Elemental Confluence (plane)
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For information on the Confluence as a hunting area see instead: Elemental Confluence
The Elemental Confluence is a nexus of interplanar collision between the Prime Elemental Planes and the material plane where Elanthia exists. It appears as a huge ribbon of energy hanging in the sky. The Confluence wandered around the nearby space of our world, having passed Bre'Naere over a decade prior. Alusius was an Aelotoi elementalist who had planned on accessing the Confluence to become one with it, but was stranded on Elanthia with the Aelotoi arrival of 5103 Modern Era. He was able to calculate its trajectory and time of arrival to Elanthia from Bre'Naere as the spring of 5115 Modern Era.
He tricked the various powers of Elanith into helping him charge the elemental soulstones he invented, using the beam of elemental energy to halt the Confluence and merge it with our local fabric of reality instead of deflecting it. When the Confluence approached it cased mana storms throughout the continent for weeks, and after the merger numerous points of elemental instability were ripped open and wandered the lands allowing access to it. Alusius chose to perform this ritual in Solhaven because of the history of valencial stresses in the region that made the barriers between worlds weaker. He is presumed to have perished upon entering the Confluence alone.
The Elemental Confluence
There is no way to map the Elemental Confluence because the elemental planes are constantly shifting against each other. The spatial directions to backtrack can move on you in an instant. The Confluence is a composite elemental plane, consisting of the various elements violently clashing. Composite elementals are overwhelmingly more common in the Elemental Confluence than in the wilds of Elanthia.
The Elemental Confluence is cleaved in its local instances by a gaping bottomless pit that separates predominantly "hot" and "cold" sides:
Hotter Side
You struggle against the shifting, rubble-strewn terrain... Roundtime: 1 sec. [Elemental Confluence - 23285] The sky is a kaleidoscope of dark copper and bronze hues as a colossal fissure of fire churns among blackened clouds like a giant maw filled with flames. Globules of lava descend from the red maelstrom, scorching the ground upon impact and smothering the landscape in coils of incandescent vapors. Obvious paths: southwest [Elemental Confluence - 23285] A fiery red-gold glaze is masterfully painted across the sky, the unnatural incarnadine clouds floating overhead looking like sinew and blood. Spindles of fire twist and churn, spiraling down to burn across the ground, leaving long and winding tracks of scorch marks. An amber haze drifts through the area, scattered to and fro by warm winds. You also see a point of elemental tranquility. Obvious paths: northeast, east [Elemental Confluence - 23298] The energy in the air is electric, with tiny bolts of white and yellow lightning dancing through the sky like the spindly legs of a thousand spiders. The ground is a wide expanse of broken greyish-brown dirt, where tiny pebbles and stones float haphazardly above the surface. You also see a huge lava elemental. Obvious paths: north, south, west, northwest [Elemental Confluence - 23292] A giant lake opens up in the center of the area, one side of it being fed by streams of water flowing down from a cavernous mountain while the other side is filled by tubes of lava winding down from another jagged mountainous range. The odd mixture of elements inside of the lake has created a huge cloud of steam that hangs low in the air as the contrasting forces collide. Obvious paths: south [Elemental Confluence - 23298] The energy in the air is electric, with tiny bolts of white and yellow lightning dancing through the sky like the spindly legs of a thousand spiders. The ground is a wide expanse of broken greyish-brown dirt, where tiny pebbles and stones float haphazardly above the surface. You also see a huge lava elemental. Obvious paths: north, south, west, northwest [Elemental Confluence - 23283] The ground rises in a sharp ascent as layers of mud and rock continuously shift upward, twisting and narrowing to form a wide-mouthed clay funnel. From the brim of the ever-expanding cone spews forth blasts of fiery red lava, which spills down over the edges and pollutes the sky with heavy black clouds of smoke. You also see a huge lightning elemental and a twisting vortex. Obvious paths: north, south, northwest >look vortex You see a spinning elemental vortex before you. Random elemental energies whirl and combine together before violently separating, and then repeat the pattern anew. The chaotic flux of the vortex is quite dangerous, as it constantly discharges raw energy all around it. The twisting vortex emits a quick succession of pops! The twisting vortex suddenly explodes with energy! A wave of crimson ethereal ripples moves outward from a twisting vortex. A huge fire elemental absorbs some of the energy of the ethereal waves. You are buffeted by the crimson