The Travelers of the Grand Wellspring

This page serves as a (potentially?) cleaner variant of the main Travelers of the Grand Wellspring document.

To view a timeline of events for the Grand Wellspring, go here.

Introduction

In the Grand Wellspring, the knowledge of dimensions, and the ability to travel between them, is generally not widely known to the common person. In fact, the term "Grand Wellspring" is unlikely to even be known by a single entity living within it; there is no in-universe name for the entirety of the interconnected dimensions. Yet, there is nothing physically stopping people from traveling beyond their home dimension in most circumstances. Once one learns of the existence of other dimensions or of traveling, doing so is little more difficult than commanding other kinds of magic. To travel, a person may use a spell and essentially teleport themselves from one dimension to another, or they may use permanent portals that they sacrifice a small amount of power to keep active at all times (these can be one-way or two-way portals), or they may enchant a transportational vessel of some kind. For example, Verity often chooses to travel the first way; Mozaya uses the second way; and Fletcher uses the third way. In addition, each dimension is utterly unique, with their own histories, peoples, and cultures. Perhaps more importantly, the way magic works on each dimension will be heavily colored by the nature of the elements found there.

The Elements

The Grand Wellspring is organized around 8 different elements, symbolized in the image below.

Starting at the top and going clockwise, the elements are Death, Earth, Water, Arcana, Life, Air, Fire, and Invention. Elements relate to one another in complex ways; elements that are closer to each other on the wheel tend to be more beneficial to each other, whereas elements that are farther away on the wheel tend to be more volatile together (i.e., Death and Life together is a volatile mix, but Death and Earth tend to work very well together).

Death

Death is signified by, of course, the physical notion of death, but it is also representative of finality, rest, inevitability, and even the concept of reanimation or undeath. Death tends to be a somewhat more easily grasped element than some of the more esoteric varieties, but it is a potent and powerful form of magic. Death is allies with Invention and Earth, and a direct enemy with the Life element, with more distant enemy elements being Air and Arcana. Some notable users of the Death element include Exoria, Raobis, Axel II, and Kirk.

Earth

Earth is a strong and formidable element, symbolized with, of course, the earth itself, but also rocks, the manipulation of metal, magma, and also symbolizes more nebulous concepts like peace, community, and logevity. Similar to Death, its magic is not particularly complicated to understand, but is powerful and foreboding, with Earth users commanding a strong presence. Earth is allies with Death and Water, and a direct enemy of Air. Its secondary enemies are Fire and Life. Some notable users of the Earth element include Erissium, Sabra, and Fletcher.

Water

Water is an element of darkness, mystery, and yet, also perseverence, adaptability, and resilience. Water users are far from limited to simply using water in its basic form for their magic, but are also often mages of ice. Some Water-element users may not even command water itself at all, but rather, channel magical darkness, or use it to bolster their constitution. While Water-element users are typically not as overwhelmingly powerful as those of some other elements, users of this element are notorious for their ability to weather hardships and outlast enemies. Water is allied with Arcana and Earth, and a direct enemy of Fire; its secondary enemies are Invention and Air. Some notable users of the Water element include Kirk, N'Zuelix, and Rayner.

Arcana

Arcana is a more esoteric element, with a fixation on the strange, the unknown, or perhaps sheer chaos or the raw potency of magic. Arcana forms the bones of many worlds, and its users tend to be more tactical than forthright. But it is hard to generalize with the Arcana element, as its users are incredibly varied across dimensions and in their uses of its magic. Arcana is close allies with Life and Water, and a direct enemy with Invention; its secondary enemies are Fire and Death. Some notable users of the Arcana element include Verity, Axel II, and Nihera.

Life

Life is a two-pronged element, symbolized by nurture, healing, and beginnings, yet also symbolized by raw instincts, unfettered by morals. This means that while many users of the Life element are inclined toward healing, or preserving life, it is far from all. The Life element can also come from the sheer will a creature or person has to follow their instincts and desires, and can symbolize the ferocity with which they will seek their goals. The Life element is close allies with Arcana and Air, and a direct enemy of Death; its secondary enemies are Invention and Earth. Some notable users of the Life element include Fletcher, Solas, and Cirra.

Air

Air is an element symbolized by freedom, versatility, and impermanence, with its hallmark magic being that of storms and thunder. While users of the Air element may be users of its physical might and commandeer storms, others invoke its magic in a more indirect fashion, with their sheer, explosive but ephemeral passion being the manifestation of their ties to the Air element. The Air element is allies with Life and Fire, and a direct enemy with Earth; its secondary enemies are Death and Water. Some notable users of the Air element include Cairo, Verity, and Roan.

Fire

Fire is a volatile, physically powerful element, which can represent both creation and all its beauty, as well as destruction, and all its gory details. Users of the Fire element also tend to call upon smoke and light as part of their magic, while others call upon its magic more indirectly; some users are powerful creators or powerful forces of destruction, and are still calling upon Fire-element magic, even if they never summon a single flame. Fire is allies with Invention and Air, and a direct enemy to Water; its secondary enemies are Earth and Arcana. Some notable users of the Fire element include Dr. Rin, Verity, and Rasmuri.

Invention

Invention is a more esoteric element, representative of science, ingenuity, construction, and, less directly, the concepts of civilization, engineering, and societal order. Invention often powers its users through powerful creative capabilities and an unshakable understanding of what society means to them. This means that, while many users of Invention are tinkerers and possess an interest in technology, technology is far from the crux of the Invention element. Sometimes, a sharp wit or intricate understanding of people can indicate a connection to it. Some notable users of the Invention element include Freyr, Mozaya, and Ec-Nulth.

Traveling in the Grand Wellspring

Dimensions are the worlds that make up the entirety of the Grand Wellspring. Currents of raw elemental energy run between these dimensions in what is otherwise a void made of nothingness. These elemental energy pathways are what allow people to travel between dimensions, as they safeguard travelers from the void around them. When a traveler "teleports" between dimensions, they are essentially rapidly moving along these paths, and in doing so, create a massive energy 'shockwave' of sorts when they arrive at their destination... which means, most travelers already present on the target dimension will be able to feel their arrival immediately. In addition, this process is extremely taxing, and can be fatal if the destination dimension is too far from the first.

When a traveler creates portals between dimensions, they must first sacrifice a large upfront sum of elemental energy to create a weaker, artificial pathway from dimension A to dimension B. As such, the power it takes to create these paths can vary, as can the time it takes to make them. Whether these portals are one-way or two-way, and how far apart the dimensions are from each other, will also affect how much passive energy it takes to maintain the portal's existence. A traveler must sacrifice a similar sum of energy again in order to destroy or end an existing pathway, meaning that one can't avoid the ill-effects of travel by merely destroying a portal immediately after traversing it.

When a traveler enchants a transportational vessel of somekind, they sacrifice a large sum of energy upfront to make the vessel capable of finding pre-existing elemental pathways. As a result, this method of travel takes the longest, but doesn't announce one's presence in a destination, and also requires no energy for continual upkeep, only initially. It is by far the safest and most discreet method of travel, but also the most time-consuming.

The Dimensions

Each dimension in the Grand Wellspring is a unique universe unto itself. In each dimension, the rules for how the elements display or function, the way people are there, their cultures, the practices of magic found there, and so on and so forth are all unique to that dimension. To see a list of dimensions, go here.

Travelers

Currently, the Grand Wellspring is home to 23 (living) traveling characters in total.

These travelers can be found here.