Autophagic Future

The world everyone knew had changed... or even perished. All the prophets and even the machines spoke of a massive conflict in which all intelligent Pre-made Entities perished. Leaving behind only rain-washed ruins and debris in space, some of which can even be salvaged for technology.

Ruins often appear as tall, rust-covered buildings, or as stinking, growing masses, rising majestically but painfully from the ground, as if struggling to avoid being buried. They can also be massive, grounded structures, or simply their walls. In space, one can encounter enormous, war-torn, abandoned spaceships.

Autophages themselves assemble tall, cold structures from monolithic or layered concrete and metal, permeated with pipes and various technologies, with large spherical tanks or domes covered in fabrics and technologies that purify Atlantideum, neon signs and advertisements hang from buildings, as well as colorful stickers with various symbols, the streets are narrow but at the same time sparsely populated. In the cities, the usual work in the cities involves working in the huge excavations of ancient ruins or the mountains of various trash and dumps left behind by the Pre-made Entities searching for valuables. Autophages have no concept of bad odor, but they still prefer to get rid of any pungent odor and prefer to keep their shells clean. They digging for collecting parts and technology from there, or in the nanite pools for the synthesis of parts and Shells.

The only intelligent species that survived were the Autophages, they were invisible, because they knew about this aggression and danger, now, only these self-assembled forms of mechanical life remained widespread in the galaxy, they will have to create their own society and, perhaps, even restore intelligent beings from the old world.

The Autophage are making confident strides in developing their own cultures and society as a whole. They have long been building large cities with stable employment and trade systems. Their currency is the Void Mote (Void Motes are a resource and constitute a currency of exchange with the Autophage. A purified drop of Atlantideum, refined to its very essence.)

While there are no major conflicts yet, a serious clash of views is brewing regarding the restoration of extinct intelligent species. Some believe they should be restored, as everyone deserves a second chance; they are called "Restorators." On the other hand, there are those who believe the pre-made entities are dangerous and cruel, that they will immediately try to exterminate the Autophage species; they are called "Stabilizers." The former treat the Prefabricated entities and their culture with reverence and respect, attempting to preserve it. The latter have no intention of preserving the ancient ruins, believing it would be better to establish a settlement there for the living than to preserve the dead. These two societies are in constant conflict. Despite Autophage's apparent calm, society is filled with paranoia and anxiety. What should we do? What if the same fate awaits us? Instability and tension hung like a suffocating fog.

The cause of the mass conflict and extinction of the Pre-made Entities was an anomalous surge of Dissonance from the depths of each planet, which corrupted the Pre-made Entities' minds, causing them to go mad and plunge into bloody carnage. The Autophages were unaffected, as they are Children of the Void and live amidst Dissonance, but some Pre-made Entities were also unaffected due to rare mutations in their consciousness.

Conflicts of cosmic proportions have left a painful mark on planets. Prosperous planets have turned into burning, radioactive, toxic, or even frozen wastelands, or are even turning into airless stone due to military planetary terraforming. Only a few surviving paradise planets remain, and they are incredibly rare to find. Mostly, everyone lives on these wastelands; Autophages cannot suffocate and are almost impervious to corrosion.

However, this surge could corrupting the minds of some Autophages, making them unstable; they can only achieve mental clarity while within the Atlantideum Reality Stabilizer, which prevents the Void from interacting with the mind.

Autophages express their faith in their deity, the Void Mother, in varying ways. Some limit themselves to mere respect, while others descend into fanaticism, making sacrifices and killing "for the Greatness of the Void Mother," and often corrupting their minds with artificial surges of Dissonance.

Autophage Features:

Summary:

Autophage are a faction of sentient alien species. These beings, long forgotten, were Korvax entities disconnected from the Convergence. Atlantideum, a strange substance that emanates from the depths of dissonant worlds, allowed the disconnected Korvax Echoes (in other words their minds) to escape from nothingness and undertake a long process of rebuilding an envelope.

These beings have established camps across the universe. Although no longer considering themselves Korvax, the Autophage are robotic beings, adopting quite varied forms. Their shell is more artisanal, often made up of rusty components, and sometimes covered with fabric clothing.

The Autophage seem to use any materials at their disposal to make their shell; it is unknown how precisely they pass from the stage of a spirit without a body to a physical entity capable of making a shell, and thus how they move and interact with their environment. Some Autophage use Sentinel debris to build their shells.

Origin:

The Autophage were once Korvax entities, which have since become disconnected from the collective consciousness that is the Korvax Convergence. Their disconnection is usually a deliberate act by the Korvax to purge divergent entities, although the destruction of the Korvax shell (body) in some cataclysmic event could also be a potential cause of disconnection.

