
The Corporeal Form
THE VORTESSENCE

"We are a tapestry woven of Vortessence. It is the binding force that allows us to transcend time and space."
The Vortessence is a mystical energy which is treated like a deity by the Vortigaunts. It can only be utilized by the Vortigaunts and manifested into different kinds of abilities with two of it's main uses being:
- Telepathic communication between Vortigaunts through large distances.
- Teaching and sharing knowledge and events that had and will happen.
That is what the Vortigaunts mean when they say they are "Coterminous", they are not limited by the boundaries of time and space.
Imagine the Vortessence as a pool filled with knowledge and experiences taken from all of the Vortigaunt, which have been and will be.
The older the knowledge, the deeper it lies in the pool, and as you try to look for it, it appears distorted.
A Vortigaunts vision of older knowledge can be enhanced through artifacts such as the Antlion Extract.
A Vortigaunts age may also be a factor to determine it's vision of Vortessence, as a Vortigaunt grows and strengthens it's connection to the Vortessence, it allows it to use it more swiftly and see much deeper.
Not being bound by the boundaries of time and space also indicates that as long as there is a Vortigaunt alive in the future, they can look into it, but they cannot indicate the time that a certain event will take place and such visions always appear blurry, ending up as a mystery for the Vortigaunts to ponder over.
As to not meddle with the future, most Vortigaunts decided not to share their visions between each other.
When a Vortigaunt looks through another ones experiences through the Vortessence, they may vividly feel the Emotions felt by the Vortigaunt whose experiences they were observing.
"It is the same for you if only you could see it."
- All living things are connected to the Vortessence, but the Vortigaunts are the only ones with what they call "Paired Vortal Chords", which allows them to feel, see and utilize the Vortessence to their will.
The Vortigaunts have developed a unique bond with their kin from their visions. The Vortessence allowed them to feel the emotions and know the thoughts of their kin from their visions, making a lot of the Vortigaunt identify themselves with those they felt through the Vortessence. Time became meaningless to them as they could experience past and some of the future events in the presence just as if they were truly there. They had built a poetic meaning around it, saying that death is only a cycle that separates your next incarnation and gives them individuality.
It created a brotherly bond between all of the Vortigaunts which discouraged them from harming each other.
The Vortessence also allows itself to be utilized by the Vortigaunts in the form of a Green Energy. It can be used in Combat, healing, charging objects with kinetic energy and much more.
While invisible to the Humans, Vortigaunts can see streams of Vortessence, which they call "raw energies", they can call onto them through concentration and manipulate them in whatever way they desire, but the Energies will always appear in the form of green energy.
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