A new phenomenon touched the worlds without the Observers of the Gate being alerted. Pale imitations of the Gate, magical portals appeared in all the worlds, passages between two realms previously impossible. A new caprice of entropy, these passages were only temporary, persisting only for a few moments and disappearing 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 gateways appeared in a new world, sometimes very different from the one they came from, without hope of return, the passage having disappeared upon their arrival. Their only alternative was then to blend into the local population and adopt their customs and usages to survive in this new situation.
Their integration was facilitated by their unexpected discovery. Where the portal had stood moments earlier, the environment had been modified by the powerful phenomenon, transforming stone into strange jewels, the air still vibrating with persistent magic. The dimensional expatriates gathered the prettiest precious crystals and set out in search of a place to live. To find lodging and sustenance, they sold what could have value, and the sparkling stones quickly found buyers.
Gradually, they found a prominent place in the economic system: Jewelers set them in necklaces, rings, and other jewelry prized by the nobility; practitioners of magic found a source of power in them and used them in their incantations and ritual objects; believers offered them to their deities to gain their favors, the jewels rivalling objects made of precious metals.
They eventually came into the hands of the Artisans, brought back to the Absolute in an exceptional way by Travelers returning exceptionally to their world of origin. These studied these particularly unique crystals and noted a magical imprint unparalleled. Given their use 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.