Psychotronics

The Kemz is fundamentally, the ability to apply ones will through a means less vulgar than typical force. To see without seeing, and to understand without needing to lower yourself to comprehension.

-Giina Hadla, Kemzali Elder

Psychotronics is term for the study and understanding of the preturnatural phenomena related to psychic-powers. Users are known by a variety of names and subnames, with Psion as the preferred term.

Functionality

Psychic abilities are not without limitation. Energy, even psychic, is not a zero-sum-game and causes strain on the user equal to the force exhibited. The fundamental rule of psychotronics is the Law of Exchange. There are is no free energy and the energy expended is equal to or greater than if it was applied through a mechanical method, manifesting as rapid consumption of energy within the user.

Physical Limiters

A skilled psion is capable of enacting great force but at a cost to their body. Burning through calories, sugars, exhausting themselves and rapidly overheating. It is not unheard of for inexperienced psions to suffer heat stroke or starve themselves. Naturally psionic species have evolved complex methods of heat-regulation for this reason.

Mental Limiters

The mind is not unaffected the usage of psychic abilities, prolonged usage results in various forms of trauma and disassociation, eroding the ability of the mind to remain lucid. Damaging the capacity to trust one's own perception, reality and place within it.

Psychotronic Destruction

The end result of violating these limits is death. Whether dying of starvation, suffering brain death from depleted glucose or simply boiling alive, death is a certainty. Mental destruction results in a varied set of extreme mental traumas. Those observed include complete loss of agency and willpower, a shift into a feral state lacking higher functions, or a complete inability to distinguish reality and fiction.

Methodologies an Origins

Psychic abilities are rare outside of isolated and exceptionally rare mutations and the few naturally psychic species, notably the kemzali, civago and kobari. The majority of psions use psi-amps to gain these abilities. With or without technology, manifesting psychic powers requires training and mental fortitude and few end up taking to the profession.

Psi-Amps

Psi-Amps are the primary technological tool for providing a psychic with their abilities. They take a variety of forms, from implants, to grafted organs, to held or worn devices. The Amp must be manufactured to the biology and mental state of the user and are not safely transferable. This has not stopped third party resale of used amps in the black market, with increased strains an almost certainty on the unfortunate user.

Evolution

The few sophonts that have developed psychic capabilities naturally display a few shared traits, some form of natural psi-amp, and some method of regulating heat body heat in a rapid-manner.

The kemzali and kobari both possess a Huthwo's Organ, a form of naturally occurring, psionic amp near their sinuses, running along the length of their snout and forehead, though it is commonly vestigial in kobari. Kemzali's method of regulating excess heat involves bristling their hollow, thick hair and secreting oils and venting heat from their mouths. The Civago possess a less discrete organ and instead have a portion of their brain that acts as an amp and regulate heat via large antenna.

Theories

The origins of psychic pheneomena is still ill-understood. Theories and models differ, and even in the scientific community there is division regarding the origin.

An Unknown In the Model

The most commonly accepted belief is that psychic phenomena is a product of real force within physics that is simply not understood. This force has a number of theories to its exact nature. The Alban Psychotronic institute suggests that a discrete particle called the Psychon is the origination. While the New-Cantari school has suggested a vast cosmic Noosphere is the core component. The dominant position currently prefers the phenomena a new strangeness in physics and do not elect to determine a cause, referring to it simply as the Strange Force.

The Kemz and the Dream

The United Families holds that the psychic world is not just a part of reality, but is the creator of reality. Specifically believing they themselves manifested into reality to repair it via a natural method. Known to them as the Kemz, or the Dream. Within this framework, psychic phenomena is a necessary reaction to the failure of nature to maintain a correct reality.

Religion

Numerous religions, such as the Civago's beliefs around the One Spirit and the Feni Paalamist reality-as-accident all hold theories and internal theories about the nature, origin, morality and ethics of psychic abilities and psions in general. Varying from spiritual awakening, to demonic manifestations.

Magic

A pop-theory that has gained significant traction is that psychic powers are literally magic and this proves ancient folkstories of wizards and sorcerers are true. Others go farther to insist that the sins of modern-life suppressed this real phenomenon in the normal people. Historians almost universally consider this belief wildly ahistorical.

Alien Influence

The strangest theory relates to the phenemona encountered by those who suffer mental traumas or who have on rare occasions, recovered from mental destruction. It is that psychic abilities are innately related to contact or infection by an alien presence that enacts its will through a user. Despite having little to no basis, the sense of loss-of-self or a tendency for psions to 'wild' a colloquial for losing control has led to this becoming a little spoken of fear in many psions.