ethereal waves, and knocked to the ground. You are pinned in place, unable to move. Roundtime: 5 sec. [Elemental Confluence - 23332] Enormous columns of fire billow up from the ground in huge pillars of churning flames. They bend and twist like fiery cyclones, their existence in a constant state of movement. Each burning pylon grasps up at the sky, resembling colossal red fingers trying to scorch the heavens. Obvious paths: north [Elemental Confluence - 23296] A steady downpour of stinging rain soaks the fragmented dirt and casts a thick veil of mist and fog that hangs low to the ground. Enormous boulders decorate the soaked backdrop, their forms primarily obscured by the constant deluge from above. You also see a huge steam elemental. Obvious paths: northeast, southeast, south, southwest, west [Elemental Confluence - 23294] The sky is aglow with the heat and light from a giant raging inferno that rises above the peaks of a rocky mountain range. Ribbons of orange, red, purple, and yellow hues that stretch across the distance are reminiscent of a sunset, albeit an eerie and unnatural one. Heavy shadows are thrown across the craggy hills and rutted ground as the fiery radiance seems to be slowly expanding. Obvious paths: north [Elemental Confluence - 23333] Frozen veins of lava weave across the ground like latticework, small threads of smoke still coiling up along their surface. Clusters of icy crystal have formed along the edges of a circle of oval stones, motes of cerulean light fluttering about them like blue will-o'-wisps. Heavy grey clouds swell overheard, occasionally releasing showers of fist-sized hailstones. You also see a huge fire elemental and a huge steam elemental. Obvious paths: north, northeast, southwest, west [Elemental Confluence - 23295] Great pits of lava spread out over the desolate landscape like a thousand burning red eyes of a great demon. Scorching hot vapors coil up from the fiery quarries, billowing up into the sky to create a thick opaque blanket of smoke. Obvious paths: northeast, southeast, northwest [Elemental Confluence - 23295] Reddish orange flames dot the horizon like a writhing fall of fire, a stark contrast to the huge ice-covered mountain that dominates a majority of the area here. A bone-chilling wind rushes across the landscape, tossing loose pebbles about as it swirls past. Occasionally, mammoth icicles break off from ridges along the arctic mountain, crashing and shattering on the ground below. You also see a huge lightning elemental. Obvious paths: northwest [Elemental Confluence - 23334] Murky clouds bleed across the heavens like the tattered wings of a black drake. Their amorphous surfaces crackle with energy as bolts of iridescent lightning streak down, tearing away rock and dirt with every powerful blast. The ground trembles and hums relentlessly like the persistent beating of a heart. You also see a huge steam elemental and a gaping bottomless pit. Obvious paths: north, southeast, south, west, northwest [Elemental Confluence - 23301] Gargantuan spires of ice-covered rock jut up from the ground and their peaks disappear among rolling patches of purplish-black clouds. Along the edges of the immense earthen pinnacles are thousands of icy bristles, branching out like the malformed vertebrae of an ancient demon. A deep, chilling cold clings to the air. Obvious paths: east [Elemental Confluence - 23299] The ground here is more spherical than flat, its surface littered with dozens of rugged craters. Each earthen hollow brims with steam and iridescent reddish-orange fog. An overpowering heat clings to the air, suffocating it while sending waves of shimmering energy across the sky. You also see a point of elemental tranquility. Obvious paths: southeast [Elemental Confluence - 23286] The ground is as black as obsidian, scorched and hardened over countless ages of intense heat. A shimmering bend in the air stretches across the sky a few hundred feet off the ground, where smooth, thin plates of ice float along the horizon like slender frozen clouds. Thin wisps of steam rise and fall along the edges of the flickering curve in the air. Obvious paths: south [Elemental Confluence - 23300] Convulsing globules of fire and lava bleed down from the sky, bathing the area in a ruddy crimson glow while igniting the ground all around. Thick clouds of steam roll across the blasted and uneven dirt, shrouding the area in a perpetual blanket of scorching fog. You also see some polished pink coral, and a point of elemental tranquility. Obvious paths: northeast, southwes [Elemental Confluence - 23329] Vibrations undulate through the ground, the charged pulses tearing up dirt and rock and crushing entire swathes of boulders as it travels outward in all directions. Moments later the ground reforms, healing itself as giant stones claw back up to the surface, only to collapse again beneath each additional wave of crippling energy. Obvious paths: southwest [Elemental Confluence - 23330] A naturally formed bridge of rock and hardened dirt stretches out over a shadowy pit with no light escaping its