2. The Stuff Of Life, the Stuff Of Death

The exploration of the Astral Plane has continued at breakneck pace since its first discovery in early 2012. In the late '30's, the CalTech research team headed by Drs. Akiko Kano and Arthur White-Eagle published the Astral Space Theory, which won its authors the first Nobel Prize in Metaphysics in 2036. The Kano-White Eagle theory suggests that entropy is reversed in astral space, so a tiny amount of energy in astral space can generate a tremendous amount of force. The small amount of neural energy used by a magician in casting a spell release a huge blast of astral energy into our universe. Despite this groundbreaking work, many aspects of the nature of Astral Space continue to elude scientific evaluation, none more so than the nature of spirits and certain spirit-caused phenomena, particularly those dealing with ghosts. Just as Complexity Theory delineates conditions and forces which document situations where Entropy in OUR Universe are reversed to cause INCREASES in order, energy, and informational content, so we have documented conditions under which the counter-entropic astral space becomes, instead, HYPER-Entropic. These conditions seem, at the moment, to be uniquely associated with ghostly activity, and we at the Zenshöan Center have, at least, answered some few of those mysteries with the isolation and examination of a substance we have termed "ectoplasm". Ectoplasm exists in three states. More accurately, we have termed the overall material "plasm", but as you will note in the prospectus, the primarily astral state termed ectoplasm is by far the most common and stable state, and in general this term is used to refer to the material, without regard for the state, unless otherwise noted.

After a rigorous series of experiments and measurements conducted in the Zenshöan Center, we have documented the existence and properties of this unusual substance. While our task was made considerably more difficult by certain characteristics of ectoplasm, we were aided by the fortuitous discovery that UNlike most "etheric" material, ectoplasm is, in fact, producible without an animating intelligence, so we were able to create and study the ectoplasm itself without simultaneously dealing with the potentially disruptive motivations and actions of a spirit. You can find details of our experimental procedures and scientific conclusions in your Symposium Information packets to use to follow along with the presentation, but I feel an overview of our findings will help place this information in a clearer perspective.

Following are the general properties of this substance as documented by the Zenshöan Center's Plasmic Studies Project:

• Plasm is generated by Living or ectoplasmic beings, but while it is RELATED to the fundamental properties and substance of Aura's, it is NOT the same.

Ectoplasm is a substance somewhat related to the so-called "etheric" substances composing both nature spirits and elementals, but has several unique properties that differentiate it from them. Plasm in all states is intimately connected with the still-unknown forces governing Life and Death. While a definite correlation between the metaphysical properties of aura's and ectoplasm has also been demonstrated, again, sufficient differences exist to document that while it is RELATED to the "substance" of aura's, ectoplasm is something else. Despite our ability to generate Plasm without a sustaining ghostly entity within its matrix, all such material produced was created via sorcery from the aura of living volunteers, though careful astral examination did not always indicate an ongoing astral connection, and in cases no connection was detected, the plasmic mass responded to the "donor" no more or less readily than to any other aura, in cases where an ongoing connection WAS observed, the "Donor"'s state affected the mass in a much more marked manner.

• Plasm is (meta)physically a plasma-like stuff, nearly invisible, and functionally similar to the characteristic Spirit ability referred to as the Mist Form Power.

Ectoplasm is, like etheric materials, invisible or nearly so (magically enhanced vision is capable of examining both materials, however, or our observations and measurements would, of course, have been impossible), and is also capable of stable existence within the astral. The material properly referred to as ectoplasm in its most restrictive definition exists as a plasma on the astral plane. "Plasma" is used in this sense in the technical definition of an energetic state exhibiting physical and mechanical properties of both gas and liquid. In material, high-energy systems, such a substance exists only in exotic, generally highly artificial conditions, but Ectoplasm apparently exists in this state naturally, as no other state seems to exist in a purely mechanical sense... both of the altered states of Plasm previously mentioned also exhibit this "Vaporous liquid" physical behavior also, though ectoplasm's mana-reactivity allows it to temporarily exhibit additional properties as well.

«««In plain english, please? -- Who?»»»

«««In plain english, that means that although interacting with aura's can make Plasm ACT differently, its basic nature is a plasma -- that means it floats, is non-solid, etc. If you know anything about volcanoes, it's sort of like a pyroclastic flow -- a gas so dense and energized that it flows like a liquid, but FAST. Ectoplasm, according to the good doctor, sticks together like a liquid (ever watch the "skin" on top of an over-full glass?), but floats and responds to energy like a cloud. In practice, figure something made of ectoplasm is a cloud of mist that sticks together, reacts very quickly to outside influence, but can seep through cracks and avoid impacts without much trouble. -- GP»»»

«««Ouch. -- Who?»»»