Disconnection constitutes a state in which the Korvax Echoes is no longer connected to an envelope, and therefore no longer has a physical body. The Korvax then find themselves in a place designated as "void", potentially for eternity.

Atlantideum is a resource of unknown origin, probably linked to Atlantid (also known as Void Mother or The Abyss), and plays a key role. This substance, for unknown reasons, began to emanate from the heart of planets, carrying with it disconnected echoes which then managed, in one way or another, to rebuild a shell.

These entities are now called Autophage, they often refer to organic life forms as "prebuilt entities" or "self-constructed entities" (in the sense that the growth of an organic entity occurs passively). The Autophage appear to continue to reject the Convergence, and decide to remain unseen through cloaking abilities, potentially to avoid being disconnected by the Korvax again.

Society:

The society of the Autophage appears less advanced than that of the dominant species; they group together in small camps scattered throughout the inhabited star systems, whether they are inhabited by the Korvax, the Gek or the Vy'keen. They use cloaking technology that makes them invisible, requiring installation of the Scan Harmoniser or Polyphonic Core technologies on Multi-tools to detect their encampments and make the Autophage inhabiting them visible.

In their society, the construction of the Voltaic Staff is an important rite, symbolizing the completion of reconstruction and acceptance among the Autophage. The staff is an atypical form of Multi-Tool that more closely resembles a scepter. Autophage seem quite friendly yet discreet. Despite preferring to remain hidden, they seem to accept contact with Travellers as well.

The Autophage seem to hate the Korvax, whom they consider arrogant. Probably the Autophage have a strong resentment towards those who once disconnected them from the Convergence and condemned them to subsist in the void for a period approaching eternity. They have a strong but unclear connection to the Void Mother, whose nature remains an enigma so far.

There are still escape pods floating around space, containing the frozen bodies of the Pre-made Entities, but the chance of encountering them is extremely small, and if one of the "Stabilizers" were to spot one, it would be immediately destroyed.

Autophages have highly diverse shells made up of a multitude of different parts that seem to mismatch yet function perfectly in chaotic harmony. Their shells are often heavily damaged, incompletely assembled, or completely rusted through, but perfect Autophages are rare, having assembled their bodies and managed to bring them to a flawless state. Autophage technology is almost impossible to understand, its principles are composed of parts from different eras, complexity, and condition, yet they nonetheless operate according to their own harmonic rhythm and principle. Autophages often paint their bodies as a way to distinguish themselves or to belong. For example, workers leave special marks to indicate which workshop they work in. Some do this purely for self-expression and turn it into a separate art form. It's virtually impossible to find Autophages with identical shells; they're too diverse. Autophage descriptions include: size, shell condition, shell and clothing colors, clothing or fabric (if any), social standing, description of limbs, head, monoculars, and so on. The list could be shorter, without going into specific physical descriptions, just basic information such as: size, shell condition, shell and clothing colors, clothing or fabric (if any), social standing.

Some overage their bodies for constant space travel, yearning to find something, someone. Whether it's finding something new in a fully explored galaxy or finding the last remnants of intelligent biological life, they become uncontrollable and lose their minds in endless flights, communicating their search through distant, quiet, almost ghostly signals.

Autophages are mostly humanoid, but there are few of those who have reassembled their bodies into various starships that drift through the boundless space, admiring the world.

All Autophages feed on Atlantideum, an efficient energy source, but are also capable of consuming carbon and metals to replenish their nanite reserves. As a last resort, they can also extract energy from their own consciousness, destroying their memories and their minds in general, but no one wants to do this. Autophages most often lack a digestive system like biological creatures; they don't need one. However, some Higher Constructs have nanite enhancements in their systems that allow for regeneration and automatic self-maintenance, but this requires additional metal consumption to replenish nanite counts.

Some Autophages consider Pre-made Entities harmless, helpful, or even endearing. Others, on the contrary, believe them to be terrifying, cruel, and desirable, and to be destroyed. But in any case, when a Pre-made Entity creates a Voltaic Staff, all Autophages must accept that Entity as a "Destroyer" - a chosen being to be revered for showing interest in their culture and respect for them and their dreams. Autophages never break this promise of equality to the Pre-made Entities.

Autophages always treat each other with respect and greet each other, they maintain this even when they are enemies with each other, ignoring is considered a strong insult. Autophagic names are formed from a name, technological term, or subject and a Greek letter at the beginning or end, separated by a dash. Here are the schemes: [name]-[Greek letter]; [Greek letter]-[name]. For example: Parkiv-β. Name examples (without the Greek letter): Bist, Aacel, Birker and so go on, Autophag can have any name, because they are often inspired by the culture of extinct species.

