Vivrialics
Excerpt from On Modern Vivrialics
by Corviv Rabrath
Although much of this chapter’s content may be elementary to the modern reader–so elementary, in fact, that to say it at all may begin to feel useless–I find it important to summarize, as briefly as I can, our current grasp of vivrialic theory and technique. Let us bear in mind the Ascension of old; if so many Threads can be ripped from the world and so much knowledge lost in a single event, thorough records could save a future generation the pains which our era’s scientists have endured.
Vivrialics
Let us start at the most basic point: definition. The world “vivrialics” refers to a broad set of sciences including the study and usage of Threads and krialin, and vivrialicians are the people who study and use such. Although the word has an erudite connotation, “vivrialician” does not refer only to scholars pushing the boundaries of modern vivrialic knowledge; the label applies just as much to common krialin miners and shipwrights.
Threads
All living beings - plant, animal, and fungus - contain Threads, usually represented and described as luminous strands entwined throughout the body. Living things produce their own Threads and produce more as they grow, though the process by which this occurs is currently unknown and cannot be replicated by vivrialicians. Outside of the body, Threads are visible to the naked eye as strands of light, and they can be touched with the bare hand, producing a light tingling or tickling sensation.
The exact relationship between Threads and the organisms they exist within is only partially understood. Threads are necessary for the regular bodily processes of living things, as I shall address in further depth in a later chapter, and they affect the speed of biological processes. However, thanks to the difficulty of touching and interacting with them physically, as well as how they seemingly “overlap” the solid form, many call them incorporeal. Some attach spiritual significance to Threads, considering them a manifestation of the “soul.”
When an organism dies, its Thread structure dissolves as its body decomposes, and the Threads drift apart. The Threads themselves can decay and disappear if not transplanted into krialin.
Thread Density
Thread density refers to how many Threads are in an organism’s body relative to its size. A lethat has, on average, about ninety Threads in its body, which may seem low, but for a body that small, it is extremely high; as a result, a lethat has a high Thread density. Consider, on the opposite hand, the example of a cavern tree: approximately a thousand Threads, but spread out over an immense and tangled organism. A cavern tree has a low Thread density.
Thread density has bearing on much of an organism’s life, as Threads affect sensitivity to physical stimuli as well as the speed at which an organism metabolizes, grows, processes sensory information, reacts, and ages. The highly vivrialically dense lethat has keen senses, reacts quickly to changes and disturbances in its environment, moves with remarkable speed, and only lives for two years on average. On the other hand, the cavern tree does not move at all, grows extremely slowly, and has a lifespan so long its end has never been recorded.
Brightness
Brightness is often discussed as density’s twin, another way to assess Threads within an organism’s body. However, it is more difficult to measure. In short, Brightness is the literal apparent brightness of the Threads within a living thing, and it indicates the strength of a person’s Threadsight and vivrialic aptitude. A Bright individual has a great awareness of and control over Threads, while a Dim individual has less so. The rare Threadblind individual is so Dim as to be vivrialically invisible and has no awareness of Threads except those which are disembodied and therefore visible.
The difficulty of measuring Brightness lies in its very nature; a person must be the measurer, and as Brightness varies much from individual to individual in the two sentient races, every measurer will “see” a measured organism differently. Brightness affects Threadsight and vivrialic potential directly, and an average person finds it very difficult to tell apart two others of similar Brightness. In my recent research, I have attempted to establish a consistent scale based on concrete points of reference, but I shall summarize those notions in another chapter.
Current understanding of Brightness is based on the experience of the two sentient races, as it is impossible to determine the relationship a baser animal has with Threadsight. All people–except the aforementioned Threadblind individuals–can sense the Threads of nearby living things to some extent, a sense we term “Threadsight.” Bright individuals can sense further and more accurately, and some are able to read nearby Threads as easily as a face to interpret expression and intention. Dim individuals can sense less, but are also more difficult to sense. Threadsight dwindles and weakens with distance, and other impediments can limit this sense. Just as our eyes cannot pierce stone, and just as others’ voices begin to sound indistinct when walls and curtains muffle them, physical obstructions can limit Threadsight. Threads sensed on the other side of an obstacle tend to appear fainter and less defined; the problem increases with the density of the blockage.
