The Iegumbra - a place beneath the fabric of the world as they know it. Most cannot even sense it, less can interact with it in any meaningful way, and even fewer still can traverse the boundaries of spacetime and enter this place that is both a dimension in of itself, and a reflection of it's umbranaut. It is a bubble in a vast ocean. For Arhulians, this place was the domain of their true power and truest self. A place disconnected from time and space in such a way one could interrogate themselves, hone discipline, and scour weakness. Provided, they can handle the isolation of their own presence.
Zel'Vultet rested his vessel. Unlike the tempestuous ripping tides of maelstrom, jagged mountains of flesh cutting rocks, or the fog smothered plane where nightmares and anxieties manifested physical forms, this vesicle universe was a reflection of it's master and the authority they commanded over their own domain. This Arhulian rested upon a great sphere of obsidian, painted in a glassy film of water. The air was still. Zel'Vultet cupped their hands in front of their body. The task was simple in concept, yet formidable in execution. Between their hands was a small, intense point of purple light. It shimmered as the stars in the clear sky did above, but not from the air. Zel'Vultet was channeling their psionic power at it's maximum, and concentrating it into the smallest point they could.
As a dam with the floodgates open, Zel'Vultet could feel the faint burning in their veins as their soul's luminescence scalded their vessel from within. It hurt. Although there was no physical need to breathe in the Iegumbra, they breathed in and out to give their vessel a rhythm to synchronize to. This point of light, as big as a marble, contained enough energy to break even the mightiest of steel-ships in half should it be manifested as raw destructive energy. In this state, it was naught but a harmless wisp.
Zul'Vultet could feel it. The pain was subsiding. Their control was growing. Their Thread - the umbilical of will that binds spirit to vessel - was acclimating to this power, and resisting the oncoming threadburn. It was arduous, meticulous work to channel psionic energy in such small increments, yet anything more could risk tearing their own thread from their vessel should they command too much power recklessly. Psionic training is as a exercise in patience as it is magnitude. What once was a raging tempest of seething energy was now a calm bead of light. The Arhulian felt the stinging pain be overcome by a surge of relief, and perhaps - a tinge of confidence. "Just a little more." They thought. As they did so, their words manifested into physical sounds in the amaranthine plane.
"The hill has been crested. Focus. Maintain. Endure. Soon, this power be yours and flow from within and without thought as blood does in your vessel." Many Non-Arhulian Psions pride themselves on channeling as much power as they can withstand in a single instant in a display of explosive power. But like an explosion, it always vanished with the moment. The innocuous miniature star that Zul'Vultet cradled was just that - a beacon of light that cascaded power pure and unending.
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hi! i found your blog looking for other people who are into protecting pokemon! out of curiosity, what inspired you to become a ranger?
I was only a kid when I first heard about Rangers and when the fixation didn’t fizzle out like so many had, my parents agreed that, if I worked hard at the Ranger School, they’d agree to let me go abroad. I liked the appeal of teaming up with pokemon to help the community and keeping things running smoothly.
The idea of pokeballs also was fun up until I was a certain age and honestly they’re still cool to me because we know they’re little luxury environments for pokemon to stay in, but having gone through depression and junk I know that being cooped up can be terrible so hearing that rangers used Stylers appealed to me a lot. It gave pokemon the option to stick around permanently or not and I like that! Ember is my only Pokemon that I have a ball for since he was my starter when I was still in Unova.
The process of finding a host family was long but I met this lovely elderly couple that were so happy to have a young set of arms around to help them around their property (they catered to a lot of weddings and parties as a venue because they had a sizeable amount of land that they kept up with!)
Living with them taught me a lot about the different ways Pokémon and people live and coexist together and a lot of life skill type stuff too! They unfortunately passed a few years ago and being that at that point I was already a fully fledged ranger and couldn’t always be there to take care of the property, they willed it to a trusted family friend to keep the venue going. I was given the house though. Lovely place.
This time, it's an important piece of Arhulian Technology, their great living ships.
The vessel takes the form of a large spherical or ovoid core enshrined is a cage of semi-metallic material that looks like a cross between grown wood and sculpted bone. The ship moves with no apparent propulsion. Most Arhulian ship's have a dominant direction of travel, though they can generate secondary thrust in any direction. This particular specimen is a few hundred meters long for the exterior structure, and the core of the vessel is a few dozen meters in diameter. These ships can travel in space via several methods from direct spacial translation (normal movement), Faster than light directional travel, translocation to a known point of space/beacon, and can shift between real space, and umbral space - a shadowy dimension that's a reflection of real space, but can almost never interact with directly.
The core is the central habitation part of vessel with itself containing a pocket dimension. Inside this pocket dimension is an area of habitation directly suited for Arhulians - often resembling a portion of their home world. Exact dimensional translations are not known, but the pocket dimensions can be anywhere from ten, to well over a hundred times what it's real space dimensions would suggest. The core acts as a physical anchor between the the pocket dimension and real space. While the superstructure largely serves as a focus for the vessel's real space capabilities such as propulsion or energy projection. The ability to directly manifest and channel energy can be a deadly surprise to other space faring civilizations who assume the vessel is defenseless from it's wiry and streamlined appearance.
