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The Arbiters primarily seek to subjugate the Pristines.
There were once seven Holy Arbiters, each with a corresponding Principle.
The Arbiters were created by the Elder Gods.
Arbiter Reverie
Arbiter Reverie was the Arbiter of Passion, although she now is best referred to as the Arbiter of Brio. Arbiter Reverie drew forth emotion, focus, and belief from the populace before the intensification, and was responsible for the enrapture of the world. She was the Wildblooded Sage, the Hooded Vindicator, the Beast of the World's Burdens, He Who Delves The Oceans, and He Who Reached Humanity.
As the preparation for the intensification began, she enraptured the world with her powers, bringing all to gaze upon He Who Stirs The Oceans. This provided time and devotion for her fellows to prepare the intensification. However, she was trapped by her fellow Arbiter Discovery, with the assistance of Arbiter Power and Arbiter Destiny, in the radiant plane of Gatekeep in order to fuel the intensification. Her power is continually consumed in order to power the brio of all living Complete races. She is remembered for her name, which was inherited by the planet itself, post-intensification - but her existence has been wiped from most of history by the eye of Arbiter Destiny and the hand of Arbiter Discovery.
Arbiter Discovery and Arbiter Reverie held strong disagreements; Arbiter Discovery represented the power of logic and reason, while Arbiter Reverie represented instinct and gut response. Arbiter Freedom once favoured the quick reaction of Arbiter Reverie, although not her involvement in the psyche. Arbiter Destiny, Arbiter Power, and Arbiter Order held no particular affinity for Arbiter Reverie.
Manifold
Manifold was the Arbiter of Choice. Manifold represented scintillation, options, possibility, and the incomprehensibility of existence itself. He was the Eternal Facets, the Last Opportunist, the Light of the Desperate, He Who Glimpses The Not, and He Who Knew Fire.
Manifold disagreed with the actions of Arbiter Order and Arbiter Power in the preparation for the intensification. Arbiter Reverie and Manifold spent a short period plotting against the remaining Arbiters - primarily toward the overthrow of Arbiter Discovery - but Manifold recognised warning signs of possible treachery toward himself in Arbiter Reverie and attempted to politely end the discussion. Instead, the other six Arbiters colluded in order to detain and imprison Manifold on the entropic plane of Iune. Once trapped, Manifold's status as an Arbiter was revoked in an extended ritual, which put in place of his power the Mantle of the Infinite.
The Mantle of the Infinite restricts Manifold's deific powers.
Arbiter Destiny and Manifold have held enmity for one another since their very creation, for Arbiter Destiny represents determinism and the status quo, while Manifold represents the many possibilities which will not occur. No other Arbiters represented such diametric opposition.
Arbiter Destiny
Arbiter Destiny is the Arbiter of Time.
Arbiter Discovery
Arbiter Discovery is the Arbiter of Knowledge.
Arbiter Freedom
Arbiter Freedom is the Arbiter of Action.
Arbiter Order
Arbiter Order is the Arbiter of Culture.
Arbiter Power
Arbiter Power is the Arbiter of Perfection.
The Pristines are the deities who the Arbiters were created to restrain.
The Pristines are simply paragon members of the races before the intensification - and without the associated "mortality limit" that restricts the Complete and Dissonant races from achieving their true potential.
Although some are (or were) mortal, most Pristines have achieved various forms of immortality.
The Elder Gods are incomprehensibly powerful creatures living in the Voids beyond the Tapestry. They dwarf even galactic superclusters, vying for hypercosmic goals which rest so far beyond relating to mortals that they are scarcely involved in any part of the other's lives - save for the Arbiters.
They are responsible for the creation of the Arbiters. In the most impossibly brief of moments, an Elder God - who the Arbiters and Manifold have spoken of as Yahweh, although the name is of questionable veracity - glanced upon the Tapestry and willed them into existence, granting them untold deific power. It's easily supposed that Yahweh itself did not lose any power from this action, and yet simpler to project the hope that none never spare a glance toward the Tapestry again.