(As an aside, I should mention that this has raised curiosity as to the possibility of Threadsight-evasive armors for soldiers, particularly specialized stealth units. While this technology does not yet exist, and we are better off employing Dim and Threadblind specialists for stealth operations, I shall address such possibilities and the current research pertaining to them in a later chapter.)
Using Threads
Anyone who can sense Threads can also manipulate them, and the Brighter one is, the greater one’s vivrialic control. Most people are able to some extent to command Threads, provided that they are outside of another organism, and use them to affect the world around them. It often helps to be in contact with the Threads, enabling greater precision, but Bright users have no need to touch Threads to determine their movements.
An individual vivrialician is fairly limited in general Thread usage, especially without the aid of modern devices. Common uses mainly include lifting and moving small objects; although Threads feel insubstantial, a vivrialician of basic experience can move and configure them in a manner which makes it easy to grasp and manipulate physical matter.
Threads are incorporated into modern vivrialic technology to reach far beyond basic usage. With the Akriala krialin stabilization techniques introduced at the end of the Sanvalit Rebellion, the lifting power and precision of vivrialic manipulation has advanced swiftly. Elevators and airships are among the most prominent examples of complex Thread usage enabled by such stabilization. The exact mechanics of such machines is beyond the scope of this section and shall be discussed later.
Krialin
At this point of the overview, a reader may look at this section and ask, “Why?” Why, if vivrialics is the study and usage of Threads, does one specific mineral deserve dedicated discussion?
To anyone with vivrialic experience, the answer is clear. Krialin falls under the study of vivrialics because, unique among all creatures and materials observed to date, it is a non-living material that contains Threads. It is thought that krialin cannot create its own Threads as living organisms do, as it has never been observed to develop or behave like a living thing. Furthermore, the mineral is found in locations high in loose Threads. The current prevailing theory is that krialin absorbs the free-floating Threads of dead organisms, which then enable its growth. As a result, dark hollows in the deep woods, caves where unknown creatures must once have lived, and ancient graveyards seem to have become krialin mines. Krialin containing Threads glows brightly to the physical eye as well as to Threadsight and is known as “live krialin.” Unlike truly living things, krialin does not lose its properties or decay if its Threads are removed.
Krialin appears crystalline and translucent and comes in a variety of colors. The most highly valued and coveted is black, as it is extremely difficult to find krialin dark and opaque enough to hide the bright glow that live krialin gives off.
Krialin also takes many shapes, instead of adhering to the rigid and consistent structures of most minerals. It grows into the environment around it, clinging to cracks like a growing vine or spreading like a puddle to fill gaps in a cavern floor. It grows extremely slowly, and so far vivrialicians have been unable to speed, facilitate, or cultivate this growth in any meaningful way.
In addition to its broad variety of naturally occurring forms, krialin easily changes shape. Against any physical tool, no matter how masterfully made, krialin is harder than diamond and will not move or break. However, at the touch of a Bright individual, it can be reshaped. It usually takes time and effort to cause krialin to take on a desired shape, but some prodigious vivrialicians are able to mold it swiftly and easily like soft clay in their fingers. For instance, I had a classmate in my youth who regularly turned his krialin practice tool into a complex animal sculpture when he became bored in class. Unlike Threads, which can be manipulated without direct contact, krialin only responds to physical touch.
Among krialin’s modern uses is storage of the Threads of the dead to be employed in the future. Some krialin becomes key parts of an elevator or a ship; some are invaluable study tools in laboratories and universities; and some become weapons for vivrialicians trained in combat. Live krialin is also used in lighting, though this is rare in most places, considering its value to purposes beyond decoration. I and many of my peers believe that our current uses for krialin are limited, and there are many more we have yet to uncover–or, rather, recover.
