Barrier

Barrier
Type of item	god-level item
Affiliation	Brahma
Form	a system that includes a stone to power it, checkpoints for entry, and turrets for defense
Ability	creates a protective space around a city
Requirement	triple attributes

A barrier (alternate translation: closed space) is a protection system for human cities created by primeval god Brahma. Each city's barrier is powered by a barrier stone/barrier orb, and entry into a barrier can only be made through a checkpoint. Turrets offer an additional line of defense.

History

After humans severed their ties with the suras over a thousand years ago (around the year D0), and suffered from deadly acts of retaliation, Visnu asked Brahma to create a protective system for human cities. Brahma, always neutral, didn't want to favor either humans or suras, so she created an imperfect barrier system: Only one person may power it, and it will be weak enough for a few superior suras to break through. But up to the year D873 the barriers worked flawlessly because they were powered by gods, not humans, which kept the suras out. Even though superior suras were restricted to the sura realm since the Cataclysm in the year D1000/N0, the barrier system still stands because of the presence of inferior suras in the human realm.

Characteristics

Asha explains barriers to Leez

An active barrier prevents both suras and humans from entering a city. There are no restrictions for gods. Humans can enter only through a checkpoint (see below). There are no restrictions for anyone leaving a barrier.

A barrier is maintained by a single individual, usually a triple-attribute magician with the same attribute as the barrier, using the magician's vigor. Normally the priest needs to live inside the temple and keep close proximity to the barrier stone at all times, or have a priest candidate temporarily take over should the priest leave for some reason. Cities with two temples have twice the protection.

Kalibloom's Chaos-attribute barrier is unique, since it can be maintained as long as the Priest of Chaos, or any triple-Nil individual, is anywhere within the bounds of the barrier. It also interferes with magic calculations, which is why Kalibloom is a fighter-based city.

During the majority of Brilith Ruin's time as the Priest of Fire, Atera's barrier has been maintained by Agni instead of her, thus making it flawless.

Barrier stone

The fire barrier stone
1. Brilith, a triple-fire magician
2. Lorraine, a triple-creation magician

A barrier stone (barrier orb) is a simple-looking, egg-shaped item placed on a platform and with three jewel-like elements floating around it. Apparently, each city's stone has its own attribute: Atera's, for instance, is fire-aligned and must be operated by a magician who has a triple-Fire attribute. Many of the larger cities have two temples, each with their own stone, usually kept in a special room inside each temple.

So far, Asha Rahiro has been the only magician shown to alter a barrier's attribute to match her own, a feat that left her deathly exhausted because of Maruna's transcendental attacks. This would most likely be fatal for every other non-triple-attribute magician attempting it.

Agni was also able to change the attribute of the Earth barrier when he defended Kalibloom from Gandharva's attack.

Atera's Fire-attribute barrier stone at the Temple of Fire:

normal appearance (Ep.65)

overheated (Ep.19)

attribute change (Ep.26)

inactive (Ep.74)

Checkpoints

Each city has one or more checkpoints where humans can enter the city's barrier. Inside the checkpoint building is the checkpoint staff, whose job is to verify the identification of each pure-blood or quarter who passes through.

Mistyshore checkpoint

Halfs need to be sponsored by a magician before they are allowed entry. They are often given a vegetable test as well, to ensure that they are not suras in disguise. (It's actually a misconception that no suras can eat vegetables; for example, Kinnara and Gandharva clan suras generally can eat them just fine.) A checkpoint may also have a sura scanner, such as in Atera.

The occasional human who doesn't possess an ID card (such as Leez Haias) also needs to have a sponsor in order to enter a city.

Checkpoints have the power to eject a nastika who tries to pass through completely off the planet. However, Taksaka was able to avoid this in Mistyshore thanks to Visnu's earrings suppressing his sura traits. Gandharva was also able to fool the sura scanner in Atera's checkpoint by suppressing all his sura features and removing his sura eye.

Turrets

Hura receiving automatic fire in Atera

Turrets add automatic magical attack capabilities to a city's defense system. Any sura in sura form (or even halfs in sura form such as Kasak) who approaches the barrier will be met by magical bolts of energy fired at them. However, turrets do not attack suras in their human form.

Turrets can be powered by a city's barrier stone or manually operated by a priest or other high-vigor triple-attribute magician, such as in the case of Jibril Ajes. The strength of the turrets is dependent on the strength of the person maintaining the barrier.

Turrets do not fire using the hoti or bhavati magic of their elements. For example, there is no offensive Darkness or Earth magic, yet the turrets in Rindhallow and Kalibloom are able to generate attacks.

There are usually several turrets located around the perimeter of the city, and they may even indicate the boundary of the barrier.

Gandharva once was able to deactivate Atera's defense system by enraging Agni and causing Brilith to pass out. This caused the turrets to not fire at Maruna when he took sura form near the city. However, when Hura flew towards Atera in sura form without waiting for the barrier to be broken, he sustained continuous fire from the city's turrets.

During the N0 Cataclysm, Saha On saved Eloth from annihilation by manually firing each turret without the help of the barrier stone.

Atera and Mistyshore
Atera's turrets, visible along the city boundary turrets firing Mistyshore's turrets, visible along the city wall

Kalibloom and Rindhallow
Earth barrier turrets firing on Gandharva in sura form the same turrets firing on Mr. Kasak in sura form Rindhallow's turrets