General

The world of Arcpunks, if one is to believe the scholars, is a massive rocky sphere encased in a thick ice shell. This world is called Eplin.

With an average surface temperature of around -90°C, this world appears extremely inhospitable at first glance.

However, Eplin has an oxygen-rich atmosphere, and the mentioned ice shell is primarily composed of H2O. What makes life possible on this world are the countless ice-free regions known as Refugia. These zones, which exhibit various climates regardless of their location, are true islands of life in an otherwise desolate icy wasteland. Scholars today believe the climate of the Refugia is maintained by the Uki. But that is a topic for another time.

The size of the Refugia varies greatly, ranging from areas only a few dozen square kilometers in size to Refugia spanning over 100,000 square kilometers. Currently, 42 Refugia are known and relevant to the peoples of Eplin, most of which are connected by so-called Uki trade routes, enabling easy travel through the deadly ice wasteland. (This too is a topic for another time).

For the Arcpunk project and the stories that have developed so far, only three Refugia are particularly important. These Refugia are:

• P’kun

• Mananra

• Unomanra

These are the core regions and power centers of the U.P.U.T.L., a confederation of three corporations and the greatest political power on Eplin.

The word "animal" refers to a specific type of organism for us humans, clearly distinct from fungi, bacteria, or plants. However, this distinction does not exist in the world of Arcpunk. Since all species undergo a metagenesis, each species has a generation that resembles, for example, animals or plants. This is why, particularly in the wiki, the names of the generations (Labettas, Luminas, and Letohos) are used to provide a basic classification of the organism.

The short answer is no. The detailed answer is very complex because the concept of religion is fundamentally different among the inhabitants of Eplin.

Although Eplin does have theories and stories about how the world was created and where everything comes from, all these concepts are based on the same fundamental idea. This fundamental "truth," accepted by all belief systems, is that the world is merely part of a multi-layered construct of reality created by a thought. The origin of the Flux—the thought stream that defines reality—is a being known as Gotikodohaleto (the Workmaster).

The fact that this "Workmaster" creates reality through his thoughts does not make him a god in the eyes of the people, but it does render the idea of prayers meaningless. As part of the cosmos, all individuals are also part of the Flux and therefore a part of Gotikodohaleto. He knows every thought and every action of every person before they even know it themselves, because he initiates them. And since it makes little sense to pray to oneself, the people of Eplin see no reason to pray to the Workmaster.

Does this mean there is no free will in Arcpunk? Yes and no. Everything down to the smallest detail is created by and within the thoughts of Gotikodohaleto. But, as is often the case with thoughts, they do not always belong to the one thinking them. Emotions like fear, joy, excitement, anger, and much more simply arise as a reaction to influences we often cannot control. Thus, for anyone who is part of the Flux, there is the possibility of being part of such a thought. Whether this is the case or not, however, no one knows.

Saints, Spirits, etc.:

Furthermore, there is no form of spirituality as we know it. It is believed that in the Flux that shapes reality, every medium is equal and bound to its nature. This means that just as people cannot interact or communicate over long distances without physical aids, contact with more powerful beings is also not possible unless they are physically within reach. Since the spiritual is not part of a higher world, it also implies that there is no soul, no life after death, or anything of the sort. Taking all this into account, it makes sense why there can be no saints. There are no supernatural beings constantly watching over their protégés, granting them special powers, or assisting them in any magical way.<br>

The closest thing to prayers are requests made in the form of speech or writing to powerful individuals, from whom help is hoped for.

Answer: Yes

The three most common serious diseases are:

1. Zahata-Topakuru Syndrome (literally "Severe Airways")

2. Hetu-Tata (literally "Circulatory Death")

3. Kihom'takch (literally "Stone Skin")

ZTS:

ZTS is a common disease in cities and affects the respiratory system. The respiratory system of Eplin's inhabitants consists of many capillaries similar to the tracheae of insects. However, unlike insects, the Topakuru (respiratory organ) has many pumps that continuously push air through the body.

In ZTS, there are malfunctions in these pumps. This can be due to reduced or absent performance of the pump chambers or incorrect timing. In both cases, it can lead to critical oxygen deficiency, resulting in the death of body parts or even the person.

In most cases, however, the disease progresses very slowly but steadily, making breathing increasingly difficult, which gave the disease its name. Since the disease mainly occurs in adults and older individuals, it is sometimes called "age breath."

