Information The Corporeal form - The Vortigaunt Guide

[Adno]

The Corporeal Form

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THE VORTESSENCE

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"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.

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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.

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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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[Adno]

HERITAGE
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The Thra'Keth Wardens - The Normal Light Green Vortigaunt is the most numerous and most common race of the Vortigaunt, coming from a region of the homeworld mainly dominated by Rainforests.
The Rainforests of the Vortigaunt homeworld are regarded to have been the perfect and least challenging of the enviroments for the Vortigaunts to flourish in, allowing the Vortigaunt inhabitants to focus more on developing spiritually. Many of the Vortigaunts great philosophers and poets come from the Thra'Keth and Lu'Mystran races, they eventually spread their ideas to the rest of the Vortigaunts, unifying them in the process, which is why in the Vortigaunt Mythology, ancient members of the Homeworld Societies are regarded as "The Wardens of the Vortessence".



The Oth'Lir Enigma - Dark Green Vortigaunts Are considered to be a part of the same race as the Light Green’s because they can be spawned out of them and they come from the same region, but they are less numerous.
They had earned their title of "Enigma" due to many members of their race having dedicated their lifes to pondering behind the reason of their and the Vortessences existance.




The Lu'Mystran Artisans - Dark skinned Vortigaunts on the other hand lived in a way hotter region of the Homeworld, rather than adapting to the temperatures, they chose to live underground away from the sun, eventually developing darker skin to camouflage themselves better in their environment, with the Antlion as their favorite prey.
The Ancient members of the Lu'Mystran, having developed their societies in large underground cave systems, had culture and traditions revolving around forging items out of materials extracted from the Underground, which is how they had earned their title of "The Artisans".




The Zra'Kol Collective - Light-Brown Skinned Vortigaunts have adapted more to the hotter regions of the homeworld with temperatures spanning as high as 70℃ as a solution they developed a skin color of a lighter hue, to reflect the sun light better.
Back on the Vortigaunt Homeworld, the Zra'Kol race which mostly stayed isolated from the rest of the Vortigaunts was given the title "The Collective". It was because rather than spreading their populations throughout their territories, most of them preferred to live in large complexes which by humanity could be referred to as "Slums"

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ANCESTRAL PRACTICES

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After "The Wardens of the Vortessence" spread their Ideologies across all streams of Vortessence and unified the Vortikind under the same ideals an age of Unification began. Many Vortigaunts, curious as to experience the lifestyle of their fellow kin, began emigrating all over the globe, intergrating into their societies, which in return birthed out many new traditions.

Few Examples of them could be:

1. Antlion Husbandry

(Quick History)

The most known piece of Vortigaunt culture, among the Humans. Lurking in the rain forests of the Vortigaunt Homeworld, were large Antlion colonies, thriving in their natural enviroment, when a clan of Vortigaunt decided to study the creatures more closely, they set on an expedition into the Antlion Hive. All expeditionairies had succumbed to their doom but the knowledge they had learned had been transmitted to the other Vortigaunt with the Vortessence, soon an army was assembled and they had invaded the colony. Many Vortal chords had been cut but they had emerged victorious, carrying out many artifacts in the process, which they had found useful.
Such as: Antlion Extract, Healing gel and Myrmidont Pheropods.
Upon a closer study they had learned their extraordinary abilities and took advantage of them.
With the armomatic Pheropods they could trick the Antlions into believing that they are their Antlion Guards and sneak past them, allowing them a mostly safe passage, unless having encountered an Antlion Guardian, which in most cases will not be tricked.

Antlion Husbandry is a practice where the Vortigaunts tame Antlions for a variety of purposes using aromatic pheropods.



2. Pottery

Much like the Greeks, the Vortigaunts created pottery adorned with imagery drawn from visions of the Vortessence. However, instead of using clay, the Vortigaunts melted rocks using the Vortessence and shaped them to resemble plants from their homeworld.


3. Rituals

An important part of Vortigaunt culture is their rituals. These rituals have three main purposes: to express the Vortigaunts' emotions, to strengthen their connection to the Vortessence, or symbolically, for example, to cherish someone's memory.