«««Yeah. One thing GP DIDN'T mention -- if you've ever come up against a Vampire or a Banshee, the "Mist Form" that Paterson's Guide talks about is a PERFECT example of ectoplasmic behavior. Any Wiz-types who're up on this Ectoplasm skat know if it represents a LITERAL transformation into ectoplasmic form? -- DawnRider»»»

«««Sorry, Rider, you're right on the similarity of description, but my one brush with a Vamp was before any of this ectoplasm biz was looked into, and I was too busy running at the time to take detailed notes. But it COULD be. Given what GP posts later in the Doc, and what Dr. S here says about Protoplasm and Ichor up next, I'd say it might even be LIKELY, but given Vamp's legal status, it'd be hard to do a laboratory study, y'know? -- SeaDoc»»»

• Plasm is Single Natured, existing on the material OR astral planes without extending into the other in ANY way, and possessing the same properties regardless of plane.

Ectoplasm, despite existing within the Astral Plane, is NOT dual-natured. That is, an ectoplasmic mass or entity existing on the astral exists ONLY on the astral, and one existing within the Physical Plane exists ONLY on the Physical. This, of course, is one of the primary difficulties in studying ectoplasmic entities in the field: this lack of dual-nature necessitates that the observer be focusing on the plane the ghost is interacting with -- no aura extends into the Astral while an ectoplasmic mass exists in material reality, and no aura extends into the physical world while they exist astrally, so no "troubling of the air" exists such as astral Nature Spirits or Elementals manifest. Of particular note is the fact that the properties of ectoplasm do NOT change due to the Plane of manifestation -- on both Astral and Physical planes, an ectoplasmic mass exhibits all five traits noted in this paper: Aura-similarity; plasma-like, nearly invisible (meta)physical composition; NON-dual-natured existence; Unstable, fluctuating energy states; and high reactivity to environmental influence.

• Plasm possesses a highly fluctuating energy state, and its detectability, reactivity, etc. is highly dependent on this energy state, which in Plasmic beings has been shown to correlate directly with the "Force" of the ghost.

Ectoplasm is also strongly influenced in intensity and stability by outside factors, including sunlight, nearby aura fluctuations, and other factors we have yet to isolate. This is one of the reasons put forward by the Research Team as to why so much ghostly activity is un-noticed and undocumented -- beings composed of plasmic material are seemingly often NOT THERE when the plasm making up their bodies ebbs in power, only to reappear when conditions energize it. From the limited field observations we were able to make, and from examining Dr. Oi's far more extensive work, the Team has concluded that the basic energy state of ectoplasm as found naturally as the basis of ghosts and other ectoplasmic entities is directly correlated with, and may in fact be identical TO the Ghosts own energy level, referred to by Conjurers as "Force".

«««Translation for the non-egg-heads among us: The ghost you whack at noon with the Force 4 may indeed lose its 4 Force as you disperse it... and then regain the 6 Force it had suppressed out of it by the sunlight when the sun goes down, and look you up for pay-back... you were warned. -- Silence»»»

• Plasm is highly reactive to external auras.

Ectoplasm's reactivity is another fundamental property as well. Even unstructured by any animating intelligence, ectoplasmic masses responded to ALL aura-movement in its vicinity, with density, position, color and temperature alterations, to such an extent that it was impossible to isolate any pattern to the changes... such minute changes as the shift of a nearby mundane's sleeping brain-wave patterns from Delta to Theta bands resulted in a change from an attenuated nearly transparent blue haze to a dense swirling clot of a dark gray in a unit of time so short that the magically enhanced senses of the also magically aura-dampened observer were unable to detect the transformation itself. This sensitivity seems closely bonded to the energy state of the ectoplasm itself -- the greater the energy of the mass, the bulkier and more reactive both in terms of sensitivity and range, the mass became.