In general, Autophagic art often draws inspiration from extinct species, from those species that heroically fought for their honor and should be celebrated? Or perhaps their stupidity consumed them, something that can be mocked with a caustic word or image? Novels are based on such motifs, and epigrams are written based on the images of heroes from extinct species.

Atlantideum is a crystal shimmering in various shades from purple to pink, emitting electricity that often strikes with small bolts of lightning. These crystals distort everything around them and seek to control it. The Autophages have found a way to profit greatly from this, harvesting electricity and using these crystals as "anchors" to retrieve the minds of Korvax exiled from the Convergence from the void and nothingness.

There is a fairly plausible theory that Mother Void is connected to the Atlantideum crystals... but her plans are unknown... the void behaves like a living being, unwilling to let go of those she has taken, to completely destroy the power of Atlas, which has already fallen, only its subsystems remain functioning, in a hopeless attempt to hold everything together so that the world does not fall apart.

Atlas has numerous subsystems, the most famous of which are the orange-colored anomaly-destroying machines, the Aerons, or Sentinels. Currently nearly extinct, they hide in an attempt to regain their power and control. Another known subsystem of the fallen Atlas is Telamon, once the guardian and "doctor" of Atlas, the creator of the Aerons. He is currently invisible. After prolonged contact with Atlas, he became "infected" with the senses and was subsequently locked in a wanderer exosuit. This suit managed to reunite with Atlas, after which Telamon was freed. Telamon, in turn, left numerous logs containing his observations.

Also Atlantideum is This ethereal substance spills from the bodies of corrupted Sentinels as they fall, a shower of prismatic grains seeking out their next host. It evades all attempts to contain it, as if it had a will of its own, a strong desire for its own freedom. It possesses a crystalline beauty that cannot be reconciled with the corruption from whence it flows.

Autophagic language sounds like crackling electricity, forming words that sound similar but are still easy to distinguish. It generally sounds like Korvax language, but lower and more distorted. Some sounds can also repeat several times, as if a speaker were malfunctioning and playing a certain sound several times before returning to normal. Their language and communication in general also includes sounds emitted by their shells, for example, the increased buzzing of drives or the hissing of pistons; this method gives their communication a greater emotional coloring.

Destroyers, in Autophagic culture, are those Pre-made Entities that built a Voltaic Staff, that is, the chosen Pre-made Entities that have come close to being of Autophage.

Void mote is usually pressed into small lumps of equal weight, which are counted as units. Almost everything is measured in these lumps. This is a stable and accurate measurement. One such lump is equal to 4.627 dollars. This currency is usually simply called "lumps"

Often Autophagic decorations associated with a saint or their origin appear majestic, strict and at the same time intricate, creating the impression of controlled chaos similar to nature, but this art depicts various images of biological beings mixed with technical or Autophagic images, most often showing the decline of biological life and the rise of Autophages in the midst of this decline.

Atlas was once a revered mechanical deity, a scarlet sphere amidst a metallic rhombus, located in the center of the galaxy. It had its own mysterious and lonely stations across the galaxy, created the Travelers, and saved the Korvax from extinction. Now it has malfunctioned, stopped responding, and is considered a dead god, though it never was a god, merely a machine awaiting its user, willing to speak only to the Travelers. The Hearts of Atlantis say that Mother Void destroyed the Scarlet Liar, though the Autophages generally don't speak of or mention Atlas at all. Atlas is the computing machine that created this world, or rather, this simulation, but now, no one cares, it feels like this world has solidified into existence and ceased to be a simulation.

Usually, all Autophages are unhurried and calm, because their lifespan is unlimited, only their shells are capable of dying from old age or wear and tear, but not their consciousness.

Autophages usually never engage in direct combat; they see no point in it. They can destroy each other's shells, but they will never destroy each other's consciousnesses, proving almost nothing to each other. They prefer to part ways peacefully, trying to reach a common understanding. However, if there's a conflict against a Pre-made Entity, the methods diverge even more. Restorators prefer to agree on a single opinion or to accept the Pre-made Entity as if it were a small child. But Stabilizers usually prefer to intimidate the Pre-made Entity until it retreats or simply kill it.

Autophages primarily "reproduce," or rather, produce new shells and, using the Atlantideum crystal, capture the immortal consciousness of a Korvax disconnected from convergence, from Void and transfer it to the shell, creating a new Autophage. Sexual reproduction is also possible, though this is often frowned upon in Autophagic society. This occurs through the collection of data from both "parents," which is then mixed and edited to ensure the stable functioning of the "child." Such "children" are born with zero knowledge and experience, and, more often than not, are unable to function normally in society and sometimes become lower constructs. More often, they simply die, and cannot be restored, as their consciousness is mortal.

