Fundamental Energy

Definition

If there is one thing that all elements of Creation have in common, that is Fundamental Energy. As the name implies, it is a force upon which all of Creation depends. It is the "DNA" of everything material, ethereal or any other substance that can be found in any of the planes.

The Foundation

Scholars around the realms have documented Fundamental Energy as the result of the push and pull of Saidin and Saidar energies. It is the result of a magical mechanism or "spell", as the Weave-wielding Vor'anin or Mer'anin would call it, that harmonizes these two (normally) opposing energies. This mechanism is also referred to as "The Foundation" throughout historical and scientific texts, dating all the way back to before the Age of Legends.
The Foundation is a perfect harmonization of Saidin and Saidar energies, which serves the purpose of transforming Saidin and Saidar into Fundamental Energy. The Foundation is so intricate and exquisite in design that no mortal or immortal has ever been able to truly unravel and study it, much less recreate it. Detailed study of Fundamental Energy has not been possible, since no scholar has ever been able to measure it directly.

Aes Volari and the Weave

The only known notable attempt to study the Foundation was made by the Aes Volari , who actually modified the mechanism in a minor way to produce a new form of energy, The Weave .
Their attempt was partially successful. It caused the Foundation to harmonize Saidin and Saidar to produce Fundamental energy as well as Weave energy, which could be then used to power and fashion spell effects. Scholars note that Weave energy is much more easy to access and manipulate by spellcasters, than the energies of Saidin or Saidar. As a result, spellcasting became much more accessible and common throughout the Realms.
The modification of the Foundation also had an unintended consequence. The harmonization of Saidin and Saidar was no longer perfect, but instead allowed for a slightly increased utilization of Saidin (the more aggressive of the two energies) . As a result, the Fundamental Energy across the whole of Creation is in a process of slow degradation, which over time can spell the end of Creation as we know it.

Fundamental Energy Degradation

The exact mechanism of how Fundamental Energy is being degraded is a very difficult topic to approach. Considering the minuscule amount of information past research has uncoverd, the only way to arrive to the truth would be to ask the people that caused the problem to begin with. In all my years of research, I have never been able to contact any of the entities known as the "aes volari" or "the exiled ones", so I will propose the theory that appears most plausible, based on the work of others.

The modified Foundation produces Fundamental Energy at a constant rate. The Fundamental Energy produced is pure and not degraded. This makes sense because Fundamental Energy is in constant demand to sustain Creation. After the modification however, the Foundation also produces Weave energy on demand. That is, every time a spellcaster begins the casting of a spell, or a magical item is activated, the Foundation will convert the required Weave energy from Saidin and Saidar. Since this part of the process is imperfect, a certain amount of degraded Fundamental Energy is produced as well. The degraded Fundamental Energy injected into Creation varies depending on the amount of Weave energy required.
When degraded Fundamental Energy is consumed by matter around Creation, some small structural damage takes place. There are several theories regarding the exact damage caused, but all are untested. My own research has led me to believe that the effects of Fundamental Energy could be expressed in a mostly serial manner, following the order listed below. It is possible that multiple effects might co-exist at the same time, though the damage would mostly come in distinct stages:

1. Unpredictability and eventual complete malfunction of Weave-based spells (to occur throughout the process)
2. Conjunction of the Planes
3. Distabilization of weather patterns
4. Deterioration of Planar characteristics
5. Degradation of Saidin/Saidar-specific mechanisms and spells
6. Degradation of the Foundation itself - the consequences of this are unknown. Would the Foundation be able to fix or revert itself to a previous, healthier state? Would it begin creating increasingly more degraded Fundamental Energy, thus dooming all of Creation to oblivion?
7. All matter decays due to degraded Fundamental Energy

Effects around the world

The fact that the Foundation was modified is known only by few. The Aes Volari know it, and so do the Exiled saints. Perhaps a few of these groups closest followers have been made privy to the fact that their patrons tampered with the stuff that allows Creation to function.
What is known by even fewer people, is the fact that the modification was imperfect and that Fundamental Energy throughout Creation is being slowly degraded. The Aes Volari and the Exiled fought over the ways to manage this problem, which caused the event known as the "Breaking of the world".