1. Origins: the Darker Realms

It is a tiny portion of the Darker Realms, originally placed into our reality for those who would use it to propagate evil in our reality. Its energy comes from the Darker Realms; it is a conduit offered to whoever comes before it. Said energies then dissipate, but some of them do so into the body of the user. (This allowed Gray’s darker tendencies to become enhanced after she used the Eternal Flame.) The fact that the Flame was created for those who would use it for evil does not mean that those who are not proponents of evil cannot use it, however.

2. It enhances the abilities of those who use power/magicks etc. but not one’s overall knowledge of said magicks/powers. Ie: it will not allow you to perform something you do not already know how to do:

Gray was able to reach out and find where ShaRhylla was. She was not, however, able to reach out and drag ShaRhylla to her. The first she had already learned how to do using the All; she had not learned enough to successfully achieve the second.

Her Children, those between her and Roan, having the All inherent within them, died after fulfilling their destiny of bringing the Sith civilization back to life. The All, being inherent within them, was enhanced so greatly that it consumed them. This happened because it was not something they had learned, but essentially were.

(Since the All is being roleplayed throughout the Pod as being the embodiment of all forces in the Universe, enhancing it would essentially be the equivalent of making it more than the Universe itself can handle. Thus a "fail safe" is triggered, one similar to the "I cannot go back into time and kill my own grandfather" paradox: that which embodies the All is therefore destroyed, and absorbed back into All-That-Is.

Note this is different from someone who has learned to use the All; the All is not inherent in that person, but that person must struggle to maintain the balance necessary to maintain its use.

Bottom line: those who have the All inherent in them, stay away from the Eternal Flame!)

3. The enhancement gained is not permanent in that the user can walk away and maintain this newfound level of accomplishment.

The enhancement continues as long as one remains physically in front of the Flame, and the Flame remains physically at the head of the Valley of the Dark Lords. All are entwined together. Thus the idea that it was originally created to propagate evil for evil's sake is supported; he or she who uses it to gain enhanced ability to use their power cannot then run out to enjoy the fruits of their labor. They must remain in front of the Flame to maintain their heightened level of use. The moment they leave its presence, they are reduced to normal once again.

The larger the enhancement, however, the more negative/evil energy flows out from the Darker Realms and into the user. This IS permanent. And beware: the longer one remains before the Eternal Flame, creating whatever havoc one wished, the more negative/evil energy flows into one. This can reinforce the darkness within the user, resulting in said user staying before the Flame longer yet, wreaking more havoc and so on in a vicious cycle meant to give the Darker Realms that which "it" considers its due. Eventually one is utterly consumed by the darkness (this is not the same as the consumption happening to those with the All inherent within them) and one is taken up into the Darker Realms until the end of the Universe itself as a winged demon (NOT an imp -- see "Maladius" under character descriptions).

Hopefully with these guidelines the Eternal Flame can be used in a realistic manner, and one in which someone cannot become a "super power player" to the chagrin of all other players on these boards.