Ley lines are cosmic lines of energy that spread across the Earth, affecting and being affected by the planet itself. Although its existence has been proposed by humans in the early 20th Century, most did not believe in its existence until 2052, where it is used as a clean energy source and the foundation of the magical arts.
Description[]
Ley energy is a cosmic energy, permeating the Universe and collecting itself in large amounts in celestial bodies. In cthonian planets such as Earth, the energy is produced by the molten core and streaks through the rock and attempt to spill out into space. Majority of the energy stays in the mantle, where it is cycled in and out of the core by convection currents. Energy that leaks into the crust then weaves its way across and back down, creating flowing rivers that lie just beneath the surface, forming a globe-spanning grid of energy. Areas where these lines converge hold large amounts of energy, and depending on the number of intersecting lines these convergences can either be junctions, nexi or vortexes.
In line convergences, it is possible for energy to violently escape, in an event known as a Oversurge. Oversurges can occur when a significantly large amount of energy passes down a line connected to a convergence, causing the convergence point to bloat and rupture, or when the pressure that powers the energy current increases and causes a buildup of energy and eventually burst. When a convergence oversurges, energy erupts from the convergence point and shoots out into the sky, causing drastic effects on local weather, creating a massive cloud of energized particles known as a darkstorm. Darkstorms are similar to regular storms, but also rain down 'meteors' of coalesced ley energy. Darkstorms are incredibly destructive phenomena, and the safest method of survival is to stay outside of its reach. After an oversurge, the energized particles stay in the atmosphere and can continue to cause damage, raining down as meteors or disrupting the atmosphere by absorbing sunlight and creating ley clouds.
Properties[]
In its natural state, ley energy is an invisible, electromagnetic force which has a behavior similar to fluids. Extractors harness it as a purple plasma. The path of a ley line is affected by several factors such as composition, crust type and surface topography. A mountain range, for example, walls off a ley line, diverting it into a different direction. Deserts cause lines to disperse into smaller tributaries. Volcanos and similar geological formations are fountains of ley energy, creating direct paths for the energy to shoot out of the Earth and into space. The ocean floor is much smoother and creates large lines.
Ley lines are an important factor in the biosphere. They revitalize lifeforms, and each lifeform itself contains a certain saturation of ley energy. Diluted and mixed with organic materials, ley energy presents itself as the life force of all organisms on Earth. At a certain saturation level, humans may be able to tap into ley lines and use them for magic.
Known Lines[]
Several ley lines have been identified all across the Earth, some of are identified by man-made or natural landmarks over them
- The Egyptian pyramids are built above ley tributaries flowing along the Nile.
- Stonehenge is built upon a ley line nexus. Its source lines crisscross the island of Great Britain.
- The Amazon Rainforest lies over a massive ley vortex which keeps it alive. The source lines come in from the North, East and South, flowed in and down by the Andes mountains. The western lines coming in from the Pacific, however, descend back into the Earth.
- Some sections of the Great Wall of China lie parallel to nearby ley lines.
- The Ring of Fire is one of the sources of sub-surface energy harnessed by man.
- The Himalayas scatters ley lines across itself or back into the lithosphere.
- The Great Plains of North America are home to several lines which zigzag between the Appalachias and the Rockies. These lines form several small junctions and nexi across the surface.
- A large line coming up from the San Andreas Fault is responsible for the enormous height of the Redwood forests in the Pacific Northwest.
- Buckleshot Lake is a lake in Canada which holds one of the largest vortexes on Earth. In 2074 it oversurged and plunged the planet into a cataclysm.
Disruption[]
After the cataclysmic Sundering, the new geography of the Earth has redirected the ley lines. The Crack in the World cuts off several major ley lines and actively spills out large amounts of ley energy coming directly from the Earth's core. This in turn, bathes the surface of the Earth in ley energy. The result is a larger dispersion of surface energies which seep into the Earth, creating more viable sources of extractable energy. Lifeforms are saturated with more and more amounts of ley energy. This results in a larger magically-adept population of humans, while animals and other organisms use the cosmic power to fuel their adaptation into a broken world.
Eventually, the Buckleshot Lake Vortex in Canada oversurged, causing a cataclysmic darkstorm that enveloped North America.