Who is the Lady of the Night

In Valemount magic comes from a place known as The Ley Lines

These are channels of raw magical energy that flow like invisible rivers beneath the surface of the earth. From which they form a complex web, and their points of intersection are known as nexuses—places of immense power. These nexuses serve as conduits through which magic can be amplified, but they are also the places where the boundary between life and death, the physical world and the supernatural, is weakest. Which makes them vulnerable to all people with insatiable power hunger.

The Nexus Points: The most powerful nexus in Valemont lies beneath Valemont Keep, where multiple ley lines intersect and converge. While the smaller nexus points are scattered across the city, particularly beneath the Cathedral of Radiance of the order of the sun and the Forgotten Gardens, and the Velis River. These locations are considered sites of religious importance, magical rituals, and supernatural occurrences in Valemount not easily accessible by the commoners of the lower districts.

In these Ley lines and nexus points there is Flow of Energy this is due to the ley lines being constantly in motion, pulsing with energy that canonly be controlled by those who understand how to channel it with there magic. However, the lines can also be corrupted or drainedas said by the myths and legends of Valemount. This weakening of the ley lines is said to have caused magical instability, even though these rumors were never actually confirmed there are those who believe this to be the cause of all the weird things that have been happening in Valemount such as unpredictable phenomena occuring throughout the city, such as undead rising, magical storms but these events have mostly been said to only occur in the forgotten Gardens of Valemount just as the order has said but what could they be hiding by surprising so much information from the public.

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Three Types of Ley Magic in Valemount 

The magic that flows through the ley lines can be tapped into in various ways, and over the centuries, scholars, mages, and supernatural entities have developed distinct forms of Ley Magic.

These forms are said to differ in their approach to controlling the flow of ley energy, their intended effects, and the risks involved.

1. Solarian Magic: The Magic of Light and Balance

Solarian Magic is the most widely practiced form of ley magic in Valemont, particularly among the Order of the Sun. This type of magic is focused on the balance between light and darkness, life and death, and is used to heal, protect, and purify. The goal of Solarian Magic is to maintain the natural cycles of the world and ensure that the ley lines remain in harmony.

Power Source: Solarian magic draws power from the Sun Nexus, a ley line intersection beneath the Cathedral of Radiance. This nexus is directly tied to the energy of the sun, and practitioners of Solarian Magic use this connection to access divine light.

Abilities:

Healing Light: Users can channel the light of the sun through the ley lines to heal wounds, cure diseases, and purify corruption.

Divine Wards: They can create wards of protection that block out dark magic and harmful supernatural forces. These wards are commonly used to protect sacred sites and important individuals.

Ley Shielding: Advanced users can create shields of pure light that are impervious to physical and magical attacks, though these shields draw heavily on the ley lines and can weaken them over time.

Drawbacks: Solarian Magic is dependent on balance—using too much of the ley line's power can destabilize the lines, causing backlash in the form of ley line disruptions or weakening natural barriers between realms. Practitioners must constantly be aware of how much energy they are drawing and for what purpose.

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2. Umbral Magic: The Magic of Shadows and Death

Umbral Magic is the darker counterpart to Solarian Magic, practiced in secret by those aligned with the supernatural forces of shadow and death. This magic focuses on the manipulation of death, decay, and the blurring of boundaries between the living and the dead.

Power Source: Umbral magic draws from shadow nexuses—points in the ley lines where the energy of death and decay is strongest. One of these shadow nexuses lies beneath the Forgotten Gardens, a place long associated with hauntings and necromancy.

Abilities:

Necromancy: Users of Umbral Magic can raise the dead, using the ley lines to bind spirits to their old bodies or summon ghosts to do their bidding.

Shadowbinding: This ability allows the practitioner to bind shadows to physical objects or living beings, turning shadows into weapons or imbuing them with temporary life.

Death's Veil: Advanced users can manipulate the ley lines to cloak themselves in shadow, becoming invisible to the naked eye and capable of moving through solid objects as if they were ghosts.

Drawbacks: Umbral Magic is extremely dangerous, as it taps into forces that are inherently destructive. Overuse can lead to corruption of both the user and the surrounding environment, causing ley line ruptures, which may result in undead plagues, cursed ground, or even the collapse of the line itself.

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3. Ecliptic Magic: The Forbidden Balance of Light and Shadow

Ecliptic Magic is a forbidden form of magic practiced by the now-extinct order , who believed that the only way to truly control the ley lines was by mastering both light and shadow. This magic blends the powers of Solarian and Umbral Magic, allowing the user to create perfect balance between the opposing forces.

Little is known about this magic other than it is more powerful than umbral magic and Solarian Magic

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As Elara is sitting at her desk she is brainstorming about the resent vision she had last night 

"What was that surely.... a child calling me mum and what was that thing....." 

