Glossary
This page contains quick definitions of commonly used terms. If a term has a longer lore page, it will be linked via the name of the term
Aught
The Aught has just as many monikers as it does hearsay; no Starlyng has any true idea about what it looks like or does. The prevailing rumor, however, is that the Aught has the power to create from nothing without consequence—thus making it exceptional to the Cosmic Law and Scales.
The Aught is also commonly referred to as the Every Thing, the Only One, and, amongst the Firstborns, the Paintbrush. That's because the Firstborns are aware of its true form as an (extremely weightsome) paintbrush, although they do not know of its origins. The Aught, for all other beings in the Universe, changes form depending on who beholds it, most often into something abstract or completely different. It cannot be properly wielded unless it assumes its true form, and its true form cannot be assumed unless the wielder has an idea of its truth.
The Aught's location is difficult to pinpoint, as the paintbrush seems to defy the Cosmic Law and roves about, sometimes even dipping into parallel universes.
The "rightful owner" of the Aught is actually the Trickster, who deliberately keeps it from ever falling into anyone else's hands (whenever they get close; it's true that the Aught just goes wherever when left alone). They no longer keep the Aught on them at all times as something of an "oath" to maintaining their new identity, Ansible, and forgoing the past. (This does not mean they've completely moved on, though...)
That being said, even if someone else did manage to claim it in some way, the Trickster could just "recall" the Aught back into their own possession. They're a little mean-spirited about this (they would never hand over a belonging of their creator's) and enjoy stringing along its seekers, particularly the Fleet and their Firstborn Captain, Dark Matter. The only reason the Firstborns know of Aught's true form at all is because the Trickster (known as Blackjack to the Fleet) informed Dark Matter, so as to make it more difficult to attain. Its form is influenced by perception, after all—and how annoying it must be for something once light as a feather to now be impossibly heavy for the oh-so revered Captain!
Sometimes, if they're feeling benevolent, the Trickster may bestow those who've found the Aught a consolation prize before whisking away the genuine article. Let's just say that the Fourth has something of a "trophy case" of said replicas.