Mezzite

Mezzite, sometimes known as 'mezz' were rare and magical crystals which contained a storehouse of specific magical power and allowed a magi to easily access and control that power without the need to concentrate on and constantly sustain a spell. It is now known they contain the captured spirits of ancient halfbreeds and Aegons and have a form of limited intelligence.

### **History**

Many mezz are ancient and the result of the dragon Quetzacoatl sacrificing Aegons and Halfbreeds using her power combined with unique technology she created in Aztec pyramids to reconstitute the organic material as a crystal whilst retaining their bioenergy and power within. Quetza saw early, pre-Roman neos bred through Human/Dragon/Halfbreed breeding as abominations as they were essentially a defensive mutation to fight against the radical potential of the dragon's DNA. As such many of the ancient mezzite crystals were found in Aztec cities as weapons spread across the world to fight against neohumans, and the city of Tenochtitlan was known for it's massive storehouse which contained a stone ring with many (missing) mezzite crystals. Many of these were stolen throughout centuries after the Aztec civilization collapsed and spread across the world.

### **Structure and Power**

Mezzite was said to poor reproductions of the naturally-occurring sonnstones found on Aeos, but made by Quetza in a much more gruesome way, by using her own magic and harnessing and combining the energy and physical biomatter of Halfbreeds and Aegons in sacrifices, she created magical batteries which she could then assign a specific power, or leave it blank for a magic element to then later be stored within it.

The power of a mezzite can only be accessed by magi, but is entirely dependant on the mezzite and if it attains a bond with the user, however there are some technologies that exist that may allow the energies to be harnessed though weaponry.

It is noted that if a mezzite is split into more than one piece, it continues to operate as as a single item such as Caliga, but sometimes it can cause the power within to refract into lesser components, as was the case for the Dōbutsushō and it's many animal-based shards.

### **Intelligence**

As the original crystals are formed using Halfbreed and Aegon sacrifice, it is theorised that a degree of life-force energy was kept within the sacrifice during the process, keeping together old memories and other forms of mental information to act a cushion for the crystal's "operating system" as it were. The process, however must have been unbearable and the residing "spirit" is driven insane in the process, becoming little more than a combobulation of old thoughts and simple processes. To this end many mezzite can be made to 'remember' their lives and as time progresses many mezzite become smart enough to seek intelligence and understanding of what happened; in many cases revenge on Quetzacotal. This may also explain why some mezzite does not work with some magi but does so with others and chooses it's user depending on some form of personal preference; usually personality traits it likes. After a while a mezzite may bond to a magi and attain a form of magical symbiosis. Mezzite that do not like a magi will simply not work or in rare cases kill the magi altogether, as such mezzite are considered highly dangerous within the magic community.

As many Halfbreeds and Aegons were the gods and demons of Human myth, many mezzite hold entities considered mythological.

### **Experimentation and New-Mezz**

Throughout the centuries, limited experiments have been attempted by non-magi at harnessing the power within a mezzite crystal, but many are deemed failures.

Evidence suggests that magi were using mezzite in weapons for centuries and the resulting use of the crystals in items and weaponry altered these objects significantly, leading to the unintentional development of relics that contain a degree of the crystals magic, at least for a limited period.

The Victorian era saw a new appreciation of science and technology, and within the magic community and the magitech sub-artes saw use of some mezzite to power mechanical technology, although normal technology seemed to be more efficient and less dangerous.

Some experiments placed mezzite within the bodies of magi, and even non-magi to attempt to control the human or channel through them the power via another magi's magic; the ex-Black Labs scientist and savant Alistair Crowe created what he called 'the vector', from the molecular lettuce of an original (dead) mezzite and implanted it into the head of Oscar O'shea that, after much experimentation, forced Oscar to be able to teleport, an ability that the previous mezzite possessed. These "replimezz" or "new-mezz" are extremely difficult to create and their number is thought to be limited o only a few on earth.

There have been unsubstantiated accounts of the creation of new forms of mezzite, replicating the sacrificial rituals carried out by Quetzalcoatl, however these are both horrific and mostly failures too.

### **The Ongoing Hunt**

The Winter Branch of the House of Seasons collects mezzite for both study and safety via the Autumn Branch, various governmental agencies, including the CIA, MI6, KGB and Interpol have and continue to search for mezzite as well as para-science organisations such as Black Labs, Argent, Melior, and the Free-Science Foundation who often kill for such rarities. Some mystic organisations such as Pura Arcana, Ordo Templi, the Hashimoto and Aoi Clans of Japan and Luu Shén de Sēnlín lay important claim to some of these crystals. Even the innocuous Ogma Institute is becoming aware of their existence and their ability to be reproduced to some small level, which has made "supergroups" such as, Laoch de Éire, VALER and Starforce, to name a few, interested in the crystals for a verity of reasons.