The Absolver Explanation Page

==Introduction==
I'm making this because it is currently less annoying than other things I should be working on. Workouts can wait. Basically, I found an accurate stash of all dialogue in the game, which is good because it's hard to get your hands on some of this. This blog will aim to explain some of the weirder things within the Absolver universe.
Might add more later, this is it for now. 
==Cosmological Structure==
This part's pretty basic but important.
In Absolver there is an unknown amount of realities. We do not receive an exact number, only that there are many physical realities,Iktar Intro which Prospects and Absolvers can wander through somehow.Talem dialogue All of these physical realities revolve around the existence of the Fold, which is more a plane of thought or might than anything physical and is separated from other planes by some form of barrier.Iktar Intro If said barrier didn't exist, the Fold would consume quite literally every other reality.
That's the gist of the cosmology in the game. Pretty basic multiverse.
==Essence and the Use of Essence==
Essence is a controversial subject within the Absolver universe and the focus of much of what little plot there is. In short, Essence is a translucent crystal found deep underground, with a yellow tint. The properties of Essence might be described as magical, and it was found to have extraordinary medicinal properties in the earliest days of Absolver's world. Eventually, certain shamans discovered that it reacted to ritualistic incantations, allowing it to emit raw energy, or heat, or light, or force. It was also valuable building material, as it was even harder than diamond.Artbook, pg 4-5
Essence permeates into essentially every single aspect of the world. Weapons and armor alike are made from it,Dried Essence Sword description and specialized items of clothing were made to resist the sheer radiance of the stone while mining it, often out of the Essence itself.Essence Prospector Boots description All magic and supernatural things of the verse are a result of Essence and incantations. While specific effects depend on the incantation, many examples include controlling temperature,Ice Mask description plant life,Thorns Mask description capturing souls,Mask-o-Lantern description and achieving mind control.Hypnosis Mask description
Eventually, the Adal, a tribe of experts on Essence, created their city of Raslan over a huge source of the stuff and began extracting it from the Earth. Guides, a group of sages that forbade abuse of Essence, warned them of the apocalyptic power of this substance, and how things would go downhill should they continue. Obviously, they continued and said apocalypse happened, with every major Adalian city suffering from volcanoes, tsunamis, and in the case of the city of Raslan, an enormous sulfurous cloud that consumed the city and its inhabitants.Artbook, pg 9-10
From this came the Guides' age of power, which we'll discuss later. The only important distinction to make at the moment for the Guides is the masks of Absolvers- many mention that some masks are created from Essence to achieve a certain effect (for example, the Baroque Eye Mask creates illusionsBaroque Eye Mask description), but this is specifically not what powers their resurrection powers,Final Iktar dialogue nor is a Mask needed for this.Kilnor dialogue Essence is tied to the Fold but is not the sole method of accessing it.Rift Coin description
In summary: much of the plot is based around the idea of many cultures aiming to control and manipulate a material called Essence, which is a magic rock found underground. It's power eventually caused innumerable disasters and is now largely banned across the world thanks to the efforts of sages called Guides. All of this happens before the game starts.
==Arcell, the Fold, and Gleam==
When the Adalians began their incantations with Essence, they began appearing in the Fold. Not physically, but rather the beings of the Fold began seeing them for the first time. Some even chose to manifest before them through the gateways created by their Essence magic.Iktar Third Intro Put plainly, Ethereans are creatures bound to the Fold that observe reality and fateIktar Intro in regards to the physical realities.
One Etherean, in particular, realized that through the masks of Absolvers, which other Ethereans had imbued with Fold power, he might corrupt the minds of others and reach into not just one physical reality, but all of them. This Etherean was Arcell and he began tormenting the Absolvers, using them as gateways into our world.Iktar Intro
Gleam is the name given to the power of the Fold, and Arcell seeds it through the masks of Absolvers to slowly take control of these physical realities and to weaken the barrier between the Fold and them. Absolvers with little resistance to this form of manipulation can also become corrupted and serve under Arcell, never dying, constantly Folding and Unfolding.Iktar Second Intro
==Cycle of Life and Death, and the Importance of Folding==
The core gameplay mechanic of the game outside of martial arts is a firm foundation in resurrection. Every character is immortal,Iktar Intro cycling endlessly through life and death. Indeed, most that undergo this process is rendered insane- the only ones ostensibly immune to this are Absolvers and a small handful of others (Kuretz, Cargal, and Kilnor).Kuretz dialogue
This form of resurrection is achieved by "Folding" and "Unfolding".Kuretz dialogue Basically, every mask is a gateway to the Fold, the realm of thought inhabited by EthereansIktar Intro and is infused with energy. When you die, you are merely sent to some part of the Fold for some time only to return soon after. This same concept can be applied to objects as well- items can be Folded to be transported to this realm of thought and then pulled back on a second's notice, a skill of considerable importance to Absolvers.Risryn dialogue
To my knowledge there is only one character capable of undoing this energy- Risryn. She is capable of removing this access to the Fold from her fellow Prospects, and sending them to their "true death".Risryn dialogue Arcell and the Ethereans may possess the ability to do this as well, considering their other control over the Fold, but this is never shown directly.
