For all requisite spell arrays, see Glossary.

While the Myriad is made up of independent bubbles, the Ethereal is a singular plane. An endless ocean with labyrinths instead of lighthouses. The Ethereal Jump is the boat on which a mage floats across the ocean. It is the safest path to world travel.

Teleporting stems from the ethereal jump, and much of the underlying theory is similar. Both follow a simple procedure: open an entrance to the Ethereal, travel through it, then exit at the desired location. A teleport is limited in scope due to its relative distance from the Ethereal’s bending of planar rules. However, this limitation lifts if the distance is closed. The easiest method to achieve this is by going to the bottom layer of a labyrinth or another place where the two planes are forced into collision.

The Ethereal Jump offers a single yet paramount advantage compared to other methods of Ethereal travel: it may be aimed. Scripting a destination within an enchantment is exceedingly difficult and near impossible for most worlds. This is simply due to a lack of knowledgeable space mages and general ignorance of the Ethereal. Help from an ascendant, elden, or other lofty species should not be trusted, as their destination script cannot be verified prior to travel.

Learning the Ethereal Jump will take significant time. Native species should begin this process at least ten years before a travel attempt. However, it will likely take longer to learn, as natives are more complexly woven into their worlds than widespread migrant species—humans, elves, and Fae, to name the most common. For them, the spell will come more easily but still take, on average, five years to learn. Developing a spatial or arcane affinity will cut down this time significantly.

A Jump may extend to a theoretically limitless number of travellers. As long as the caster’s travel companions are familiar with the array and spell theory, the Jump may link to them. They do not need to be able to cast the spell themselves. However, the caster will remain the spell’s guide, responsible for all mana cost. They will also be responsible for opening the exit to a new world. Make sure to have enough mana for the both halves of the spell. As of this guide's writing, the highest documented number of travellers to survive a complete Jump is 209.

Ethereal Jumps come with some risks. First, one must actually possess the strength to traverse the Ethereal. It is recommended that one tests their durability by opening a rift, stepping in for the estimated travel time, and having a healer on standby. If space mages are unavailable to make a rift, then natural arcane lightning or the equivalent may be used for testing.

The second “risk” that most aspiring travellers worry about is the possibility of encountering an Inkomys. Unless, for some incredibly misguided reason, the traveller enters the Ethereal at the bottom of a 20+ layer labyrinth, the chance of encountering an Inkomys is zero. They only inhabit the darkest depths of the Ethereal. Any stories about encountering them are almost certainly fabricated unless told by a Primal or the equivalent. Everything else would simply die after brushing against their presence.

The third risk is entering a fabricated world. Most commonly, these fake worlds will stem from the dream of a Primal equivalent, impossibly complicated illusion magic, or the leftovers of a dead reality mage. These worlds are inherently lacking in concrete magical laws and are easier to leave than true worlds. Simply perform standard mental, illusion, and adaptability checks to determine the state of your reality. While the traveler may not have time to look for a completely suitable labyrinth to Jump to, it is still recommended to leave a Fabrication as soon as possible.

How the labyrinths may exist on Fabrications, albeit with diminished functionality, has long been a mystery to magical scholars. The area of study has always faced difficulty testing any theories, as there are simply too few capable of creating Fabrications. For instance, in a world's entire lifespan, perhaps only 2-5 reality mages will ever be born, and it is likely none of them will ever be capable of creating more than an island.

The fourth and most frightening risk is running across a mana shift. These are relatively common, akin to a storm on the open seas. The Ethereal’s ever-shifting laws will sometimes contradict each other, in which case, the fabric of the Ethereal must shift to accommodate them. A massive explosion of arcane mana occurs where the laws conflict, destroying most things in its vicinity and destabilizing the surroundings for vast distances. The time it takes to stabilize following a shift varies unpredictably.

Being caught in a mana shift unprepared will most often amount to a death sentence. Ways to detect, defend against, or avoid them are outlined in the Glossary along with the corresponding arrays.

The Ethereal Jump is not a guarantee of safety. It is merely a traveler’s best option. Pick your destination with care, plan far ahead, and push your magical abilities to their utmost before leaving your world.