«««Drek, Paladin, this is getting WAY too theoretical double talk for ME. What's with this? -- Ferret»»»

«««Sorry, Ferret, it IS a bit dry, but sometimes Magicians DO actually log on here, and it's solid info. And it doesn't take a thaumaturgy degree to skim the good bits -- the more juice any ectoplasmic critter has, the faster it'll react, and the farther away it can sense you. I left this jizz in 'cause it shows that they're testing the stuff pretty extensively, and BELIEVE me, this is about as non-tech the evidence of that gets. You shoulda seen the stuff I cut out :-) -- GP»»»

«««I repeat, Drek... but knowing a strong ghost can sniff ya out faster and farther than a small one... why's THAT matter? I mean, generally, us non-wiz types are pretty hosed by spirits anyway, chummer. By the time *I* see a spirit, I'm toasties anyway, if it's on th'prod for me, neh? -- Ferret»»»

«««Not always... Wiz kids have the edge with ghosts, Ferret, but think about what Doc Shibanokuji said for a sec -- the thing reacted to a sleeping MUNDANE that fast. According to that last paragraph, Ghosts might be one type of spirit you CAN effect... as long as you know what you're doing... so reading this scut MIGHT do ya some good -- Silence»»»

«««Hunh. Alright, but I'm still waiting for the point... -- Ferret»»»

«««The point, I believe, is that while your mage is standing there looking foolish, your mates are gonna be knee high in ghosties. Just because you can't sling a spell doesn't mean you're useless in combatting these things. 'Sides, you don't fight you fry, hmm? That's the law of the urban jungle, m'man. -- Pink»»»

«««And it always helps to know WHAT you're fighting, neh? -- GP»»»

• Plasm, because of its high Reactivity, is measurably "corrosive" to normal "etheric" materials and auras.

This process is to all intents and purposes identical to that of phenomenon known to Modern Thaumaturgical Research as "Background Count." Note that while all observed cases of ectoplasmic contamination resulted in a distinct Background Count situation, the reverse is NOT the case: Many forms of Background Count have no relation to Ectoplasmic energies whatsoever.

«««"To all intents and purposes identical to"... BACKGROUND COUNT?!?! NOT! I mean, yeah, ghost-taint has a Background Count effect, sure, but that's like saying that to all intents and purposes VITAS is identical to a bad cold... no Background Count *I* every heard of eats into you aura just hanging around in it, or induces hallucinations even in 'Danes, or... drek, you get the idea. Stuff's a LOT more dangerous than a simple fraggin' BACKGROUND COUNT -- Buffy»»»

«««Chill, Buffster, they do some yakkin' about the effects on living aura's up next... Not that they say a LOT more... share details once you read it, maybe? -- SLambchop»»»

«««From the in-house notes I snarfed, it seems to be a fairly straightforward relationship: 2 "Force Units" of Ectoplasm creates a 1 point Background Count in a spherical area with a radius of about old US Foot per "Force Unit". The Background Count drops 1 pt per additional foot from the edges of the "core" area outward. Weird stuff, that... never heard of an energy form with such a fraggin' bizarre radiation profile before -- GP»»»

«««That's because the spiritual core of a ghost ISN'T an "energy form", ya scut. It's a soul... and souls don't bother with your primitive "physics", they reside on a Higher Plane. -- Vagabond Whole»»»

«««Yeah, well, it's pretty fraggin' weird anyway :-) -- GP»»»

When ectoplasmic energies contact living aura's directly, this process functions both ways: while the high reactivity of ectoplasm causes it to alter its characteristics at the slightest brush, the contacting aura also exhibited reactive effects as well. Due to the diffuse nature of plasm, it easily interpenetrates material solids, and even many astral fields that are normally considered solids... in general, the extant aura of a living being absorbs the ectoplasmic material with little effect beyond a certain fractal influence as the ectoplasmic material is subsumed into the aura. In extreme cases, a certain intensification of the aura was noted, followed by a weakening somewhat akin to pressure or stress microfractures observed in crystalline solids. Because of the obvious dangers of this condition, the Team has pursued no further research on this behavior as yet. This reactivity is particularly intense under the influence of highly chaotic or entropic energies, and led to our final two defined traits of plasm, or more particularly its two variant states.

«««Drek, SLammer, you weren't kidding not much more... I don't know what they consider a NORMAL case, if they call crystallization extreme. S'true that if your aura's in decent shape, and you just spend a little time NEAR an ectoplasm source, it won't kill ya, but... damage gets a LOT worse than WEAKENING. Only time I ever worked with a Sammie doing a serious Ghostie-'fest burnout, he got hit by a nasty spell from the Big Nastie, and the ectoplasm taint LITERALLY tore his spirit to shreds. It was... bad... I had screaming nightmares for months after, and haven't worked with any fractional-essence types since, not for THAT kind of run, at least. -- Buffy»»»

«««Ick. -- Silence»»»

• Ectoplasm in the Material Plane can "coagulate" into Protoplasm, which is a reactive, unstable, but cohesive solid.

