Rein

A rein is a collection of multiverses that share the same basic physical laws, like those of thermodynamics and relativity, sometimes called a megaverse. Most laws have related structures in other reins, even if sometimes they appear to be nearly the opposite. Sometimes, symbolism itself plays a part in these laws. The superstructure of these things seems to be a massive, cosmic, hyperdimensional web, each tiny filament a collection of universes, no less infinite than the grand subcomponents that make up the whole.

Thread crossings, or thressings, are normally incredibly violent events, especially between reins. However, the thressing of four complimentary reins, as is happening in the Milky Way's halon, is exceedingly subtle in comparison. While all other processes in the omniverse lead to its slow annihilation, this quad-crossing leads inevitably to the birth of a new existence, forming order amidst the massive chaos of the surrounding region. The process of universe-generation can be seen in the skearns - many of which are created directly from latent will, human or otherwise.

The number of reins is, in theory, uncountable. Whether or not other reins have unique properties, or are merely copies of the known set is not certain.

Known Reins

• The Dark Rein - The 'normal' rein. It is 'dark' because it tends to form horizons of various sorts.
• The Shadow Rein - A near-perfect mirror of the Dark Rein, down to the presence of its own variant of human cerevates.
• The Time Rein - From where the mobius patterns and the symbionts of the striatvari hail.
• The Light Rein - A realm of nearly pure energy. The pyrrhans' symbionts hail from here.
• The Dream Rein - Said to be the host of souls. Different from most other reins in that it appears to coexist with each of the others simultaneously, and thus does not normally contribute to thressings in a violent sense.