depths. Thick layers of frost cover the earthen bridge, leaving behind clusters of sharp icicles and entire strips of sleet. The air is abnormally cold. Tiny beads of moisture intermittently freeze in the atmosphere, then fall to the ground with a tattoo of percussive pops. You also see a twisting vortex. Obvious paths: southeast, northwest [Elemental Confluence - 23287] A huge earthen monolith rises in the distance, jutting up from the ground to form a jagged cone of rock. From the mountain's edges, huge boulders constantly tumble, slowly forming piles of scattered stones before they are swallowed up by fissures forming periodically along the ground. Obvious paths: southeast [Elemental Confluence - 23303] The landscape is hidden beneath inches of sloshing water, sparsely broken up by earthen spikes and icy platforms that litter the surface. The sky is an unbridled mesh of hues, ranging from dark blue to pale green as currents of energy ripple about. Tiny flakes of snow descend from above, tossed about like glistening white feathers. You also see a shard of green plinite, a green sapphire, a turquoise stone, some essence of air, and a large grey pearl. Obvious paths: north, northeast, southeast [Elemental Confluence - 23290] The air is thick with soot and ash and the sky is nearly as black as a starless night, only periodically broken up by flashes of crimson fire streaking above. Rocks can be heard colliding and breaking apart in the distance and tremors rumble faintly underfoot. Obvious paths: north, west [Elemental Confluence - 23331] Dirt and stone shift chaotically here, the ground climbing and dipping like a banner flapping in a strong wind. As the earthen ground is torn asunder, great plumes of smoke and steam briefly rise up in its wake, before once again being covered by rock and land. A resounding thunderclap reverberates across the sky, the brief glow of yellow lightning flashing beyond toothy mountainous peaks. You also see a large grey pearl, some blue lapis lazuli, and a gaping bottomless pit. Obvious paths: northeast, south
Colder Side
[Elemental Confluence - 23321] A full panorama of the elemental destruction is laid out below the lofty aerial point situated atop a high peak. The devastating geological carnage is in a continual state of changeover and metamorphosis, painting a variegated portrait of the battling raw, natural forces. To the other side, oppressive waves of rippling fire course through a hidden vale, burning away the corporeal until nothing is left but ash. You also see a gaping bottomless pit. Obvious paths: south [Elemental Confluence - 23317] A striking violet backdrop emerges from behind the storm-laden dark clouds that seethe above like a roiling nimbus sea. The intense scent of ozone pervades the air, unmoved by the sharp fluctuations in wind direction. Expanding violently across the sky, the unwieldy haze shifts and swirls, now and then erupting with slender forks of silver-white lightning. Obvious paths: north, east [Elemental Confluence - 23309] The earth repeatedly rolls itself into a series of mesas that rise to impressive heights before dissolving into nothing more than rubble. Wave after wave of fiery golden flame blazes through the dry, scorched grass underfoot, the inferno ultimately dying in a raucously boiling lake with a high-pitched fizzle. A sequence of electrical popping noises spike the air, overshadowed periodically by bouts of tempestuous thunder. You also see a huge air elemental. Obvious paths: northeast, east, south, west, northwest [Elemental Confluence - 23319] Towering formations of hardened molten rock dominate the horizon and canvas the ground in ominously unmoving shadows. Steam spews from deep cracks embedded along the rocky ebon spires, releasing a silvery mist into the atmosphere with a distracting hiss. Obvious paths: north, northeast [Elemental Confluence - 23304] A narrow strip of land extends across a lake of gurgling lava, forming a treacherous bridge. The low clouds glow with a sanguine hue as they reflect the molten rock. Anvil lightning lights the clouds with bright flashes of orange before traveling straight down to strike the lake, sending lava splashing high into the air. Obvious paths: southwest [Elemental Confluence - 23308] Sizzling tongues of glowing red-orange fire unfold mid-air, feverishly licking at a half-melted wall of opaque white ice. Deeply grooved furrows in the stony expanse drain the constant influx of water away from the glacial mass, disappearing down slivered zigzagging fractures in the terrain. Intermittently, harsh winds rake over the land and cast the spindrift back into the ice mass with a muted whipping sound. Obvious paths: southeast, west [Elemental Confluence - 23312] The endless transformation of the outlying territory is incredible to behold as land, lava, and sea materialize in and out of existence, warring with each other for superiority over the area. One long clefted ridge of burnished obsidian remains untouched by the chaos and stretches farther than the eye can see. Tucked below in its shadow, a barren valley runs