Netherpower was a form of entropic, non-conformational radiation that was emitted by Ugrite crystals. Its name was derived from The Nether Fountain, the source of ugrite on Legere. Many Legerians also referred to netherpower as anti-magic or anti-magical radiation, thanks to its infamous properties of disrupting magic. Carnites’ bones, which had nanoscopic fragments of ugrite throughout them, were also imbued with a lower potency of netherpower.
Netherpower was an extremely dangerous phenomenon because it was the sole thing capable of completely shutting down magic on Legere. The Arcane Hand was known to be strongly against any form of netherpower usage, even though some Destrian scientists performed extensive research into useful applications of netherpower.
Function
Netherpower was able to eliminate the flow of the arcane by annihilating archons. Anti-magical radiation was characterized by the emission of subatomic anti-archons, sometimes called nether archons, which cancelled out true archons upon collision with them. Stronger sources of netherpower had a more potent effect in terms of eliminating magic by emitting thicker “clouds” of nether archons.
Weak Sources
Weak sources of netherpower included things like Carnite bones. They usually lacked the ability to outright nullify magic, but could stifle arcane currents enough to weaken the potency of what a mage would typically be able to do.
Strong Sources
Strong netherpower sources were usually shards of Ugrite, which themselves were a sort of anti-Arcanoform. Ugrite was potent enough to outright nullify magic, although the effective range was still dependent on total mass. A small piece of ugrite might only disrupt magical abilities when directly penetrating the flesh of a mage, while the very large ugrite heart of The Nether Fountain nullified magic within several miles.
Usage
Netherpower was the key force behind Ugrite weapons, and also the central phenomenon behind the power of Netherwielding.
Consequences
The magical nature of Legere was always at odds with what netherpower was. Netherpower was a distinctly alien, eldritch energy that served no purpose but to disrupt the natural state of the world. The wildlife of the Dawn Wastelands are often cited as examples of what kind of results could arise from widespread netherpower radiation.
The more magical a creature was, the greater the mutations could become in response to the deletion of the fundamental forces at play in their biology.
Case Studies
Gogs
After the Vile Comet struck Dawn Isle, the anti-magical radiation of The Nether Fountain caused these highly magical rodents to devolve into teeming masses of flesh covered in eyeballs. While horrific in appearance, they were totally docile in nature. Gogs lived to creep over the land, absorbing what plants and flora they could find for nutrients. Often times they were found near the farmlands of wherever the Cuprum Nomads had currently set up their camp. They proved to be annoying pests, constantly trying to assimilate crops. They were easily dealt with by the heavy-handed usage of a weapon (or just a broom).
Link to originalRôtersik
Following The Calamity, the anti-magical radiation caused bounding ursas to mutate into grotesque slug monsters. They possessed two surprisingly dextrous 4-fingered limbs, as well as a large cartilage and bone based “cannon” on its back. They absorbed a high concentration of radioactive particles due to their diet of decaying flesh irradiated by the Nether Fountain’s persistent aura. Rôtersik could pump this radiation out of their cannon, combined with their own excrement, creating a deadly, debilitating radioactive sludge. This sludge was used to poison prey to death—as rôtersik moved very slowly, they preferred to let their radioactive sludge weaken and kill their prey as they slowly follow after it. Consuming irradiated prey fed back into the rôtersik’s hunting loop, as they now had more radioactive material to work with.
Link to originalVennix
A colony of dragons that once lived on Dawn Isle were horribly mutated by The Nether Fountain’s appearance, transforming into mindless mutant worms that burrow through the wasteland’s dusty dunes. With a length of up to 15 meters, vennix were easily noticeable as they swam through the oceans of dust.
Link to original