The Laws
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There was One - a being that constituted the reality that preceded it, as well as all realities that would follow thereafter. This singularity, self-constrained by the laws of all realities within and without, realized a common pattern within itself, also realizing fractures within this single, holistic shard. A system emerged from the swirling homogeneity, hardening and shattering the whole into three pieces: space, time and void.
THE ABSOLUTES
Space, time and void are the three fundamental elements that function as the inherent laws of the Cosmos, as well as a combined expression of One. All of them coexist in an organized system, and as connected, whole pieces, they cannot be separated from one another without nullifying the entirety of the Cosmos, as they are the core foundation of reality itself.
The absolutes themselves are all static elements that enable the descendants of themselves to simply be. However, for these smaller shards to derive experience from being, the other two absolutes are a requirement. An independent absolute is unable to bestow change and interactivity upon itself and thus relies on the others to do so.
All entities within this system - most notably, astra - adhere to the laws of these fundamental elements - whether they are aware of this or not - with their independent and collective physicality, mentality and core essence mirroring the properties of their respective, parent absolute.
SPACE
The physicality, tangibility and ever-expansive breadth of material within the system. Space is responsible for mass, weight and material density, as well as the relativistic positioning of objects within the system.
Space naturally organizes and places identical energetic patterns close to one another to form individual, comprehensive “wholes” in and of themselves; it creates bodies of material that stand independent of other ones within the system, whilst also being included amongst other, larger “wholes” outside of them.
Without the presence of Time, its various elements are all made perpetual and immobile, losing any degree of its fluidity and interactivity. From the outside, the Cosmos would appear to be an immovable, solid chunk of material, ultimately impenetrable from the inside and out.
Without the presence of Void, it is incongruent and infinitely spontaneous. Forms would not follow a consistent structure, nor do they adhere to a reliable set of physics - an entity is just as likely to move forward normally as a cohesive unit, as it is to shift into an entirely different one, or perhaps even scatter into the ether.
TIME
The expression of transformation and metamorphosis; the change and progression of all causal events and circumstances - material and immaterial entities included. Time always progresses forward, continuing onward from a previous causal event and thus generates a ceaseless and forever-changing “present.”
The present is also fleeting. Events that occur in the present are immediately overwritten and replaced by the events that follow it, creating another instance of the “present.” The previous instance of an event is committed to a collective memory found within the forms and entities of the cosmic system and are retained in temporal stasis until reflected upon by such entities.
Without the presence of Space, chaotic abstraction claims dominion over the cosmic system. With no spatial reference, the incomplete system unravels and reconstructs itself, becoming a background of pure, destructive expression.
Without the presence of Void, it would become localized spontaneously in different areas of the cosmic system, creating isolated zones of rapid change and other zones of absolute stillness. Forms would follow a sporadic shift in their evolution - it begins its movement, rapidly accelerating through time. Nearby forms are, relatively, at a standstill, until the “wave of change” sweeps over the other forms spontaneously, also leaving the previously accelerated object in stasis.
VOID
The interconnected tapestry of energy, information and symbolic power. Void is responsible for allowing entities to invoke power from the cosmic system through the use of symbols. Invoking power from the cosmic system activates a web of connections in an exponentially expanding wave, starting from a single point - an individual symbol - amidst an infinite sea of others.
Void allows the entity that called upon a symbol a direct means of communicating their own will, ultimately allowing them to exchange a single node information. The symbolic power this node possesses is reflected elsewhere in the tapestry, unraveled and corrects all symbols and their subsequent connections accordingly, should they have been changed.
Without the presence of Space, it becomes unable to permeate cohesively throughout the cosmic system, rendering it nearly absent from the Cosmos and only found only in small, inconsistent pockets in its far, distant reaches. In between these vast stretches, information would not be able to be transmitted, creating massive dead zones of energy.
Without the presence of Time, the power to invoke the tapestry through use of symbols is made impossible, as the causality to create new symbols would cease to be. Forms would be unable to create new connections and intuitions, permanently fixing any existing connections to their present state of being, ultimately, rendering them inert.
THE FRAGMENTS
Fragments are the metaphysical extensions of One’s perceptivity - its consciousness - and thus act as conduits through which all astra are able to experience the Cosmos. All spheres, and thus all astra, possess these three fragments and cannot function without any of one them, much like the absolutes that precede them and how all three of them are required to constitute the Cosmos.
