Portals and Nexus Shards

A new phenomenon struck the worlds without The Observers of The Gate being alerted. On all worlds appeared magical portals, pale imitations of The Gate and passages between two realms that had been impossible until then. Another caprice of entropy, these passages were only temporary, persisting for mere moments, and vanishing immediately after the passage of matter as if all their energy had been absorbed by this transfer.

These unpredictable phenomena were not discovered immediately, but those who passed through these crossings appeared in a new world, sometimes very different from the one they came from, with no hope of return, the passage having vanished upon their arrival. Their only alternative was then to blend in with the local population and adopt their customs in order to survive this new situation.

Their integration was facilitated by an unhoped-for discovery. Where the portal had stood moments before, the environment had been altered by the powerful phenomenon, transforming stone into strange jewels, the air still vibrating with lingering magic. The dimensional expatriates gathered the most beautiful precious crystals and set out in search of a place to live. To find lodging and sustenance, they sold what might have value, and the glittering stones quickly found buyers.

Gradually, these stones found a predominant place in the economic system: jewelers set them in necklaces, rings, and other jewelry prized by nobles; magic practitioners found in them a source of power and used them in their incantations and ritual objects; the faithful offered them to their deities to win their favor, the jewels rivaling objects made of precious metals.

They eventually found their way into the hands of The Artisans, brought back to The Absolute — an exceptional feat — by Travelers who had returned in an extraordinary manner to their world of origin. They studied these most unusual crystals and observed a magical imprint without equal. The potential for use seemed significant. Given their role in the economy of all the Realms, they decided to influence the natives of all known worlds so that these precious stones would become the universal currency, and they named them Nexus Shards, or Nexies.