Rituals in Vortigaunt culture are often characterized by a display of the Vortessence, chanting in their native tongue, and the use of a cultural artifact they hold dear. During special rituals with the participation of an Elder or a Grand Elder, Vortigaunts may transcend their consciousness through space and bend the fabric of time to interfere with certain events. However, this practice is only used in matters of urgency.

 

[Adno]

THE ENSLAVED
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Enslaved kin, trapped behind the high steel walls of the cities, are disconnected from the Vortessence and forced to labor for the Combine.

Although their environment is much better than what they endured on Xen, they must live with the constant threat of their connection to the Vortessence being exploited by the Combine in numerous horrific ways.

This exploitation may involve conscious experimentation, where a Vortigaunt's mental stability is fractured due to interventions targeting the part of their brain responsible for decision-making. Alternatively, it may be physical, such as draining the Vortigaunt of its Vortessence.

Some Vortigaunts may become completely severed from the Vortessence through these experiments.

Over the following days, they will forget their previous identities and become feral, aggressive savages. As more days pass, they will become increasingly demented, losing the ability to perform basic actions until they forget how to breathe and die or starve to death.

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The reason for why Enslaved Vortigaunts don't go completely feral because of their shackles, is because the knowledge from the Vortessence they've had at the moment of their shackling has been stored within their brains and trapped by the collar, making it unable for the Vortigaunts to form any other connections with the Vortessence, but the ones they've previously looked at, stuck in time.

 

[Adno]

NATIVE TONGUE
Vortigese​

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Vortigese is the native language of the Vortigaunts. Many of it's phrases start with the letter G.
Vortigaunts speak Vortigese primarily in privacy among other Vortigaunts as they consider it as rude to do it amongst humans, unless they have unflattering things to say about them.
Humans can never learn how to speak Vortigese because they have "Impaired Vortal Chords" which makes them unable to use or understand Flux-Shifting.
Flux Shifting is a type of speech where a word can have mutliple meanings if said in a different tonation or pitch.


Mastery of Flux Shifting
When the Vortigaunts first unified, they found it difficult to agree on deciding the meaning behind certain vision, or over their ideals. Instead of engaging in combat, they found a less destructive alternative, they fought in debates where the words were slithered with the powers of the vortessence. They fought until one of them was overwhelmed by the power of the others connection to the Vortessence

After the debate and if you have regained your energies you may also request a duel if you have lost, if you want to retain your honor and respect amongst your tribe/clan.

If you are a youngling you may let your emotions take over you and engage in the duel with an intent to kill or struggle to keep your emotions in control, but know that, if a vortigaunt dies by your hand you will be labeled as a savage and kicked out of your tribe or be shunned by other vortigaunts and forced into horrible punishments to redeem yourself.

Invoking the Vortessence of Vortigese can also be useful in manifesting greater amounts of Vortal energy.

 

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TRIBAL HIERARCHY

As Vortigaunts are highly sociable beings, they tend to form couples or groups with other Vortigaunts instead of being alone. Within these groups, they establish a hierarchy and choose purposes that help their group develop and become stronger.
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Traditionally, the position of a Vortigaunt within the tribe was determined by their age, as younger Vortigaunts tended to be more immature and occasionally carried away by their emotions. Nowadays, however, one's position within a clan or tribe may be determined by their poetic wisdom. It has also been reported that some tribes decide the positions of new members through a Vortal Debate or a duel.

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ROLES WITHIN THE TRIBE​

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Upon joining a tribe, the Vortigaunt must choose which part of it will it stand.

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MINSTREL

The Warriors of Vortigaunt society, responsible for the defense of the tribe as well as its artifacts, honorary kin and obelisk shard. The newest of the Minstrels mostly are practicing the vortbeam ability as well as becoming experienced and well trained in melee fighting. Masters of Minstrel path are the strongest in combat and able to accomplish great feats of combat prowess.