Akrial
A conversation about vivrialics can only go on for so long before the inevitable mention of Akrial, Var, or the Sharans. Although such topics are more a matter for historians than vivrialicians, the existence of the Sharans and the Ascension of Akrial are directly tied to ancient vivrialics. To this day, Sharans and their Ezarans display far more vivrialic capacity and competence than even the Brightest and most educated person of the world.
For instance, Ezarans seem to incorporate krialin into their bodies, and those who have seen a Sharan describe them as beings of light and precious metal - hyperbolic, but a powerful testament to their awe-inspiring appearance and the prominence of the krialin they have grafted onto themselves. All attempts to mimic the krialin-grafts of the Ezarans and Sharans have failed, however, resulting only in injuries, infection, Threadloss, and sickness. I shall go into more detail on these experiments in a later chapter, but for the time being, it seems that krialin-grafting is a procedure only known to the creatures of Akrial.
Further discussions of Akrial in this book will be limited. What little knowledge we have has been compiled and best explained in the newest edition of Beltha’s World Histories, for the curious.
Excerpt from World Histories, Fourth Edition, Volume 1 by Harrilen Beltha
Beltha’s World Histories are a frequently re-published set of several volumes attempting the daunting task of creating a comprehensive historical record of the world of Elyezhan.
On Terminology
Unfortunately, so much information remains missing about the ancient civilization associated with Akrial that the best names we have are misleading ones. In the modern day, the word “Akriala” refers to someone or something from Akrial, a legendary place accessible only to the Sharans and their chosen few.
However, “Akriala” is also commonly used to refer to the ancient tongue that originates from the long-lost empire Akrial once headed. A more proper name for the language is Amearthic, though it was probably known by a different name when it was a dominant worldly language. It is widely called Akriala because Akrial is the only place where it is still commonly used, though the modern dialect probably differs significantly from its pre-Ascension counterpart.
Lastly, we use the adjective “Akriala” quite commonly to refer to ancient things. Although the ancient civilization from which Akrial originates was certainly not called Akrial, we do not know its name, and the closest association we have is Akrial. Therefore, I will refer to some ancient ruins and artifacts as “Akriala,” even though that is technically incorrect.
Pre-Ascension Akrial
To the vexation of four thousand years of searchers and scholars, the first Sharans took advantage of the cataclysmic Ascension to destroy and rewrite history, establishing dominance over the devastated world and preventing any other people from replicating their feat. This means that, despite extensive research by generations of our era’s most educated people, little is known of pre-Ascension Akrial.
To summarize what is known: Akrial was the capital of a large, sprawling civilization whose name has since been lost. Before the Ascension, the city was known as Do’khurnan, and it was probably situated somewhere in the Greater North Ocean between the continents of Emeralia and Iyasham. Explorers have found no sufficiently large landmasses in the region, so its exact location is unknown and probably no longer exists. Either the land it once stood on went with the city, or it fell to the catastrophic natural disasters that immediately followed the Ascension. It does seem that Do’khurnan was geographically central to the civilization it headed, and artifacts and ruins thought to be Akriala in origin have been found all over Iyasham, in western portions of Emeralia, and on islands in the Greater North Ocean.
It is also known that the civilization was extremely advanced in all the sciences, but their masterful grasp of vivrialics draws the most attention from today’s scholars. It was their technological advancement that enabled them to dominate large areas of multiple continents, traveling long distances with flying machines similar to modern-day ships. In addition, they seem to have had some sort of extensive and easily accessible communication system, enabling near-instant coordination between people on opposite ends of the empire.