Prompted by the folklore of many cultures, we experimented with the infusion of dead/necrotic tissues of plant and animal nature, and discovered a curious phenomenon -- the highly entropic nature of the decay process caused the ectoplasmic infusion to react quite strongly. As the ectoplasm dispersed within the sample, a process similar to coagulation occurred, converting both the ectoplasmic infusion and the necrotic organic samples to merge and form a material we have termed protoplasm. Protoplasm loses some, though by no means all, of ectoplasm's reactivity, and is unalterably and undeniably material in nature, though quite malleable to magical influence, and retaining ectoplasm's susceptibility to external forces altering its energy state. It was classified as a new-though-related substance due to the fact that once so altered, a protoplasmic mass was not able to be re-differentiated into its constituent components of material and ectoplasm. The Protoplasmic mass lost all cellular structure and identifiable molecular elements, instead being composed of a homogeneous mass of unanalyzable particles that retained homogeneity to the lowest level we were able to dissect them.

«««*GP*! ENOUGH of this academic drek, okay? We'll take your word for it it's all nicely backed up on the academic side, just give us the translation, okay? -- Shadowjack»»»

«««Heh. How can I refuse a request like that? Okay, according to my talismonger friend, here's the bottom line: Ectoplasm binds with dead or dying organic material and changes itself and the organic stuff into a jelly-like goo that so far can't be analyzed... the stuff DOES still respond to outside influence, so it can change APPARENT composition (ie, it can be shaped to LOOK and ACT in a LOT of different ways). Once ectoplasm and organic material bind up as protoplasm, they STAY that way, but are subject to fading and regaining power levels just like regular ectoplasm. -- GP»»»

• Ectoplasm, when exposed to highly entropic etheric energies, grows "stagnant", and exhibits most properties associated with so-called "toxic" astral influences.

«««The next section is just as on the dry side, so I'll save you and Ferret the trouble of griping about it, and JUST sum up: Heard of Toxics? Well, apparently Toxic energies and what th'Wiz types call "Background Count" can ALSO bind with ectoplasm, creating what the Zenshöan double-domes called "Ichor" -- Ichor's like toxification for Ghosts... Binding ectoplasm into Ichor seems to be as irreversible as making protoplasm, and the stuff a> tends to be less effected by environmental conditions than plain ecto, but once it's effected, it tends not to recover nearly as well either. Ichor also DOES exhibit a Dual-Nature, so Toxic Ghosties DO show the "troubling of the air" that astral spirits do, and have astral aura's when they physically manifest. There's more, but most of that gets covered by Doc Oi in her bit on classifying Ghostly Critters... yep, she's got a whole section on Toxic Ghosts... fun fun fun. -- GP»»»

«««Hey GP -- just had a thought: We might be able to chalk up yet another sitch where old mythology and folk magic had the straight scoop after all. Just about every "primitive" folk group believed that evil spirits could enter a person through a wound and make it fester, and even possess the victim. Thing is, from your and Doc Shibanokuji's description, ectoplasm can, indeed, cause that to happen... now, I know all about germs and infection, etc... but it's still an interesting thing to think about. -- SeaDoc»»»

«««Oh WONderful... now I gotta worry about GHOSTS in my wounds? Thanks EVER so much, Doc, I'll call you every night when I can't sleep now. -- Ferret»»»

«««Wouldn't worry TOO much, Fer -- from the experimental notes of the symposium, I'd say it'd be a pretty rare case where you'd be in an area saturated enough in ectoplasm that that'd happen under anything like normal conditions. Though if you DO get hit and unable to get to a Doc right away IN a highly haunted area, it might pay to get a Wiz to look you over... generally, the few experiments they did indicated a good two or three days for serious protoplasm conversion to grab hold to a worrisome point. And the reaction ONLY affected dead or dying tissues -- it never spread to adjacent healthy flesh. Of course, that was with a non-sentient blob of manifested ectoplasm, not a ghost, so ya never know [evil grin]. Should we send a night light? -- Silence.»»»

«««Thank you, love, for that darling image. I can only think now that if any of us had gotten hurt in all that Grond stuff, we would've been seriously screwed. Maybe I'll talk to Wolf a little on learning things JUST to counteract this stuff. Seeing as how whenever you start getting interested in something, that something comes after us. -- Pink»»»

«««More like the other way around, Hon... I wasn't interested until AFTER we got our paydirt hijacked on the way home from the run, remember? -- Silence»»»

«««Hurt? Your definition of "hurt" and my definition must be REAL different. I don't think any of us came through that unscathed one way or the other. Some of us more than others. -- Jett»»»

«««Um... let's NOT go there, okay? Topic was WOUNDS getting infested by ghosties. What we DID get was bad enough, thanks all the same. I for one AM grateful it WASN'T worse. -- Silence»»»

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