Balance

From TLJwiki

The Balance is the force that keeps Chaos and logic from overtaking each other. It was created about 12200 years ago (about 10000 BC by Stark reckoning) when both magic and science existed in the same world. This combination gave people unprecedented power, but they misused it, causing strife and destruction. The only solution was to create the Balance, to separate magic and science in the twin worlds of Stark and Arcadia, separated by the dream world of the Divide. This was done with the aid of one of the Kin (most probably the Red), a group of twelve men and women who eventually became the Sentinel, and an unknown woman who became the first Guardian.

The Balance is regulated by the Guardian from a realm that is outside both worlds, through a great Tower. The Guardian's soul is removed for his or her term of duty, to allow this regulation to happen dispassionately. The term lasts for a thousand years, at which point a new Guardian is chosen. The thousand year Changing of the Guard appears to be for the Balance's benefit; at the beginning of The Longest Journey, the twelfth Guardian, Adrian, had overstayed his term by two hundred years before finally being forced to leave the Tower, and the Balance was beginning to fail. Symptoms of this were becoming visible in Venice, namely creatures and places from Arcadia appearing in brief flashes.

The key watchers of the Balance are the Sentinel. They venerate the Balance and are responsible for safeguarding it. The Temple in Marcuria has Murals of the Balance depicting its creation, and a Talisman of the Balance, which has powerful magic but whose true purpose has not yet been revealed.

Vestrum Tobias Grensret mentions children "born to the Balance" or "of the Balance" when speaking of Guardian candidates. In his words, when a new Guardian is born, "the Balance provided the seed from which a new fruit grew". As immaculate conception does not seem to be part of the nature of Guardians, it is more likely that the Balance somehow infuses or imparts its essence to the child in question, and its signs are there for those who know what to look for. Cortez also describes April as a "child of the Balance".

Arcadia also celebrates the Feast of the Balance over three nights, which includes singing and dancing to give thanks to the Guardian and the Balance for keeping them safe. As Benrime Salmin tells April, usually the Festival is celebrated in the streets, but this year, due to the uncertainties in the worlds and the growing influence of the Vanguard, the Festival has to be held inside, behind closed doors.

The Balance's time is almost over. April has been repeatedly heralded as the one who will save the Balance before destroying it - presumably by reuniting the worlds - but just how and when this will happen is not known, although presumably the War of the Balance will play some role in it.