Exort (Lore)

Exort is one of the three arcane energies of the elements in the lore of Dota 2.

Description
Fire is a light in the darkness, a perfect metaphor for knowledge and discovery. In the blackness, we raise our torches to anything that we need to see and through its flame the hidden things in the dark are revealed to us, whether they are worth knowing or a regrettable thing to be aware of. Flame is not just an element of light and knowledge, but also an element of might. Fire is often depicted as a merciless and brutal force, just like the flames of various religions and mythologies that possess purifying or destructive properties, and the relentless sun on a hot day which doesn't stop casting its vast light and heat for anyone.

Arguably, the perfect embodiment of this description of fire would be the Ember Spirit. Xin is a warrior poet who taught the mantras of his Bonds of the Guardian Flame. Xin's motifs of intelligence are knowledge, wisdom, and teaching, combined with his fearsome martial motifs of being merciless and cruel. Reflecting the bitter reality of this world that his teachings prepared his acolytes for, he used his for his harshest lessons. Xin is relentless during combat with his and, attacking with no pause and giving no edge to his foes. Xin's fire is also purifying, such as the fires of his Eternal Crucible. On the other hand, the Burning Celestial is stated to be this “inquisitive aspect of fire” in his bio, his curiosity is a flame and its fuel is knowledge. Knowledge and unrestrained force are the very essence of Exort, the orb of Intelligence.

Exort is an arcane energy that allows for the manipulation of fire elements, but it also includes the arcane manipulation of the sun's power. Exort also allows for the manipulation of properties with unrestrained force, fitting the high damage spells that use it. This energy may manifest as red crystals filled with its properties. Below is a list of Exort's properties. Pugna claims that all sorceries have their source in the Nether Reaches. Aether (also known as void or nothingness) is an essential ingredient in the arcane arts, including Exort.
 * Hot, torrid, fiery, basically any property of having a high temperature
 * Gruesomeness, brutality, ferocity, mercilessness
 * Strength, especially that which is exerted on something else, such as attack damage
 * Cruelty and wickedness (when mixed with Quas' determined properties, found in exposed to said mixture while they were still incubating)
 * Ravenousness and voracity (when mixed with Wex's anxious properties, found in exposed to said mixture while they were still incubating)

In Dota: Dragon's Blood
Along with the Invoker's signature Quas and Wex orbs, the elemental magic orb of Exort makes an appearance (and a few uses) in the animated series Dota: Dragon's Blood. According to this series' writer, producer, and creator Ashley Miller; this iteration of the Invoker doesn't mostly rely on the orbs to cast some of his spells. He compares this version of the Invoker's orbs to a "magical Swiss Army knife" (suggesting at their versatility) that empowers spells and allows him to cast magics that require these orbs.

As the sole, beloved offspring of the Invoker, Filomena inherits her father's sorcery, perhaps through his instruction. Hence, Filomena also wields the orbs of Quas, Wex, and Exort.

His Exort orb was first shown in the yellow-green pocket dimension that he trapped Fymryn in, appearing alongside his other orbs. They did not do much besides float around her. The hidden sage seemingly spoke to her through his orbs, but perhaps these orbs are him. When he chose to reveal himself, all three orbs flew up and converged on each other in a flash of magical light before his pocket dimension became sable. Just for a moment after his orbs converged and disappeared, his floating silhouette was briefly visible until it merged with his darkened dimension as quickly as it appeared, before he finally stepped out of the lightless space and appeared to her in the flesh.

All three orbs were orbiting him when the Invoker achieved astral projection to travel to Selemene's astral realm. Besides this, it's unknown if they did anything else in this process.

When the Invoker's Wex orb failed to capture Lirrak, he deployed his Exort orb which proved to be more potent than Wex in capturing Lirrak, albeit it cost him much of his life-force to perform the task of overpowering and capturing an Eldwurm.

The Invoker brought all three orbs with him when he confronted Vahdrak in his lair. It's unknown if he used any of them in the ensuing confrontation, since it wasn't shown.

When the Invoker cast a spell akin to the orignal's (shown as a fiery orb before it was cast) to destroy Vahdrak, his fiery orb split into his Quas, Wex, and Exort orbs before rising into the sky. A bright yellow flash followed, then a beam of fire shot down from the clouds, disintegrating the Chaos Eldwurm and reducing him down to his soul.

In Foulfell, the Invoker confronted Terrorblade and his spectral army alone, invoking all three orbs for battle. He then reacts to the attack from the corrupted Eldwurms by fusing all of his orbs into a shield that protected him and his allies.

