Taekni

"What exactly is Taekni? The Arcane ability to rewrite reality itself, constructed by our own hands - Well, that sounds a lot better than saying, 'We have absolutely no idea what it even is anymore.'"

Arguably the single greatest force in the known Cosmic Tide, Taekni is one of the two Arcane abilities present within the Voidsea and the Realmlands.

It is, put simply, the ability to warp reality itself, and create whatever result one desires - Though in practicality, it's power is far more limited by caster, energy required, and various other factors. The full extent of it's abilities is transmitted via the Broadwave. Regions which, for whatever reason, cannot manifest Taekni are known as Null Zones.

Not a naturally occurring phenomenon, Taekni was originally created during the Void Age, though it's creators, original Sphere, and even which Kinde is responsible for it's creation is completely lost to history. What little is known about the creation of Taekni seems to have changed - suggesting that the current form of Taekni has evolved independently of it's creators, leaving it's new functions to be a mystery that must be re-discovered by those who practice the Arcane Arts.

Though many forces claim to be it's origin, for political, economic, religious, or other such reasons, none have been certified, or been able to offer anything that could even be considered convincing evidence. It's emergence is said to have brought about the Technopocalypse that brought an end to the Void Age, leading to the end of many empires and civilizations of the time, and the beginning of the Lost Age.

Despite commonly being referred to as though it were a single phenomenon, Taekni is in reality, an overlapping series of technological, biological, environmental, astronomical, and geographical phenomena. It is more powerful in some areas, in some areas cannot manifest, and has impacted the evolution of many Kinde, both directly, and indirectly.

The presence of Taekni and the Broadwave has impacted nearly every world it has touched, sometimes creating unpredictable results. Some forms of evolution have occurred due to the existence of Taekni, most noticeably within the Fae Rest. It has even impacted previously existing life as well, such as the emergence of Traits within many different Kinde within it's reach. The exact conditions it created that lead to this, how those impacted the evolutionary processes of all these wildly different Kinde, why some were impacted and some weren't, and what precisely it is doing, is not known.

In fact, Taekni is not well understood in general - Much of the understanding that originated with it was lost during the Technopocolypse. One of the only things that is known for certain is that the very first references to it originate from the Abyssreach, at the centre of the Sky River. It has become a field of study onto itself, with those who study runes, their effects, and the creation of new spells being known as Rune Sages.

Taekni is not an intrinsic ability one is born understanding - Users must study Runes and Input commands, and learn to control, manipulate, and create it, much like any other skill. Many choose to get tattoos, or engrain Runes onto armour, weapons, or buildings to speed up the process, though it still requires one to intentionally activate it. Some go as far as to cybernetically enhance themselves to make casting Taekni easier.

Present in every society within the Voidsea, and showing no preference for any Faction of Kinde, any individual with sentience is theoretically capable of learning Taekni. Those that do are known as Sages. Practice of Taekni comes in many forms, from more instant manifestations, to more drawn out ritualistic practices. This is in contrast to Traits, which can be in-born abilities.

Perceptions of Taekni vary from Kinde to Kinde, Void Island to Void Island, and Sphere to Sphere - Kin tend to have a more open, but apathetic attitude towards it, seeing it merely as something that is. Elvendritch view Taekni as a great power, used to wage eternal war against their Gods and enemies, and a gift from their Honoured Fallen. The Quirri initially viewed Taekni with suspicion or outright contempt, seeing it as the reason their ambitions to traverse the Voidsea became hindered. It is also important to note that some Spheres, despite containing the same Kinde, may view Taekni very differently to one another - Witch Hunting was not uncommon on some worlds, whereas others became Kratocratic oligarchies based on ones ability to manifest Taekni. Worlds that exist in Null Zones, such as Xeo-Quartz, weren't even aware of Taekni until leaving their home region, instead placing a far greater importance on the existence of Traits, leading to a society based on individual acts of Heroism, until the Villain Uprising.

