Astra-Source

Magic Overview: In the universe of the Station Nations, magic is derived from the powerful and enigmatic energy known as Astra-Source, which flows from the Quasar Nexus Conduits (Q.N.C.). Individuals who wield this magic are referred to as Conduits, harnessing the raw power of the Astra-Source to perform extraordinary feats. The various manifestations of Astra-Source include Melchior Gemma, Gaspar Nuclei, Balthasar's Blood, and Icarum Sphereium.

Melchior Gemma

Origin and Effects:

• Imbued Energy: Melchior Gemma are gems infused with raw energy directly from the Quasar Nexus Conduits. These gems are now primarily used as powerful bombs against the Primeval, the liquid shadow that threatens the Station Nations.
• God-like Powers: If touched directly, the Melchior Gemma bestows near god-like powers upon the user for five seconds. After this brief period, the user turns into a devastating heat bomb, disintegrating almost the entirety of a station. This destructive potential was discovered by Chagatai, who now own a station of grains that was once a thriving, populated port station.

Key Concepts:

• Catastrophic Power: The gem's direct touch results in a massive explosion, making it a dangerous yet coveted source of power against the Primeval.
• Strategic Weapon: Used as bombs, Melchior Gemma serve as a crucial weapon in the fight against the Primeval, providing a means to push back the encroaching darkness.

Gaspar Nuclei

Biological Organ:

• Crystallized Organ: Gaspar Nuclei, also known as 'Stones,' are unique crystallized organs located at the nape of the neck. These organs grow as individuals age, particularly between the ages of fifteen and twenty-three.
• Empowering Effects: The Nuclei can affect other parts of the body, such as the spine or brain, granting various empowering effects. When the Nuclei crystallizes the brain, it can generate Psukhé, a psychic power.
• Psukhian Abilities: Users of Psukhé are referred to as Miscreants, and they can wield powerful psychic abilities. Militaries often use mecha-suit devices to connect directly to the Nuclei, allowing individuals to tap into their Psukhian abilities. However, this connection gradually degrades the Nuclei, eventually rendering it unusable naturally.

Extraction and Usage:

• Stone Dust: After a Nuclei has been killed, either by the death of the user or external sources, it can be extracted and turned into dust. This dust powers various devices, including the mecha-suits used by militaries.

Key Concepts:

• Psukhé: Psychic abilities granted by the crystallization of the brain's Nuclei.
• Miscreants: Individuals who possess and use Psukhian abilities.
• Mecha-Suits: Devices that connect to the Nuclei, enabling the use of Psukhian abilities at the cost of the Nuclei's longevity.

Balthasar's Blood

Unique Blood Abilities:

• Channeling Power: By channeling focus and energy into their Gaspar Nuclei, individuals can cause their blood to boil, enhancing their physical abilities. These enhancements include higher reflexes, strength, and endurance.
• Boiling Blood: The use of Balthasar's Blood causes blood to boil out of the body, necessitating blood transfusions to stay alive. This dangerous and painful process is often seen as a 'dirtying' of the blood, leading to societal stigma against its use.

Social Implications:

• Societal Stigma: Higher-ranking members of society frown upon the use of Balthasar's Blood, viewing it as a dirtying of one's blood. This stigma makes it a controversial and often hidden practice.
• Survival and Strength: Despite the stigma, those who use Balthasar's Blood gain significant enhancements, making it a valuable yet risky ability.

Key Concepts:

• Higher Abilities: Enhanced reflexes, strength, and endurance through the use of boiling blood.
• Stigma: The societal view of Balthasar's Blood as a dirty and dangerous practice.
• Survival: The necessity of blood transfusions to counteract the effects of boiling blood.

Icarum Sphereium

The Icarum Sphereium, also known as the Divine World, Wonderland, Soul Palace, or Saiko-Spheres, is a unique creation of particularly powerful Miscreants. These realms serve as personal, conceptual worlds where Teriums reside during their creation and can be interacted with alongside their creators. The Icarum Sphereium is a manifestation of the Miscreant's imagination and can be influenced or altered by the Terium if allowed.

Creation and Interaction

Conceptual Form:

• Imaginative Worlds: The Icarum Sphereium is a world entirely shaped by the Miscreant's imagination. It can be anything they envision, from serene landscapes to chaotic battlegrounds.
• Terium Influence: Teriums, entities created by the Miscreant's Psukhé, can interact with and alter the Icarum Sphereium, contributing to its dynamic nature.

Manifestation:

• Physical Plane Overlap: Exceptionally powerful Miscreants can manifest their Icarum Sphereium within the physical world, creating independent realities of their own design. These realms are governed by the Miscreant, who can rule them like a deity.
• Fusion Zones: The most powerful Miscreants can create fusion zones, where their Icarum Sphereium overlaps with reality, bending and reshaping the laws of the physical world. These zones are under the near-complete control of the Miscreant, allowing them to exercise god-like power.

Consequences and Risks

Destruction and Soul Damage:

• Soul Link: The Icarum Sphereium is intrinsically linked to the Miscreant's soul. If the Icarum is damaged or destroyed, the Miscreant's soul is equally affected, leading to significant weakening or even partial soul death.
• Temporary Advantage: The Icarum Sphereium is usually called upon to provide the Miscreant with a home-field advantage, enhancing their powers and weakening other Miscreants' control.

Binarius Icarum Sphereium:

• Dual Divine Worlds: In rare instances, two Miscreants may phase their Icarum Sphereiums in the same location, resulting in a Binarius Icarum Sphereium. This creates a battlefield where not only the Miscreants but their worlds and souls clash.
• Apocalyptic Impact: These battles are catastrophic, often leading to apocalyptic destruction in the local area. The losing Miscreant suffers a Psukhian implosion, compressing their soul and Icarum into nothingness, resulting in true soul death.

Wonderland Creatures

Manifestations:

• Nio-Conduit Influence: Wonderland creatures are manifestations created by the energy from the Quasar Nexus Conduits affecting the Station States. They can appear and vanish abruptly, ranging from helpful to harmful.
• Variety of Forms: These creatures can take various forms, including human-like babies with minor changes like pointed ears or wings. Major creatures, such as Moby Dick, typically inhabit the Wilds.

Teriums and Vaustians

Teriums:

• Creation: Teriums are created when a Miscreant focuses their Psukhé internally to generate another consciousness. This process involves imagining and believing in the existence of another entity within their mind, eventually fragmenting their soul to create the Terium.
• Independent Sentience: While linked to the host, Teriums possess their own sentience and can grow beyond their initial capabilities. They can even learn new Psukhé feats independent of their host.
• Risks of Death: If a Terium dies, the corresponding part of the Miscreant's soul also dies, weakening them permanently. If the host cannot repair their soul, it will bleed out, creating a powerful and dangerous human Vaustian.

Vaustians:

• Psychotic Energy Beings: Vaustians are physical manifestations of the subconscious hive mind's emotions and fears, typically created when a group of Miscreants dies. They are beings of pure psychotic energy.
• Power Transfer: Stronger Miscreants can devour Vaustians, transferring their power into themselves. Weaker Miscreants or non-Psukhé users often struggle to deal with Vaustians, making them formidable opponents.