Ether

A complement to the nether, works off of the "ideal".

Historical & Cultural Associations
The ether is heavily associated with the god Taim in lands where the Celeset is followed. Per most versions of their creation story, the ether was originally ground in Arawn's Mill before it cracked and began to grind nether. The ether is known as the stuff of firmament and permanence, in opposition to the nether's malleability.

In Mallon, where practice of the nether is outlawed, ethermancers and priests of Taim hold sway. The ether is considered emblematic of the Ideal, purity, and order. New ethermancers are typically encouraged and expected to go into the priesthood for training.

In Gask, ethermancers tend to be overshadowed by nethermancers, in part at least due to the hostility of their southern neighbors towards all things nether-related. The Endless Pillars train any stripe of sorcerer for the king's employ, and there are ethermancers in Narashtovik as well

In Tanar Atain, use of both ether and nether are off-limits, generally regarded as the domain of mad sorcerers who cause far more problems than they solve.

Applications
The ether takes the form of white light shaped into regular geometric patterns. When summoned, it is often described as beaming towards a point like sunlight. The more geometrically regular this motion the more cooperative the ether is. It's markedly different from the nether's more chaotic "flocking" motion, and can be a difficult adjustment for nethermancers just learning the ether. Much like fresh blood exponentially increases the amount of power a nethermancer can draw on, the destruction of something delicate- small glass statuettes or shells, for example- will increase the amount of power available to an ethermancer.

The actual summoning of the ether before it can be redirected to the task at hand requires a still mind, with a focus on the shape of the summons. When used for things like healing, largely restorative in nature, most of the ethermancer's mental energy is directed towards maintaining the ether rather than directing its activity.

Healing
Like the nether, the ether can be used to heal injuries and illness. While the nether focuses more on regrowth, ether-based healing tends more towards restoration, returning the injured to an ideal, healthier state. This requires fairly little direction on the ethermancer's part, at least for more straightforward healings. The ether naturally "wants" to restore things to their most perfect state, and a living body is no exception. Like the nether, the ether can be used to wipe physical exhaustion from living creatures.

Rooting
Ethereal rooting works nearly identically to the nether-based variant, adhering the target to the ground and preventing any movement. Like the nethereal variant, it’s fairly easy to counter, simply requiring the magical bonds between target and ground to be cut with nether or ether.

Restoration
The ether is often described as wanting to return things to their ideal state- this can range from repairing a chip in a cup to undoing mortal wounds. This tendency is why the destruction of something delicate will increase the amount of ether available.

Preservation
The ether can be used to seal objects and keep them in a sort of stasis, preventing their decay. This can be used on books and other artifacts, preventing the wear and tear of time, as well as on living things, like barrels full of shaden transported far from their native waters.

Tracking
The ether’s preference for whole, undisturbed ‘ideals’ makes it useful for tracking. It can be used to reveal tracks left behind by illuminating the disturbances left on the ground. This is far more difficult on surfaces like dry earth or solid stone. It’s very similar to mundane tracking, only with glowing magical hints. The ether can also be layered across the ground as a trap, so that anyone who steps into the area and then leaves will leave glowing white footprints behind them for several minutes. Layering dirt or leaves over the prints only causes the ether to glow where you disturbed the dirt or leaves. The glow only lasts a few minutes, and if the ethermancer who placed the ward dies or loses concentration, it vanishes entirely.

Energy
Similar to the nether, the ether can be used in variety of energy manipulations. It can be used to project sound and can be released as fire, heat, lightning, or straight force and blades. Gladdic once used the ether to pick a lock, but the exact mechanics of it didn’t come through with the non-Gladdic perspective on the scene.

Contemporary Ethermancers

 * Dante Galand
 * Gladdic
 * Cally
 * The Keeper
 * Cassinder
 * Gabe
 * Adaine
 * Corson

Historical & Mythological Ethermancers

 * Sedwick
 * Franric the Eldor