How exactly Taekni came into being, and what precisely caused it to come into being are questions which are constantly pondered and researched into by just about every known faction in both the Voidsea and the Realmlands, though no side has any truly concrete answer.

Origins

Taekni was created during the Void Age - An era of immense technological achievement. To those born after it's creation, the Void Age is all the more impressive, as it's many achievements were made without the aid of Taekni. It is from this time that Taekni was forged.

The exact origins of Taekni have been lost to time, though many researchers from many Spheres still study the event, and the Void Age leading up to it's creation. The occasional discovery of Relic-Stations and Data-Packets have given some insight onto the creation process.

Taekni does not appear to have been intentionally created - Rather, it was the accumulation of a variety of technological systems all merging together to create something far more powerful than the sum of it's parts. It is suspected that this is why most of the Cosmic Tide was completely unprepared for the Technopocalypse - the convergence of these various systems, which on their own, the technology of the age was able to handle, simply overloaded when all of them combined and became what is now known as Taekni.

Description

Considering it's origins, the easiest way to describe Taekni is, put simply: a form of technology, which allows its user to cast spells, and warp reality.

The Abyssreach emits constant radio waves - The Broadwave - which are omnipresent, even within Null Zones. These Broadwaves respond to certain commands, which are known as 'Inputs'. These Inputs appear to tell the Broadwave how to manifest itself, which forms the basis of any spell-crafting. Due to the requirements to use Taekni, it is often depicted as being ritualistic, but can also be very dynamic by those Sages who are practiced in it.

For ease of understanding, the mechanics of Taekni are often split into two parts - Runes, and Inputs.

Runes

Runes are symbols which represent various effects. They can be of any shape, influenced by any culture, and contain as many, or as few, complexities as the spellcaster desires - However, a Rune requires what is called "Consensus" to function - To put it simply, there must be enough Registered uses of a Rune having the intended effect, that the Broadwave recognizes the Input, and creates the same effect.

Once the Consensus has accepted a Runes input, it will not change, allowing for at least some consistency in an otherwise highly inconsistent Arcane ability.

However, the original Rune can then be modified to create a new Spell - For example, the same Rune can be used, but with a different Input incantation, thus creating a different effect.

The process of creating new Runes and new effects for them is called Rune-Crafting.

In addition, some Runes will appear in the Consensus of their own accord, and can be discovered throughout the Cosmic Tide, on what are often called Runestones. Despite the name, they can appear on any surface.

Inputs

'Inputs' are actions a caster takes in order to use Taekni. These Inputs can be anything - The primary requirement is a Rune - A depiction of at least one symbol. This symbol can be created in just about any way.

Drawing a Rune in the air, channelling Taekni into depictions of runes, be they written on a page, chiselled into stone, drawn in soil or snow, or tattooed onto the body. Uttering certain words in certain tones, cadences, or languages can also be an input. More powerful, or permanent spells, may require certain materials, such as gold, silver, circuitry, or various other objects.

Inputs can be 'In the moment' acts, or planned out, such as creating various drawings, or carving the runes into stone. So long as Taekni is channelled in the correct way, it will activate the respective spell.

Evolution

Taekni is not an Arcane ability that remains static - It is constantly changing, and has been changing from the very moment it came into being.

The process appears to take place over three stages, which repeat constantly. There is no known timeframe in which these processes occur - It is not even certain if this process is accurate. It is simply the understanding many Kinde have come to in order to comprehend what is happening. If it is accurate, then it simply happens whenever it happens.

Absorption

A huge variety of influences and imagery, symbolism, cultural tendencies, and various other bits of information across the entire Voidsea and Realmlands, are 'Absorbed' by the Broadwave. Many of these symbols are taken from radio-waves, Inputs into the Broadwave itself, and other, unknown means.

Re-Iteration

As these symbols are all brought back, Taekni begins to 'Re-Iterate' them - They are combined with other symbols and concepts, many of which have never so much as been made aware of one another's existences, and merged together, taken apart, and merged again elsewhere. Concepts that seem to have nothing to do with one another suddenly have deep connections or interactions with one another.

