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The Magical Landscape

Ley Lines, Places of Power, and The Mage War

Ley Lines

Once there were ley lines – towering lines of mystical power – all over Amarra, but since the mage war on Dhelyn, nearly all of the ley lines have been used up. They may return to their previous level of power someday, far in the future, but for now most are inert. Ley lines still exist on the other two continents and the inhabitants there use them, but on Dhelyn, there are only a few, faint ley lines remaining and they are so weak, that they are rarely seen. Some of the remaining ley lines are:

  • There is one known leyline from Kali’hi across the H’taal sea to a place of power on the coast of the continent of Kanna – it is theorized that somehow the beetles that migrated from Kanna used some of its power to make the long trip to Dhelyn.
  • A few small ley lines are visible in the middle of Xiu, in the mystical lands there.
  • On nights with a full moon or when mystical power swells, a very faint ley line can be seen high in the Hantr Mountains running north-south

Places of Power

These were places of high magical potency. Often (but not always) the intersection of several ley lines would result in a place of power, though many are independent of ley lines. In the time before the mage war there were many such sites and they were truly potent places. Now they are a mere shadow of what they once were and are generally hard to use or tap into unless one is very in-tune with them. Some examples are:

  • Kali’hi has a handful of small, very minor, places of power.
  • Dhelvarra, the capital of Dhel, is still a place of power. This could be one reason why Dhel has done so well in the war with Mornae.
  • In the middle of nowhere in the Hramadyn desert is a place of power – this wasteland was created by the mage war and this place of power was once VERY powerful, but is now only a shadow of what it once was. 
  • In the middle of the Hantr mountains near the source of the Eriondal River, there is a place of power. There once ran a ley line roughly from where Mornas is today to where Zoyadragu is today and it crossed this point, which still holds some memory of power.
  • Xianan, the capital of Xiu is on a place of power.
  • The Central area of Xiu – mostly untouched, is also still a place of diffuse power and mystical spirits.
  • The ancient Standing Stones on Buran Bhana are a place of power and still a site to which many people take pilgrimages. The Sacred Sages who live there offer vision of the future to those who are worthy. (See power 5 below)
  • There is a sacred tree at the heart of the Ealenine Forest, which is a place of place. The elves who live near it still benefit from a longer lifespan (see power 7 below).
Benefits of a Place of Power:

At lease some, if not all, of the below enhancements were available at each place of power in the times before the mage war. Those remaining on Dhelyn today are greatly depleted. They may have no residual power at all, or just a bit. In terms of the enhancements below, a current site may benefit from 0 to 3 (1D4-1) of these, depending on how much power remains there; very few have more than one.

  1. Spell casters will regain spells quicker without needing to rest. Spell slots are regained at a rate of 1 spell level/hr. (3 hrs for a 3rd lvl spell slot)
  2. Spells have double the range as normal – Spells with a range of “touch” or “Self” can affect two people.
  3. When a spell is cast, the caster can regain HP equal to 1D6 per level of the slot used.
  4. Non-spell-casters may find they can cast spells – there is 40% chance a non-spell-caster will innately come to know and be able to cast 1D4 cantrips, 1D3-1 first level spells, 1D2-1 spell chosen at random from levels 2 or 3. All the spells will be from a single class’s spell list and all non-cantrip spells are usable only once per day.
  5. Those with the ability to cast 5th level spells (from any spell list) can concentrate on a place of power to cast “Commune”. No specific god is contacted and the answers come in the form of visions of possible events to come.
  6. No material components are required to return willing souls from the dead.
  7. The lifespan of any who live here is lengthened by 5 years for every year they live in that place.

The Mage War

This devastating period of conflict brought an end to the Age of Wonders. Many of the civilizations on Dhelyn were destroyed in the magical attacks. The magical power on the continent was greatly diminished, sucked dry. Few today know much of what happened, only that the mage war was a devastating time for nearly all the peoples of Dhelyn.

Another name for the Age of Wonders is the Age of Ascendants. This is the period when many of those who are now the high gods ascended to their positions. It was an age of larger than life heroes and mystical wonders – which gave it its name, but it also led to its downfall.

The spell casters of the age of wonders were not that different from those today. The main differences were: there were many many more of them, and they had access to the ley lines and places of power to enhance their abilities. It was this second of these two abilities that ultimately caused the war. Mages sought more and more power, staying longer within ley lines. But tapping into such power fractured their minds and many mages slowly went mad. In the end, they began warring with each other to try to gain ultimate power and become gods.

The other difference between the spell casters of today and those of the age of wonders, is that many in that ancient period were rulers of small kingdoms. So when they went to war, so too did all of those who followed them. Grand magics arched high over battlefields, devastating lands and peoples alike. Many of the now cursed or desolate areas on Dhelyn are these ancient battlefields.

The few who do remember those times: ancient elves, dwarves, and dragons, hope that Dhelyn will never again see such a period of devastation and ruin.