Lumite

“Kaos lives everywhere you look, but it is only within Lumite that it chooses to rest.” – Excerpt from the Akari “Book of Kaos.”

Kaos, known as magic to the uninitiated, is one of the most powerful forces on Lyra. The Akari Order teaches that Kaos is possibility and that the very nature of existence is dependent on this probability, that it is everywhere and part of everything. Despite this, for most, it takes years of Akari training to even see Kaos, much less harness its power.

For common people (non-Akari), the one accessible source of Kaos is Lumite. Lumite is a rare element on the mainland of Lyra that makes up the majority of the Arcus and can be found within Skyland cores. Lumite in its crystal form, Lumite has a unique vibrational frequency that attracts and stores Kaos. Within the vibration field of Kaos are many frequencies which dictate the color of a Lumite crystal and this color indicates the crystal’s connection to a specific shade of Kaos, i.e. Lumite with a red shade stores a shade of red Kaos.

There are two distinct forms of Lumite: Lyra-based Lumite (mined crystals), known as crude Lumite and cosmic-based Lumite (Starfalls), known as flawless Lumite.

There are multiple ways to access the Kaos stored within Lumite. Some creatures, Lumivores, are able to do this via ingestion, while it was discovered by early airship sailors that crude Lumite could be burned to create Lumos Gas. This Kaos-rich gas creates tremendous lift in airship balloons. 

When gathered in a large enough amount, Lumite will create a Kaos Field, creating a new vibration resonance. This resonance creates an amplification of the Lumite’s inner Kaos which results in the natural phenomenon seen in the Skylands. These floating islands have Lumite cores which resonate with the surrounding rocks, allowing them to float.

Once Lumite has its Kaos completely channeled out, it can be recharged with exposure to “magical radiation.” This radiation is given off by all things in varying amounts. Living things create more magical radiation than non-living things (i.e. a forest gives off more than a city), and the cosmic (Arcus/Sun/Moon) give off even more. The Auroras have proven to be the most powerful Starfall charger.  With crude Lumite, this recharging takes centuries. With flawless Lumite, such as Starfalls, it can be done almost instantaneously which is why the Akari Order only uses Starfalls when constructing their staffs.