Potenton Laser
Beyond the fuzzy outer boundaries of the Gri'x lies the The Quondamarie: a dimension full of nothing but the possibility of any and all things to exist. This potential energy is carried by virtual particles called potentons which exist in the fields of probability generated by uncollapsed wave functions. When these wave functions collapse, potentiality turns to actuality—the potentons are stabilized (however briefly) in a new, solid form of reality. What exactly this reality comprises depends on the frequency at which the potentons within the wave function were oscillating, as all the infinite conditions of existence have their own unique vibration rate.
So—what if one could collect potentons, adjust their frequency to a desired setting, and force them to manifest into a reality of one’s choosing?
“Well, duh,” say the Somnicists. ”It’s called magix. We’ve been doing that since the beginning of time. Try reading a history book once in a while.” (Many Somnicists are known for their blistering sarcasm; it seems to come with the territory.)
“Yes, yes,” the scientists reply. “We know that. But we’re talking about a device that collects and stores free-floating potentons automatically, and projects them back out in a pre-set, focused resonant beam, toward a very specific target. You could turn anything into anything else with just the push of a button. No meditation or mental exertion necessary.”
“So, like, a laser gun? With the neat blinky lights and the pew-pew-pew?”
“Sure, yes, it could look like that.”
“Cool! Let’s see it.”
“Well, hang on, we still have some testing to do. But the great thing is that this device will make the forces of magix available to anyone who can turn a dial and pull a trigger. You won’t even have to stop and focus your mind or expend any energy of your own! Imagine everyone having the power to instantly alter reality in the Common Grounds, exactly how they want it to be, without having to study and practice for years and years or deal with trying to affect anyone else’s perceptions!”
“Now, wait a minute...”
At least, that’s probably how the conversation would have gone, had the scientists—or, rather, the scientist, Dr. Claudius Blob, a Triturative Form from the Matholithic city of Ultimerimus, bothered to ask anyone’s opinion before it created the Potenton Laser and pointed it at the Aetherfall at the edge of what is now the Realm of Santa Pez.
The following account was given by Professor Clara Lee, who was exploring the old Hantayi Ruins in the Goddam Desert with some colleagues from the Gri’x University Archaeology Department at the time.
"The Aetherfall’s naturally random and chaotic flow of ideas began to resonate with one another. The smooth flow became a coagulated mass of globuous gel, as each idea adapted to the predominant frequencies around it, and the ideas at the mouth of the Aetherfall solidified, forming a cap that sealed the portal to its Quondamaric source deep within the mountain.
"The force of the trapped aether made the earth itself vibrate so violently that I wondered if the Goddam Desert’s stasis field could contain it, or if there would be a massive potentiality breach.
"I could see the strange little creature with the beam coming out of its strange little machine, pointed straight at the mountain. We didn’t have a lot of time left in our temporal field generators, but I figured I could at least get myself over there and stop it doing whatever the hell it was doing before it was too late.
"But I was wrong. The Aetherfall suddenly erupted as I tackled the creature—whose name, I learned later, was Dr. Claudius—and all that potential energy burst forth. A massive forteclastic cloud poured down the mountain on all sides. It must have covered all the adjacent dimensions around for miles, totally upending the local realities of everything it touched.
"I knocked the machine out of Dr. Claudius’ grip and we rolled behind some large rocks, which sheltered us from the forteclast. As the dust settled, you bet I gave it a good talking-to, but we did hit it off once things calmed down, and it invited me to Ultimerimus to enjoy the monsoon season with the rest of the Matholiths. I’ll publish my report on that next year.
"Of course Dr. Claudius surrendered the machine, when I described the damage such a thing could cause. It’s locked up in my personal Dominterrex now, and no, you absolutely may not hold it."
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