Originium

“	As the world was torn apart by Catastrophes of unknown origin, Originium ore began to appear. With advances in technology, the power of the ore was harnessed to push civilization forward. But Originium ore also gave birth to the Infected...	„
	~ Official website blurb on Originium

Background

“	A common mineral in Terra, this semi-transparent black crystal contains enormous energy, and is the primary factor of causing Catastrophes. Widely used in the field of Arts, it works as the basic material and catalyst of all kinds of Arts and Arts items. Without Originium, the efficiency of Arts would, without a doubt, drop dramatically. As technologies develop, more and more countries start to use it as an energy source.	„
	~ Loading Screen on Originium

Originium is a black, semi-crystalline mineral with a high energy yield when processed. Originium allows for the use of Originium Arts, more commonly referred to as just Arts, similarly to a "magic system", but it would be more accurate to call it a form of "super-science". Originium is also responsible for a disease known as Oripathy.

Originium can be found in surface level rocks or several meters underground, but it is most commonly found in the aftermath of Catastrophes.

The Truth of Originium

Spoilers for plot elements of Arknights

“ Beware of yourself; the directive of Originium has changed. Trust Ama-10. „ ~ Message encoded in the Oracle's Voice Diary It is revealed that Originium is a synthetic crystal created by the "Predecessors", specifically "Oracle" and "Priestess". Within Originium, there exists a universe that has been dubbed "The Assimilated Universe". Originium was created out of necessity by the Predecessors in order to protect themselves from a race known as "The Observers". According to Friston, Originium has gone far beyond it's original use due to Priestess's "mad experiments". What the Assimilated Universe looks like from within Inside of the Assimilated Universe, many laws of reality are fundamentally different such as the absence of energy. Strong wills and those knowledgeable on the true nature of the Assimilated Universe are capable of manipulating these laws to their will as mortals were never intended to step foot within. The Assimilated Universe exists to store information by having Originium encompass, assimilate, and preserve information in all forms. . "Information" in this context is not merely knowledge, but a macroscopic concept encompassing the existence and behavior of all matter, energy, and their transformative processes. "Oracle", in his parable about The Lumberjack, compares Originium to an amber that grows around a recently cut down forest, allowing it to regrow without being disturbed. Within the information stored in the Assimilated Universe lies the ability to information reconstructions of past individuals who are capable of independent thought and action as well as possessing the knowledge that they are not the original but lack the memories of the original despite having the same abilities and skills as them, known as Reconveners. The introduction of Originium onto Terra induced a form of convergent evolution in the species from Talos-II brought to Terra as well as the native species of Terra, the Teekaz, that caused them to start developing bodies that resembled man. After learning the truth of Originium, a prevailing theory is that Originium Arts is actually a form of "information editing"- restructuring the data stored inside of Originium and using it to manifest physical energy or matter in the real world.

Originium Arts

“	After the discovery of Originium ore, people mastered a technique for the manipulation and transformation of matter using the power of the ore. The technique came to be called Originium Arts, and often simply "Arts." Whether a person can use Arts, and what forms those Arts may take is determined by both physiology and study in the field of Originium Arts.	„
	~ Official website blurb on Originium Arts

Originium Arts, in a broad sense, refers to any supernatural manifests in various forms ranging from damaging projectiles to healing to even manipulating substances. Scientifically, it refers to Casting performed using Originium.

Originium Arts requires an innate ability known as Originium Arts Assimilation in order to be used properly- a trait that is defined by factors such as the user's physiology, genetics, and race. Under a caster's Assimilation, Originium can release various forms of energy including chemical, electrical, and radioactive. A Caster's Assimilation is highly individualized and unpredictable, and it cannot be changed through study or training.

Training is still required to use Originium Arts, not just to increase it's power but to also reduce the risk involved in using them. A caster losing control of their arts can lead to minor self injury at the least or excessive loss of life based on the individual.

Within institutions dedicated to teaching Originium Arts, proficiency is often categorized into three tiers: Low, Medium, and Top. Most of the population lies within the Medium tier of proficiency, possessing a basic understanding of Arts. At Rhodes Island, a five level system is used to assess Operators' combat capabilities in all fields, including Originium Arts Assimilation: flawed, normal, standard, excellent, and outstanding.

Casting Originium Arts requires a medium capable of capturing the neural activity in their mind and encoding it into the Originium. This medium is typically referred to as an Arts Unit, although Infected Casters are capable of using the Originium in their body at the cost of accelerating their infection but being granted much more potent arts, usually highly personalized to the user. Arts Units take on many forms such as the conventional staff design, highly specialized designs such as firearms (where both the firearm and the ammo are Arts Units), even standard weaponry can function as an Arts Unit. Ongoing scientific efforts have been made into being able to cast Originium Arts while not being infected and not using an Arts Unit, but this has led to unethical human experiments being performed on children.

