Traversion

A power once nearly lost to the passage of time, the Cardinal Rune of Traversion has carried on the legacy of Transposition throughout the ages. It has allowed mages the benefit of fast travel, long-distanced communications, and even the ability to cross the threshold of the Veil into other planes of existence.

Origins

It has been an arguable staple between historians throughout the ages, as to where the origins of Traversion truly came from. Many argue that it was the Hytori’s greatest creation, and yet their greatest instrument to their downfall as well. Others believe it was a power that came from an outside source, and was granted to the sentient race from perhaps the Dragon Goddess Keela.

One thing was for sure though, Traversion was an exceptional ability discovered far ahead of its time. When the Hytori opened the Rift Gate to explore beyond the Aetherium, the backlash they created forever altered the veil between the realms. Thus Traversion and its practitioners, the Traversers, were deemed a very deadly threat to the foundation of society.

Initiation

Like with all disciplines of rune magic, an aspiring traverser must find a wizard who is both willing and capable of inscribing the Cardinal Rune of Traversion upon their flesh. The Rune of Traversion exposes the astral body to the Aetherium, subjecting the initiate into a meditative trance as they begin to walk the Slipspace of the world. No longer bound by the constraints of the physical world, the initiate is able to slip through the veil easily, but must bear in mind that the further they travel the easier they become lost. Many potential Traversers have become ghosts due to failing to return to their bodies, which is why most Traversers handle the initiation by Astral Projecting with their aspiring initiate; to guide them safely back to where their bodies are.

It is after the Astral Body is exposed to the Aetherium that they have to return to their physical bodies, however, and re-emerging back into the corporeal form requires a focus of effort.

Overstepping

Overstepping with Traversion tends to be a physical manifestation. The backlash of extending one’s aether too far into the Slipspace can result in a varying degrees of severity. At its most minor, dizziness, minor loss of perception and awareness begin to settle. As overstepping increases, the wizard risks subjecting themselves to the Slipspace. Severe headaches, paresthesia, some just lose consciousness from the strain, though others have been known to lose a finger, or a head, in their last attempt.

The Veiled Slipspace

The Rift Gates built by the ancient Hytori allowed them to travel to planes and worlds the likes of which the modern day Ransera can only dream of. The Boundless Empire held wonders that perhaps even the gods have forgotten about. All of that came to a cataclysmic end following the collapse of the gates. This sent a terrible backlash echoing across their vast portal network and in so doing, caused the foundations of their empire to buckle. In the moments of their desperation they called out to the gods for help and one of them answered; Malgar the Dragon God of Suffering. He promised to save them and mend the veil preventing the complete annihilation of their people. Malgar made due on his promise though the price was terrible and its aftermath forever changed the magic of teleportation. Ancient Hytori found that the magic of portals had changed and no longer could they simply open doorways and force two points together. They were introduced to the Slipspace. The Inbetween.

The Slipspace is, to put it simply, the space between spaces. It is not quite its own plane of existence so much as it is a place that serves as the liminal space bridging all other places together. It is unclear whether or not the gods created the Slipspace or simply used it as a foundation upon which to build the various planes of existence. Regardless, travelers should be wary of entering the Slipspace. It is a place filled with mysteries both wondrous and terrible, few of them created by the gods intentionally.

How It Works

Before the discovery of the Slipspace, the magic of teleportation operated on the principle of closing the distance between one point to another. This essentially created a bridge from point A to point B by pulling it closer and altering the realmspace between the two points to change the distance itself. The Slipspace operates on the principle of not closing the distance but circumventing it altogether. All places are connected to the Slipspace. The distance between Gel’grandal and Sol’Valen is only a mere step away, provided the traverser knows how to get there. This requires the use of the technique known as Spatial Mapping. Through the use of Spatial Mapping, the traverser is capable of navigating the Slipspace and in so doing, find the location that they desire to teleport to. It operates on the principle of familiarity.

The Rune of Traversion allows the user to perceive and become aware of the intricate network of pathways that connect all places together. By attuning to the proper pathways, the traverser is able to pinpoint a destination and then step through the Slipspace to that point as though there were no distance between them at all. The further from their point of origin their destination is, the more difficult it is to pinpoint and the more draining it is to go there. Interestingly enough, this ability to perceive through Spatial Mapping is believed to be tied to a Kineticists ability to perceive the Aether Flux and a Semblance mage’s ability to perceive auras. This leads many to suggest that the runes are in some way tied to one another.

