Wellings and Rifts

Absent a focused study of Eberron cosmology, I can speak briefly upon the phenomena of wellings and realm rifts with the hope that it will inform the reader regarding the incidents at Aelmor Island.

Wellings

Wellings, though the nomenclature may confuse, occur commonly throughout Eberron, but they manifest in two specific forms. The first, of course, being when a plane of existence floating within the rings of Siberys draws close to the world of Eberron, causing a link between Eberron and that plane, through which the plane can exercise influence upon the world itself. Areas where this influence becomes strong are known as "manifest zones," and the influence of the plane generally reflects that plane's character. This happens frequently, and, in fact, is happening now all over the world.

The second manner in which this can occur include manifest zones that exist independently from the proximity of the plane to which they bear affinity. For example, especially lonely and forlorn graveyards often retain a link to the plane of death, Dolurrh, simply by the energies that arise and reside there. Often, to avoid confusing these independent manifest zones with the proximity-triggered varieties, scholars name them "wellings" or "wellings of worlds."

Such a thing came about at Aelmor, though not naturally. Because an ancient war with the quori caused Dal Quor to be forever severed from influencing Eberron-- except through dreams, of course-- there cannot be proximity-induced manifest zones of that plane. Neither can quori enter Eberron through planar gates or summoning spells. Over the centuries, the wicked quori have made much of other methods necessary to bypass this restriction, including, but not limited to, possession of dreaming minds through which they maintain control in the waking world.

However, if the legends of the Monosis are true, the welling of worlds at Aelmor first came about because the quori warlord Narkul the Collector attempted to extract the secrets of entering Eberron from one of the Rathta Falu known as The Magician. Deceived, Narkul stepped into a trap, and was caught between worlds, his hand severed as he reached into the mortal realm, yet could not enter fully. That moment created the thinning of the barriers at Aelmor and caused the welling of worlds.

This would have continued, but for the finding of the hand by Anthomodus, and the attempted opening of the welling. As Anthomodus attempted to complete his powerful spell, the hand was cut off him, releasing a backlash that turned the rather harmless welling of worlds into an all-out realm rift!

Realm Rifts

Realm rifts, once thought impossible by planar scholars, cause tears in the Ethereal Plane, their tendrils reaching to random, unsuspecting Prime worlds that border upon the ether. Innocent objects, people, and even artifacts and horrible beasts may be unknowingly seized by the edges of a realm rift and brought spiraling into its center, deposited, as with the bulp Bufo, into a foreign world. How do we close a realm rift? Well, the first step certainly requires that we take the particulates out of it, as if we were sealing up a wound- get the hand out of there and destroy it!