Fantasy [LORE] Riftwalkers 2033

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Riftwalkers 2033

PREMISE
Out of the 140-million children born into the world yearly, five of them are gifted with the ability to interact with temporal rifts (a tear in the spacetime continuum that can act as a portal for nefarious entities to disrupt the balance of a world). They are called the "Riftwalkers", a special category of human beings whose existence is kept secret by an interdimensional organization called "The Infinity". Newborn Riftwalkers are usually detected and tracked by members of the Infinity, whisked away from their family and the promise of a normal life in order to be trained against "Anomalies" arising from temporal rifts. These abnormalities may come in many forms, ranging from otherworldly creatures that could maul a grown adult within five seconds, or a miasma that could corrupt an entire village into grotesque mutations. One thing is for certain: all Anomalies are highly dangerous and must be evicted from the timeline they've wrongly inhabited. As such, the Infinity is composed of Riftwalkers dedicated to keeping the natural balance in every timeline.

Unfortunately, a mysterious group which call themselves the "Abyssal Order" threatens the Infinity and therefore, the entire world. The Order orchestrated a massive attack on the pocket dimension which served as the Infinity's headquarters, massacring 70% of the Riftwalker population. The surviving members had no choice but to abandon the headquarters and evacuate to a random node in a random timeline.

Thus, the remnants of the Infinity found themselves situating in the year 2033, securing themselves an unsuspecting rundown building that became the new center of their operation. Even though it has only been a year since the massacre, the Infinity has managed to somehow get back up on their feet and resume their mission.

 

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GROUPS & ORGANIZATIONS​

• Riftwalkers
• The Infinity
• The Abyssal Order
• Anomalies

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  "Riftwalker" is the term used for a gifted human being capable of interacting with temporal rifts. Riftwalkers are able to see, enter, and close strange portals through unnatural feats called "magic". Every year, five Riftwalkers are born into the world. It is said that their birth causes a disturbance in the fabric of their timeline, weakening its structure and leading to the formation of a temporal Rift where "Anomalies" may pass through and wreak havoc. On a positive note, it is this event that allows the Infinity to instantaneously detect and track newborn Riftwalkers, promptly solving the disaster and whisking the child to be trained in a controlled environment. On average, only two out of five Riftwalkers are successfully saved by the Infinity, with most falling victim to Anomalies. This is why every Riftwalker is greatly valued by the Infinity, with tracker chips being inserted into the back of their heads so their location and status will be monitored at all times.
  
  Riftwalkers are unable to create rifts, but they are able to travel through time by swallowing a special pill developed and distributed by the Infinity. Nobody could pinpoint how the drug works specifically but it is what allows the Infinity to send Riftwalkers into endangered points in time. Riftwalkers are warned not to take the drug consecutively in a short span of time as it could overwhelm their brains and cause immediate death. It is recommended for them to take each pill within a one-day interval.
  
  Due to the nature of their birth and the recent massacre, Riftwalkers are currently facing a critical population decline. More over, recent intel within the Infinity suggest that they are actively being hunted by members of the "Abyssal Order".
  
  Unlike ordinary humans, there is only ONE copy of a Riftwalker across all timelines.
  
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  "The Infinity" is an interdimensional organization composed of Riftwalkers from any era, committed to keeping the balance and peace of time. The organization is highly futuristic and possesses advanced gadgets developed by accumulating knowledge throughout the flow of time. Though nobody really knows when or by whom it was founded, the Infinity is committed to its noble goal because it preserves the existence of its concerned universe. You see, Rifts and anomalies distort and cause imbalance in the fabric of time. It is taught that too much accumulated distortion will lead to the implosion of universe, killing everyone and everything until all that's left is nothing.
  
  The Infinity's main headquarters used to be a massive futuristic city of Science with technology capable of monitoring the balance of their concerned universe. That is to say, they can predict and see open rifts in any node of time to be remedied by a platoon of Riftwalkers.
  
  Much like any organization, the Infinity has its own system. It is led by "The Council", a group of three "Sages" who are considered to be the most experienced Riftwalkers of all time. They are in-charge of choosing critical choices according to their wisdom and the advises of other intellectual members of the Infinity who are called "The Doctors". While the Sages are mysteries to most Riftwalkers, the Doctors are known to be the ones working within the headquarters. They are expected to monitor rifts, raise and train young Riftwalkers, develop new gadgets, and accumulate more information. The rest are either "Soldiers" which are the ones sent to do field works like sealing up rifts and securing newborns, or "Recruits" which are the young Riftwalkers who are yet to be deployed.
  
  The recent invasion by the mysterious "Abyssal Order" on the Infinity's headquarter's pocket dimension, has forced the remaining members of the Infinity to set up a new and much less advanced camp in the year 2033. They secured themselves a rundown building, ran by saved technology from the main headquarters. Miraculously enough, the Infinity is able to resume operations with what tech they've salvaged.
  
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  The "Abyssal Order" is a mysterious order who made their presence known by orchestrating a massive attack on the Infinity's headquarters. They were able to eliminate 70% of the Riftwalker's total population, and is rumored to be on the hunt for the remaining ones. Even though not much is known about this evil force, its members are made up of grotesque monsters similar to riftborn "Anomalies" but with seemingly more intellect and order. The Infinity's Headquarters was invaded by an army of such creatures, laying never-before-seen carnage and destruction until the Infinity's surviving members were forced to evacuate.
  
  According to reports, a gigantic cloaked humanoid with what appeared to be reflections of galaxies for its skin led the attack. It referred to itself as the "The Endbringer" with a thunderous voice and displayed authority over the other monsters.
  
