Location from Malazan Book of the Fallen by Steven Erikson
The paths of magic — parallel realms created from K'rul's blood, each a source of sorcerous power, each accessible to those with the talent and the will to risk what lies within.
The Warrens are the source of all sorcery in the Malazan world, and they were created from the blood of an Elder God. K'rul — one of the oldest beings in existence — sacrificed his own vitality to create a system of magical paths that mortals could access, replacing the older, wilder magic that had nearly destroyed the world. Each warren is a parallel realm with its own geography, its own rules, and its own indigenous dangers. Mages access their warrens through talent and training, drawing power through like opening a door to a furnace. But the warrens are not merely power sources — they are places, with inhabitants, with history, with agendas. The Elder Warrens — Kurald Galain, Kurald Emurlahn, Omtose Phellack, Tellann, Starvald Demelain — predate K'rul's system and follow older rules. The younger warrens — Meanas, Mockra, D'riss, Thyr, Telas, Serc, Denul, Rashan, Ruse, Hood's Path — are fragments of K'rul's sacrifice, organized and accessible but no less dangerous. When warrens overlap or tear, reality breaks down and the results are catastrophic.
Each warren manifests differently: Meanas is grey twilight and shifting paths. Rashan is deeper darkness. Mockra shimmers with phantom images. Denul pulses with green healing light. Thyr blazes white. D'riss grinds with the weight of stone. Telas roars with fire. Serc howls with wind. Hood's Path is cold and silent and full of the dead. Every warren has its own sky, its own terrain, its own rules — and its own dangers. Travelling through a warren is faster than mortal roads but the paths are haunted by things that were old before humans existed.
Also known as: The Warrens, warrens, paths of magic