Filomena first demonstrates her inherited sorcery by sending out all three orbs to tear a Radiant Ore specimen from its crash site, somewhere in a snowy montane place. The elemental orbs levitated it into the air before forming a purple containment bubble around it for protection and transport.

While discussing Filomena's presentations about the Nemesis Stones to the Althing, her father expunged her research on them by burning her papers through his touch. He must have used the fire elements of Exort to perform this simple magic.

When the Invoker visited the Arc Warden in the Mad Moon, he was protected from the vacuum of space by a golden shield, and brought all three orbs with him, indicating that he was ready for any potential combat. During their fight, the Invoker attacked Zet with a handful of flames, the element of Exort.

Seeing that her father was in danger versus Zet, Filomena came to his rescue by using all three orbs to cast a teleportation spell that will bring her towards him to retrieve him.

Filomena prevented Bram, Davion, Marci, Mirana, Lina, and Luna from moving further into her home via trapping them inside a magical dome conjured with Exort, while Quas and Wex orbited the shield. But Mirana walked through it unimpeded with her divine powers, indicated by her eyes glowing bright yellow like the sun.

When Mirana mentions the Forge in the world before Experiment 12,403 to Filomena, who was discussing her plan with the Heroes to avert the upcoming cataclysm, Filomena fused all three orbs with the Archronicus to create a hologram of the current universe's version of the Forge that she can use to remotely control the true machine from.

Although he isn't shown using the right formula (2 Exort & 1 Quas) but rather having all three orbs out, the Invoker distracted the remaining heroes by summoning to prevent them from interfering with the planet's cataclysm. One by one they were slain, until Lina killed the last one by siphoning its fire through her touch.

In spell-casting
The mental and mnemonic sorcery of can be used to manipulate Exort energy. Spells invoked with Exort will inherit its elements and its properties.

Spells invoked by said mnemonic sorcery are also called hexes, incantations, and invocations, with no distinction between each of them.

Spells with Exort
The following is a comprehensive list of magical spells that use the fiery energies and ferocious properties of Exort.

Ice Wall
(also known as Killing Wall of Koryx or Bitter Rampart ) is an impeding invocation that is invoked with two and one. However, the younger Invoker states that he calls upon ice and storm for this spell, contradicting the elemental combo meant for it.

Regardless, this spell brings the power of the "White Waste" to the battlefield, creating a slippery wall of ice that emanates an aura of debilitating cold.

The spell draws upon Quas for its ice and the bitter cold that it emits to slow nearby victims, while Exort may be the one that makes the ice wall's aura deal damage.

Alacrity
(also known as Gaster's Mandate of Impetuous Strife or Zeal of Wexort ) is an invocation of quickening and amplifying invoked by two and one.

A simple magic, this spell infuses the caster's target with an immense surge of energy that hastens their combat capabilities, hence the "Alacrity" name of the spell.

Wex provides the spell's ability to infuse others with its properties of zeal and swiftness, while Exort provides the spell's damage boost.

The magic thrived in the age of Gaster, when it gave mages a powerful option against well-armed adversaries who dared to attack them in close-quarters. Before the advent of the age of Gaster, mages in that situation would simply flee with a burst of defensive magic, implying that Alacrity allowed them to fight enemies head-on.

Sun Strike
(also known as Harlek's Incantation of Incineration or Exort Tri-Solar ) is a devastating solar incantation invoked with Trionis.

This spell channels a devastating ray of energy from the Sun towards the target location, incinerating anyone caught below the sun's concentrated ferocity.

It's implied that the spell has a vast cast range lorewise, so the sunray can be cast beyond the caster's sight. This allows for potential, blind trick shot kills.

Forge Spirit
(a.k.a. Culween's Most Cunning Fabrications, Ravagers of Armor and Will, or Grief Elementals ) are conjured by invoking two and one. Embodying the strength of Exort's fire, and the fortitude of Quas' ice, the Forged Spirits are powerful elementals that are created from naught. They also embody Exort's properties of brutality, making them elementals of constant chaos that are capable of carnage. These spirits have the ability to spit a at their enemies that destroys their armor. They are also said to ravage their enemies' will, which may be the reason why “Grief Elementals” is one of their names. It seems that not all Forged Spirits look the same. This young Invoker's subservient elementals assume the shapes of fiery dragon hatchlings.

