Nexus

Nexuses are locations in either Xadia or the Human Kingdoms where the magic of certain Primal Sources are at their purest and most powerful. Each Primal Source has a nexus.

The Moon

The nexus of the Moon Primal is the Moon Nexus, a mountaintop lake whose waters reflect the full moonlight perfectly. It is located at the top of the Cursed Caldera in Katolis. Located near the nexus are the ruins of the Moonhenge shrine, a sacred ritual site where ancient Moonshadow Elves would perform fantastic rituals, using the power of the nexus to open a portal to a shimmering plane between life and death.

The Moonhenge was destroyed by the Moonshadow Elves themselves when Xadia was divided, preferring to destroy it, rather than risk it falling into human control. Ever since then, the nexus has had a lone Moon mage acting as its guardian, using illusions of terrifying nightmare monsters to scare people away, which is how the Cursed Caldera got its name.

After Aaravos was freed from his prison, he and Claudia "inverted" the Moon Nexus, and all the tormented spirits with unfinished business who were trapped in the in-between were released into the world of the living.

The Sky

The nexus of the Sky Primal is the Storm Spire, a mountain which lies beyond the Midnight Desert. It is the highest point in all of Xadia, a needle of stone that is so tall, it pierces the sky. Upon reaching a certain height, the air surrounding the Storm Spire starts to become thin, making it difficult to breathe properly. Dragons and magical creatures that are connected to the Sky Primal are immune to the thin air's ill effects. However, other creatures, such as humans and elves, require a breathing spell.

Ancient Archdragons of the Sky carved a palace out of solid stone inside of it, which became the lair of the current dragon monarchs. It is from this perch in the sky where Avizandum and Zubeia kept a fearless watch over the magical lands of Xadia prior to their deaths.

The vast plains that surround the Storm Spire are known as "Thunderfall", as they became the deathbed of Avizandum, also known in the Human Kingdoms as "Thunder", for his world-shaking voice. His petrified body stands on the plains like a memorial statue.

The Sun

The nexus of the Sun Primal is the Sunforge, a tower located in the heart of the Sunfire Elves' fortified city of Lux Aurea. Its powerful light is fueled by a surrounding field of mirrors in the shape of Sol Regem's horns; they reflect the Sun's primal energy into the central orb at the top of the tower. Legend says the Great Orb was bestowed upon the Sunfire Elves by the Sun itself, though in reality, it actually started out as a Sun Seed that was nurtured by generations of Sunfire Elves until it became the Great Orb that it is today. The magic of the Sunforge has been used to infuse Sunforge weapons and equipment with immense heat that does not cool down for centuries.

Ever since Aaravos corrupted the Sunforge, it has been spawning monstrosities all over Lux Aurea. A single scratch from one of these monstrosities will cause the corruption to spread like a plague, infecting all creatures, including humans, elves, horses, Banthers, and dragons, fully corrupting them after a few days. These corrupted monstrosities avoid the sunlight and only come out at night. There is no known cure, and the infected had to be killed. Efforts to purify the Sunforge were largely unsuccessful, and Lux Aurea was abandoned.

The only known counter against the corruption are the mushroom-based potions and salves produced by the Earthblood Elf mage, Mukho. However, the mushroom treatment is only known to have ever been utilized on a creature that was not full corrupted yet. It is unknown if it would be effective on a fully corrupted creature. Additionally, the treatment takes time and the corruption victim needs a lot of rest, preferably in isolation, as the corruption could still be dangerous to others.

After releasing the tormented spirits from the Moon Nexus, Aaravos went to Lux Aurea, intending to use the Great Orb to block out the Sun and bring about eternal night, as the spirits were vulnerable to sunlight. Janai and Amaya attempted to destroy the Great Orb before he could get to it, but they were betrayed by Karim, who at the time was the only Sun Mage skilled enough for the job. Karim tried to bargain with Aaravos, but the Startouch Elf killed him and took the Orb.

The Archdragons arrived to battle Aaravos, destroying the field of mirrors, and managed to destroy his mortal vessel, but doing so resulted in an enormous super-explosion that killed the Archdragons. It is unknown what effect this explosion had on the Orb and the tower.

The Earth

The nexus of the Earth Primal is Umber Tor, a great mountain range in the far east of Xadia. The mountain is partly surrounded by the Drakewood, a region of the Uncharted Forest and home to a highly territorial tribe of Earthblood Elves known as the Drakeriders.

The mountain has several underground caverns. There are two entrances to Umber Tor; the first entrance is the Great Gates, guarded by two stone guardians named Terbium and Chert. The second entrance is the secret back entrance; the Path of Despair, accessed through the Pit of Despair in the village of the Earthblood Elves known as the Drakeriders. The Path of Despair involves passing through the three "Zones of Peril". While the Great Gates are dragon-sized, the Path of Despair is accessible only to smaller creatures, such as humans and elves.

It was also the lair of Rex Igneous, an Archdragon of the Earth, prior to his death in the battle against Aaravos. It is unknown what became of his lair afterwards.

The Ocean

The nexus location of the Ocean Primal has yet to be revealed.

The Stars

The nexus location of the Star Primal has yet to be revealed.

Trivia

• A "nexus" is "a means of connection", "tie", "link", or "a connected series or group".