We lack solid examples of their technology and unfortunately have a very poor understanding of it. Ruins and artifacts are rare finds, since most traces of pre-Ascension civilization were destroyed by the first Sharans. Scholars have picked over and dissected every discovery, but although such finds promise great revelations, they actually offer us frustratingly little. Although written Amearthic has been deciphered (in part thanks to Ezaran influence) and has found common use in scientific and literary circles, the contents of written records are often obscure, referring to people, places, and ideas for which we have no good point of reference or definition. Recovered ancient objects are even more vexing; they often take simple and seemingly arbitrary shapes, and their purposes and function are impossible to figure out. Strange tablets made of metal and crystal are common, coming in many sizes, as are tubes that probably once formed advanced plumbing and sewer systems.
Regarding the government of Do’khurnan and the society it led, nothing is known about its history and development. It is known that a relatively small collection of individuals held almost all political power in the civilization’s latest stage of life. How this oligarchy was composed remains a mystery, but a common theory holds that each oligarch originated from and represented a region of the empire, a way to reinforce cooperation and keep the massive machine operating as intended despite distance. We do not know if they were voted into leadership like governing officials in Tanyara, or if a collection of long-standing family lines made up the leading council like the Noble Circle of Alvitas.
The Ascension
The Ascension is the point at which history begins to become clear, speaking very relatively. A group comprising multiple oligarchs and leading scientists created a scheme to expand the empire’s reach and establish an eternal rule, bringing more resources under Do’khurnan’s command and extending their highly efficient rule to all of Elyezhan. This involved “translating” the capital city to an area outside of this world, an in-between space known as Var, from which it would be invulnerable and could monitor all of Elyezhan from an unassailable position. Some of those involved in the initial plan may have had good intentions, but through the lens of history this reeks of power-hungry hubris.
While the exact mechanisms behind the Ascension remain unknown, we do know its results. For one thing, it was successful; Do’khurnan, now Akrial, did indeed move and remained, at least in large part, intact, along with the oligarchs and scientists who went with it. For another, it was catastrophic. However it happened, the Ascension removed a massive number of Threads from the world, tearing apart living things and massively reducing the worldwide population of plants, animals, and sentient beings. Apart from the cabal of conspirators, it is probable that the entire population of the city was killed at once.
Sharans
The oligarchs and scientists who accompanied Akrial on its Ascension became the first Sharans. Originally, the Amearthic word simply meant “ruler,” but since the Ascension it has taken on a more specific meaning.
We know little about their society and even less about the nature of the creatures themselves. The Sharans are the inhabitants and governors of Akrial, the only ones permitted to live there and come and go freely, and they are almost never seen on Elyezhan. They benefit from effective immortality, living for hundreds of years thanks to some sort of scientific advancement known only to themselves (as much as some might claim it to be magic). We do not know if any Sharan has died a natural death; most if not all are slain by other Sharans or Ezarans. We do not even truly know what they look like.
It is known, at least, that they are all arkhel or nourts who have undergone a transformation due to the time they have spent in Var. Their Ezarans have seen the Sharans, but the Akriala Pact prevents them from giving scholars any useful details. Most who have seen one in the flesh describe a being much larger than an ordinary person, seemingly made of a strange, otherworldly metal in place of flesh and glowing with live krialin. Some posit that this description is not of the Sharans themselves but of a highly advanced form of vivrialically enhanced armor that they wear, a technology we have not yet rediscovered. Without the opportunity to speak with or study a real Sharan, however, we are left nothing better than theories.
Sharans are also capable of much more, vivrialically speaking, than a normal person. While we require ships to fly, they are able to do so independently. While most of us can only use Threads that are in krialin or loose in the air, they can directly affect the Threads inside a living creature’s body. Their Brightness is beyond any mundane person’s, and their Threadsight is keen despite distance and Dimness. Ezarans have hinted that whatever metal coats their masters’ bodies, whether it is truly a part of their flesh or merely armor, is impenetrable to most weapons.