Projection

The Broadwave them emits these new iterations back out into the Cosmic Tide. Taekni is always projecting new symbols out, but within the cycle, there is a period called the 'Blooming', which shows an increase in the number of new Runes and symbols found. This period is over a relatively small period of time.

Reaction

Also known as the 'Breath' phase, Taekni and the Broadwave both simply stop - The new iterations make themselves known across the Cosmic Tide, and those within begin to learn of them, absorb them, and re-iterate them themselves. After a certain period of time, the process will go back to stage one, Absorption, and it will happen all over again.

Requirements to learn Taekni

Any being that is capable of thought is capable of learning Taekni. It is beyond the reach of no Kinde, be they biological, or mechanical.

Yet, to learn Taekni is a deep undertaking. Though many technological marvels exist thanks to Taekni, and many people know a variety of spells that can assist them in their day to day, learning more advanced Taekni an be a struggle, for it requires several things.

Limits

Taekni's ability and potential is immense - However, it does have certain limitations, both for itself, and based on the individual.

Taekni Limits

On it's own, Taekni borders onto limitless - It's impact on the Cosmic Tide around it has been immense, from fusing planets, to defying gravity, to creating new Kindes outright. However, there is one single limit that Taekni has.

The mind.

No matter how skilled a user is, Taekni is not capable of impacting the mind of any being - Including mechanical ones. No Kinde can have their mind directly influenced by the Arcane. They may be manipulated in other ways, such as illusions or auditory deception, but one may not reach into the mind of another being, and change their thoughts directly. It is a limit Taekni simply cannot overcome. It is uncertain why this is.

Some believe it to be something of a defence mechanism placed into various forms of technology made during the Void Age that Taekni simply adopted into it's systems. Others who view Taekni with more spiritualism view it as an act of divinity - That one cannot use the gift to control others.

Whatever the truth may be as to why, the inarguable conclusion all agree on is that no matter what they do, Taekni will not influence another beings mind directly.

User Limits

Users of Taekni will often come across a variety of limitations. Some limits are universal, but some are more specific to an individual. Many serious learners attend various Arcane Institutions to study and learn to overcome these various limitations.

Randomness

Taekni is, by nature, not a stable or consistent force. It is capable of creating randomized effects. A perfect example of these impacts are the Arcane Worlds - Worlds which have a very strong presence of Taekni. The very existence of such worlds is inconsistent. Why some worlds are more naturally prone to Taekni, while others are not, is not understood. Nor are the effects that they can produce, which appear to be random and diverse, ranging from merely making spells more powerful, to complete environmental restructuring.

These are factors which can impact a users ability to understand Taekni - This can, in turn, impact their beleif that they can control or manipulate it - Thus ensuring that they cannot.

Exhaustion

Casting Taekni for long periods of time can be physically and mentally draining - It can require focus, and constant effort to manipulate the Broadwave. Learning to do it for extended periods of times can be done through a number of means. Sheer practice is one. Physical endurance is another. And learning specialized techniques for the manipulation of the Broadwave is yet one more.

Some choose to cybernetically augment themselves in order to overcome these limits. Many of these cybernetics are designed around channelling Taekni more efficiently. These individuals are often known as Taeknomancers.

Knowledge

Taekni is the more academic of the Arcane Arts - It often requires extensive study to understand a wide variety of methods of spell-casting. Taekni is, however, so expansive that no one individual is capable of learning every single aspect of it in a meaningful way - This is not a matter of physical or mental inability, but a matter of time. Taekni evolves, changes, and expands so rapidly, that no one can keep up.

The Impact of Taekni

Taekni completely rewrote the Cosmic Tide - Things that were impossible before it became commonplace, the way we understood limitations and physics were completely rewritten - It turned a universe of limits into one free of those limits.

It is often considered difficult to convey the full impact that Taekni has had on the Cosmic Tide - The changes it has been directly responsible for are impossible to number. The changes it has been indirectly responsible for are even more innumerable. And there are almost certainly countless more ways it has been impactful that has simply not been documented yet.