She taps slowly by the tip of her finger nails trying to come up with the name

"Yes. Order of the Balance." 

"But I have never had of such an order ever existing in Valemount only that damned order of the Sun. Ahhhh!!" 

She scratches her hair but then stands up from her seat her high heels clicking against the old rotten wooden floor of her office and her hands in crossed behind her her back 

Click. Click. Click.

"There is only one person who can help me with this in Valemount. He is the only person who can help me in that place."

She hurries and picks up her purse which was just on top of her brown desk and closes the door behind her heading somewhere 

"Since today the clinic is not that busy I can leave early today." She says to her self as she leaves 

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Some metal hits another metal click! Clang! In a rhythmic fashion in a way that shows someone is coming but this is not one person these are several people wearing numerous layes of armor with the golden logo of the Order of the sun branch of the Inquisitors.

They arrive at Elara's office 

Bang! Bang! 

One of the Inquisitors knocks loudly on the poor old door but are greeted with cold silence from the other side 

An elderly woman comes with her old walking stick hitting light on the floor creating soft sounds of creaking sounds from the floor.

"Young men are you here looking for Elara?" Her voice weak and soft from her age 

"Yes! Old woman do you happen to know where the healer is." The head of the group of five responds rather harshly. This visibly shakes the sweet old lady up.

"Please..... Do not speak that way to me my sons... I have also come to look for Elara but I don't know where she could have gone but I heard she just left a few minutes ago before we both arrived...."

Before she could even finish talking the leader of the group leaves rudely as if he just realized how much time he was know wasting almost knocking off the old woman.

Before she falls one of the men who was trailing behind caught her and apologizes on the behalf of the his leader 

"Please forgive him... Granny you know about the things that have been happening in Valemount lately have put the boss in a compromising situation and under pressure to solve it"

*Please son do not worrying I was just.. Nevermind you go am okay you know that man can punish you for helping me so just leave." The old woman responds nicely. 

Before leaving the man hands over the woman money worth 500 Rays and leaves in a hurry 

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For all Elara knew since childhood was that The order of the sun was arguably the most powerful organization in Valemount since they controlled literally three quarters of Valemount she remembers what her parents had always told her while she was young she remembers very much how her father explained to her who they were since they kept on coming to their house and severally saw her father wearing the Inquisitors amor 

'The Order of the Sun is the dominant and powerful religious faction in Valemont and is deeply involved with both the city's politics and its cultural identity. You know it was founded centuries ago, the Order is dedicated to the worship of Solarius, the Sun God, who represents life, light, and the eternal cycle of day and night. As the most powerful and influential religious body in Valemont, the Order wields immense power, both spiritually and politically, and its influence stretches into nearly every inch of the city's governance." He would say.

Before continuing 

"At the core of the Order of the Sun's beliefs is the idea of balance between light and dark, life and death, and the physical and spiritual realms. They believe that Solarius is the ultimate source of all life, and that the Sun is both a symbol of enlightenment and a purifier of the soul. The Order teaches that the world is governed by cycles—day and night, birth and death—and that true enlightenment can only be achieved by maintaining harmony with these natural cycles." 

Although at the time she did not understand what her father used to tell her but as time went by and she grew up learning and witnessing the extent of the power of the order wielded in Valemount's daily affairs such as:

1. Healing and Protection: The Order operates several hospitals and infirmaries throughout the city, where the sick and injured are cared for without charge. They also provide spiritual guidance to those in need and offer protection from the supernatural forces that threaten the city.

2. Judicial Power: The Order holds significant power over the city's judicial system, often deciding the fates of criminals and heretics. Their influence over the Magisterium, the ruling council of Valemont, allows them to control legal matters, particularly in cases related to magic or the undead.

3. Military Influence: The Order's military arm, the Sun's Sword, serves as Valemont's primary defense force against supernatural threats. These warriors are highly trained and are often dispatched to deal with magical anomalies, rogue mages, or dark creatures that threaten the city's safety.

4. Cultural Influence: The Order also shapes the culture of Valemont through art, music, and public festivals. They sponsor the Festival of the Dawn, a week-long celebration marking the day when Solarius is said to have first appeared in the world. This festival is filled with rituals, feasts, and displays of devotion, uniting the people of Valemont under the banner of th

e Sun.

And always remembering the verse her father would make her memorize 

"The Sun never sets on the righteous."

But did that save him from his fate which throughout his life supported in their cause that night 

Elara brushes off the thought and refuses to remember any further since it only brings up painful memories of the past 

Finally she arrives at:

Solarian Orphanage

"I hope that he can help me with the information that I want and need." She mutters to herself as she enters one of the only wealthiest places in the Lower Districts 

The gate huge and magestic painted in the golden colour of the sun a symbol of power of the lord Solaris and the huge symbol of the order of the sun.

End of chapter 3