Overview[]
Characteristics[]
Collective Consciousness[]
Instead of each Rifter having their own consciousness, they are all linked to a single central consciousness into which all of the Rifters' thoughts and actions are depicted into. As an outcome, Rifters lack the ability to think for themselves. Nonetheless, this has been shown to have more beneficial than negative attributes. This collective consciousness managed to evolve around the same time that the Rifters were developed enough to have thought and sensory perceptions.
This collective consciousness has preserved the Starfield repeatedly and has tremendously assisted the Rifters' development. As an example, every one of the Rifters determined that enough matter can destabilize the already volatile Quintessence and bring their physical existence to a halt. The Starfield wouldn't have formed in any way, shape, or form, and the Rifters would have been exiled to non-existence forever. Without collective consciousness, it would have taken trillions of years for the Rifters to discover how to influence the Quintessence or manifest matter into being.
Omnipotence[]
Whenever the Rifters reach their full potential, they will become the most powerful entities in existence, capable of absolute omnipotence and virtually boundless force. The Rifters' power would be genuinely endless, as they would be able to create entire realms of their own, yet this is a theory that could very well be incorrect. At that time, any other beings apart from the Rifters would be either be saved or condemned for eternity. Nonetheless, there are a few forces or entities that can limit or halt the development of Rifters, such as the Void's Duality. The vast timeframe required for the Rifters to evolve to that level is inconceivable, dwarfed even by the death of the Cosmos.
Since the Void's Duality is significantly more powerful than them and halts their expansion, the Elder Gods will never reach their full capacity in existing predictive models of the future. Even if the Void's Duality gets annihilated, the nature of the Palioxis Starfield will most likely limit the Elder Gods' omnipotence in some aspects, but this may be inaccurate and the Rifters may be able to end the Palioxis Starfield.
Quintesia[]
Manipulation of the Quitessence, also known as Quintesia, is one of the Rifters' more useful and powerful attributes. Quintesia allows for a wide range of effects and manifestations to occur, including the creation of matter, which completely disregards all known known laws of physics. This skill has been the sole reason for the Rifters' relative success in development. Without Quintesia, the Rifters would not have been able to interact with the physical universe, preventing them from destroying the Oculus and initiating the process that led to the formation of the Starfield.
Initially, the Quintessence would only be used to generate artificial gravitational wells by the Rifters. This served no real purpose, though soon they figured out how to manipulate the Quintessence to craft the first particles in the Starfield. They began by figuring out how to make subatomic particles, which resulted in the first protons, neutrons, and electrons. The first atoms were shaped soon afterward, accompanied by complex molecules and, finally, comparatively tiny clumps of material. This matter would be shaped in a number of different ways, including forging the physical vessels wherein the Rifters would inscribe their magical energies in order to interact more effectively with the matter they had conceived.
Intelligence[]
Immortality[]
The Rifters have proven to be immortal, despite their enormous power. The reason for this is simple: since the magical energy that the Rifters are comprised of is non-physical and therefore does not contact with the material universe in any manner, decimating it would be inconceivable .Nonetheless, this supernatural energy can be severely transformed to a state of near-death, existing on the fine line between life and death altogether. Each of the Rifters has been condemned with immortality, destined to remain until the end of time and creation, imprisoned in being with no escape, a heart wrenching destiny for any being.
Unfortunately, certain occurrences have the ability to annihilate the Rifters. Among of these would be the demise of Void's Duality, since all Rifter magical energy is reliant over its existence. The five Rifters from the first Rifter voyage to Abysmia were initially believed to be deceased. This was not the case, since they were able to live and thrive even after the influence of Void Energy totally altering their form.
Riftspeak[]
Elder Gods[]
The Elder Gods, also regarded as the Celestials, are a group of seven Rifters that broke free from their bonds deep within Abysmia and ascended to the Starfield after billions (or, in their case, more than trillions) of years of continual degradation and corruption. The Elder Gods of Abysmia developed a high tolerance for the deteriorating Void Energy, which also began to gradually restore the cruel processes that they had endured. The Elder Gods were able to re-enter the Starfield some three billion years ago, yet the Starfield would be in a very different form than it was before, leaving them perplexed regarding the nature of the Starfield. The Elder Gods would have nearly infinite influence over the Starfield and its nature in current times, albeit most of their power is restrained by the Void's Duality, the only entity more formidable than them.
The Elder Gods are often seen as peaceful entities, frequently gazing over the development of countless species from afar. In some circumstances, the Elder Gods were able to incorporate themselves into these species' society in order to gain a deeper understanding of them. Only in their first millions of years in the Starfield did the Elder Gods bring death and ruin, but after they grew a better knowledge of the Starfield's fragile nature, all carnage was halted.
The Elder Gods were widely recognized as the Cosmic Deities in ancient Zaraeth societies, and included Zero and Ceres as the rulers of the Universe, with Apollo as its sole creator. Such statements are still believed in a few Zaraeth religions that predated these ancient religions, despite scientific proof proving that none of this is truly the case. Almost all other religions centered on the Elder Gods presume comparable presumptions. The Vanheirs are one of the few species whose cultures revolve around the Elder Gods as evil spirits sent to progressively corrupt and wipe out the entire Universe.