Arát

The Arát were the first creation of Seth, borne from his body as he emerged from the infinite dream. In their creation, they became the first proof that magic of opposing affiliations could be performed at the highest level, as life was birthed from chaos. The Arát were created with the sole purpose of aiding Seth in his pursuit of curiosity, serving as extensions of his consciousness to allow Seth a broader breadth of learning within The Infinite Dream. They travel world to world, consuming their surroundings in an attempt to gain understanding of the souls and creations within the Dream Cradle. In this time, the Arát have lived a carefree existence, with their only tasks being to fulfill their own curiosity, travel worlds, and never become blinded to the dream.

## Characteristics

### Ebu (Vandals)

The most populous variety of Arát, they are commonly referred to as Vandals due to their habits and daily practices. They have two particular abilities that set them apart from other species. The first is their ability to comprehend and understand objects by deconstructing them, leading to their colloquial name. The second is the ability to create tears to tunnel through the dream as a means of transportation, effectively allowing them to teleport vast distances and avoid traveling through the dream itself to reach other worlds. Ebu spend their lives wandering from world to world, satisfying their curiosities by deconstructing that which they wish to decipher. It is through destruction that they gain understanding, comprehending existence from echoes left within each object's dream. Although Ebu have been known to deconstruct living beings, this is exceedingly rare. For these reasons, in modern times most view the Ebu simply as pests who are hardly worth the bother of stopping, since the average Ebu's strength far surpasses that of most city dwellers.

Ebu are vaguely insectoid in appearance, with six limbs and twenty eyes, visible muscle striations under thin skin, and clawed appendages. Each one has a lifespan (or lifecycle) of 80 years, which is concluded by being deconstructed by their sibling species the Vaash, although they can live for hundreds of years if left untouched.

### Vaash (Librarians)

Vaash are more rare than Ebu, as well as being immeasurably more powerful. There are approximately 80 Ebu per Vaash, with each Vaash acting as handlers for a fixed network of Ebu. Vaash live the majority of their existence within the dream, deciphering and interpreting information brought to them by the Ebu. They are considered to be immortal, likely as a result of consuming the Ebu, alongside their immense dreams and magic.

The Vaash have several powers unheard of among any other species. The first of these is the capacity for large scale inter-world travel. All Vaash can tear large holes in the dream, allowing other beings to traverse between physically unconnected patches of reality. This can be maintained between 10 minutes and 3 hours depending on the strength of the Vaash. Second, they are able to pull other beings from the physical world into the dream, destroying their physical form, and often dispersing (effectively destroying) the soul of any being not versed in traversing the Infinite Dream. The third is similar to the Ebu, being able to deconstruct physical reality to decipher it's connection to the dream. In the case of the Vaash, this goes a step further, allowing them to read the entire history of what they deconstruct. This is rarely used, since it provides large supplies of uninteresting and therefore useless information, and often requiring a price to produce magic of any substance. Generally, they prefer to rely on the preferences and curiosity of the Ebu to guide their search through the dream, residing mainly apart from physical reality.

Physically, Vaash are bipedal with two arms similar to city dwellers. They have visible striations similar to Ebu as well as translucent skin, particularly on their head where lights can be seen swimming beneath. Despite this "default" appearance, they are in fact shape shifters who can stretch and morph their flesh, although they are not particularly adept at taking precise forms. They often appear to be wearing clothes, although upon closer inspection this too is molded of their flesh.

## Culture

All Arát are born from larval forms, incubated within the fleshy backs of Vaash for twenty years, and hatching four times periodically throughout Arát lifecycles. As they mature, the vast majority become Ebu, with a single Vaash emerging each life cycle, formed from the amalgamation of dreams accumulated since the last Vaash was born. These Vaash split off to form networks in new areas across the dream cradle, expanding outward as worlds emerge in the distant edges of reality.

For the most part, the Arát as a species exist to serve Seth, although only by design rather than coercion. Their purpose is to extend the reach of Seth's understanding of physical reality, the aspect of the dream most foreign to him, that he can most readily understand. Throughout their journey, the countless brood scour physical existence through the curiosity of their magic, consuming the endlessly expanding patterns and creations residing within the dream cradle.

### Ebu

Ebu's primary trait is their curiosity, with each one generally living a solitary journey. They travel from space to space, tearing apart that which compels them, subsuming the simple pieces of dream within their own. Although their existence on a greater scale is merely a tool to peer into unprecedentedly expansive regions of the dream, each one lives a highly intelligent, and free life. The personality of Ebu depends greatly on the musings and meditations of the Vaash during incubation period, often relating to dedication toward self discovery, the inherent unknowable nature of the dream, and a curiosity that can discover infinitely from this unknowable source.

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### Vaash

The Vaash live a life of seclusion, spending a majority of their time within the dream in deference to their god. They spend much of their life immersed in the enormity of the dream, weaving their consciousness through countless pools of dreaming their Ebu feed to them. Collectively, they are devoted to mapping the physical realm of the dream, understanding and feeling the presence of unbelievably enormous swathes of the dream.

For most, they follow the long standing practice of allowing the Ebu to be their primary connection to the physical world, often seeing the use of their own magics to be profane and cause to grieve. However, there are a small number who have taken to wandering the material world, often living within cities in search of lost technologies from before the war.