Originium Arts have been traditionally split into six different schools, although these aren't all encompassing and have become convoluted and imprecise over time. There are also exceptions, such as

Beschwörung

Also known as the School of Conjuration. It is the most ancient and widely used form of Arts, it involves altering, deconstructing, and summoning physical matter.

Hervorrufung

Also known as the School of Evocation or "Summon Type" Arts. This school draws elemental energy directly from Originium, manifesting physical phenomena. This school commonly takes the form of Pyro, Electro, Aero, and Cryo, among others, many of which are used in modern technology.

Umwandlung

Also known as the School of Transmutation. This school manipulates matter on a molecular level, with it's roots in Alchemy. Though it is incapable of performing the mythical feat of turning lead to gold, it is still capable of generating materials such as carbon compounds, plastics, or tissue.

Verbesserung

Also known as the School of Augmentation. This school enhances physical traits such as strength, growth, metabolism, and cognitive function. This school requires comprehensive knowledge of biology in order to use it, as excessive augmentation can cause damage to what is being augmented.

Wiederherstellung

Also known as the School of Restoration, and often considered a sub school of Verbesserung. This school focuses on healing by accelerating natural processes such as metabolism. Due to it's complexity, it requires significant expertise and knowledge of anatomical knowledge.

Wahrsagung

Also known as the School of Divination. The rarest and most enigmatic school that encompasses a broad range of abilities- communication with animals, mind control, psychic enhancement, and many others.

Witchcraft

Sarkaz Witchcraft, also known as "Cannibalism", is a derogatory term used to refer to the various types of Arts used by the Sarkaz. The types of Arts used by Sarkaz tend to be connected to their Bloodlines such as the Blood Arts of the Vampires, the Vocal Arts of the Banshees, or the prophetic foresight of the Cyclopes.

Alchemy

Alchemy is a classical discipline using Arts to reconstruct or transmute matter at a microscopic level. Alchemy would go on to inspire Umwandlung. In the past, it was popular in Iberia where local alchemist would incorporated Destreza, a type of Iberian swordsmanship, into their alchemy practices.

Modernist School

The Modernist School of Originium Arts originated in Columbia, spearheaded by new scientific discoveries and the desire to apply Arts in more practical and industrial ways. The Modernist School lead the charge in creating devices capable of performing Arts without the need of a human Caster.

Additional Note: Some Arts walk a line between multiple schools or take advantage of the user's biology which causes their classification to be complex, such as Operator Virtuosa's arts are classified as Wahrsagung but they possess powerful synergy with the Sankta's innate empathic abilities which causes them to be more complex and hard to precisely describe.

Oripathy

“	Those infected by Originium Ore. The fatality rate of Oripathy is theoretically 100%. The threat of contagion remains upon the carrier’s death. Combined with the threat of dangerous, unknown powers, most countries have chosen to expel the Infected. Left stateless, the Infected had no clear path to life. But recently, the Infected have begun to gather around the radical resistance movement known as "Reunion."	„
	~ Official website blurb on Oripathy

Oripathy is the name of the infection caused by interaction with raw, unrefined Originium. Scientifically, Oripathy is defined as "the abnormal assimilation between body cells and active Originium". Oripathy's main symptom is the corrosion of the patient's body as their cells are replaced with crystals of Originium, starting out as hardened skin at the site of contact that begins to harder into a black, which will begin to darken and rise similar to a regular scab. After a few days, the patient will begin to experience internal burns around the site of contact as well as having the hardened skin begin to resemble Originium crystals, typically with lesions in the shape of radiating lines from the source. After this, Oripathy will begin to spread throughout the patient's body, inhibiting their breathing and intake nutrition among other health issues as their organs slowly begin to shut down eventually leading to their death. Postmortem, the patient's body begins to disintegrate and the Originium crystals on their body begin to glow and eventually detonate, spreading Originium dust and crystal shards everywhere, potentially spreading the disease to others unless the corpse is isolated. A patient's diet can accelerate the condition if it is unhealthy, such as eating too much salt and fat.

Many Terran races are susceptible to Oripathy, however some are more susceptible than others. Teekaz races are known for being highly susceptible to Oripathy compared to other races. Elves are also known for being susceptible to Oripathy, which also shortens their extended lifespans to the point of very few lasting more than a month after contracting the disease. There are some races that are seemingly immune to Oripathy, such as Seaborn and Feranmuts.

