Team Player Bonus 4: Analysis

Physiological Analysis of People Influenced by Selected Portal Substances: Abstract

Since the beginning of the Fracture, the pernicious effects of the energy emanating from the portals, commonly known as ‘magic’, has been both consistent and obvious to any observers. Exposure to an S rank portal is lethal to nearly every person within a two kilometer radius within minutes, with a steadily decreasing effect of lethality for another twelve kilometers. Lower ranked portals are less impactful, with each rank contributing less damaging energy, until it is possible to live comfortably within at least a kilometer of an E rank portal with an acceptably low level of effects.

While humanity displays its usual variety of natural tolerances to the so-called ‘magic poisoning’ effect of these energies, the only truly immune examples are those who have been effected by the items known as Keys of Ascension. These items are one of the only known ‘functional’ devices recovered from the portals, and are the only reason that any of the others have been gathered at all. Surveyors display a number of worrying attributes, including an increasing capacity for energy absorption, superhuman reflexes, endurance, and other qualities, and a mystifying ability to create and store concentrated extra-dimensional items. Analysis of these abilities has been generally restricted due to the rarity of the Keys, and the unwillingness of Surveyors to act as valid test subjects, and it remains an ongoing interest, both in terms of the effects of the Keys on the Surveyors themselves, and the effects of Surveyors on those around them.

In addition to the energies of the portal itself, and the Surveyors who enter them, there are other concerns for the general health of the population. As portal-based technology becomes more widely used throughout our evolving society, the trace effects of the items brought back by Surveyors has begun to have various effects on public health.

This paper shows the effects of three such technologies.

The first, and most prevalent, are the power generation devices constructed from fragments of the so-called ‘Grue’ located in the dimensional space on the other side of the portal. Known in industry as Harmonic Generation Batteries, or HGBs, they utilize a fraction of the energy from the crystals in order to provide a miniature battery of sorts that has served as an effective replacement for most batteries made from rare earth or other substances. Most electronic devices in modern technology use some version of HGB to provide power, usually shielded from the consumer by other, more insulating substances.

While we have been assured that the shielding is effective, however, it does not appear to be universally true. Using large sample sizes of comparable populations and comparing groups with large HGB use compared to those with less penetration, we have found that the average lifespan has been shortened by nearly five years. In addition, ‘magic’ tolerance appears to have been effected as well. In a separate study, people with constant HGB use were proven to endure exposure to a D rank portal’s energies with far less tolerance than those with low HGB use.

The second technology are pharmaceutical treatments created using similar fragments of ‘Grue’, including such drugs as Venficusium, Lupinotusilus, and the more crudely named ‘neo-crystal’. Both of the first two are treated as beneficial medications, being used as an antibiotic and a painkiller, respectively. ‘Neo-crystal’ on the other hand, is a brutal cocktail of ground crystal and other chemicals to create a potent hallucinogen and narcotic. It has been recognized as an addictive substance and banned throughout most of the world.

While it is easy to condemn manufacturers of neo-crystal and laud the effects of Venficusium and Lupinousilus, a study of long term use of all three drugs proves that they are more similar than might be comfortable. Once again, users of any of these substances exhibit far less tolerance to portal energies, and in some cases, they begin to show worrying signs of dementia or hallucinations even when removed from the drug. A survey of patients who have been removed from the treatment plan show similar reactions, namely, a desperation to gain continued access to the drug, with an almost universal description of morbid dreams when the experience withdrawal.

Finally, the last technology involved relates to the Surveyors themselves. Detection of the energies from the portals would be difficult without materials that responded to the extradimensional wavelengths associated with the portals. Fortunately, some of the materials recovered by the Surveyors has led to the Portal Analysis and Detection Units used by most Survey corporations worldwide. They can translate the harmonic resonances of the materials with the emanations of the portals themselves in order to detect how much ‘magic’ is being released, and thus giving a fairly accurate picture of how dangerous the portal is to those living nearby.

The devices themselves are fairly harmless, but their effectiveness may be more than is stated. Similar devices can be used to detect Surveyors themselves, apparently resonating with the Key attached to them, though they obviously do not radiate the energy the way a portal would. When a large sample of Surveyors and their portals is conducted, however, a discrepancy emerges. The amount of energy that decreases when a Surveyor returns from the portal does not seem to match the amount of energy contained by the Surveyor themselves. It is not a small difference. More than two thirds of the energy is either lost somewhere in the process, or it is escaping the PADU’s detection abilities. Given the lack of Surveyor cooperation in further scrutiny, more study is recommended on this subject, and more restraint in developing further technologies from portal substances as a whole.