Ashard

The Ashard are a highly intelligent race of humanoid felines. Prior to the Chaining, the Ashard ruled the enormous single continent of Frhan'sha, in the northern half of Liertak, through their mastery of magic and the persecution of other races. There are very few Ashard alive today.

Ishi and Nexi
Ishi are tiny creatures that originate from the Rue. Ishi are born in the Rue and travel to the Mortal after they reach maturity. There are hundreds of types of ishi, and each ishi is identical to others of the same type (unlike Mortal organisms, which all show variation).

Each ishi requires an input of a certain substance and produces an output of another substance. These substances may be chemicals, radiation, concepts, or emotions. For example, a type of ishi may consume 2.2 grams of nitrogen gas each day and produce 4.1 units of happiness each day.

The Ashard compiled a list of each type of ishi and their inputs and outputs. Using this, the Ashard were able to engineer ecosystems of ishi; an ideal ecosystem would have a net input of readily available substances (such as oxygen gas, nitrogen gas, or water vapour) and would produce a net output of a desired substance. The Ashard mined and cut crystals that could store ishi indefinitely once caught. This way, the Ashard produced crystals that consumed a readily available substance and produced a useful substance. For example, the Ashard could engineer light-producing crystals, sugar-producing crystals, and luck-producing crystals. These crystals, called Nexi (plural of Nexus) would last indefinitely as long as they are stored in the appropriate medium, such as air or water.

Many of these Nexi were carried by individuals, stored in homes, and used in industries. However, the Ashard also erected large towers, on top of which they set large ishi crystals to benefit the surrounding region. A luck Nexus survives in Lom'inis to the present day atop Pearl Tower, and luck is still being emitted. Ash Tower and Blood Tower are the only other two surviving towers from this era, and neither contains a Nexus. There are ruined towers around Lom'inis. One set of ruins is used as a lighthouse.

Nexi appear as translucent white crystals, ranging in size from pebbles to boulders. Inside each Nexus is a variety of dancing and interacting coloured specks, which are the ishi, and give the Nexus a multi-coloured glow.