Furthermore, we know that the Sharans are able to watch and listen in on Elyezhan from Var. Some theorize that they do so using the ancient communication methods of the pre-Ascension civilization, but it is so beyond our understanding that, like much about them, others would rather call it magic. Sharans can also transport themselves back to the world, if they so desire, but they only do so briefly in order to call new Ezarans or to move their Ezarans to and from Var.
Each Sharan takes a new name which apparently comes from the region of Akrial in which they dwell. For example, the Sharan who lives in and rules over the Menra’ir District is “Sharan Menra’ir.” It is unclear how the ancient city is laid out and what these names mean for the Sharans and their society.
Ezarans
The Amearthic word “ezaran” appears to mean “prince” or “second to the chief.” True to the title, Ezarans as we now know them are direct servants and heirs to Sharans. A Sharan only ever has one Ezaran at a time, an Ezaran serves only his or her chooser, sharing the name. The Ezaran to Sharan Menra’ir, therefore, is Ezaran Menra’ir.
Ezarans spend limited time in Akrial, continuing to live and act on Elyezhan and usually keeping their “mortal” names. However, their time in Var lends them a portion of the power enjoyed by their masters. For instance, Ezarans throughout history have been recorded as having the ability to fly, and they seem to age noticeably more slowly than the average person. They are also formidably Bright and very vivrialically able, with some being adept enough to tear the Threads out of the body of a living person. However, with the dramatic exceptions of luminous, unnaturally colored eyes and krialin seeming to grow from their bodies, Ezarans mostly appear as ordinary people, contrasting the otherworldly appearance of the Sharans.
Sharans call Ezarans for two broad reasons, and the first is to enact their will on Elyezhan. The driving ambition behind the Ascension was eternal rule over the rest of the world, and despite the Sharans’ low numbers, it seems that goal has never died. They call Ezarans to lead worldly peoples, governing them however the Sharan sees fit. They also call Ezarans to settle disputes between Sharans; since the Sharans have no armies of their own on Akrial and do not wish to tear themselves apart, they act out their conflicts with worldly servants. At such times, two or more Ezarans appear on the same continent at around the same time, and the people who flock to them grow into armies seemingly destined to oppose each other. The winning (or surviving) Ezaran determines which Sharan wins the argument in Akrial, at least until a new conflict arises.
It seems to many that such long lifespans would wear out a person, and for all their might, that may be the case for many Sharans. The second reason one might call an Ezaran is when it is time to raise up a successor, and when the Sharan believes that her heir is ready, she submits herself to be slain, either by her own Ezaran or by the other Sharans. A Sharan slain in other circumstances seems rare at best, with no such instances being documented, but in that case, she will nonetheless be succeeded by her Ezaran, if one exists. If not, her holdings in Akrial will be split among the other Sharans and her line will disappear.
It is also theorized that Ezarans play some role in facilitating the Sharans’ apparent ability to perceive our world. We still do not understand how the Sharans extend their senses to observe worldly events, so we cannot guess how Ezarans help their masters in this regard.
The Akriala Pact
Akrial’s laws are encoded in the Akriala Pact, which was drawn up between the surviving original Sharans after a bloody conflict reduced their original numbers significantly. The Pact is intended to preserve Akrial and its ability to affect the world, so it aims to protect Akrial’s secrets and its ruling Sharans. We do not have access to the entire code, but we know the contents that most significantly affect mundane people.
The most relevant to us is the forbiddance of sharing Akriala technology and scientific knowledge. Likely, the Sharans fear that allowing such information to reach ordinary people’s hands would make it possible for current civilizations to catch up to and overthrow Akrial, or perhaps they worry that a second Ascension could occur, ravaging the world anew.
We also know that, aside from brief trips to Elyezhan to call Ezarans and, when necessary, seek out Pact-breakers for punishment, the Sharans are to remain in Akrial and forbidden to spend unnecessary time in the world. We can speculate as to the original reason for this law; many imagine that a world in which Sharans walk alongside us, ruling personally and doing their will directly, would be a world of tyranny, violence, and chaos. Being among the people of the world could also prove dangerous if powerful and ingenuitive individuals take it upon themselves to attempt an overthrow.