Hetu-Tata:

Hetu-Tata is a much rarer but highly feared disease that affects the Hetu, the water circulatory system, or more precisely, the Walankch living in it. Every organism (except the Walankch themselves) has a colony of hundreds of thousands of Walankch. These are absolutely vital as they are responsible for distributing nutrients in the body and regulating other processes such as body temperature. This happens through the Hetu, a water-filled circulatory system in which the Walankch live. Normally, an organism has only one strain of Walankch, which consists of countless clones of the same Walankch. This is important because communication among the Walankch is crucial for the body's functioning.

The problem in Hetu-Tata lies in disruptions and even the death of the Walankch system. Although we generally refer to Hetu-Tata, there are various causes and courses of this "disease."

Firstly, in very rare cases, the strain may spontaneously abandon the body. This leads to severe symptoms and significant distress. In many cases, however, this form is only temporary, as once the strain leaves the body, countless other strains in the air, food, etc., are ready to repopulate the host.

More problematic, but much rarer, is when the body's strain is attacked by a much stronger strain. Here, the stronger strain tries to take over the body but fails, leading to a sort of front-line war in the Hetu. This also results in severe weakening of the host, high distress, and often death. The reason why this occurs from time to time remains a mystery to doctors.

Finally, there is the form where the communication of the body's own strain is disrupted. This can happen due to toxins or other negative external influences. Here, too, there is a potential threat to life unless the cause is addressed.

Kihom'takch:

The organisms of Eplin do not have blood but a water-filled circulatory system. To prevent the body from simply leaking out when injured, Eplin's organisms have "Kekch" (bio-resin within the body). This two-component bio-resin is hydrophobic and is stored in tiny cushions in the lower layers of the skin. When an injury occurs, both elements of the exiting Kekch mix and harden into a scab, sealing the wound and stopping fluid loss.

In Kihom'takch, an unwanted reaction occurs in the skin layer where Kekch is produced. The Kekch hardens into Keke even without an injury. The skin starts to solidify until it completely hardens into a solid plate. If this happens in small amounts or in areas that do not require flexibility, it is uncomfortable because it usually leads to restriction or even loss of skin sensitivity, but it is not life-threatening. However, it is critically dangerous if it affects vital areas such as the mouth or nostrils.

Generally, it is a disease that is not fatal but brings significant restrictions to the affected person. Many patients can no longer walk or work, and some are entirely immobile and bedridden.

In some cases, so-called "fracture massages" can help. In these, the hardened skin layers are broken up with intensive massages in the hope that the new skin layers will grow healthily and a complete recovery can occur over time. However, the chances of this are usually rather low.

In biology, alternation of generations refers to a form of reproduction in which the two variants of reproduction—sexual and asexual—occur in alternating generations. Alternation of generations is found in many protists, red algae, mosses, ferns, and seed plants, as well as in cnidarians and tunicates. It combines the advantages of both reproductive methods: the asexual generation can produce a large number of offspring without needing a sexual partner, while the sexual generation ensures genetic diversity.

The generations differ both in their genetic makeup and in their external appearance. The alternation of generations is always triphasic, consisting of three different successive generations. On Eplin, there exists a metagenetic alternation of generations, making it a homophasic alternation. Alternatingly, one generation with sexual reproduction is followed by two generations with asexual reproduction, which is then followed again by a generation with sexual reproduction.

The first asexual generation is called "Gen1," and organisms of this generation are known as Labets. Organisms of the second asexual generation (Gen2), mostly sessile, are called Lumina. The last generation (Gen3) is the only sexual generation, and creatures of this generation are called Letohos. Only in this generation are there "higher" thinking beings, including the peoples of Eplin.

Potent and non-potent Lumina:

Labets constantly produce new offspring in the form of small seed balls from which new Lumina sprout. However, only a few Lumina actually produce Letohos; most Lumina remain sterile throughout their lives. Whether a Lumina produces a Letoh offspring is due to a symbiosis with the Walankch.

Brief Explanation:

Walankch are the first generation of a category of Eplinian organisms called Tzru Patekiu/Tzru'paki. They constitute the entire microcosm of Eplin and are responsible for an incredible number of life-critical processes in the world. This includes both the distribution of essential resources in the world and the direct control of biological processes.

The Walankch activate the fertility of a Lumina when needed through certain substances, causing it to undergo physical changes and ultimately transform into a breeding chamber for a new creature (Gen3). This control of reproduction is absolutely essential as it maintains the balance between the Lumina, which mainly serve as food, and the rest of the organisms. If too few offspring were produced, it could lead to species extinction; if too many were born, it would quickly lead to overpopulation and, ultimately, a shortage of food, which would eventually cause the biosphere to die off.

Only a few species are independent of the Walankch network in their reproduction, including the peoples of Eplin. Here, each Labette produces only one Lumina, which—normally—also produces only one Letoho.