ANCIENT SOURCE OF POTATION
The Eternal Well
Beneath Azureheim lies a source whose waters once flowed with something far more powerful than water.
Book Two spoilers: the Eternal Well becomes central to the investigation of Potations and the hidden history of Azureheim.
Before Azureheim
A vision shown by Bartan reveals the site of Azureheim before the city or Keep existed. The great falls were already present, but they did not carry ordinary water. A thicker liquid flowed there, catching the light in shifting colors, especially blue and green.
The First Potation
Bartan identifies the ancient liquid as a Potation—a liquid form of Sustenance. By his own time, the Eternal Well flows primarily with water, and even a former vessel such as Bartan cannot fully explain why the original substance disappeared.
Expeditions into the Depths
As High Priest of Azura, Bartan oversees repeated expeditions into the Well seeking the source of its change. On one expedition, his party discovers an underground stream of Potation running through a passage inhabited by a subterranean Mage Serpent. Several explorers die during the escape, and when the survivors later return, the stream itself has vanished.
A Place of Survival
After the Wrath, survivors gather in the region surrounding the Well. The site therefore shifts from an ancient religious and magical mystery into a practical center around which the human Remnant can assemble.
What Remains Unknown
The manuscripts establish that the Well once carried Potation and later water, but they do not provide a simple mechanical explanation for the change. Its intermittent underground streams reinforce one of the cycle’s recurring ideas: the old world’s power has not vanished so much as become difficult to recognize, reach, and understand.