Vital Essence

A **vital essence** (abbr. **VE**) is a potent form of energy or resource found naturally in living organisms. It is basically an active principle forming parts of any living being. A vital essence can either be liquid, solid, gaseous, astral, or intangible in form. They have a broad array of usage including fitness and training, healing, treatment of disorders, the unlocking of techniques, combat, sustenance, longevity, among others. In battle, most vital essences can be harnessed for extreme power depending mostly on the current intangible aspects (e.g. spiritual state, mental state/will power) of the person.

## Types of VE

**Vitae**:First and foremost, vitae is the most crucial life force for a living being to survive. While it simply exists mostly in liquid form to benefit the person and cannot be used for anything else (aside from being a potential fuel for machines and gadgets), no creature can live without vitae. It acts like a "second blood" of the person's body, regulating and nourishing both the body, mind, and spirit. Even if all other vital essences have been stripped off, the creature will live if the vitae remains untouched, or in some cases, temporarily if drained of blood.

**Hemocine**: Mostly known as "blood", hemocine is a type of bodily fluid present in most vertebrates. Hemocine delivers biological substances important for the body as it circulates around veins and arteries. This essence can be considered the main defense of the internal body as it constitutes of antibodies, hemocytes, platelets, and the like. Blood is the only vital essence that is strictly biologic in nature, although it can still be manipulated and used outside the body. The similar counterpart of this found in most invertebrates is called **hemolymph**. Both fluids' colors vary by species or type.

**Mana**: Being the quintessence of one's magic, mana is a supernatural type of energy that is responsible for allowing a person to perform certain kinds of magick. This vital essence appears inside the body unseen and intangible to the normal senses until it takes material form by the individual's will. Varying amounts of mana is required to cast certain spells and magical techniques. One's mana alone presents the level of magic potency they have, and the amount can vary between races and species. Mana itself can be used directly for combat with the Manapulation method. While mana and qi are similar, mana is a type of energy that usually defies scientific logic.

**Qi**: Qi is the second most important life force. This essence takes the form of tangible energy inside each organism's physical bodies, regulated and purified by energy nodes and chakras respectively. By drawing the qi out using willpower, a person can manipulate its various usages outside the body. Qi can be used for direct combat. Although qi and mana are similar, the main difference is that qi either is spiritually connected to the user or is *just* energy.

**Prana**: This vital essence is a cosmic energy present in *all* living and non-living entities formed from solar soot (see Solar Soot and Life Composition). Of all the essences that can be used in combat or work, prana is the hardest one to develop, which is why individuals who have prana as their main source of power are a rare sight. Also called the "**Cosmic Force**", all cosmic beings, galactic and stellar entities, Sages, and the like have especially concentrated masses of both prana and orgone that account for all their immense galactic power.

**Sila**: Sila is the essential core that exists as the integral part of the living spirit. Because of its nature, sila exists outside the physical universe along with the individual's soul, residing either in the Astral Realm, the Spirit World, Tartarus, or any esoteric planes of existence, depending on the spirit's purity. Hence, it cannot be sensed by a being on the physical universe or by any senses no matter how acute, even if aided with magic or qi. Sila cannot be used for direct combat, but it can pave ways for other forms of battle techniques and is responsible for governing the body's supposed extrasensory abilities. A person with high sila can readily observe and interact with paranormal spirits, ethereal or demonic beings, and divine entities. S/he can also see into other spiritual dimensions with sila or may even visit them. Astral beings are usually said to be made of sila and prana.

**Ectoplasm:** This substance is created exclusively by spirits and is used to form the outward appearance of the soul when s/he attempts to manifest in the physical universe. It is formed by will, and grants the spirit a vessel to interact with the physical universe. Ectoplasm is naturally gaseous and has to be constantly maintained by the spirit so to avoid the deterioration of their perceptible image to living beings. In the case of summoning, ectoplasm may manifest as cobweb-like or liquid-like substances in the room where the summoning is done. According to folklore, if the medium attempting to contact the entity is smothered with liquid ectoplasm during summons and it possesses a strong odor, s/he will likely be killed by the impending spirit.

**Orgone**:

**Ichor**: This essence is a natural fluid analogous with vitae and hemocine/hemolymph. It is the golden liquid that flows in the veins of godly beings, some supernatural creatures, as well as in Immortals. Ichor functions both like mana and qi; it powers the magic potency of the person and can be drawn out and manipulated to cause devastating power. However, ichor is lethal to ordinary mortals

bio-energy