Additional Information on Oripathy

Transmission The only way to contract Oripathy is from direct contact with raw Originium, although it does not matter the form. Person-to-Person transmission of Oripathy via contact with an Infected is assumed to be possible by many, however it is very unlikely . It is however possible to transmit Oripathy via blood transfusion, which has caused many hospitals to begin to practice needle exchange in order to prevent accidental transmission of Oripathy between patients. Oripathy can also be congenitally transmitted, leading to the children of Infected couples being very likely to be born as Infected themselves. Diagnosis Angiography, or image testing, is the main way to diagnose Oripathy concretely, as it allows one to see the outlines of internal organs caused by the presence of Originium in the body. In the past, other methods were used, although they are now all considered to be highly inaccurate and some very crude. Stages The severity of a patient's Oripathy can be measured by their Cell-Originium Assimilation, or how much Originium has assimilated with their body's cells as well as the Blood Originium-Crystal Density, or density of Originium particles in every liter of the Infected's blood measured in units per Liter (u/L). Using these measurements, Oripathy has been divided into three stages: Stage I: also known as "Early Stage Infection". Patients at this stage typically have a Blood Originium-Crystal Density less than 0.30 u/L. Symptoms at this stage include light fever, shallow outlines of internal organs, and minor lesions beginning to form on the skin. Oripathy at this stage can be misdiagnosed as other diseases due to the symptoms being minor. Stage II: also known as "Mid Stage Infection". Patients at this stage typically have a Blood Originium-Crystal Density between 0.30 u/L and 0.50 u/L. Symptoms at this stage vary from person to person and if they're receiving treatment or not, but symptoms are always obvious in the patient. Outlines of internal organs become blurry under angiography and lesions begin to appear more crystalline and increase in number and size. Considered to be the window period for medical treatment. Stage III: also known as "Late Stage Infection. Patients at this stage typically have a Blood Originium-Crystal Density above 0.50 u/L and, in some cases, can surpass the dead line of 0.80 u/L. The body begins to crystallize at this stage as well as the patient occasionally growing abnormal body parts due to mutations caused by the infection. The patient begins to experience their organs shutting down leading to loss of mobility, eye sight, hearing, etc. This stage is considered to be terminal as no medical treatments work on patients who have reached this stage. The characteristics of each stage overlap each other, as seen with Operator Cliffheart and Operator Franka have Blood Originium-Crystal Densities that are 0.28u/L and 0.34u/L respectively, but both are considered to be nearing Stage II. Treatment There is no known cure to Oripathy, although Rhodes Island is actively looking for one. However, they have developed a suppressant for Oripathy that works only on active Oripathy, which works by injecting a specifically made protein into the patient's body that causes cells to produce a protective protein layer that halts the assimilation of Originium granules and disperses the "energy" spread by the granules to prevent disintegration. The afflicted body part can also be treated with more conventional means if it is caught early enough, such as with amputation if it is on a limb. Although some manage to stall or completely halt the progression of their Oripathy, the condition itself remains terminal and has a near-100% fatality rate.

Catastrophes

The aftermath of the Catastrophe at Chernobog

“	The general name for a variety of frequent natural calamities, including but not limited to storms, blizzards, floods and even meteor showers.	„
	~ Loading Screen on Catastrophes

Catastrophes are the name given to natural disasters caused by Originium in some form. Studies have linked Catastrophes to Originium in the atmosphere, although the idea was first proposed in the year 1058 by Siracusan academician Adriana . Catastrophes take the form of storms to meteor impacts, but can also take the form of volcanic activity and earthquake if they're related to an Originium Vein.

Additional Information on Catastrophes

Types of Catastrophes Catastrophes can be categorized into three types based on their severity and the characteristics of them Type I: Also known as Originium Catastrophes. Many natural phenomenon can happen within a single Catastrophe. The effects of a Catastrophe range from a thunderstorm that can destroy mechanical equipment to extreme cold. These are considered to natural activity, but Originium can increase its severity. Type II: Also known as Originium Storms. These types of Catastrophes are the result of excessive amounts of Originium in the atmosphere. They condense into a large cloud that, when it touches down on the ground, condenses into a large, diameter-long Originium crystals that devastates their surroundings. Type III: This type is less common than the other two. This type usually manifest in the form of high magnitude earthquakes, although the large amounts of energy released usually causes supernatural phenomenon to accompany the earthquake. Prevention Due to the threat of destruction brought by Catastrophes, most cities on Terra are Nomadic Cities, cities and settlements that are capable of moving out of the way of a Catastrophe. Catastrophe Messengers are in charge of warning Nomadic Cities of a Catastrophe as they wander the wastelands of Terra, although their warnings are not a foolproof way of avoiding damage caused by a Catastrophe. Errors do occur, which causes Nomadic Cities needing to perform extreme measures or brace for the coming Catastrophe, as seen during the start of the Chernobog Crisis, during the Wolumonde Uprising, and during The Yumen unrest.

