Linecutter

A Linecutter is a compact device carried as standard gear by most front-line fighters as a way to force engagements. The cutter severs any connection a universe has to its other timelines/alternate versions and from the greater multiverse. Most are powerful enough to be used on entities on the level of lesser Tor fragments, with a few being able to be used on Patra and Arish hosts. Some Linecutters (particularly ones manufactured for multiversal war) are designed to perform this on the scale of not only the initial universe but all its component timelines and alternate versions as well.

## History

The Linecutters trace their origins all the way back to the years just after the Ascension Wars, when the Weave was beginning its initial expansion. The initial expansion faced numerous raids by outside powers and individuals, resulting in frequent setbacks when sufficient forces were too slow to bring to bear. Existing technologies for cutting off adjacent realities from each other existed at this time, but were slow to deploy and required extensive preparation before they could do so.

In an effort to force engagements with the raiders, the precursors to Linecutter devices were miniaturized and made more convenient for usage. With the research base for the technology already being mature, the factions of the nascent Weave were able to piece together the first prototype Linecutters in less than half a decade. The first Linecutters were the size of a marbles, and could be activated with a mental command. These were tested in the field by hunter-killer teams to great effect. allowing the raiders to be trapped in combat against the teams while full defense forces could be brought to bear. With these initial successes, the Linecutters entered full production and further research.

In the millions of years after the first Linecutters were produced, countless improvements have been made to the devices. Current generation Linecutters come in a variety of forms, from the cheaper traditional beads that can be integrated into physical technology, to the significantly more expensive metaphysical augments that are fused into the soul and mind.

## Mechanism

Linecutters are a Void based technology, using Protean Husks in a similar as the implantation of a Reality Engine into a universe. A Linecutter has two components; a specialised control module and a container for the Protean Husks that have been keyed and patterned to the device. When a Linecutter is activated, the Protean Husks contained within are released into a universe (or local multiverse in the case of more powerful versions) and spread rapidly throughout the entire reality. Once this has been done, the patterned Husks cuts off the affected reality or realities from other universes and the Void, preventing travel to and from the isolated universe/s. This effect can be resisted, however, depending on the target; beings capable of universal reality warping will usually have little issue in forcing their way out of this lock, provided that the Linecutter hasn't been enhanced in some manner. When a Linecutter is deactivated, the effect is annulled with all the spread Protean Husks returning back into its container.