Published by the Occasus Sect of Celestial Truth
Head Researcher: The "Id"
Assitant Researchers: Dr. Boltix Astaris & Dr. Atemu
According to the Oculi Auream, the "Ruin" as we call it today is an ultimate lifeform capable of rapid spread, adaptation via forced evolution to a wide variety of different environments, and much more. Taxonomically, it is not sufficient to call the Ruin a single organism. The Ruin is composed of a large variety of different Ruin organisms that are commonly called "Ruinlings". In this paper, the Occasus Sect of Celestial Truth will discuss their findings regarding goetic organisms and their biologies.
The Gestalt is a 'telepathic' hivemind that connects the nervous system of every known goetic organism in the galaxy. The mechanism for this anomalous connection regardless of distance is unknown, but it is believed to be through a neuro-affective mechanism similar to the telepathic abilities of the erchioid species known commonly as the 'Archons'. The Gestalt connects individual goetic organisms to itself like a neural network through psychocyte cells found in their nervous system. The Gestalt has several useful properties; it seems capable of housing memories and sensory information across the Gestalt, but most importantly, it stores the genomic information required for goetic organisms' ability to undergo forced evolution.
The Gestalt acts as a psychic genomic database, capable of storing an unknown amount of genetic information that all goetic organisms seem to be able to access via the Gestalt. The Gestalt seems able to exert influence on individual goetic organisms, allowing the overwriting of their genetic material in order to facilitate forced evolution. The Gestalt also seems capable of somehow translating between different mediums of genetic material.
Individual goetic organisms exhibit a wide variety of different biologies. The Occasus Sect of Celestial Truth has observed animalian, floran, pseudo-floran, and water-based Ruin organisms. Even goetic microorganisms have been observed. Generally, many goetic organisms share the same general characteristics; they will often appear to have strong, purple colored skin, and their ocular organs are yellow due to the golden color of their blood. Most goetic organisms are carbon-based, but have completely different biologies than most common organisms, and much of it also seems to be anomalous.
Tetroxyribonucleic Acid (TNA) is the most common form of genetic storage for the Ruin. It is in a quadruple helix form that is easily able to be overwritten through the signals of psychocytes from the hivemind. TNA has 16 bases that code for a large variety of different proteins, some of which are even anomalous compounds.
Goetic organisms are capable of undergoing rapid forced evolution in which their morphology and genome undergo rapid change in response to environmental stimuli. The genetic sequences required for forced evolution seemed to be stored in the Gestalt; how these sequences were formulated in the first place is unknown. Experimental environments demonstrate goetic organisms' ability of forced evolution well; specimen that were deprived of light had developed echolocation, and specimen that were subject to greater or lesser gravitational force had adjusted bone density to match.
Though goetic organisms are capable of forced evolution, there are various 'species' of goetic organisms that their forced evolution tends to take the form of. These species are the local optima in their evolutionary environments.
The blood of almost every Ruinling is golden in appearance, slightly more viscous than human blood. It is primarily the sub-erchioid ichor, its crystallized version, ‘ichorite’ used as a popular drug. It can carry a variety of cells and proteins depending on the Ruinling’s specific biology (for example, it carries a protein similar to hemoglobin if the Ruinling respires with oxygen). Unlike prime erchius, it is not volatile and is inflammable.
Some Ruinlings have an organ called an erchia, which can simply convert ichor into more volatile forms that is used by some biological functions; theses volatile forms are typically purple, and is primarily used by the iononyx by some Ruinlings in order to produce plasma or a laser. Spaceborne ruinlings can have multiple erchia that are used to perform FTL travel.
Some Ruinlings have an organ called an iononyx, which is capable of ionizing volatile erchius produced by the erchia into plasma, or using it as a medium to produce a laser (typically through an enlarged eye).
Goetic organisms possess a unique microbiology, entirely different from most organisms. Studies and experiments show that goetic microbiology and biochemistry is evolved to be as efficient as possible for an organism, even utilizing anomalous proteins and other organic compounds to achieve feats such as denser muscle mass or enhanced digestion. Some goetic organisms also seem capable of possessing entirely microbiologies altogether, such as from samples of cryophilic goetic microorganisms found in the ice of the Silent Bastion, a cold planet in the Silentia system.
Psychocytes are one of the most important cells of Ruin biology, and one that is found the same universally throughout almost every Ruin organism, and even outside of Ruin organisms. Psychocytes are similar to neurons in that they transmit electrical signals throughout long axons that terminate with synapses, however the source of the unique electric pulses is telepathic in nature. Psychocytes serve as telepathic relays for the Gestalt, receiving transmitted telepathic pulses and transcribing them to electrical neural pulses that can interface with the nervous system of a Ruinling. They also act as relays, acting similar to routers in a computer network.
Certain Ruin cells such as psychocytes and the metabolic cells very small Ruinlings may sometimes have organelles called cuiloplasts. These cells can vary depending on the Ruinling’s environment, but they primarily seem to utilize cuils in some way to metasynthesize sugar through a means similar to photosynthesis.
Ichorite is a gold colored sub-erchioid found on certain planets that have before been thought to simply contain megafauna and huge ecosystems. Recent studies conducted by the Occasus Sect of Celestial Truth have found a direct link between ichorite and the Ruin. Analysis of the blood ("ichor") of goetic organisms indicate a similar composition to ichorite. Further tests allowed us to conclude that ichorite is a crystalline and fossilized form of ichor, goetic blood. This would also mean that planets that have ichorite deposits were once worlds inhabited by goetic ecosystems at the prime of the Ruin's power over 300,000 years ago, where similar skeletal structures can be dated to.
Ichorite's most popular use is as an anomalous drug known commonly as "ambrosia". Studies have shed a light on how ichorite affects the mind and body, though much of its pharmaceutical workings are still unknown. It is believed that ichorite contains small amounts of dormant psychocytes that when ingested for a long enough period of time, begin to latch onto central nerve cells and become active. Over time, the brain learns to interpret the signals the psychocytes output, and when under the active effects of ichorite, the user experiences a mesh of sensory input from the Gestalt and their own mind in order to produce vivid hallucinations. These hallucinations are highly surreal in nature, and because they are connected to the Gestalt, can even be of real places or people. Ichorite users in the Occasus Sect of the Celestial Truth that have been studied are believed to have even experienced memories stored within the Gestalt after long enough and frequent enough use.
Evidence also shows that very rarely, ichorite users can even interact with other ichorite users during such visions. In the sole case this was reported, both users were frequent and prolonged users and were under the active effects at the same time. In addition, both users were vaguely familiar with each other and on the same planet.