※ On cardinal planes ※

As the name would imply, "cardinal" planes set themselves apart from the rest of normal effect planes, towering above the multitude in both importance and function. Where warpjaws would normally find and acquire effect planes by their own efforts, cardinal planes are "hardcoded" (or pre-installed, for lack of better word) into every individual from birth, immediately accessible and ready for use. It's still unclear how or why these planes are bound to warpjaws from the outset, but the whole assortment is remarkably balanced—lending every warpjaw a set of important tools for seemingly any situation! These ten cardinal planes bear evidence of meticulous curation. This in turn sparks discussion and theory on warpjaw origins, if not creation-myth...

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Planar type: Utility
Other names: Quiescence, Esperglade
Related planes: Roiling Fulgur, Withering Sigh
Draw: Very low

The first and perhaps most frequently used cardinal plane is Hazestep—a muted gift bestowed to every warpjaw. Also known as "Quiescence," it's one of Bruvelighe's personal favorites!

Hazestep originates from an alien fen—a sprawling wetland perpetually wreathed in thick, obscuring fog. In addition to this the fen is also veiled in complete and absolute silence. Not a single sound pervades the air; neither the rustle of plants nor the lapping of water. Movement and footfalls are dampened into nothingness, and the simplest utterance of a word dies upon the lips. Whether this is caused by the fog or another unknown source none can really say, but when a warpjaw opens a window to this plane they draw forth a piece of silent eternity for personal use.

Primarily used for both ambush and evasion, Hazestep is an unparalleled stealth tool in every Warpjaw's arsenal. No breach or exfiltration is ever again noisy, no scuffle is anything more than a silent dance. Those pesky shouts of a sentry or the screams of a hapless victim? All rendered inconsequential. That said, this cardinal plane has other uses outside of stealth and combat: when deployed in noisy environments it allows warpjaws a pocket of quiet—a moment of calm to organize their thoughts or relieve their ears. Hazestep is also quite popular in silencing overly vocal individuals; to either stem dissenting opinion or to merely shut up some annoying fool (there are more conventional methods for both but they typically fall on the...violent end of the spectrum).

The range of this plane's area of effect is controlled by the size of an individual's rift aperture—a fully gaping individual can throw the dampening effect slightly upwards of 30 ft. in radius. Smaller apertures can create radii as low as 2 ft. Maw apertures of Valse form can easily double said figures. Hazestep also has the advantage of a low draw—this low upkeep cost allows the cardinal plane to remain open for longer periods of time than most others.
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Another amazing painting by  HanMonster, clocked at roughly 3 hours! This marks the first entry into the on-going cardinal plane project I've been mulling over this last year. I was originally intending to get these all written up in sequence, but as is the case, stuff comes up and procrastination happens. Even though the project is somewhat protracted now, I'm still excited to follow through and see it to the end~