※ 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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"Nice little magic trick there. Mind if I borrow it?"


Planar type: Defensive
Other names: Magekiller Window, Nullpyre
Related planes: Inverse Lied
Draw: Medium-high

The second cardinal plane is known as Wastrel's Wald. Affectionately referred to as the "magekiller window" by warpjaws, this cardinal plane has the curious and tremendously useful ability to nullify any magical activity within its radius. Most individuals quickly learn to call on this plane reflexively, and many a Warpjaw has cheated death by doing so. In terms of origin and function Wald ranks as one of the more fascinating defensive planes—one that defies convention and, to date, remains shrouded in mystery.

Lying close to the "habitable" antemeridian of a tidally locked planet lies a sizeable forest in perpetual twilight, roughly 300 acres in area. The primary trees comprising this woodland are of a bizarre type of deciduous species, with bark the color of sanguine and leaves a striking azure. Throughout the forest burns a wildfire but it too is a fey thing—roaming in unpredictable spiral paths, this fire burns both pale and cold. It neither grows in size or intensity. But perhaps strangest of all? this errant conflagration burns no tree. It simply...leaves the flora untouched in its wake!

Oddly, this benighted forest seems to be the only plant life on the continent it resides on—in fact, apart from the trees themselves the forest is entirely devoid of other fauna. Barren land stretches for hundreds of miles in every direction from the wald; it's almost as if it were the only thing in the world, or perhaps more accurately that it drained everything surrounding it. That idea, ridiculous though it may sound, is actually somewhat plausible: This forest thoroughly, indiscriminately, and voraciously saps magic of any form and variety. From benign passive effects of charms and trinkets to the scathing might of higher magicks, all is simply plucked from the very air and into the foliage!

So strong is this magical pull that it even affects the rift functionality of wapjaws to some extent; visiting individuals that wander through the groves will find their trademark ability unusable (a deeply unsettling and nigh terrifying experience for them), but throughout the forest lie small "deadzones" where said ability can function. These deadzones are then in turn used as opening points for off-world warpjaws—a window may be opened within them while still utilizing the siphoning effect. By default this cardinal plane contains a handful of evenly spaced deadzones but more may be added through personal discovery. The curious thing is...more and more of these zones seem to crop up over time, which leads to speculation that the forest is actually growing! When accounting for its increasing size and the slowly growing allowance of warpjaw abilities a rather interesting theory has begun to crop up as well: a theory that this strange forest has formed a kind of "remote symbiosis" with warpjaws, that they actively feed the collective entity each time they use this cardinal plane. The fact that innumerable warpjaws all across existence can both access and utilize this plane (coupled with Wald's seemingly endless appetite) only lends significant heft to this possibility!

Unlike most other cardinal planes, Wastrel's Wald is not influenced by maw aperture in terms of function; A fully gaping maw in Valse form and a barely opened one in bi-pedal form both ostensibly lend the same draining effect. What does influence this plane's intensity of effect is location, specifically locations close to the ashen wildfire. The closer a window is to that meandering blaze the larger the radius and the stronger the draining effect—thus the incentive for a warpjaw acquiring additional deadzones. More deadzones equals more coverage, and more coverage increases odds of opening Wald near its signature forest fire!

It's possible that Bruvelighe has walked into the heart of that inferno and found himself a principal, mobile deadzone. One can only imagine how strong of an effect that can provide...but all this is just hearsay of course.
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And just like that, Cardinal Plane II is done!  VinRage was the artist for this piece, whom I strongly suggest you check out! Vin's stuff is pretty under the radar I feel, but they've got this amazing, painterly style~

Original submission here.