Line of Sight.- The easiest spatial mapping to accomplish is that which is immediately within their line of sight. Upon stepping into the Slipspace, the traverser can instantly slip to any location that is within their line of sight in the material realm with minimal danger and effort.

Known Location- A place that the traverser is intimately familiar with and has likely visited multiple times. Provided there are no protections put in place to prevent entry, the traverser can map out their trajectory through the Slipspace and reach this destination with relative ease.

Secondhand Location- Being told a location or being given a map with coordinates is not the same as having been to a place themselves. This makes spatial mapping more difficult but still possible. The degree to which they can accurately traverse to a place told to them in this manner is diminished significantly.

Unknown Location- A place completely unknown to a traverser is a dangerous place to teleport to. They have no ability to accurately spatial map the destination and thus run the risk of getting lost within the Slipspace or teleporting wildly off from their intended location.

Misstep

A misstep is when a traverser teleports improperly. This can have a variety of results. The most obvious of which is that the teleporter will reach an unintended destination. Depending on where they wanted to go and how far it was from their point of origin, this could be frustrating but harmless. If the traverser overextends themselves, this could have the result of them leaving a piece of themselves behind while in transit. At its most extreme, the traverser does not properly spatially map out their destination and gets lost in the Slipspace, never to be seen again.

Rule of Occupation

Two objects cannot occupy the same space. This fundamental rule, whether by the nature of the magic itself or perhaps through divine design, ensures that traversers do not teleport and end up inside of a solid stone wall or worse, inside of another person. If the space the wizard would have teleported to is occupied by a solid object upon their return from the Slipspace, the wizard is bounced off of the object and lands in the nearest unoccupied space.

Abilities

Spatial Mapping

Acquired at Novice. Taking only a few moments, and in most instances it is near-instantaneous, the wizard opens their senses up to the Slipspace pathways that interconnect all locations. They then attune their aether to the appropriate pathway and then slip across that path to their intended destination by using it as a guidewire while traversing the Slipspace. The further from their point of origin their destination is, the longer it takes and the more demanding it is to attune to the proper pathway, and the more difficult it is to find.

Blink

Acquired at Novice. The Traverser can temporarily step into the Slipspace partially, ejecting from it at the designated point of focus. Spatial awareness plays a pivotal role in learning distance, as a poorly aimed blink poses small risk of injury. Repetitive use of this ability will quickly drain aether.

Hitch

Acquired at Novice. The Traverser quickly aligns the spatial pathways between themselves and an object within their field of view. They create a minute portal through which the object enters and then exits at a point that is also within their field of view. Through this method, the wizard might be able to make a sword vanish from an opponent’s hand only to reappear in the wizard’s own hand. Due to the rapidity with which the spatial pathways must be aligned to achieve this technique, it is limited in its applicability.

Vault

Acquired at Novice. The ability to Vault is that of the Traverser going a distance greater than what can be considered a Blink. This is the power by which a wizard is capable of teleporting themselves greater distances than what is immediately within their field of view. To accomplish this, the wizard attunes their aether to the appropriate pathways in the Slipspace and essentially “leaps” from their point of origin to their intended destination. The effect sees them teleported from one place to another in mere moments. The greater the distance, the more difficult it is to align the appropriate spatial pathways that they can perceive and thus the more draining it is to Vault to the intended location.

Window

Acquired at Apprentice. The Traverser uses the reflection on an object, such as a mirror, glass, or even the surface of water, to create a porthole between them and a place in mind. This allows the Traverser to scout their surroundings, and even establish communication lines with other people over vast distances.

Astral Projection

Acquired at Apprentice. The Traverser releases the Astral Body of their aether into the Slipspace, perceiving the physical world that they leave behind while being able to roam freely throughout the Slipspace. While this allows the Traverser to explore with no physical limitations, they are incapable of interacting with anything in the physical world. They can still communicate to anyone they’re projecting to, and can even alter the visibility of their Astral Body, but they must return to their physical body.

Phase

Acquired at Journeyman. The Traverser partially immerses themselves in the Slipspace, enabling their physical body to become incorporeal for a brief moment in time. This can allow them to pass through solid objects or otherwise avoid harmful attacks. More refined uses of this technique can see the wizard only phasing a specific part of their body.

