What is it?
To start with this concept, I will define what the Enären Network truly is within the fictional universe instead of leaning on my usual style, where I discuss a concept from various perspectives and schools of thought.
In this case, I think it’s easier if I begin by explaining how I conceive the Enären Network and then explore what scholars within the fiction believe.
The Enären Network, the Ethereal of Magic, is an infinite web that upholds the worlds and keeps creation connected, unified, and systemic. Think of it as a safety net, which, at the same time, extends inward like an internal mesh.
All the worlds, and even the “void” in outer space, are traversed, connected, and contained by the Network.
It is not easy to represent the Enären Network physically, nor the Plane of Magic. This is because the Plane could be located at the center of all creation, or perhaps even outside of it, or maybe the Network itself is the Plane of Enären’s existence.
In this sense, I cannot provide a definitive answer. No mortal soul has ever visited the Plane of Magic, even though it is through the Network that Magic can exist within the Material Plane.
I like to think there is a Ring that stitches together all planes of existence: the Material Plane, the Spiritual Plane, the Dream Plane, the Elemental Plane, etc. And from that Ring, the Network extends to every corner of these planes.
In essence, the Enären Network is similar to the concept of Ley Lines, used in more than one fictional universe and originating in early 20th-century theories.
Nodes of the Network
Let’s focus on the Material Plane, where our story will take place.
Although the Network extends throughout creation, there are locations where magic flows more strongly, and this is where the concept of Nodes comes in.
There are many Nodes, places where the Enären Network flows into the Material Plane with greater intensity. These are the locations where Summoners tend to gather, where major magical natural disasters occur, or where magical paradises exist.
Energy vortices, firestorms, aqualux waterfalls, shadow crystal glaciers, and so on.
These Nodes serve various purposes and are also used to travel between worlds. We’ll explore how the network interacts with interplanar travel later on.
The Network and the Valley of the Summoners
The Valley of the Summoners in Khäria is one of the richest places in magic across all of creation.
That’s why some of the most powerful Orders of Summoners train here. Even in ancient times, all types of summoners would make pilgrimages to the Valley for intensive training, cultural exchanges, and to expand their magical knowledge.
The Valley allows its inhabitants to practice their magical abilities almost infinitely, without exhausting their physical or mental capabilities.
The explanation is simple, though we’ll see the controversy that arises from this: the Valley is one of the Nodes we mentioned earlier. But not just any node—it’s a particularly large one with high magical traffic.
I can’t reveal why the Summoners established themselves in the Valley without giving away major spoilers, so we’ll leave it there.
The Network and Interplanar Travel
The Enären Network is the reason why it is possible to travel from one world to another, although this is not an ability just anyone possesses.
Ordolite Ports and Portals that Summoners use to move between planes are situated on a node of the Network.
Creatures like the Daküni Titans must have some privileged access to the Network, which would explain why they can leap from Plane to Plane at will. This is probably also related to their connection with the other Eternals, perhaps giving them the ability to mold reality around them to create a temporary node into the Network.
Such a massive interplanar journey would require mastery over all ethereal domains:
With Türma, the ability to manipulate the Network without altering the nature and orography of the material plane.
With Örne and Ëaka, the dichotomy of Chaos and Order is similarly crucial. Without control over these domains, the material plane would be torn apart.
Mastery of Eshïra is one of the most important parts, as the body would be bound to the spirit during the interplanar journey, not the other way around.
In the case of Ports and Portals, it’s the node itself that facilitates the entire process. How these Ports and Portals were constructed, however, remains a mystery.
Controversies and Schools of Thought
The concept of the Enären Network is widely known among various magical communities. Even common folk recognize the existence of something that connects different worlds.
Whether from a religious or a scientific (or pseudoscientific) standpoint, it is acknowledged that travel between worlds is possible, especially in the Ordolite Empire, which is literally founded around the Ports.
Regarding the Ring I mentioned earlier, there are more than one theory on the subject. The two main ones—or at least the two I like to highlight—are this idea of the Ring and then the concept of the Enären Column.
This theory suggests that the Column begins in the world of Enären or the Plane of Magic, runs through all planes of existence, and reaches the so-called “Elemental Forges,” where it is believed the Ancestors were born.
For the supporters of either the Column or the Ring, they claim that the Valley of the Summoners is the central node through which the Column or the Ring passes in the Material Plane. Hence, the Valley’s strong magical presence.
Though all of this is theoretical and the existence of the Column or the Ring has not been proven, all (or almost all) schools of thought have confirmed the presence of the Network, or at least they are aware that places of greater magical richness exist.