Abilities of Originium itself

• Information Manipulation (Originium stores and converts information inside of the Assimilated Universe. The Assimilated Universe is made up of entirely information)
• Matter Manipulation (can convert matter into information so it can be stored within the Assimilated Universe.)
• Energy Manipulation (Can convert energy into information and vice versa)
• Biological Manipulation (When introduced to organic matter, Originium begins to assimilate it until the organic matter turns into Originium)
• Transmutation (can convert other matter into Originium)
• Shared Memories and Collective Unconscious Manipulation (those with strong connection to Originium such as Sarkaz are able to commune with the Myriad Souls, which is the collective unconscious of deceased Sarkaz that have coalesced within the Assimilated Universe. When the Myriad Souls were roused from their slumber, all Sarkaz could see visions of countless wars that have passed that Sarkaz have taken part in.)
• Accelerated Evolution and Biological Manipulation (Originium guides organisms to evolve into the shape of the Predecessors, such as the Teekaz and Elders.)

Catastrophes

• Nature Manipulation and Weather Manipulation (Catastrophes can cause various natural disasters ranging from thunderstorms, to extreme cold, to volcanic activity and earthquakes)
• Forcefield Manipulation, Mind Manipulation, and Gravity Manipulation (Type III Catastrophes are capable of causing supernatural phenomenon such as creating a forcefield of unknown energy that causes changes to gravity within and causes mental interference to living organisms)
• Various other supernatural phenomenon for Type III Catastrophes

Possible Abilities of Originium Arts

• Information Manipulation (Originium arts manipulates the information inside of Originium)
• Energy Manipulation (Originium Arts are capable of generating various forms of energy, such as electrical, chemical, and radioactive.)
• Matter Manipulation (Practitioners of Beschwörung are able to alter, deconstruct, and summon various forms of matter. Operator Saria is capable of creating and manipulating Calcium and similar chemical compounds in a circular area around her for both offense and defense)
• Elemental Manipulation (Practitioners of Hervorrufung are able to convert the information inside of Originium into elemental energy. Operator Blaze is known for her Pyro arts, she even studied relatively complex mathematics in order to use them more efficiently)
• Transmutation (Practitioners of Umwandlung manipulates matter on a molecular level and can create complex constructs)
• Biological Manipulation (Practitioners of Verbesserung are capable of altering biological processes in order to augment them to either improve or hinder them. Operator Lappland is capable of augmenting her body using her arts, although she uses it raw and untrained which leads to her exhausting it's power quickly.)
• Plant Manipulation (Some Practioners of Verbesserun, such as Operator Quercus, are capable of affecting plants in addition to or rather than human bodies with their Arts.)
• Healing via Biological Manipulation (Practitioners of Wiederherstellung are capable of healing others via enhancing biological processes such as metabolism. Operator Shining is capable of "healing hurt" from allied operators along with protecting them from combat damage.)
• Due to the nature of Originium Arts, more abilities will be specific to the user rather than in general

Assimilated Universe

Those Within It

• Acausality (Irregular Unknown; The Assimilated Universe does not follow regular rules of cause and effect)
• Immortality (the concepts of life and death do not exist within the Assimilated Universe)
• Data Physiology (everything within the Assimilated Universe is comprised of information)

Those Who Can Manipulate It

• Information Manipulation (everything within the Assimilated Universe is made up of information)
• Boundary Manipulation and Law Manipulation (Those who can manipulated the Assimilated Universe are able to change the laws within it, such as Amiya inverting what is up and what is down, light and dark, and past and future for her, The Doctor, Kal'tsit, and W .)
• Reality Warping (Theresa was able to change the Assimilated Universe to be very different from it's intended purpose)
• Conceptual Manipulation (Theresa changed the very concepts within the Assimilate Universe)

Trivia

• Originium's Chinese name, 源石 (Pinyin: Yuán shí), means "Source/Origin Stone".
• Originium shares similarities with Tiberium in the Command & Conquer series. Both are crystalline minerals that spread throughout the environment, are used as a source of energy, and are fatal to organic matter.
• Originium can be viewed as an analogue of coal in the real world, notably in the way it's mining is portrayed.
  • Repeated ingestion of coal causes a respiratory disease known as "coal workers' pneumoconiosis", or more commonly "Black Lung". Likewise, extremely minor amounts of Originium can cause Oripathy through ingestion.
  • Furthermore, both coal and Originium have been used as fuel for a long time.