Melissa Bluesmith

TIME

Explaining time to a pandorian is like explaining carbonated water to a fish; illogical, unneeded and it hurts their head. And believe me, I’ve tried explaining many times. Pandorians exist outside of time, but what does that even mean? They move and talk just like humans do, but once you enter their dimension… you wish you hadn’t. Your vision starts to swirl and legs begin to move in a zig-zag patten even though you’ve never asked them to do that. As a person used to being drunk on two bottles of mead, I find that experience quite familiar. Once you get used to it, it’s bearable. My many years spent in this dimension have somewhat adapted me to the environment, although it comes at a cost (see:  PANDORIC SICKESS).

Pandoria works on simple logic – if it can happen, it will. Which means, not simple at all. Although every being lives linearly, one might find themselves looking at a tree that has not been there before. Your friend is twice as tall as you, yet you are stuck as a teenager for another eternity. So on and so forth. My visits to Pandoria have been particularly confusing. As a being used to the frames of time, I’ve felt as though I spent two weeks walking around, yet when I came back my tea was still piping hot!

I’ve asked a fellow traveller, a witch searching for supplies in the pandoric wilderness, of what she thinks about this anecdote. She said “My only concern is to come back home before my ten year old kids leave for university”.

SPACE

Pandoria is ever changing, but it follows a general structure that the locals have named and written down. The maps are a crude representation of Pandoria; in reality it warps and bends and twists and pulls as each non-existing second passes. No living thing is able to capture that on paper.

The Islands –> space for all living beings. Much like planets in space, they drift in the infinite expanse of shining lights (I haven’t been able to deduce what the lights are. Are they stars? Other islands? The chaotic energy of Pandoria?)

The Infinite Down –> once you fall, there is no hope for you. You will fall for eternity or until your lungs give out. The difficult environment influenced several species to develop flight, such as flying manta rays, formless pandorians and shadow seekers.

The Space Between –> once you cross the portal to Pandoria, you need to pass through a foggy, deserted place. That is the Space Between. It acts as a gateway between time and space; a moment of complete stillness.

Navigating Pandoria is nigh impossible. Each island is moving around like a big, everlasting kaleidoscope. Every time you enter a portal, you end up in a different location. When you want to go back to the previous island, you might discover that there is an empty space left instead. No matter if you are human or pandorian, you are forever lost. That is why pandorians choose one of two ways in life; some stay in one place their whole life and others travel from island to island, never to return home. (I was relieved when I’ve learned that there is a free shelter system in Pandoria. I’m so happy I don’t have to abandon hot showers!) I call them the settlers and the drifters. Pandorians have their own names for them; the direct translation would be “the one who stays” and “the one who travels”.

It’s difficult to live in a place so chaotic, even for equally chaotic beings, but at least they get to choose their fate. Throughout my journey I’ve travelled to many cities and met many amazing people, but I am unable to return to them again. I feel kinship with the drifters, missing home even though you are doing what you love. When I finally came back to Valedale, I hugged my brother as hard as I could.

There is only one known way of going back to a specific location; the Keystones. They lead to one singular island. A rather unremarkable island on its own, but it has collected quite the collection of pandorian and human activity. No one knows why the Keystones were built. Fripp is being weirdly silent about it…

The “kaleidoscope” nature of this place has made communication nigh-impossible. Thus, the difference between the Islands’ scientific development is striking. You can travel from an Island straight out of a sci-fi book to a rural village. Drifters try to bring different inventions across the land, but there are infinitely more Islands than there are people. Traveling through Pandoria is like a game of roulette – you never know what you’re going to get!

PANDORIC SICKNESS

While exploring this realm is very fascinating, with each visit my health has been slowly declining. As of writing this, I am unable to return there ever again. Beings from Earth are not accustomed to an existence outside of time. Their bodies and minds deteriorate each time they think about the absurdity of breathing backwards. The pandoric sickness, as I have dubbed it, starts in the mind and travels through the nervous system until your entire body is completely covered in pink.

I've made a simple and effective list to make your trip suck a bit less:

First and foremost, it attacks your eyesight – eyes are windows to your soul and Pandoria wants to swallow it for breakfast. When you are overwhelmed, cover your eyes and pray for the best.

Direct contact with pandoric energy worsens the effects; just avoid touching anything you don’t know the exact properties of, otherwise your limbs will be next in line for amputation.

Avoid cuts and bruises, the sickness clings to open skin. Many people in contact with pandoric energy discover that their old scars have suddenly started to glow pink. You don’t want that to happen, trust me.

Remember to cover your nose when you venture into the wilderness. You can easily take care of a scratch on your hand, but you can’t sneeze out microscopic particles from your lungs.

Don’t eat unknown plants. Just don’t.

THE GARNOK CONUNDRUM

Garnok reigns terror on Jorvik and He reigns terror in Pandoria. Ever since the Dark Riders have started to raise Him from the dead, Pandoria got the short end of the stick. Islands upon islands have been sinking into the depths of the Infinite Down. What we know on Jorvik as pandoric cracks are massive tears in Pandoria’s surface. I’ve met many pandorians who fled to Jorvik in fear of being next. The soul crushing fact about that is; you can find your way out of Pandoria, but it’s impossible to return to your home island when you go back.

It’s been happening more and more in recent years. I hope the new generation of Soul Riders will succeed where we could not.

PANDORIA AND MAGIC

Have you ever wondered how magic works on Jorvik? Pandoria is the key. You see, many believe that magic appeared after Aideen’s arrival on the island. Whether that is truth or myth, there is no doubt that the magic we have today has roots in Pandoria.

When pandoric magic seeped into the earth, it started to adapt to the new environment. Nature and pandoric energy worked together to become something else. Nowadays, we can distinguish three separate sources of magic:

Jorvik’s native magic, used by the Witches, is Jorvik’s source of energy. It’s also the most capricious form of magic, as it requires you to study it for years before you can safely use it. It is, however, the most potent out of all of them. You can find sources of its energy in any plant or being on Jorvik. Therefore, it does not require a conduit, such as wands, like druid magic does. All knowledge about it is found in the Witches’ tomes, which are passed down from generation to generation. It’s nearly impossible to find one of those without repercussions. Thus, our understanding of this kind of magic is very limited.

Druid magic is sourced from pandoric energy found on Jorvik. In the early days, we’ve found that the leftover energy from pandoric activity is possibly harmful to the environment. Because of that, druids have developed a magic system that harvests it and stores it inside conduits, such as runestones, tablets, staffs and wands. It’s not pure pandoric energy, but a safer and more tame variant, thus it is relatively safe to use. It’s weaker than Jorvik’s native magic, but with a good rune combination you can achieve wonders. There are certain people who can use it without any tool, as their whole being is a natural conduit – those blessed with Aideen’s light. Horse whisperers and the Soul Riders are a prime example.

Pandoric magic is chaotic in nature. Not many people can wield it, only pandorians themselves and the most powerful of Witches, called the Vala, can harness its energy. You can counter it with a natural antithesis of chaos – a massive clock. I’ve learned that very recently.