SCHOLAR

The scholar vortigaunts are considered the wisest of the vortigaunt pathways as well as the most likely to become the Grand Elder’s advisory. The Scholars organize, learn, teach and master in rituals and wielding the vortessence to accomplish great feats of wisdom and progress towards one day returning themselves to Xen or new land to colonize.




MENDER

Vortigaunts specializing in the healing of body and mind, their apprentices learn to mend flesh wounds as the more mastered menders can heal illnesses and oppressive afflictions. Menders are often the most sought for bartering as their healing is often exchanged in return for goods, one of the main services the tribe offers.

 

[Adno]

MYTHOLOGY​

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The Vortessence
An All seeing eye
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The Protectors / Shu'Ulathoi
"They would eventually become like those who would enslave them"
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The Citadel
A Pillar of destruction
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Our First Collaborator, Eli Vance.
The First human to make contact and solidify a truce aswell as an alliance with the Vortigaunts.
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Nihilanths chamber
Represents Nihilanths demise and breaking of the chains of all Vortigaunts

Shortly after the Combine invasion of the Vortigaunt homeworld, the surviving Vortigaunts fled to Xen to avoid extinction, where they were soon enslaved by the Nihilanth. They were subjected to hard labor and forced to fight human forces during the Black Mesa incident, being controlled by the "Alien Controllers."

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The Interval of Darkness
An Oscilation. Death being a cycle that separates life​

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XENIAN FLORA​

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Sha'Kath
"Xenian Blob" / Respect from Struggle
The Foundation of Xenian flora. It comes in many shapes and sizes, the most common one appearing as a cluster of mass with a web-like texture. It prefers to lurk in the shadows, as it is harmed by the sunlight.


Ssu'Lakh
"Xenian Spore Pods" / Held back by time
A Sphere being held up by four legs which with time, unless interrupted, will grow larger until eventually it'll burst and it's spores will attach themselves to any solid surface and begin growing into the Xenian blob.

Sha'Galah
"Xenian web" / Distant Similarities
Such flora appears when the organism is trying to expand itself. It's veins carry an energy which keeps it strong and helps it expand itself further. In this, we find a similarity which reflects on our relationship with the Vortessence.
We cherish it.

Khurr'Ahk
"Xenian Coral" / The Part we despise of us
Similar to Earths "Flower" organisms. In early stages, it's a round-shaped, swelled up mass, but when it matures, it's characterized by 3 or 4 flaps that resemble "Pellets" with a couple purple coloured spots and veins. It'll eventually shed one of it's pellets which will then grow into something different depending on what soil it'll land, whilst the rest of the coral that remained in it's position will grow into something similar to an Earth "Clam", and it's base will illuminate a warm hue.


Erg'gah-Ura
"Boomer Plants" / Their Natural Defenders
The "Boomer Plants" are spherical plants that emit a pinkish hue and are connected to the "Xenian webs". When the plant detects strong vibrations near itself, it will swell up and burst, spitting dangerous acid in all directions, which is not harmful to the Xenian flora in any way, but deadly to all fauna. They are born and spread through "Xen Grenade Plants".
It is a poetic bond where the boomer plant gives it's life for the Xenian Flora for letting it exist.

Larhh'Phra
"Xen Wall Fungi" / The Spreaders
Born from Xenian spore pods and Xenian coral, different species and subspecies of Xen fungi emerge, with their characteristics depending on the mutagenic effects of the soil in which they are planted. Such are, titled for example "Xenian Blowers" , "Xenian Seedlings" , and "Xenian Fungus". They blow out a thick gas which contains spores of a certain Xenian plant.


Raah'Lung
"Xen Rock" / Unbreakable Soil
Starting out as a gooey mass discharged from Xenian blowers during one of its breeding seasons, it eventually hardens and crystallizes into a dark-colored rock, which serves as a more stable soil for Xenian flora. It is found in places most devoid of air and sunlight.

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Side note: When asked about this, try to add a little bit of Mythology/Mystery around the subject to immerse and confuse the other person more.
You can also develop different meanings or create new - somewhat similar ones to the titles of this colour.
Names in blue are the xen props name in Gmod

This Document is still in it's Beta phase and more things may be added to it later on when I get feedback​