Infinity Stones

The Infinity Stones are concentrated ingots of absolute ideologuic power. When the First Firmament shattered, many of the First Gods perished in the conflagration of reality undoing itself. Six of them, absolutely essential components of the mechanics of the universe itself, were trapped in a state of quantum flux between the First Firmament and the resulting universes. Infinity stones therefore exist in all realities in the multiverse but only function in their universe of origin, a permanent bridge between the multiverses and the First Firmament.

An entity in possession of all six of the stones can use them to fundamentally re-order the universe to shape it to suit their desires. The Stones appear many times through galactic history, often in the hands of warlords and desperate fools who do not understand their power. Relatively few creatures can channel the immense Power Cosmic that flows unhindered through the stones and the results of anything less than an ironclad will directing them can be dangerously unpredictable.

• Soul Stone: The Soul Stone draws power from the soul of those trapped within in. To use the Soul Stone requires the sacrifice of a living creature, one who the bearer truly loves. With the spirit leashed to the stone, it can harness the near-infinite potential of the power of belief to reshape the purpose of any ideologue-- and therefore, the machinations of the universe itself.
• Time Stone: The time stone provides unhindered access to the flow of time. It is capable of sustaining even major paradoxes and causal loops that would otherwise self-terminate in a closed spacetime environment. It is currently in the possession of the Sorcerer Supreme and closely monitored by Agamotto of the Vishanti.
• Space Stone: By using the space stone, the user has unrestricted access to the warp of space itself. They can alter the spatial characteristics of virtually any object in the universe. The Space Stone is contained in a stable energy matrix called the Tesseract. It was in the possession of SHIELD until its disappearance in mid-2022. Very few beings are privileged with the knowledge that the Space Stone is what powers the Tesseract.
• Mind Stone: The Mind Stone's history is better known than some. It contains the crystallized essence of an early incarnation of the ideologue known as Dream. By tapping into the power of the Astral plane, the bearer of the Mind Stone can access the collective consciousness of all intelligent life in the universe. No knowledge is hidden from such an individual. Darkseid once attempted to obtain the Mind Stone to aid him in his quest for the Anti-Life Equation. Dream retrieved the stone, only to lose it again when he was kidnapped by Roderick Burgess in the 1930s. It found its way to the hand of Dr. Dee, who used it to inflict waking nightmares on people. It was temporarily destroyed by Dee himself-- but such a force as an Infinity Stone cannot be truly destroyed by force alone.
• Reality Stone: The laws of reality and universal physics can be rewritten at will by the bearer of this stone. Even fundamental laws such as gravity and subatomic motion can be subverted or altered. It requires a particularly potent mind and resolute will to use this gem effectively or the result may cause localized spacetime to collapse. After being recovered from the gullet of Nidhogg by a dwarven wizard named Ljott the Ugly, it was briefly used in an attempt to overtake Midgard before it was taken from Ljott by Stephen Strange and his allies. It is currently in the possession of Illyana Rasputina.
• Power Stone: A conduit to Hyperspace itself. All energy and force can serve the will of this stone's user and it imbues the carrier with awesome, even unchecked physical power. It is this stone that is the 'engine' of an assembled Infinity Gauntlet and increases the power of the others into levels impossible to contemplate. It was in the possession of the immortal Taneleer Tivan until it was stolen by parties unknown.