However, the prioritization of these fragments vary between each sphere, while the strength and mastery over each of these fragments varies between individual astra. This is ultimately the result of the Abyss, the constrictive, entropic metaphysical force that exists beyond the bounds of the Cosmos. As it tightens its grasp on the system, the more it warps and shatters everything within.
BODY
Body enables the perception and expression of Space - the physicality and tangibility of the world. With Body, an entity is given shape and a form that is capable of exerting its own physicality upon other material forms, depending on its development. The entity is also given an individual, physical reference point to account for distance, weight and size to compare between its own form and others.
For an entity to have minimal amounts of Body would be, for said entity, to be rather insubstantial, weightless and flat. They would lack several degrees of dimensionality and their physical presence and affect towards the cosmic system would be minuscule, possessing a vitality like that of the ether - of free, open space. Their forms would often be shapeless, forever-scattering and heavily abstract.
On the opposite end of the scale, their physicality would be dense and ever-present - nigh impossible to escape and ignore. Such an entity would be spatially whole, containing many other nearly-complete and substantial wholes within themselves. Their influence upon the world would be immense and immutable, harboring great potential towards even greater expansion and celestial reach.
Yhnmyri, inhabitants of Yhn possess a strong and forceful Body, while the Iyllrithr possess an ethereal and inconsistent one - flat forms of color shifting and molding at the slightest touch. Anlytha possess a middling Body, substantial and definite, but lacking density or weight. They're also quite rigid with minimal capability for fluid and dynamic movement, being able to transport and reposition the whole of their figure, but not the individual parts that compose it.
MIND
Mind enables the understanding and expression of Time - the progression and causality of the world’s events. With Mind, an entity gains a mentality that can outwardly project possible future “presents” based on what is currently happening around them. Should their mentality show enough development, an entity would be able to store and compound instances of previous “present” states in order to have a, or several, reference points for the present moment - they would be able to discern the history of their actions.
An entity with minimal amounts of Mind would only be cognizant of the present moment, being strictly reactionary - and only just barely. Their own “temporal projection” of future events would be incoherent, if not effectively rendered nonexistent. The entity would act without regard for the outcome, only seeing the world, and thus themselves, as a nearly static image.
However, a highly-developed and nearly complete mentality would allow for not only consistent and accurate reflection of past and future events, but also a degree of control over these temporal events, as well as a full awareness of their own subjective experience. The entity would be able to understand and redefine previous instances of a subject in order to define its present and thus future state - one that is preferable for said entity.
Iyllrithr, inhabitants of Iyllr possess a sharp and critical Mind, while Anlytha are almost entirely devoid of one, with all the astra within the Sphere behaving as a collective, reactionary hivemind. The Yhnmyri possess a moderately-developed one, as they are able to look forward and discern potentialities from present events and also live in accordance to the present; however, they lack the ability to retain instances of the past, doomed to repeat past failings as they speed towards a single potentiality.
SOUL
Soul enables the intrinsic connection to, and the expression of, Void - the harmonic and symbolic tapestry of the cosmic system. It grants an entity willpower which allows them to invoke power from this energetic tapestry, but at varying degrees depending on its development. The entity is also granted a personal symbol within this metaphysical field, acting as a point of reference and direct means of energetic relation between other symbols.
An entity with minimal development of Soul would possess not only weak “tethers” leading to other symbols, but also one of little inherent willpower. The entity would be required to summon large amounts of power in order to convey information and they would be prone to over-exerting their latent potential. It would be even more difficult for this entity to channel this energy between other symbols, and conversely, for other symbols to convey a relation to them.
A highly-developed Soul within an entity reaches a state of boundless intuition. It will, symbolically and energetically, move in tandem with the tide of the tapestry; its power flows seamlessly between these different symbols in perfect harmony. When the entity invokes power from Void, all symbols are invoked simultaneously, acting in perfect unison, in order to summon an immense, collective will to be channeled in perfect unity, without question.
Anlytha, inhabitants of Anlyth, possess a powerful and interconnected Soul, while the Yhnmyri possess a frail and primitive one, creating great disparity between themselves and all other astra. Iyllrithr bare a semi-developed Soul, being able to reflect, draw upon and convey symbolic information to a reasonable degree, but often fails to resonate with the entire tapestry. Information is localized and sporadic, being focused around a specific entity, but ultimately struggles to connect between other contexts, due to the large gaps in between these “clusters” of information. These astra are also prone to the congregation of groups between members that share specific or adjacent symbolic energies.