Geomancers' Wellspring

A Planet's Metamorphosis

Terraforming in the Twin Galaxies comes in a few different flavors, as do many things: psionic and technologic.

Technological Method

The technological approach involves the prolonged, steady use of a well-maintained Dawn Engine. This method is often seen as the safer of the two options as there are far fewer chances of interference from the minds of those people involved in the psionic method. Variables in the terraforming process can be easily monitored, maintained, and manipulated. Due to this process being so straight forward and standardized, however, the result of the terraforming process is often seen as...boring. The result is entirely predictable and safe with no chance of anomalies appearing. This predictability is greatly beneficial for planning manufacturing, research, and resort worlds. What is often overlooked with this homogenized process, however, is that the anomalies that are so often dreaded also present unique research opportunities.

Psionic Method

Unlike the Dawn Engine, using psionics for terraforming has the potential of creating wholly unique phenomena never encountered before in the known galaxy. Though phenomena themselves cannot be predicted, the process by which psionic terraforming is employed has been refined down to a very specific art form, or, in this case, a ritual.

The Geomancers' Wellspring

Psionics throughout the Twin Galaxies come in myriad specialties. One such specialty is Geomancy. This form of psionics is an offshoot of Telekinesis as it involves a great deal of manipulation of terrain and topographical features.

Geomancers themselves are typically part of a guild of a particular region of space and operate within their designated areas. Despite multiple guilds existing simultaneously, they all employ a shared tactic, or ritual, called The Geomancers' Wellspring.

Components

This ritual only involves four components in order to perform. Conceptually, it's quite simple. In practice, it's extraordinarily specific and requires a great deal of skill and training.

• Participants

  This ritual involves a group of exactly six Geomancers working in unison, focusing entirely on a single point in a planet's core.

• Placement

  Each individual must be placed on the opposite side of the planet from one another: top, bottom, left, right, front, back. They're spaced as evenly as is possible around the globe - 90 degrees from either the north or south pole when drawn directly out from the planetary core. Needless to say, this can create some seriously hazardous conditions under which a Geomancer is expected to still be able to perform the Wellspring. Oftentimes, this can mean that one or several individuals are forced to find ways to reach that destination. For example: one individual may be forced to have a habitat developed to allow the ritual to be performed underwater, another may be in a volcano and need a geothermal habitat, etc. As long as they're on terrafirma, the ritual can be performed from that location.

• Item

  Aside from environmental considerations, there is but a single item that is crucial to successfully conducting the Wellspring: a pure, perfectly smooth, hollow, marnite staff that has six elongated spiral ridges running from top to bottom. The staff being both marnite and hollow provides incredible resonance when its the target of intense telekinetic vibration. Bumps on the surface and impurities in the marnite content would open up the ritual to erratic psionic phenomena that could cause catastrophic disruptions, thus the need for the staff being made of 100% pure marnite and being perfectly smooth. The six spiral ridges harness the power of six while also intensely focusing the intertwining psionic energies provided by the spiral formation.

• Telekinesis

  Once the participants are chosen, placed accordingly, and have their psionic foci ready, the last step of the process awaits. The individuals plant their staves into the ground and begin conducting The Geomancers' Wellspring. Power is not the primary goal here during the ritual. Instead, endurance, patience, and balance are the requisite skills needed. The amount of time the ritual takes depends on a massive number of variables such as what is the desired content of chemicals and compounds in the planet's air (if air is even needed), what the soil needs to contain, what the oceans, clouds, and atmosphere all need to contain; the list goes on.

Successful Completion

Once the Wellspring is complete, the Geomancers typically fall into a coma for a prolonged period of time due to the extreme strain placed upon their minds. The individuals are closely monitored in hospitals as the telekinetic aftershocks their minds and bodies experience can occasionally be harmful, even fatal. These incidents are rare. Most of the time, the aftershocks present simply as shivers or twitches. However, just in case, the monitoring doctors and scientists are ready and waiting to administer psychotropic stimulants that can straighten out the comatose patient's psionic activity.

Assuming all goes well in the recovery phase, the Geomancers wake up as if from a deep sleep and are usually able to resume business as usual, unimpeded. At this point, the ritual is fully complete, the Geomancers are recovered, and everyone moves on to begin taking advantage of the newly developed and psionically engineered planet.

Psionic Phenomena

With the ritual complete, scientists can begin the process of scanning the planet for anomalies. Such prolonged and concentrated psionic activity is a surefire way to encounter psionic oddities. Most of the time, these oddities are harmless, entertaining, or simply neat little occurrences. Sometimes, the scientists get lucky and find a truly unique phenomenon that can be studied or capitalized upon in some form or fashion. Greater understanding of the flow of psionics in the galaxy can be gained or some anomalous material can be weaponized or used for greater societal good. The possibilities are, quite literally, endless.

Failure

This ritual has only failed a handful of times according to records. Most often, if an anomaly is encountered, the Geomancers can simply begin a kind of psionic harmonization that allows them to get the Wellspring back on track. However, in those few instances, this didn't work. Those unique psionic phenomena that are part of the desired outcome of this ritual can end up wreaking havoc. There was only one ritualistic catstrophic failure where a Geomancer was able to communicate with an expeditionary fleet in orbit above the planet being terraformed. This incident was known as The Scouring of Ezrahai. This can be studied in a separate entry, but suffice to say, the planet ended up completely flat, solid, and fatally toxic and hostile to all forms of life, technology, and psionic presence.

As is usually the case, the failures provide as much, if not more, opportunity for study as the successes.