At first, only powerful mages who had mastered teleportation could travel between allods. (It’s worth noting that there were far more mages than islands, and some of them certainly couldn’t just sit around doing nothing.) Eventually, it was discovered that mages could create stationary portals, allowing anyone to pass through. However, this was a costly and time-consuming process requiring significant preparation.

What the mighty mages failed to achieve was accomplished by the most peculiar race of Sarnout — the little Ghibberlings. They were the first to conquer the Astral and learn to travel through it, all thanks to their love of... drinking and fishing. Or so the most famous legend claims.

The first Astral traveler was named Sven. One day, he decided to go fishing, but his strict wife ordered him to stay home. He had been coming back from the river far too often with more ale in his belly than fish in his basket. Of course, Sven ignored her, headed straight for the tavern, and had his fill of the local brew.

It was only then that a surprisingly sober thought struck his inebriated mind — if he came home drunk and empty-handed, he was in for a serious scolding. So, determined to avoid his wife's wrath, he staggered toward the river. Lacking proper fishing gear, he broke off a branch from a nearby bush, tied a random piece of string from his pocket to it, bent a rusty nail into a hook, and used a small stone from the riverbank as a weight.

Sitting in his boat, he cast his makeshift line and promptly fell asleep. When he woke up, he nearly jumped out of his skin — his little rowboat had drifted, not just downriver, but into the Astral itself! He had no idea why he was still alive — until he leaned over the side and saw that his fishing weight was glowing with a strange light. Threads of that light wrapped around the boat, shielding it from the Astral’s dangers, much like the embedded crystals that protected each allod.

Sven rowed home as fast as he could and shared his discovery with his friends and neighbors. They rushed to the riverbank, eager to find these magical stones. And thus, the era of Astral travels began.