Breaking the Pact by personally interfering in the world or by sharing Akriala secrets is seen as treason, and the offending Sharan or Ezaran is to be summarily killed for this violation. This seems to be the primary reason for their thinning numbers since the Ascension.
The Var Problem
I have briefly mentioned Var already, but my readers will notice that I have not defined the word with any sort of clarity. It is a place–of that historians are certain–but we do not know where it is. The best description we have of it is as an “in-between space,” somewhere unseen that is very near our world but does not quite touch it. We do not know what Var looks like, its properties, or how to reach it, and the word has not been translated into any modern language. It seems that, like many things, the Sharans scrubbed the topic of Var from history, likely to most effectively hide themselves and prevent any possible threat to their power.
Recent History and Modern Day
In the last four millennia, our understanding of the Sharans and Akrial has expanded, but we remain woefully ignorant and therefore subject to the whims of the Sharans. Their presence has been felt on every continent, and even relatively isolated populations, when contacted and questioned, have legends resembling the Ascension, godlike hero figures resembling Ezarans, and gods resembling Sharans. To this day, the residents of Spiral Isle, a Tanyaran territory, worship the Sharans.
It is not difficult to understand why. The gods of Syenneanism and the Amictic ancestors are unseen and unheard, and all evidence of their existence resides in the hearts of worshipers. On the other hand, the Sharans and Ezarans are easily seen and felt, and the marks they leave on world history are vast and far-reaching, determining the fates of nations. Opposition has always proven futile.
The Alvitan Civil War
The most recent Akriala War was also known as the Alvitan Civil War, the Sanvalit Rebellion, and, in Tanyara, the War of Independence. The last leader of the Alvitan Empire was Empress Pen Nelamba, or, by her Akriala title, Ezaran Felar. Her opponent was the rebel leader Gerith Sanvalit, also known as Ezaran Menra’ir. Empress Pen had all the might of the Imperial army on her side, strong infrastructure, and command of Alvitas’ highly defensible walled cities. The rebels won because of two factors: Sanvalit’s Tanyaran allies, persuaded to his side by promises that Tanyara would become independent from the Empire upon his victory; and his introduction of krialin stabilization, with which the rebels created the first flying warships to besiege the capital.
Unfortunately, the rebels’ victory was narrow and seemingly due to a catastrophe entirely out of their hands. Soon after Sanvalit’s army entered the city and he went in pursuit of the empress personally, all life in and around the capital suddenly died. Witnesses watching from far enough away to avoid the same fate reported that they briefly saw a blinding swarm of vivrialic light, innumerable Threads sucked from their hosts all at once, before the night went dark. Both Ezarans apparently died in the event, and brief and fearful forays into the ruined city have failed to find their bodies.
If Gerith Sanvalit had survived the battle, he would likely have been slain anyway for revealing the Akriala technique of krialin stabilization to his people. We have no way of knowing if his Sharan colluded with him to bring Alvitas this knowledge, but if that is the case, then we can assume that Sharan Menra’ir was also executed.
The Remaining Sharans
Early in post-Ascension history, Ezarans bearing many names appeared on the face of Elyezhan. Over time, the list of names has shrunk, with Sharans G’mara, [name], [name], and others gradually disappearing from records. We take this as evidence that the Sharans’ numbers have been shrinking for a long time. Historians guess that there are currently no more than a dozen left at the most, with some estimates dipping as low as three.
Between the Sharans’ thinned ranks and the fact that the Sanvalit Rebellion was less than a century ago, we can expect that it will be 150 to 200 years until Emeralia sees another Ezaran arise. Modern scholars wait with anticipation and morbid curiosity for rumors to come from Chekoruse, Iyasham, or beyond of luminous strangers and brewing war.