Treatise on Shadows

Aquilan Chemical Society: Psychology Sector

 Document Type: Research Paper

Published

The following is a short yet rigorous research paper on the nature of a psychological shadow.

**Included are the topics of mental illness and suicide, among others. Please feel free to leave this page should this be triggering.**

## Purpose and Outline

After decades of intense psychological and historical study, discussion, and compilation, the ACS has published the following paper on the nature and details of a previously baffling psychophysical phenomenon. The concept of a dark doppelganger has existed since antiquity and all through innumerable iterations of different cultures and empires. However, while they were previously thought to be urban myth or at most ethereal beings whose existence was mostly attributable to the wiles of gods, we present in this work the semi-proven theory that they are products of the human mind, individual and collective. We intend to first provide information on their means and methods of manifestation before moving on to our two key classes of shadows. Finally, we will discuss an important relevant question to society and present some case studies submitted by participants of our study.

Any and all academic feedback may be sent by mail to the Dreiton Chemical Society on Spica.

## Shadows

### Creation and Composition

The method of manifestation of a shadow is abstract and unquantifiable. They are products of a communication between deeply repressed human emotion and some sub-element of atmospherical quintessence, henceforth to be named psychoquintessence. When some consistent and powerful feelings of man leave energy-imprints on some point in space, the combination of the soul energy and psychoquintessence manifests into a physical form - often in a shape nearly identical to the human responsible for the imprint - and gains some level of sentience granted to it by the soul energy. Being a derivative, then, of the original person, the shadow has some psychological ties to them and can be further affected by their thoughts and actions. However, similarities between the two shadow classes sharply diverge from here. We will instead use the remainder of this section to discuss our findings and methodology in regards to shadow manifestation. Our testing area was the Temple of Sky in northern Mendea, recommended by a trusted third party as an area of abnormal shadow activity. Indeed, using tools similar to those used in another ACS branch's material treatise, we found concentrations of quintessence (albeit psychoquintessence remains a theory) 3.1 sigma above the mean.

With this background in mind, we present our methodology. We gathered a sample size of 40 people, 20 women and 20 men, of varying ages, professions, and community standing. Most importantly, they had an impressive range of mental states, ranging from happy with no history of any mental illness in their family tree to one woman with suicidal tendencies taken voluntarily from the psychiatric wing of Sidon's Angel Memorial Hospital. We cleared a room near the entrance of the temple of beasts and specters and sent in subjects one by one, with armed company, to meditate and voice their feelings. They were offered food and drink and any other accommodation at their request, as the trials often took at least half an hour. The goal was to cause a shadow to manifest, or at least induce some abnormality in the surrounding environment. We now present our most interesting trials in identical formats. Note ΔQ indicates change in quintessence readings.

1. Female, age 26. History of drug abuse. Voiced desire to return to school and learn how to manage a bakery like her father before her. No physical manifestation: disembodied voice heard repeating "*impossible...*". Subject not affected. ΔQ = -0.002%.
2. Male, age 19. Family history of alcoholism, noted mood swings and anger issues. Voiced feelings of being trapped in life and feeling unable to love. Near-transparent apparition manifested and attacked an ACS mage with a puff of dark fire, but was extinguished. Subject reported mild dizziness. ΔQ = -0.09%.
3. Male, age 46. Wealthy wine entrepeneur, but was an orphan after father's tragic accident and mother's disappearance, leading to years of depression. Voiced feelings of regret over struggling to express his love for others and for treating workers poorly until recently. Near-transparent apparition manifested and lunged at an ACS swordsman, but disappeared before making contact. Subject then reported considerable hunger. ΔQ = -0.05%.
4. Female, age 31. Middle-class dock manager with closeted and repressed romantic desires for a close friend. Struggled to voice acceptance of her feelings and a fear of being disowned. Semi-opaque apparition manifested and berated the subject for using others as an emotional crutch before fading away. Subject was unconscious during the phantom's words, but reported remembering them perfectly. ΔQ = -0.17%.
5. Female, age 42. Upper-class regional bank manager and first subject with a child, in this case one high-school aged son. Absent ex-husband. Voiced regret over lack of promiscuity and vivaciousness in youth as well as a struggle to emotionally connect with her son. An almost fully opaque apparition manifested, scantily clad in Dashari-style underwear and tattooed extensively in contrast to the subject's conservative appearance. The shadow at first insulted the subject, calling her a harlot and a failed mother, but relented when the subject did not retaliate. Subject began to nod as she teared up, shortly after which the apparition disappeared, this time in a small flurry of light. Subject reported a slight contentment and asked for priority boarding back to Dreiton, explaining to a guard her excitement to meet her son's girlfriend. The request was granted. ΔQ = +0.003%, making it the first positive ΔQ. However, technological error can not be ruled out.
6. Male, age 25. Former gang member on parole, currently working as a florist near the New Husavik Waywater Hotel. Only surviving family is a younger sister paralyzed from the waist down. Voiced insecurities over being able to provide for his sister as well as his ability to truly turn over a new leaf and begin a new life. Fully opaque apparition manifested in formal wear wielding a long golden blade. The apparition and subject had a short but meaningful conversation over his regrets, beginning first as a spat in which the shadow questioned his ability to ever return to innocence. Shadow became complacent after subject acknowledged the failures of his past and the marks he'd bear for the rest of his life, and listened with acceptance when the subject told it his dream of traveling the world to collect every flower's seed and plant them outside his sister's bedroom window. Shadow faded into light, leaving behind a small golden chain, which subject reported was a perfect replica of a gift from his now-deceased mother. ΔQ = +0.09%.
7. Male, age 48. Veteran of the Dreiton-Dashari war with diagnosed PTSD and anxiety, as well as notable regrets over his exploits on the war front. Currently working for the Veterans' Affairs office of Dreiton. Voiced a desire to reform the government to divest from military funding and weapon R&D, as well as stricter punishment of war criminals. Fully opaque apparition manifested in military uniform wielding a massive greatsword. Lectured subject on their ingrained need for war and inescapable bloodlust. Subject admitted that he felt as if war was his true specialty at heart, but committed himself to using his expertise on the matter to help survivors. Shadow relented and merely disappeared as the lights flickered. ΔQ = 0.

*To be updated...*