Mana Currents
Concept of Mana
Overview
In the archipelago, the behavior of mana is as unpredictable as the sea itself. If the ocean is the body of Makai, the Mana Currents are its arteries. These are massive, foundational navigational currents that snake through the seas, distinct from the surrounding water. While the Mana Currents serve as the stable "rivers" of the world, the way mana overflows into the environment can result in either a blessing or a catastrophe.
Pristmatic Waves
Unlike ordinary seawater, Mana Currents are vividly colorful. They appear as shifting ribbons of bright aquas, golds, blues, pinks, and lavenders. To an observer, they look like a vibrant, liquid aurora Borealis flowing within the deep.
The Aurora Effect
Mana is constantly "wafting" off the surface of these currents. This creates a shimmering mist or a low-hanging aurora that dances above the water, acting as a beacon for navigators and travelers.
Spirit Highways
These currents are the primary path for "Manafestations" - ghosts, ancient spirits, and echoes of magic. These spirits can be seen leaping in and out of the currents like playful dolphins, tethered to the magical foundation of the stream.
Mana Blooms
While the currents are the steady "rivers," Mana Blooms are the moments when that mana overflows. A bloom is a phenomenon where excess energy spills out from the greater currents and saturates the local waters.
The Glittering Tides
During a bloom, the water begins to sparkle with a bioluminescent glow. It looks as though the stars have fallen from the sky and are suspended in the surf, clinging to the sand and the fur of those who swim through it.
Lunar Potency
While swells can happen anywhere, they are most visually spectacular under the light of a full moon. The moon acts as a celestial magnet, pulling the mana toward the surface and causing it to "bloom" in a brilliant display of liquid starlight.
The Brighttide Connection
During the Brighttide season, these blooms are at their peak and considered omens of extreme good fortune. It is believed the Moon Goddess walks the shores during these blooms, and islanders often whisper their wishes into the "star-water".
Mana Swells
While Mana Blooms are a celebration of light, Mana Swells are a localized magical disaster. A swell occurs when excess mana becomes corrupted and collapses in on itself, turning a source of life into a violent, consuming squall.
The Broiling Whirlpools
During a swell, the water transforms into a dark, erratic whirlpool and storm of energy. This festering, nightmarish void leeches the color from its surroundings and can brew slowly like a storm or appear with sudden, unpredictable violence. Many sinister eyes form within, blinking and darting about the chaotic currents. As it forms, the air becomes thick and foreboding, filled with an unnatural metallic tang that signals the mana has begun to collapse.
Environmental Corrosion
A swell is noxious, feral, and deeply poisonous. The mana turns the surrounding water into a corrosive environment that physically corrupts any who touch it. Bleached coral reefs, sickened wildlife, and twisted and mutated forms are common after-effects of its destruction.
The Blighted Wake
Regarded as the ultimate bad omen, a swell represents a "wound" in the world where the currents become choked, requiring time or intensive intervention to heal. These are considered high-risk areas - only the most experienced explorers or specialized purifiers with protective charms dare to go near an active swell.