Skearn

Skearns are often described as alternate universes. Their exact nature is somewhat of a mystery as neither the First nor the Renlai have any record of them. They appear to be a sort of interference, brought into play when two or more reins are brought all too close together, generating a region between them that shares properties of both - or, occasionally, entirely unique ones.

Some of them are quite malleable, and can be adjusted through sheer force of will alone, like controlling a lucid dream. Others are living nightmares, etched onto reality itself, actively seeking out the intruder's fears and playing upon them.

The first three skearns were created during the Solarian Battles:

• Hemera - around Saturn's rings
• Nyx - surrounding Ouranos Prime
• Gaea - Embedded in various places around Earth

The Hellskearn followed Eve's veiling of the Solar System, though others consider it a raw portal to the Hell Rein. The eight dreadskearns, which were once stargates linking to Sol, are certainly skearns, though there are doubts about their exact nature, as some theorize that they are also linked to the Dread Rein as the Sagittarius Relic appears to be.

The shadowskearns are a special subset of skearns - artificial links created on either side of the barrier to cross between the Dark Rein and the Shadow Rein. The shadow, of course, call them darkskearns, instead. They appear as thick, black fogs, usually stretching for a thousand kilometers or more.

Most skearns have a set of measurable, integral values called polarization. This governs their nature, to some degree, but more importantly, it is possible to cross between skearns of the same polarization without re-entering one of their proper reins. These are usually labeled according to their constituent megaverses - ie. Dark 3 Time 6 for a powerful mobius skearn. The dreadskearns are the most famous example of this - it is still possible to travel between them, just most would rather take the longer way.