Fons Vitae (Nebulous Cascade)

    The Fons Vitae (sometimes called the Nebulous Cascade) is a peculiar oasis near the center of Agrideī. While the water is illuminated only by the same stars which light all of Agrideī, the rosy water glows with a pinkish color. Many people consider it to be the most important place on the continent because the water can heal wounds and kill infections. People will often embark on weeklong journeys to rush injured victims to its healing waters. If the Fons Vitae were not surrounded on all sides by barren desert for as far as the eye could see, then cities would have formed around its edge. People do not settle by the heavenly pond only because they would never find food. 

    It should be noted that the name Fons Vitae translates literally (from Latin) to the Fountain of Life. It appears as a waterfall that pours down from the sky, except there is no physical landform from which the water could flow. Many people believe that the water flows directly from the heavens, while others insist that elements in space collide and pour into their world as water. The truth is that it is a bizarre meteorological phenomenon caused by upper-atmosphere moisture condensing with unusual gases. The fountain’s flow rate is not constant; it is sometimes little more than a gentle shower. Other times, it is a powerful waterfall.

    After years of traveling to the Fons Vitae, many people eventually figured out that they can make elixirs from the water of the fountain. Over time, doctors and merchants started bottling the restorative water and bringing back to their cities. However, the elixir loses its potency when exposed to dry air. As Agrideī became more violent over time, humans and Astrodei alike agreed to use the oasis as a neutral zone. In theory, anyone can heal themselves in the pond without fear of attack. Other civilizations have attempted to dig canals to carry the water elsewhere, but without the moisture of the enigmatic waterfall, the water in these canals lost the ability to heal. The canals were later filled.