Entity (anomaly)

Entities are a type of preternatural phenomenon, or anomaly, that carry their own autonomous activities and behaviors (as opposed to static anomalies such as portals or entire environments such as parts of the Other). These activities and behaviors may or may not have ultimate goals, motives, and/or meanings, but many entities ultimately trace their conceptual origins within realities beyond that of true reality. This includes the Other and perireality.

According to the Preternatural Investigation Branch, there are three main types of classifiable entity. This classification is constructed on the basis of behavior and motive in relation to humans, and consist of benevolent entities, ambivalent entities, and malevolent entities.

Origins
The origins of most known and studied entities have been traced back to facets of the Other - this is true for even most of the entities that may currently roam in perireality. Beyond this, however, evidence for the true origins of any single entity has been shrouded in the unknown, as access to the Other is extremely perilous and often yields no conclusive results due to the aberrant nature of the Other itself.

Some researchers of the preternatural, including members of the PIB and the Clausewitz Association, speculate that the ultimate origins of most anomalous entities may never truly be uncovered due to the disparity of fundamental physics and logic between true reality and the many differing dimensions of the Other that these entities arise from. As a result of this postulation, some sections of research within these organizations have shifted away from understanding the ultimate origins of entities and instead seek to ascertain logical behaviors and mechanisms of any entity in the present.