Despite their different appearance, the fiery dragon whelp is still a Forged Spirit in nature, meaning that it's still an elemental spirit that is forged from naught. It's unknown why Forge Spirits may differ in appearance or what makes them take on different forms.

Regardless, this means that Forge Spirits do not have a constant form and may be shaped by unknown factors.

Chaos Meteor
(also known as Tarak's Descent of Fire, Gallaron's Abyssal Carnesphere, or Voidal Pyroclasm ) is a spell invoked with two and one.

This spell simply tears a flaming meteor from the void of outer space to send it crashing down to the targeted location, immolating and crushing anything in its path.

Exort deals with Chaos Meteor's damaging capabilities and its flames, while Wex deals with the aspects related to its motion―maybe including its path across space and the earth.

Deafening Blast
(also known as Buluphont's Aureal Incapacitator ) is a spell that's invoked with one of each orb:, , and.

Using all three elements at once, this spell unleashes a mighty sonic wave that deafens those caught in its blast, leaving them reeling from the attack.

Infusions
The magic essence of Exort has an influence on incubating still in their eggs. Exort's influence manifests on the hatched Greevil which will inherit its violent properties.

Heroes
The wields this energies of Exort alongside Quas and Wex. Together with his art of invoking, he can weave spells that inherit Exort's power and properties together with his two other energies that he may use. These energies appear as the elemental spheres that orbit him, which amplifies the damage he deals if he has them active. The young Invoker states that uses Exort, which may explain her flame and solar spells. Lina may have gotten it from her training in the flame arts with the Solar Goddess' acolytes and from her blessings from said deity.
 * He is a member of the Burning Cabal, an esoteric group of invokers specialized in the magical discipline of Exort and fire manipulation.
 * Completing his solar-themed regalia is a crown emblazoned with the crest of the Scion of the Sun, a symbol of his mastery of Exort.
 * His spells that utilize the energies of Exort include, , , , , and.

Factions
The Burning Cabal specializes in and favors fire manipulation through Exort. Part of their uniform is a pair of enchanted bracers to protect against Exort's fire elements.

World
Exort is featured on Ultimyr Academy's insignia. This is related to the fact that Ultimyr once taught its students how to, which is complementary with Quas, Wex, and Exort.

Greevil husbandry
The eggs of can be exposed to essences like Exort to influence the incubating hatchling. Once hatched, the Greevil babe will inherit Exort's violent properties.

Runes of Power
Runes are forged of the most fundamental magic. It's unknown what this fundamental magic is, but the following info is speculation that divines what it may be.
 * It's possible that the magics that forge these runes are Quas, Wex, and Exort, since can sense traces of them in these runes, such as Wex within the.
 * This is further supported by (who can create these runes via ) warning the Invoker that he is meddling with powers that he can't comprehend.

Trivia

 * The colors of Quas, Wex, and Exort are the subtractive colors (cyan, magenta, and yellow, respectively) of the color wheel.
 * Concept art for the Invoker reveals that his orbs were once colored red, green, and blue after the three attributes.
 * Some spells that are invoked with Exort may show its influence on them visually. This is done on the spell's ability icons and their visual effects during gameplay.
 * The following is a list of Exort's influences on the ability icons of spells that use it.
 * A small area of 's icon has a hints of orange on the wall of ice in the icon. The orange colors in the ice are Exort's influence on it.
 * Shining out of the strange symbol of are orange colored rays of light, depicting the very aspect of Exort in this spell.
 * Exort is more obvious on the spell icons of, , and . All of these spells have fire in them.
 * Since uses all three orbs, Exort is also included in the spell's icon to the left area where the sound wave is colored orange.
 * Besides the more obvious fire-based spells, Exort's influence on these spells can be seen in their visual effects.
 * Parts of the glow orange with Exort's color.
 * 's VFX shows the target having the hue of Wex's color on their model while having their "hands" set ablaze by Exort's fire.
 * Though barely visible, the tail of 's sound wave is orange in color, the very color of Exort.
 * Invoker's right click VFX is colored after Quas, Wex, and Exort. His Persona's right click VFX change color based on what orbs are active. It can be orange if he has Exort active.
 * In DotA, the elemental magic of Exort is the soul of a phoenix. The lore of DotA's old Invoker states that Exort builds his skills in fire magics, as opposed to Quas' arcane magics and Wex's energy magics. Spells invoked with Exort deal with the power of fire, projection, and damage.
 * Unlike the modern version of Exort, the old Invoker's Exort is the attribute of strength.