the length of the imposing formation and is cloaked in an ethereal silver fog. Obvious paths: northwest [Elemental Confluence - 23319] Towering formations of hardened molten rock dominate the horizon and canvas the ground in ominously unmoving shadows. Steam spews from deep cracks embedded along the rocky ebon spires, releasing a silvery mist into the atmosphere with a distracting hiss. Obvious paths: north, northeast [Elemental Confluence - 23325] The terrain is a thick quagmire of mud and crushed rock. Bubbles rise to the surface with wet gurgles, sending malodorous vapor into the air. Fiery jets shoot up from the depths of the muck, occasionally igniting the vapor with sickly virescent sparks. Obvious paths: east, southwest [Elemental Confluence - 23318] Tiny pebbles are sucked into small cyclones and spit out as deadly projectiles, many nearby rock formations full of deep grooves as a result of constant and unrelenting pelting. Irregular patches of ice blanket the ground, making advancement dangerous. You also see a large black pearl and a diamond-eyed silver verlok'asha that is flying around. Obvious paths: west [Elemental Confluence - 23325] The terrain is a thick quagmire of mud and crushed rock. Bubbles rise to the surface with wet gurgles, sending malodorous vapor into the air. Fiery jets shoot up from the depths of the muck, occasionally igniting the vapor with sickly virescent sparks. You also see a huge air elemental. Obvious paths: east, southwest A frigid mist gathers around you and quickly spreads to cover much of the surrounding area. When the mist dissipates, you notice the ground has become an uninterrupted slick surface stretching in all directions. The ice patch melts away.
Rifts
The Confluence side manifests in Elanthia as "points of elemental instability", and Elanthia as "points of elemental tranquility."
Entering the Confluence:
Failure: >look inst The air is oddly warped and distorted here, almost as if something unseen was trying to push through from the other side of an invisible barrier. Every so often a waft of heat is emitted from the anomaly, which quickly reseals itself. >push instability with soulstone You approach the elemental instability, pushing your multicolored soulstone into the fluxing energy before you. Unfortunately, you are unable to properly control the flow of essence between the multicolored soulstone and the elemental instability and are driven back by a vicious blast of air!
Success: >push instability with soulstone You approach the elemental instability, pushing your multicolored soulstone into the fluxing energy before you. Essence trapped within your soulstone begins to flow through you and into the elemental instability, briefly opening a gateway to another realm that draws you in instantly! You feel drained as some of your own essence is drawn off too! Elemental energies explode all around you as you hurtle through a twisting elemental vortex. Fortunately, the vortex seems to accept you as one of its own and allows you clear passage. You feel yourself moving through an unseen but disturbingly spongy barrier! You no longer hear voices in your mind. You no longer feel so dextrous. You feel your extra strength departing. The air about you stops shimmering. You return to normal color. The glowing specks of energy surrounding you suddenly shoot off in all directions, then quickly fade away. You become solid again. Like sand through an hourglass, your visions of the future slip away and fade from your mind. You feel your forehead pulse as your mind relaxes. You suddenly burst through the insubstantial membrane and land gracefully in an alien realm.
Exiting the Confluence:
>look tran You see an odd patch of absolute elemental tranquility. It seems immune to the elemental energy fluctuating all around it, like a small oasis of calmness in an otherwise raging storm. >go tranquility As you push yourself up against the elemental tranquility, you suddenly feel it give way! You tumble through a black void, illuminated only by a rapidly approaching pinprick of light. Just as you are about to strike the source of the light, it wraps around you, and you realize that you are back in Elanthia!
Switching Sides:
A gaping bottomless pit opens up before you! >look pit You see a gaping pit before you. Peering in, it stretches down into pitch blackness. >go pit You plunge down the bottomless pit! However, after mere moments your rapid descent begins to slow as gravity seems to shift around you! Your gut-wrenching disorientation comes to an abrupt end as you are shot out of the ground and land beside another bottomless pit in surroundings completely different than before!
Behind the Scenes
The storyline from the arrival of the Elemental Confluence is very similar to Star Trek: Generations, where the Alusius NPC even physically resembles Malcolm McDowell. The Confluence formally reintroduced old concepts of mana storm properties and explicitly brought back the phrase flows of essence. Alusius claimed elemental mana in this world came from the Confluence, similar to the rift in Shadow World.