This is the page for all information known regarding the mist. For other pages, see the table of contents below:
Mist hyperlinks
Mist Devices: A list of devices that uses or can be used in the mist
Mistlings: A list of creatures and monsters formed by the mist
Mist-Metals: A list of resources and minerals forged by the mist
Mist Lands: A list of the known biome types that is a result of the mist
The Mists (collective) references the hazy gaseous phenomenon that is commonly seen as the boundary between different cities and continents in the Sea of Continents. Commonly thought of as a physical manifestation of various forms of chaos, corruption, or potent arcane energy, little is known about the mist and it’s purpose, other than the magnitude of its raw power and danger. Although the mist was speculated to have come from the result of a large magical war eons ago disruption, over time it has spread enough to encapsulate the entire world of Arybin.
The deadly corruptive force of the mist, however is a phenomenon that is well feared amongst the living settlers of the planet. Although exact details are hazy, adventurers who wander into the mist without the correct forms of protection and warding are known to be killed and changed very quickly by the corruptive nature of the mist. They turn into a mistkarr, a zombie-like creature that is the result of the mist corrupting a sentient organism. Stories of mistkarrs roaming the wide empty mist-filled wastelands of Arybin are well known, and plays a big reason in the fear and growing movement to contain the spread of the mist. (More information, see Resisting the Mists).
Addendum 1.1
As opposed to what the scroll suggests, the mist is perhaps not as simple of a thing to get rid of as this book suggests. The very nature of the mist, which is chaos and energy, is deeply rooted into the very physics of our world, and we need to know more about such physics before pursuing efficient ways of containing or undoing the effects of it.
Appearance
To most, the mist appears exactly like it’s namesake. It is often times a cloudy opaque gas, varying in opaqueness and intensity, and seems to linger around.
Effects
The effects of the mist is perhaps the most well-understood portion of the mist.It is well known that the mist corrupts, changing creatures, landscapes, and even metals and gems into their corresponding mist-filled counterparts. However, little is known about the mist themselves, or how this process occurs.
In animals, the mist seems to turn creatures into various monsters and amalgamations known as mist-borns. Animals such as livestock, wild creatures, and even insects are known to have mist-born counterparts. Most of these mist-born creatures are known to be hostile towards living entities, and are thus a large source of danger to any mist-adventurers seeking to leave the protective bubble of civilization. The mist is also known to turn more sentient beings into mist-borns as well. Anything living, sentient, or cognitive is fuel for the mist to corrupt, which is why journeying into the mists is always a risk and a danger.(For more information, see Mist Creatures).
Addendum 1.2
The mists are not simply a force of corruption. I think the mists is one of the few purely magical, yet physical force that we creatures of sentience has the ability to control, and yet, at the same time, it is also trying to control us.
I really do think the Mists is a sort of gateway between our abilities and the metaphysical realm if we are careful with it. Think about it: Lightmancers depend on mist-infused compounds to provide them the force needed to draw light. Steelmancers use mist-based metals in their suits (or springmeshes) to help with their channeling. And, even every day adventurers without these abilities use mist-based charms and trinkets to help repel the mist when traveling outside the purelands.
I don’t think these discoveries are of mere “coincidences”, or that they’re mere discoveries. They’re all connected, and I need to find out how and why.
The mist is also capable of corrupting landscapes, as there is a stark difference between the surface within the settlement dome and the surface outside. However, whether this is due to the mist corrupting the ground itself, or if this is due to the mist killing all forms of living matter, turning the land barren and anemic, is anyone’s guess. (For more information, see Mist Lands)
Lastly, and perhaps one of the most important effects of the mist, is it’s ability to convert stone, minerals, and gemstones into mistfied counterparts. Solid pieces bathed in the presence of the mist exhibits a leaching of their colors, as the mist permeates through the object. Although certain refined steels, plastics, and glass has the ability to resist this corruptive nature of the mist, most objects will slowly be infused with the powers of the mist, even if it most often takes years or decades for this infusion to take place. (For more information, see Mist-Metals)
There are also some unconfirmed whispers of Humans, Mincellians, and Sephlings who posess the ability to manipulate the powers of the mist themselves. Often regarded as powerful and dangerous people, these so called Mistforcers are often forces of evil illustrated by an overimaginative mind. Should such creatures exist, it could mean the end of the world as we know it.
Source
The source of the mist has always been a contentious debate of many. Although most are in agreement that the mist was not a phenomenon that came about naturally, the exact details of the mist’s come to being is almost as hazy as the mist itself.
Some speculates that the mists are a deadly curse left by The Mist King, a powerful deity that once roamed the lands of Arybin before he was overcome with corruption. The mist, to them, seems to be his curse upon the planet, dooming it to eternal isolation. Others believe the mists were here long before, and only amplified by the actions of The Mist King, and the blatant use of magic he demonstrated. Regardless of belief, however, the exact sources detailing the mist’s origins are never discovered.
Despite that, however, it is general consensus that the mist has been around for at least a hundred years or more. It crept slowly from mythological “mist-sources” until it blanketed the world in deadly vapor. To combat the spread of the mist is perhaps the only objective to the remaining surviving populace. (For more information, see Resisting the Mists)