The core is extremely dense and resilient to to physical damage. Unlike a lot of attempts to create pocket spaces with magic or technological means, the pocket of umbral space the core houses is self stable - should the core be destroyed - the interior space is unharmed and the vessel simply loses it's ability to shift in between dimensions or move. Being stranded until a new anchor is produced is a comparatively minor problem to have versus your mass detonating like antimatter because physics no longer exist and you spontaneously decompose with unimaginable violence.
The ship's superstructure looking like sculpted wood or carved bone is no coincidence. 'Arhdrargyrum' is the "living metal" that make up Arhulian bones, and physical tree-like structures. A Vessel that has it's Anchor destroyed can grow a new anchor in real space given enough time. Meanwhile powerful Arhulian psions can individually shift in and out of real space to bridge the gap.
Eons ago, such a vessel came to the primordial rock that would then become known as earth. The original vessel has since "taken root" both in real space and in umbral space as a permanent Arhulian colony. Any other vessels in the region of this pale blue dot are seeds borne of this original arc.
Hey @skekla I adored your commission work. I still have a big lore post to to do to accompany the latest commission I got when I upload the image proper, but I want to tell you your art is beautiful! I had a friend of mine print me a huge 3x4 poster of it on metallic foil paper that makes those neon colors and silvers pop. I wish my camera were as good as what the eyes see!
You can even see that I stuck the poster to the wall via magnets and metal strips, as tape and pins would harm the paper, and a frame that big is not in my budget. So metal strips and magnets it is.
Lore Nugget: My Arhulian is basking in the perpetual twilight of their home world. Their "sun" has a dark purple-black photosphere, thus most of their worlds light comes from their sun's corona, moon, and starlight.
The venerable Arhulian in the focus of the piece radiates psionic energy to the point they manifest a corona of their own (A halo to the layman). As well as portions of their fur are beginning to turn white in a process known as "star bleaching".
Arhulians are not much ones for clothes due to their unusual anatomy, especially ornamental garments. So this one must be dressed for a special occasion!
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A big commission from Yivah that I have been majorly excited for! I've been dying to get a visualization of one of an Arhulian's most important abilities. And an assistant in this depiction is @chocodile's Alex!
Ever since, That Day, there's very little that could ever get through Alex's stone tough exterior. What cracks there were happened to be more temporary affairs. But that changed when she met Niadris, the "Arhulian". Never before has she met a 'monster' that could think, let alone talk. The Arhulian seemed earnest in their desire to help, but one thing Alex couldn't shake was the very asset that made them invaluable help.
Niadris' "aura sense" was an extraordinary ability that allowed them to sense other living beings. The sense was omnidirectional, worked through solid materials, and had a purported range of hundreds of meters. Initially, it was likened to one's sense of hearing, as it too had all those qualities. Then Niadris dispelled any illusions about their sense - for better and worse. They knew when they were asleep, where they were looking, whether or not their armed from body language. Up close, Niadris could even see a person down to their nerves and veins. Hell, the only reason they probably can't lip read is that they are less socially experienced than Theo.
Niadris forced Alex to confront a question she'd never even considered; what if a 'monster' was intelligent? The sole equalizer against hulking supernatural oddities was their simple minded desire for consumption made them predictable. No matter the strength gap, predictable can be strategized around. Not with them. They can think. They know what guns are. Although they never expressed any desire for hostility, Niadris pretty much has given away that they could have killed them all in their sleep. Even recognizing Alex herself as the most combat capable one of the group - the first to be taken out.
Alex tried not to think too hard about it. That near-omniscience would be an indispensable asset on fighting the shadow, and even keeping tabs on those two mages... but still. As a soldier, hunter, and even beast slayer, she was intimately aware of the kind of damage a being with such a "toolkit" could wreak. They could pick off an entire platoon if they played their cards right... and not even leave witnesses. A kind of havoc that she would have no immediate counter for - if she's being honest with herself. Not at least without hundred pounds of dynamite, the spite, and the abandon to strike a match once they got close enough in a small room.
Weighing in at two tons and with the curiosity of a child, there was no getting rid of them. She might as well accept the help make sure they don't fall for any bullshit from those two along the way.
I've been hitting a slump with my writing, so I think my AU story is Niadris meeting the Amaranthine crew is on hiatus, at least in writing terms. But I still want to depict micro scenes of the major story beats I have plotted out in my head. And to think, in Arhulian terms, Niadris is but a young adult. Alex can only pray fully realized Arhulians are just as polite as Niadris, should they ever meet one.
"Hey uh, if Niadris can see our skin, veins, and organs 'n stuff... doesn't that mean they are staring at us naked all the time?"
Across the room, Theo loudly gurgled and choked on the tea he was sipping, splattering it all over his chest and face.
"Not remotely on my list of concerns right now, Ridge." Alex sighed, grasping her forehead. For however little it was worth, there could be worse people with that power.
Commission from Swampjaws!
One of an Arhulians defining abilities is their "aura sense" that allows them to detect the presence of a souled/willed being near them. This sense is omnidirectional, and bypasses materials. With a range out to 300 meters, there's few things that an Arhulian fail to notice. With a skill known as "perception dodging" and Arhulian can avoid sight lines, know where someone is looking, when they are alert, etc... and minimize their presence until they are almost right on top of you. Not quite invisibility, but knowing exactly where your target is and their attentiveness is the next best thing. Either way, Arhulians are seen when they want to be seen.
As for this surprise; is it a harmless scare? Or potentially someone's last encounter with an Arhulian?