Despite its unhurried pace and welcoming nature, Autophages can be cruel, unforgivable, and corrupt for certain individuals. Society, like any other, is rotten to the core with its division into social classes. Only the strongest rise to the top, while the rest remain at the bottom, rusting and dying. But if you know how to play the system, you can achieve anything; if you go against it, you'll likely be crushed by it.

After the ancient wars, only a few pre-made entities remained. In autophagic society, they are considered a miracle, a salvation, and a hope for a return to normalcy. For others, they are a harbinger of doom, a living dead, or simply a threat.

Autophages believe in their own god, or rather, the embodiment of nonexistence: Mother Void. Often depicted as a collection of biological traits mixed with mechanisms, seemingly holding the flesh from disintegrating. Or simply as nothing in a sculpture, like a crater or a hollowed-out geometric figure.

The "Restorators" symbol is a green animal paw, representing life, both plant and animal, which they strive to restore, wishing to live in harmony with the biological. The "Stabilizers" symbol is a blue electrical element, signifying their desire to advance technology and their unwillingness to deal with biological entities that perished in the past, unwillingness to cling to the past.

Autophages seem to be designed to interact with and manipulate electronics and devices. Their shells are capable of emitting electromagnetic pulses, allowing them to input and receive information from almost any device and hack or inspect its functionality in seconds. Often, the devices they create have no external input devices, as they control them with their minds. This is partly the reason why their society does not develop electronic security systems, because they are easily hacked.

Pre-made Entities are those who were born and did not assemble their own shells. These are usually all human-type beings, whose minds developed simultaneously with their bodies. Constructs, however, are Autophages, or those who assembled their bodies independently or whose bodies were assembled after consciousness, when their consciousness already existed long ago.

Autophagic Community Levels (are not names and cannot be used as names.):

1. Hearts of Atlantis - Incredibly respected Autophages, they manage settlements, judge, and create new shells for new Autophages. They live in almost divine conditions, carrying out their complex work of managing settlements in their palaces or even temples.
2. Ideal Constructs - Highly skilled Autophages who have mastered the art of Shell creation to perfection, they have developed their Shells to flawless state, and are often officials and elite researchers. They live in good conditions and are the "cream" of society.
3. Reconstructed Units or Returned Constructs - The most common Autophages encountered, they are typical workers and explorers. They live in average conditions, in cities, or often go on expeditions.
4. Destroyers - hose Pre-made Entities that built a Voltaic Staff, that is, the chosen Pre-made Entities that have come close to being of Autophage. The highest level of society to which a Pre-made Entity can rise
5. Lower Constructs - The worst Autophages are criminals or savages who have abandoned society and live either in forests and wastelands or hide in the depths of cities. Often they are those who are “born”, they are afraid of the world, its cruelty, and the light seems to burn their monoculars.
6. Pre-made Entities - Ordinary beings that were born, far from Autophages, are considered aggressive, greedy and cruel, can become Destroyers, understanding what is impossible to understand, creating a Voltaic staff. The underclass of Autophagic society, they're not even part of it. They are below the lowest.

Timeline of the Universe:

0. An unknown number of previous realities.
1. The creation of the universe by Atlas. The Vy'Kin's endless battles with the Sentinels, shaping their culture. The Korvax's explorations, the Gek First Spawn's conquests.
2. First contact of the species, the capture of the Korvax by the First Spawn of the Gek, the destruction of Korvax Prime, the death of Nal, Atlas's preacher among the Vy'keen, and the leaving of prophecies for them of the arrival of a savior: the Traveler, the Anomaly, the Being in the Exosuit. Times of uncertainty.
3. The Korvax Rebellion, the fall of the Gek First Spawn Empire, the Gek became peaceful traders. The first surge of Dissonance that did not damage the minds of intelligent species, the beginning of the collapse of the walls of reality. The arrival of the Wanderer, the learning of the truth. Second times of uncertainty. The beginning of the Autophages or the return of those exiled by the Korvax, fear of the Pre-made Entities.
4. A massive surge of Dissonance, damaging the minds of Pre-Made Entities. A brutal, massive war. The extinction of Pre-made Entities. Dawn of Autophages.
5. The complete extinction of the Ready Entities, The final formation of Autophagic society, attempts to revive extinct intelligent species, and escalating conflicts within the Autophage species. A lull, the Third Great Uncertainty, lasting 2 thousand years. Present time