow, there is otherwise nothing to distinguish various ley lines from each other. The distance between ley lines tends to be somewhere between 20 and 40 miles. Once more than 40 miles away from a ley line, the area becomes a low mana zone. These tend to be rare but are nonetheless found in places across Éran. As mages can sense the distance they are from ley lines, most tend to avoid them.
Along each ley line exist access points to the more raw magical energy of the ley line called Nodes. Some are circular and extend from one point along the ley line, others oblong and extend along the line for a certain distance. The size of nodes can vary with each ley line. All nodes are considered to be high mana zones. Nodes mostly tend to stay in the same place along a given line, changing position as the ley lines change. The discovered nodes along the Major Ley Lines are like the lines themselves often mapped or marked by structures at the site.
Ley lines generally tend to repel each other to a certain extent to keep distance from each other, but at places where a three or moreley lines flow too close, two can overlap to create space for each other. These extremely rare Ley Line Junctions or Nexus Points are centres of great magical power, functioning as very high mana zones, sometimes with extraordinary additional effects and are highly coveted spots for wizards. One such famous junction is at the Tower of Magestar in the imperial capital of Devi, where two major ley lines flow together. The actual Node of such a junction cannot be tracked visibly though, even with magesight. Due to the way in which ley lines try to repel each other, the magical gravity centre of such a junction is displaced and can exist anywhere within a 30 mile radius of the visible junction.
It is said that the archwizards of ancient Isandor had access to powerful meta-magic spells that allowed them to direct the flow of leylines and tap into them in ways beyond the scope currently known to modern wizards, allowing them to cast spells of untold power. Some even say that the Isan capital of Kantolan sat at the junction between three major ley lines. The Day of Dread permanently altered the course of most of the major ley lines and if such a junction exists today, it remains unknown. The magical power such a junction would hold can only be speculated upon.
