Aard'Vorn

Aard’Vorn are powerful magical artifacts capable of manipulating the energies of Erudite on a worldwide scale. There are seven in total, each of which embody a specific element.

History

According to legend, the Aard'Vorn were once used by the Old Pantheon to shape the universe. However, it is most likely that they were created by an unknown civilization that existed from before the Shattering, having used them to create and shape the landscape to their needs. Within recorded history, they were discovered in the remains of a temple in Brumal Archipelago - everything except that artifacts themselves had completely deteriorated with the only evidence being the unnatural shape of the terrain. In the subsequent millennia, they were traded and shared all over the world until a series of wars caused many of them to go missing. They would slowly be rediscovered over time, though they would be kept well-guarded.

During the Demon Wars, a large number of Aard'Vorn were gathered in Oceanfell in order to defeat the demon Abraxas. Upon the end of the war, a treaty was signed - the Treaty of Valdin. This was an international pact made so that no nation was allowed to possess more than one Aard'Vorn within their borders in order to maintain the balance of power.

Around the late Renaissance Era, the Heilinthar Empire broke the treaty when they attempted to seize control of the Worldstone. However, when they were defeated, Leir had inadvertedly obtained two Aard'Vorn. While there were intentions to send the Aard'Vorn to a new owner, the current emperor died before he could see that order fulfilled. When his grandson took over, a campaign to claim all the Aard'Vorn for themselves to supposedly secure them for their own safety. They attempted to synchronize the powers of all the Aard'Vorn to gain the ability to manipulate all of reality itself, but the ritual was disrupted. This resulted in a catastrophic wave of magical energy that caused Mt. Nerthus to erupt, completely destroying Leir's capital city and creating a dead zone of unstable magical energy in the immediate vicinity.

While the Aard'Vorn still exist, they were heavily damaged, and their powers became only a fraction of what they once were.

List of Aard'Vorn

Worldstone

The Worldstone embodies the element of earth. On the exterior, it appears as little more than an ordinary pointed stone. By placing one's hands on it, they can manipulate the earth with the power of their mind by - raising mountains, carving out canyons and turning oceans into deserts. The Worldstone was notably used by the Kingdom of Leir to carve out the land, including building their capital from Origin Mountain, the highest peak of Eidyn.

Wind Diamond

The Wind Diamond embodies the element of air. It appears as a pure white diamond described as being extremely light to touch and unbound by gravity. When interacted with, the Wind Diamond can manipulate air currents, including suspending entire cities in the air. The ancient city of Ouropoli housed the Wind Diamond for many centuries, allowing the city to float high in the air.

Seasoul

The Seasoul embodies the element of water. It appears as a large blue pearl that appears to have patterns of swirling water within it. Through its power, one can summon waves and cause floods, shifting the oceans to one's will. The Seasoul was hidden away in the Library of Babel where it is guarded by ancient, automated protectors.

Flame Sigil

The Flame Sigil embodies the element of fire. It is an engraving in the shape of a flame carved from a ruby, and it is described as warm to the touch. It can manipulate heat currents, effectively able to raise the temperature of whole geographic regions - and can even be used to move heat currents away to cool down an area. The founder of the Xeng Empire used the Flame Sigil to make the Shuang region warmer so that the previously inhospitable mountains could be settled.

After Shuang was terraformed, the Temple of Hozai was built to safeguard the Flame Sigil. It is located near the summit of Mt. Shen Wu and contains many deadly puzzles and traps to deter would-be thieves.

Seed of Menara

Embodying the element of wood, the Seed of Menara appears as little more than an ordinary seed. However, when planted, an enormous tree springs up in its place while forests and other plant life spring up within a several mile radius of where the seed was planted, regardless of the local climate. The seed is particularly well-traveled for an Aard'Vorn, having been used to create Khyorgan's Great Tree of Bossnirivhonicanioklythorn.

Runebound Foundry

The Runebound Foundry embodies the element of metal. It is an ancient forge that provides the means of converting metals into other exotic ones, including those not naturally found on Erudite. The actual Aard’Vorn is the molten metal though the name of it stuck due to the difficulty of being able to transport it.

Star Crown

The Star Crown embodies the element of aether. When worn, it allows a user to tap into the cosmos and see the future and other alternative timelines. Untrained minds may become blinded or go insane due to the overload of information. However, when properly used, it is considered by many to be the most powerful of all the Aard'Vorn.