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Introduction
Quod est superius est sicut quod inferius, et quod inferius est sicut quod est superius.
The mortal mind has always sought out a higher power. There is an intrinsic desire to find magic in the mundane - from the fertility goddesses of primitive man to the established religions which have spread across the stars, the cold light of reason and logic has not been able to fully dispel the belief in the supernatural.
Although language has evolved, and formerly mystic concepts have been sterilized and forced to conform with models of understanding, there can no longer be any doubt that concepts such as Metaphysics and Paracausality are simply the latest methods by which humanity can interpret that long-understood reality: there are higher powers, and there is magic just behind the mundane.
Fundamentals of Paracausality
Every cause has its effect; Every effect has its cause; Everything happens according to law; Chance is but a name for law not recognized; There are many planes of causation, but nothing escapes the law.
What is Paracausality?
One of the fundamental laws that forms the fabric of Reality is the logical concept of Causality. Item A interacts with Object B, creating Reaction C, and so on and so forth, theoretically forever.
The flow of Time is essential for Causality to function, so the concept of causal existence is dependent on the flow and fabric of Time and Space, Objective Reality, or Greyspace. However, it is generally accepted in one way or another that extra-dimensional influences can or do exist outside of it, and some may even be able to manipulate it to an unknown extent.
Paracausality is recognized as the intrusion of an influence that cannot be demonstrated to have followed Causal logic from within the known universe: Item A interacts with Object B, but Object 8 manifests in the middle of the interaction to create Reaction F. Paracausal influence is most easily identified as an object or being appearing ex nihilo to interrupt or otherwise interfere with natural Causal logic for the purposes of generating a different outcome.
The very nature of Paracausal intervention makes it an existential threat to the fundamental operation of Reality, and thus across the millennia it has been recognized as both a taboo and a boon, depending on where one might be standing. One of the most basic forms of mortal magic, Prayer, is functionally a request for Paracausal intervention.
Paracausation
Para- (prefix): Alongside of; Beside; Near; Resembling; Beyond; Apart from; Abnormal.
Paracausal manifestations are not truly "without cause", but rather, they are caused by influences completely outside of known Reality. What structure may underlie our spacetime, what rules may govern those other layers or how many exist beyond it's limits is not known and a question often left for philosophy and religion.
The dimension of Redspace is but one alleged source, often in relation to specific subtypes of Paracausal manifestations. When influences and intention from outside sources intersects or deliberately intrudes upon Reality, it's influence is observed as a Paracausal phenomenon.
Intention and Meaning
No Paracausal phenomenon is without the intangible influence of conscious decision, or intention, be it from within the observable world, or beyond it, for given favorable conditions it is the conscious will alone, which can transcend material reality.
Therefore, whilst Paracausal manifestations violate many of reality's rules, they are rarely without meaning. Such "meaning" may be partially or completely unclear or even unknowable to the universe's ordinary inhabitants depending on it's origins, however the driving force of intention necessitates an end goal, and thus meaning, however warped or alien.
Intention seldom formless, and it must usually be applied effectively to generate an effect, however, the methods for doing so either unknown or little understood.
The "Galactic Awakening"
Frontier space has seen a subtle, yet seemingly steady increase in unexplainable phenomena within the 2560s, particularly their latter half, which is thought by some to be either largely or completely Paracausal in nature.
Although the evidence is primarily anectodal, it stands out against the previous decades of relative quiet as a possible shift to the Frontier's paradigm.
However, why this is or it's true extent is currently unknown, as are any possible consequences it may imply for the future.
Manifestations of Paracausality
Everything is dual; Everything has poles; Everything has its pair of opposites; Like and unlike are the same; Opposites are identical in nature, but different in degree; Extremes meet; All truths are but half-truths; All paradoxes may be reconciled.
Logic Disruption
Due to the nature of Paracausal phenomena as an intrusion into the otherwise ordered logical chain of reality, the presence of it's manifestations is often accompanied by many secondary disruptions of the natural order.
Perhaps the most sensitive to these effects are digital electronic systems which rely upon small and easily disrupted electric signals to perform as intended, however secondary disruptions may manifest as any violation of reality within it's vicinity such as missing and distorted reflections, impossible geometry, hallucinations, disembodied whispering, and so on.
Transdimensional Iconography
One of the few known ways Paracausal influences may be drawn upon is through the usage of relevant rituals and iconography. By what exact methods these "arrangements" function, or what means define them are unknown, however it has been generally observed that certain designs, be they as small as a drawing or as large as a room, may carry intention beyond simple aesthetics.
Morphogenetic Field Theory
Known as MFT or "Psi", it encompasses a wide range of phenomena related to the paracausal transmission of information between consciousnesses, their interaction with the material world and the supposed Collective Unconscious underlying it.
Whilst some known sources of MFT-interactions such as Xenochimerae and Xenomorph hiveminds prove the concept's existance in a basic form, further study has completely failed to provide proof of other capabilities, nor explain those previously observed.
Conceptual Drift
Another means through which Paracausal influences may distort the underlying fabric of the universe, a conceptual drift is one layer removed from objective reality itself. It represents an underlying change along an "axis", whether it be known or unknown. Lead becomes gold, up becomes down, a point in space becomes a point in time, and so on.
It's both possible and quite likely that Drift may happen within other layers further removed, however the effects of such distortions upon observed reality would be much more subtle and thus less easily ascertained.
Lore
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| Corporations | NanoTrasen, Frontier Megacorporations, Minor Corporations, The Syndicate |
| NanoTrasen Specific | NDV Marksman, Paracausal Monitoring Division |
| Other Organizations | ITV Talon, System Defense Force, The Orion Confederation |
| Worldbuilding | Extradimensional Mechanics, FTL Travel, Galactic Landmarks, Legends, Mysteries, and Rumors, Metaphysics and Paracausality, Technology of the 2500's, The Timeline |
| Contribution Data | Lore Submission Templates, Roadmap for Lore Development |