Inter-Dimensional Travel

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Inter-Dimensional travel is the act of traveling between worlds within the Multi-Verse. This was first achieved magically and later technologically.

Magical Travel

Dimension-Hopping

There's no commonly accepted name for it, but the most frequently used method of travel is the "hop" or jump between worlds. It does in fact frequently requite a physical jump as part of the spell-cast, and mages capable of the technique describe a sensation of falling through space and landing at their destination.

More capable spellcasters can do it from a standstill, though upon arrival will still experience a small fall. Often times, Wayshifters would be judged base on the size of the fall; one would manage less than a quarter of an inch was considered a master.

Hopping is limited to small groups, generally no more than a dozen. Only talented Wayshifters can bring large animals along, and the number is usually limited even further.

Phase-Shift

Phaseshifting is the only viable magical method for moving large numbers of people or objects. It requires a permanent ritual site at both ends and the cooperation of a number of powerful mages. Not all of the mages need to be Wayshifters, and if a site has been prepared properly none of them needbe.

Typically shifting calls for a flat, level, open area on both ends, surrounded by ritual elements. Structures placed in the area cannot be moved, but people, animals, and good that are not too heavy can. The key element is a separation between the ground and the object: a building is part of the land, but a stack of boxes is not.

The same method can also be used to move airborne objects such as SkyShips. Entire mage towers, if suspended in the air, have been transported.

Waystones

The waystones are a network of stones built during the Mage Wars that could be used for travel.

Other Methods

Various enchanted portals or objects have been discovered over the years that fascinate inter-dimensional travel, but these were often one-off or used some variation of the above techniques. One particularly clever artificer the "Yeet-Beeper", an enchanted device that could port it's holder to several pre-set locations around the known worlds(similar in function to the Waystone Network, but not requiring a ritual site) by entering a series of codes.

Various one-off portals and teleport items are known to exist, though most fell into disrepair following the Mage Wars. A few were preserved, including both ends of a portable two-way portal that was used first in a magic act, and alter as an amusement park attraction. That item eventually made it to Arden Song and remained on display for much of the Alliance era.

Technological Travel

GATE System

The G.A.T.E. Network, constructed and operated by the Gudersnipe Foundation is the first and most economically viable method of travel. It is the most common, and used across all of the Known Worlds starting in the late Golden Age.

Roads

The Road network can be considered a precursor to the GATE system. It was built by the Eladamri during Antiquity. The Road system is special insofar as it creates distinct portals with an event horizon as opposed to a form of teleportation such as is used by other systems. Using a Road requires another Road, it cannot take you to undefined points.

Breach Travel

This is a difficult to repeat process and requires thorough knowledge of Domain layouts, and can only be carried out at points where two domains overlap. As such it is very unreliable and has never been used to great extent. Breaching can be done magically or technologically, and is thought to be how multi-dimensional travel was first discovered.

It is known that the Kamians breached to access Nos Vorm during the Kamian Succession Wars, and it was a common means of invading other worlds during the Mage Wars. In the Dynastic Period, many early multi-world empires began by having their capitols located at breach zones.