Railway

Acquired at Journeyman. Attuning their aether to the flow of the pathways within the Slipspace, the Traverser coerces them into alignment so as to allow the opening of a doorway into the Slipspace itself. This effectively creates a tunnel from the point of origin to the intended destination, bypassing the physical distance and using the Slipspace as a medium for travel. Railways are straightforward. They go from one destination to another with no deviation in direction. They require sustained maintenance in order to facilitate travel and thus, most Railways can only support the transportation of a handful of people at a time. These people must travel with the Traverser in order to utilize the Railway. The greater the distance between the point of origin to the intended destination, the more exertion is required to align the spatial pathways between the two.

Ferry

Acquired at Journeyman. The Traverser quickly aligns the spatial pathways of the Slipspace around them, forcing the creation of a rapid-fire portal. This portal can be established anywhere within their field of view and be used to quickly bring another person closer to them or conversely, deposit an undesired person further away.

Conduction

Acquired at Expert. The Traverser gains the ability to restrict access to portals they have established ensuring only those whom they wish to use them are capable of entering or exiting.

Gateway

Acquired at Expert. An evolution of their mastery at portal creation, the Traverser can create a gateway capable of transporting larger amounts of people across the Slipspace. The key difference being that whereas a Railway can only lead to a singular destination, a Gateway is capable of leading travelers to multiple destinations via the same portal. As with Railway, those intending to utilize the Gateway must physically be with the Traverser responsible for its creation in order to access it. The greater the distance between the point of origin and the intended destinations, the more draining it is to maintain the gateway.

Junction

Acquired at Master. The wizard opens a doorway into the Slipspace effectively creating a great lobby of their choosing. Within this pocket space, the wizard is capable of aligning the spatial pathways of numerous destinations and opening portals to each of them simultaneously. Travelers no longer need to physically be with the Traverser to utilize or access these portals, merely be granted permission to use them by the master wizard welcoming them into their Junction space.

Farstride

Acquired at Master. So powerful is the Master Traverser that they are capable of aligning the spatial pathways in the Slipspace to allow them to cross the distance between planes of existence. While costly, a wizard of this caliber can travel from the prime material realm to the fire plane or perhaps even the Everwilds. Master Traversers have been known to even travel to the realms of the gods, if the deity is so inclined to allow such travel to take place.

Tier Progression

Novice (1-24)

Beginning traversers have a difficult time manipulating the Slipspace. While they are capable of sensing and perceiving it all around them, it can easily overwhelm them at times. They are limited to Spatial Mapping to help them build a network of possible destinations, as they expand upon their grasp of the Slipspace through Blinking. Learning to Hitch physical objects also helps develop perceptive control over the Slipspace, eventually enabling the wizard to practice longer jumps to any attuned place they have attuned to with Vault. Their limit to range is set around 50 ft. when it comes to Spatial Mapping and Blinking.

Apprentice (25-49)

With a greater sense of the Slipspace in and around them, the wizard is able to manipulate it on a more refined; yet albeit still basic level. They gain the ability to open Windows into the Slipspace using their aether, as well as the ability to disconnect the aether of their bodies to Astral Project within the Slipspace. The Apprentice can now Blink or even Hitch items with greater ease, and their range now spans at 100 ft. Their network for Vaulting can cover an entire city by now as well. Prolonged manipulation of the Slipspace still taxes their strength before long, however.

Journeyman (50-74)

Coming into their own at a greater degree as a traverser, the wizard gains the power of Phase. An ability that allows the wizard to partially immerse themselves within the Slipspace, it is entirely dependent on how the wizard utilizes the ability. The traverser is also able to generate actual portals, as well as transport living entities like mortals, through the Slipspace through the application of Railway or Ferry. They are capable of much longer periods of the use of their power before tiring, and their range expands to the majority of their region.

Expert (75-99)

A powerful manipulator of the Slipspace, the expert traverser is capable of truly incredible feats. They have obtained such a finite control of the Slipspace that they can restrict the access of their Portals through Conduction, and can warp an even larger amount of people through Gateway. They are now able to perform simple tasks, like Blinking and Hitching, twice as much before tiring out. Phasing can now immerse certain parts of the body, or all of it, for a brief extended period of time. Traverser’s who expand their network of destinations for Vaulting can cover nearly the entire continent.

Master (100)

The master traverser is truly a wonder to behold, one that induces either awe or terror depending on the use of their power. They are now capable of creating lobbies with their aether through Junction, enabling multiple places to reach the same destination at any given moment. Their range enables them to encompass even other Planes of Existence, as they gain the ability to travel to other realms through Farstride. A master traverser can fully phase their entire body within the Slipspace, and even walk within it for an extended amount of time; at the risk of running into other entities within that time.