12.17.19 The Elemental Fringes

THE ELEMENTAL FRINGES

At the very borders of Elemental dominion lies the Fringes, liminal spaces where primal forces collide, fracture, and reknit themselves in aberrant fusions. Here, the sovereignty of Kkractle, Garash, Sllshya, and Whiirh is unrecognized, their influence intermingling without structure or coherence, producing warped landscapes and volatile phenomena. Native elementals born of flux prowl these borderlands, their extreme aggression and unstable behavior leading the pure Elements to classify them as failed expressions of form.

In the year 981AF, violent elemental upheavals ripped open several planar rifts within the Elemental Planes, revealing the Fringes to those of the Prime for the first time.

BLISTERWASH CALDERA

Where Fire and Water meet lies Blisterwash Caldera, a geothermal basin cloaked in stinging vapour and hot steam. Shallow pools of sulphuric water fill mineral-crusted depressions, displaying a variety of hues from deep reds to sickly yellows and acidic greens. Much of the ground remains dry and brittle despite the surrounding moisture, fractured from persistent cycles of heat and cooling.

You can travel to Blisterwash Caldera through the stabilised rifts at:

    'Hot spring on the Grasp' within the Elemental Plane of Fire (v52824)
    'Irradiated by a dazzling sunbeam' within the Elemental Plane of Water (v53301)

EMBERVEIL

It is within Emberveil that gusts of Air fan the enduring heat of Fire, shaping a desert of scorching winds and phantasmagorical light. Mirage-laden dunes stretch outward in every direction, their shifting forms obscuring the true scale of the land. Even the skies are unsettled, with colour and cloud twisting into mountains, fortresses, and other impossible forms that leave one to wonder which are merely tricks of the desert.

You can travel to Emberveil through the stabilised rifts at:

    'Edges of the Blight' within the Elemental Plane of Fire (v52857)
    'A sweltering cloud platform' within the Elemental Plane of Air (v65261)

THE DUSTSONG SPIRE

Defying the weight of Garash, the Dustsong Spire is a high scrubland where Air and Earth intermingle across ground and sky. Sparse shrubs cling to the flat, arid ground in spite of scouring winds and sudden, violent dust storms. Across the dry plains rise cragged boulders and columns of stone that float mid-air, their porous faces singing a hollow song as gusts of wind blow through them.

You can travel to the Dustsong Spire through the stabilised rifts at:

    'Windswept expanse' within the Elemental Plane of Earth (v53813)
    'A rumbling cloud platform' within the Elemental Plane of Air (v65474)

FENROT GLADE

Where Water festers and Earth decays, Fenrot Glade sprawls as a mire of stagnant shallows and choking muck. Rotting mangroves stand along an algae-slick shore, their roots buried in decaying plant life and soft, sodden ground. Inland, dried mudflats stretch in cracked plates and ridges, strewn with rocks, roots, and the eroded remains of old mudslides.

You can travel to Fenrot Glade through the stabilised rifts at:

    'Beside a small oasis' within the Elemental Plane of Earth (v53753)
    'Among pitch-black seaweed' within the Elemental Plane of Water (v53315)

THE CRUST

Forged of both Fire and Earth, the Crust rises as a jagged monument of searing stone and molten rage. Sheer cliffs of blackened rock fracture into crumbling ledges upon the volcano's mountainside, and fiery lava flows cascade downwards in slow, but relentless marches. At its base yawns a vast fissure, its depths churning with incandescent magma, casting a blistering glare into the smoke-choked environment.

You can travel to the Crust through the stabilised rifts at:

    'Burning crater' within the Elemental Plane of Fire (v34660)
    'A parched plain' within the Elemental Plane of Earth (v53843)

ICEFALL REACH

Bound by the chill of Air and the frozen depths of Water, Icefall Reach endures as an immense iceberg adrift upon a ceaseless, heaving ocean. From its fractured cliffs rise jagged spires of ice, their surfaces scoured by relentless gales. Storms batter its expanse with snow and sleet, veiling the towering shards and carving new forms into the broken landscape.

You can travel to Icefall Reach through the stabilised rifts at:

    'Wind-whipped waves' within the Elemental Plane of Water (v52665)
    'A chilly cloud platform' within the Elemental Plane of Air (v65583)

ELEMENTAL PILLARS

Erected and empowered by the actions of adventurers in the year 982AF, the Elemental Pillars found within the Fringes act as stabilising conduits to the pure Elemental Planes. Each area within the Fringes boasts two pillars related to that area's two base elements. For example, a swirling pillar of Sllshya and a fiery pillar of Kkractle in Blisterwash Caldera.

These pillars can be TOUCHed to teleport you to face a paramount elemental in the heart of its domain. Be warned: these elementals are significant challenges designed to be fought in groups, and their defeat is worthy enough to be noted on one's honours.

ELEMENTAL FLUX

While stable enough to be trodden upon, the Elemental Fringes are still volatile landscapes left to the whim of primordial forces. Over time, each area within the Fringes will accumulate Elemental Flux, eventually surpassing a threshold and causing the area's instability to increase. 

These different states of Elemental Flux have unique effects on the area:

Low Flux
---
15% XP Bonus


Medium Flux
---
25% XP Bonus
More powerful denizens are more likely to spawn.
Spawn rates are increased.


High Flux
---
50% XP Bonus
More powerful denizens are more likely to spawn.
Spawn rates are increased.
A wandering, honours-level boss awakens in the area.
*Area-specific weather phenomena

*The effects of the weather phenomena vary between different areas in the Fringes.

Elemental Flux rises naturally over time, though it can be hastened by slaying hybrid elementals within the area. Once an area enters a state of high flux, it will remain in that state for approximately 25 hours before returning back to low flux. This cycle repeats independently for all areas within the Fringes.

You can use see the flux status of the Elemental Fringes using the PLANARFLUX command.