Altered Lore

Quintessence

2 min read

Quintessence

Overview

Quintessence is the substance of reality, complementary to The Aether which is the substance of The Empyrean. It is only when Aether imbues itself onto Quintessence that the idea it carries becomes physically incarnate in reality. Mana serves as the binding energy between the two (see Nature).

Cosmological Role

The relationship between the fundamental substances is:

  • Aether: The immaterial idea, the concept of a thing
  • Quintessence: The material substance that allows ideas to become tangible and exist within the world
  • Mana: The energy that binds Aether and Quintessence together

Interaction with The Tumult

When The Tumult disrupts reality, Aether is torn from Quintessence, dispersing orphaned ideas into the world and leaving behind residual Mana (see Nature). The stripped Quintessence can then be covered by other drifting ideas. The Muna work to counteract this process by shaping Mana to ensure that Aether and Quintessence blend durably, creating more resilient and permanent changes to reality (see Faction Use).

Philosophical Framework

The terminology of Aether, Quintessence, and Empyrean was codified by Aurica (3–82 AC), who reconciled Plato’s Theory of Forms with Aristotle’s hylomorphism to define the structure of the world. Her framework remains the foundation of Asgarthan metaphysics. Ascanios Fenn (58–144 AC) critiqued her model, arguing that reality is volatile and shaped by human consensus — that fragmented visions of the world would lead it to ruin. Issur (140–187 AC) postulated that the world tends toward equilibrium, with the eventual fusion of the Empyrean and reality as its inevitable destiny.

Relationships

  • The Aether: Complementary substance of the Empyrean; imbues itself onto Quintessence
  • Mana: Binding energy between Aether and Quintessence
  • The Tumult: Force that tears Aether from Quintessence
  • The Empyrean: Realm of imagination whose substance is Aether
  • Muna: Faction that works to durably blend Aether and Quintessence
  • Aurica: Philosopher who codified the Aether-Quintessence framework (3–82 AC)
  • Ascanios Fenn: Critic of Aurica’s model who warned of reality’s fragility (58–144 AC)
  • Issur: Philosopher who postulated the world tends toward Empyrean-reality fusion (140–187 AC)

Backlinks

Graph View