Nodes

Magic flows through the world in great complex patterns that permeate the sky and the earth. In some locations, magic is concentrated, flowing through and down into a ‘node’ – a location that draws in the energy and makes a small area more magically enriched. Wizards, and other beings capable of absorbing, holding and harnessing magical energy can regain energy simply by spending time in these areas, making them highly prized locations. Often, whether or not a new settlement proves viably capable of growing past a certain size, will depend on whether it can sustain arcane spellcasters – and a node is extremely useful to such people.

Nodes are typically between ten and twenty feet across, although larger and more potent nodes do exist. Spellcasters who train themselves to be a Catalyst for magical energy are better able to make use of the concentrated energy around a node.

Normal Nodes

Most nodes represent a deposit or vein of mithril in the earth, drawing in and neutralizing energy from the environment around them. As the energy is neutralized, the mithril’s capacity is slowly used up, and as it processes the energy, more magical energy can be absorbed. Drawing all of the energy out of a node, or discharging a great deal of energy into a node, can interrupt this flow, suspending the function of a node until such time as the normal flow reasserts itself.

People seeking to strike it rich by mining a node will often come into conflict with the Guild of the Arcane. In Harodom, as well as a number of the other nations in the Lakes Region, the Guild has claim to at least one node per settlement that has them, and guards them jealously. Other node users, including some creatures that are naturally drawn to concentrated magical energy, may also have an opinion on such efforts, which are dangerous, difficult, and time consuming in any event.

Some nodes, especially those that have been disrupted in some way, will produce only a fraction of the organized energy that they would normally. The Guild Arcane refers to these nodes as needing ‘tuning’. Tuning a node requires study, planning, and a great deal of magical energy, and the process is complex. Once tuned, a node will often return to its ideal output.

Unusual Nodes

Nodes can technically be formed by a great many different means, and primarily require some kind of focus that can be used to draw energy together in a concentrated and organized manner. Spirit Nodes are one such example – often found at the grave or burial place of a powerful arcane spellcaster who took pains in life to ensure that their body was optimized for the drawing and processing of magical energy, some part of the spellcaster’s spirit remains at the location, creating a node with their body and spirit together.

Other unusual nodes may occur by other means, but study into this has not been well documented, if it has been performed at all. It is possible that some unusual nodes may also have other unusual impacts on the world around them, such as a thinning of the Curtain that separates the world of Ariel from the next, or causing unusual plant and animal life to form in the vicinity of the node.

Authored by: Andrew Dunlop
Fantasy Alive Lore Team 2026
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