==Tension and Essence==
Tension is essentially "the more you fight, the more tense the Essence Shards you carry with you build up energy, which lets you use powers". It's mostly mechanical but it is 'lightly' explained.Will stat description It takes significant mental prowess to do this, which likely relates to the weak-willed being consumed by the Fold.
===Iktar Intro Snippets===
* Ref 1: "The more Prospects Arcell infects, the stronger his power becomes. Unlike other Etherans, Arcell has always despised the separation between the Fold and the physical realities."
* Ref 3: "If Arcell isn't stopped, he will soon have enough power to break the barrier between dimensions, and your world will become consumed by the Fold."
* Ref 17: "Most Etherans are content in the observation of Fate, unraveling relentlessly through all realities. Unlike humans, we are not confronted by the inevitability of death, and we have all the time we need."
* Ref 18: "Arcell is corrupting Prospects through their mask. The mask is an opening to the Fold, and he found a way to propagate Gleam through it."
* Ref 20: "[...] they quickly understood that most of those who accept the Mask lose their minds. Only those with extreme willpower and resilience manage to stay sane in the endless cycle of death, folding and rebirth."
* Ref 22: "Arcell is corrupting Prospects through their mask. The mask is an opening to the Fold, and he found a way to propagate Gleam through it." (Same as Ref 18)
===Iktar Second Dialogue===
* Ref 19: "Arcell has managed to corrupt a Tearan Absolver, you have fought him already, but he is not destroyed: he unfolded and will be waiting for you again."
===Iktar Third Dialogue===
* Ref 16: "When the adalian scientist started using Essence to create Openings to the Fold, Some Etherans ot intrested in their experiments, and decided to manifest themselves to men."
===Iktar Final Dialogue===
* Ref 13: "It was an Etheran like me who enchanted your mask, and made you a Prospect. Everytime he enchants a mask, he pulls power from the Fold, and all Etherans can feel it."
===Artbook Lore===
* Ref 4: "In the earliest days of humanity, as men started organizing into tribes, transmitting culture and knowledge through generations, they discovered the exceptional medicinal properties of a transcluscent rock found underground: the Essence. Some tribes eventually discovered that the Essence also reacted to primordial incantations. Using the right tones and rythms, it could take extraordinary properties: emit light or energy, become lighter than air, harder than diamond, and more..."
* Ref 11: "One spring morning, a rumble was heard from the depth of the mine, and the earth split open, engulfing entire neighbourhoods. Thousands died crushed by the falling buildings, but many more died poisoned by sulfic fumes released in the air - amongst them, the Emperor and his family. The Empire didn’t survive the cataclysms of the Downfall, and the few who survived fled to the provinces near the heart of Adal, which regained their autonomy. It was time for a new order to emerge..."
===Character Dialogues===
* Ref 2, Talem: ""Lost Prospects shift around aimlessly between planes. As you get stronger, you will arrive on planes with older, stronger Prospects"
* Ref 14, Kilnor: "You thought we needed those dreadful masks to revive? Tearian channelists may be despised, but they hold Essence secrets known only to us. You won't find these incantations anywhere... even in the Imperial Library"
* Ref 21, Kuretz: ""Well... It seems that you are stronger than most. These ones broke almost instantly. I like it when they resist."
* Ref 22, Kuretz: "But somehow, I felt no rage when I unfolded. More like... A sense of renewed purpose."
* Ref 24, Risryn: "Still a prospect, but you fold well. Who knows, Maybe you'll be more intresting than the others..."
* Ref 25, Risryn: "I used to be a mentor for Prospects in Adal. But one day I decided I would no longer follow the Guide's rule. Now they send Absolvers to kill me... But I am the one who sends them to their true deaths. Not you however... One day we will do great things together."
===Item Descriptions===
* Ref 5, Dried Essence Sword: "A blunt sword with no grip, that can be disarmed quite easily. Made of dried Essence, that will react to incantations no longer."
* Ref 6, Essence Prospector Boots: "Progressing through the narrow exploratory tunnels was a dangerous affair, and Prospectors wore as much protection as they could afford, sometimes using stone plates to reinforce their garments."
* Ref 7, Ice Mask: "Ice infused with Essence dust, and a gem on the forehead. A complex incantation keeps the ice cold, even in the warmest weather."
* Ref 8, Thorns Mask: "Delicate and subtle, it is also harsh and spiky. A heartbroken lover is said to have carved it before becoming a Prospect, and it has been coming out of the Fold ever since."
* Ref 9, Mask-o-Lantern: "Burnt wood, with a strange glow coming from inside. Some say the light is the spirit of the dead, others say it is just Essence shining."
* Ref 10, Hypnoisis Mask: "Seems charming and innocent at first, but don't stare at it too long, or you risk losing yourself in this twisted gaze."
* Ref 12, Baroque Eye Mask: "Typical Adalian design with rich golden engravings. Is this eye following you, or is it just an illusion?"
===Misc Descriptions===
* Ref 15, Rift Coin: "An old artifact dating from the Adalian Empire, made of Essence infused silver. An incantation starts the spin, another charges the diamond shaped frame. As it reaches high velocity, the Coin enters in resonance, shattering it and opening a rift to the Folded dimension, through which a random object can be called."
* Ref 26, Will Stat: "Storing and releasing Tension in Shards requires a significant mental effort."
==References==
Category:Explanation Pages
Category:Absolver