Aether Cores

Aether Cores are likely the most potent power source available to mortals. They are concentrations of the Element Aether, a primal Element that normally is not stable in the mortal crunkiverse. However, the environment of the Aetherspace has allowed their creation since the first Aetherlings settled there. Since they were brought to Crunkiverse 00A by the Crandis Federation by way of Crandall Creamsworth. Their use is still rare but many use the power of the Aether Cores for nefarious deeds.

## Origin

Crandall Creamsworth was the first mortal to discover the Primal Aetherlings, a secretive race of humanoids that have hidden in the heights of the Aetherspace for most of known history. Only the early Crandis Federation had the explorative impulse to reach the Second Layer. The Primal Aetherlings at the time had at least one Aether Core per settlement, and it was thought that the Aetherlings used the objects as both power sources and/or as religious artifacts. Much of the true origin as to how the first Aether Core was made has seemingly been lost to time. However, the creation of Aether Cores has been thought to go back to the late Beginning Times, according to the Book of SonMarcus.

## Creation

Aether Cores can only be created in environments of extreme Aether density, and currently the only places where this is possible is the First Layer of the Aetherspace, the Blue Desert. Creating a core has never been witnessed, as the only beings who can withstand existing on the First Layer are the Primal Aetherlings, and only for a limited amount of time. However, the cores can seemingly be created from infusing a suitable host material with a massive amount of Aether Energy. However, there is a critical piece of the Aether Core process that is not well understood. Crandian research has created concentrations of Aether in a testing environment for brief moments, but in those brief moments all attempts to instill this power into a physical medium have had grave results. There is something about either the Primal Aetherlings or the Aetherspace that allows Aether to remain stable nearly indefinitely.

## Uses

An Aether Cores most notable ability is its power, an intense quantity that could kill any normal mortal. When used safely, however, an Aether Core can function as a battery of sorts for the Aether Element. Aether Cores do not have a limitless supply of energy, but it is theorized that one average Aether Core is capable of charging over 1,000 Crandian Boost Swords, a powerful Sacred Artifact they manufacture for Crandian Special Ops. Aether Cores energy is also highly mutable, allowing it easily change into a desired Element, such as Space Element for a Boost Sword. In any low energy cost purpose, however, it will practically last forever

Another use of Aether Cores was discovered by Dr. Franz Borfeld, the previous Minister of Scientific Advancement. Borfeld created the first Binary Aether Reactor, a mechanism that seemed to approach the limits of physics by making a machine that put two Aether Cores in a specialized pressure chamber. One core is instilled with the Space Element, while the other is instilled with Time. When allowed to exist near each other, each core will attract the other, and due to the forced physical separation of Space and Time, the cores attempts at coming together make the cores orbit around each other. The extremely fast orbiting lead to the creation of the first BAR, the Crandis Federations first step into viable space travel.

Research is ongoing with the first designs of the Trinary Aether Reactor, where an Aether Core that is not instilled with any Element is added into the same environment as a BAR. However, it has proven difficult to make this machine stable enough for use.

## Trivia

* Aether Cores are highly toxic to most mortals, with the high amount of Aether causing serious localized radiation. This has caused the creation of many detailed protocols by the Crandis Federation in order to properly use this dangerous material.
* The Grand Sun is known to be an Aether Core, but besides its mention in the Book of SonMarcus, it is not known how the largest Aether Core ever made ended up in the Silver Moon.
* Developments in the development of the Trinary Aether Reactor has made Dr. Prometheus hypothesized that perhaps the Xanderfeld Perpetual Energy Complex uses some form of Aether Core technology.
* The Aether Core is what sparked the creation of the first Jorloque Crystals, in order to perhaps pawn them off as the real deal.