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  "Anomalies" are mysterious entities emerging from temporal rifts. In essence, they are anything unorthodox that challenges reality as we know it. They come in many forms, with most taking up the shape of hideous monsters that could either look like twisted versions of pre-existing animals or an entirely otherworldly visage. There are also instances of intangible anomalies, such as a corrupting miasma that could mutate the living or a widespread "syndrome" that fools people into thinking that money is food. Whatever form the anomaly may be, it must be corrected since their unwelcomed presence weakens the structure of the timeline they've entered. Their prolonged and accumulated presence may lead to the destruction of the invaded timeline, and ultimately, the implosion of a universe once enough timelines have been severed.
  
  Much like the rifts, anomalies are normally unseen by an average person. Furthermore, conventional weaponries such as swords and guns have little to no effect on the creatures. This is why the responsibility of eliminating them hugely rely on the Riftwalkers. Through the use of their magic, Riftwalkers are able to damage and kill anomalies.
  

 

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LIBRARY OF TERMS

The Universe
In essence, the universe is the fabric of reality that we live in. Imagine the universe as a square cloth, composed of billions and billions of threads which hold its integrity together. These threads symbolize each timeline sprouting and branching off within the universe, all dictated by critical choices made throughout time. Now, the junction where a timeline is about to branch off is called a time node. The branching-off process temporarily weakens the structure of that particular period within the timeline, making it vulnerable to rift openings and anomaly invasions. Rifts can be seen as tears that first start in a node and if ignored, will grow bigger and bigger with the help of the anomaly parasites until it causes the timeline to snap. Once enough threads have snapped, the cloth will be torn apart and implode violently towards the past and the future, until nothing remains. The Infinity teaches that there are plenty of other universes out there, each with its own version of Riftwalkers and Infinity. Therefore, the organization doesn't concern itself with the other universes and vice-versa.

Magic
Riftwalkers are able to conduct unnatural feats called "magic". There are many types of magic in the universe, with some Riftwalkers even sharing similar ones. There are some able to manipulate any of the elements, turn invisible, shoot lasers out of their eyes, and etc. The possibility is almost endless. The only magic that no Riftwalker seemed to have achieved is conjuring Rifts and traveling through time at will. Still, magic is what makes Riftwalkers effective against Anomalies and rifts. Magic is known to be the only thing that can damage and kill an anomaly. Magic can also seal rifts by enabling Riftwalkers to channel their energy into the rift, filling up the tear and ironing out the distortion through intense focus. Despite its power, Riftwalkers are not allowed to overuse their magic as it could take a lethal toll on their minds and even weaken the integrity of reality.

InfiniTech
The Infinity has multiple futuristic and unimaginable technology at its disposal. One of the many perks of being able to jump through time is the accumulation of knowledge. The organization has implemented every data they have gathered from every timeline they've visited into its research and development sector, giving rise to many gadgets and machineries that enjoins magic and science. During the institution's peak, Riftwalkers enjoyed as much technical arsenals they needed. Sadly, the Abyssal Order's invasion has rendered their resources limited and forced platoons to share equipment strategically. It is the Sages and the Doctors who are in-charge of developing and distributing techs within the organization. While Riftwalkers are allowed to own their personal gadgets and equipment, they may be ordered to surrender any piece of tech that they've come across with during fieldwork.

 

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TECHNOLOGY​

• Neurochip
• Time Capsule

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  The "Neurochip" is a microchip inoculated into the hindbrain of every Riftwalker as soon as they are rescued by the Infinity. It detects their status, vitals, and location in a real-time and sends it to a gigantic database monitored by designated Doctors and the Council. The neurochip was designed and developed by the Sages and has been utilized by the organization ever since its recorded history. The microchips help the organization diagnose and remedy health abnormalities efficiently, as well as send back-ups to the specific coordinates of an endangered platoon.
  
  Each chip has a unique code. Any unauthorized fiddling and interference with neurochips is strictly banned by the Infinity. Anyone caught doing the act will be "expulsed" from the organization.
  
  The Neurochip will display four possible statuses:
  
  
  • "Alive" - The Riftwalker is still active. All or most critical bodily functions are still working.
  • "Deceased" - The Riftwalker has expired. All vitals has flatlined.
  • "Expulsed" - These are Riftwalkers are those sanctioned with the highest form of penalty the organization has to offer - expulsion. This is reserved for the members who have majorly crossed the Infinity's law and regulations. Once a Riftwalker has been expulsed, they are sent to a "prison dimension", which coordinates are only known by the Sages, to be reformed.
  • "Rogue" - These are ex-members of the Infinity who somehow removed the chips in their heads and has escaped the organization's authority. Essentially, they are wanted criminals and is now seen as a threat to the Infinity and therefore, the universe. All members of the Infinity are taught to eliminate them on sight. There are only very few rogues because removing a chip from a brain is a highly critical and sensitive process that has a 95% chance of lethality.
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  The "Time Capsule" is a special pill developed and distributed by the Infinity, allowing Riftwalkers to jump into certain nodes in a timeline. How the drug manages to do this is a mystery to all but presumably the Sages. On the other hand, the Infinity has been making use of the time capsule since its recorded history, and its only concerning side effect seems to be its lethality when taken consecutively within a 24-hour interval.
  
  The unsanctioned use of Time Capsule is strictly prohibited by the Infinity and risks expulsion. Time Capsules are only given to platoon members being deployed out of the headquarters or those with special permissions.
  
  Once ingested, Riftwalkers will experience a temporary reality distortion that manifests uniquely among individuals. Most experiences warping environment, flashing lights, and crowded voices before everything stabilizes into their desired destination.