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Arc VI Chapter 27
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High Command of the Army
Army Ordnance Office
19.05.1929
HWA - Wa X - VII B13 - U09D-X07-B13 - Nr. 247/29 - Geh.RchS.
[Top Secret]
Project B13 Gestalt
Summary Report and Evaluation
HWA Wa X Abt. VII
Department for Applied Aetherophysical and Aetherochemical Research
Prof. Dr. Erich Schumann and Dr. Kurt Diebner
1. Foreword
2. History
3. Project B7 Seele
4. Project B14 Geist
5. Project B21 Gestalt
1. Foreword
1914 was the year when the world was engulfed by fire. Born from pride and restless ambition of nations and states, the old continent descended once more into war. It was a war like never seen before. A war to determine the fate of untold millions. Not just a test of men, will, steel and magic like in the days of old, but also a test of economics, industry, production, machinery, resources, logistics, and mobilisation. Millions met their demise, dying on the fields and in the trenches of the last war.
Unbeknownst to most, the rhythm of machines and the power they brought had changed the face of war forever. Gone were the old days of kingdoms and the Ancien Régime. This was now a war waged by empires, modern states, their peoples and their industries. Warriors were replaced by soldiers. Nobles by officers. Honour by the cold steel of machine guns. Valour by the indomitable fire of artillery. Bravery by trenches, barbed wire, reinforced concrete and bunkers. Loyalty by obedience and the death of hundreds of thousands. Even the most noble arts of magic have been turned into mere applications of firepower. The end justified the means. Or so we thought.
In the end, though, all proved to be in vain. Despite tremendous feats of arms, the Reich succumbed against superior odds in men and matériel. Starved, surrounded, exhausted, besieged by our enemies, our armies and soldiers lay broken, defeated by disunity within and the industrial might and human resources aligned against us.
After six years of war, the armistice was signed and the dictate of ignominy began to rear its ugly head. We should have known better. Arrogant and confident in their moment of triumph, the victors reneged on their promises formerly given. A fair peace was promised. A just peace. A peace with honour. In our naivety, we were left sorely disappointed, but it was our fault to allow ourselves to be deceived. Once more, the truth was laid bare for everyone to see, a sober experience. After all, right, as the world goes, is only a question between equals in strength. While the strong do what they can, the weak suffer what they must. Neither pardon nor mercy would be given. It was a lesson we would be keen to remember.
It was these days that it became clear that our only salvation lay in the strength of our arms. In this world, we stand alone, our only choice being to rely on ourselves. The Reich must rise again from the ashes and regain her former strength. This was the reason behind the creation of Project Gestalt. The purpose was to create a weapon to avenge the injustice we suffered, to reclaim the honour we lost, to revindicate the lands we called ours, to restore the hope we once had.
Gen.Feldm. Duke August von Schwarz
2. History
The whole world will be possessed by one
who from the Rhinegold forges the Ring,
which would bestow power immeasurable.
Das Rheingold. Scene I. Wellgunde.
Ever since the dawn of the last century, the phenomenon we call magic has turned from a once mysterious art to a true science under the proper application and rational rigour of the scientific method. Observation, deduction, hypothesis, and experimentation are the cornerstones of our time and age. As a consequence, our understanding of magic has steadily evolved. Progress in the fields of spell crafting and spell casting was achieved. The universal and relative magic resistance constants were discovered, and last but not least, the magic field theory was introduced. The past century set the theoretical foundations for the world of modern magic.
In the wake of the scientific revolution, we came to know with certainty that soul and spirit are all but one, with each of them representing a different aspect of one’s magic potential. Soul and spirit are intrinsically linked, complementing each other. Together they form the so called concept of ‘spiritsoul’ (for further information, consult Introduction to the Modern Theory of Magic: The Phenomenology of the Spiritsoul, Vol I).
Whereas the soul (animus, ‘ani’) represents the passive element of magic, constituting the aether capacity of the magic user for performing magic in the form of mana (mana, ‘m’), the spirit (spiritus, ‘spi’) represents the active element of magic, denoting the inherent spirit potential of the magic user that produces in combination with the applicable invocation coefficient (invocatio, ‘inv’) and multiplied by the relative magic resistance constant (resistentia magiae, ‘R’) the phenomenon of magic (magia, ‘M’):
for theoretical maximum magic output: M = ani · spi · inv · R
for practical partial magic output: M = (ani/x) · spi · inv · R
or M = m · spi · inv · R
Aside from technical improvements in terms of spell crafting and spell casting and lowering magic resistance, two primary options exist to increase an individual’s magic output (M):
- either increase the quantity of mana (m) utilised, which in turn requires an increase in soul capacity (ani),
- or increase one’s spirit potential (spi),
Both options are however problematic. Since the old days of Paracelsus and his peers, mages and alchemists have attempted in vain to strengthen the spiritsoul. The majority of our predecessors relied on potions, elixirs, etc., but the effects of such concoctions on the soul have proven ephemeral and temporary at best. The various concoctions succeeded in restoring depleted mana reserves by administering refined concentrated aether, thus allowing magic users to perform magic beyond the limits of their ordinary capacity, but they did not succeed in permanently increasing the capacity of the soul itself, which remained the same. While it is true that prolonged exposure to external aether has the potential to amplify the soul capacity to a certain extent, even this effect is limited by the inherent capacity of the soul of the magic user and the observable effect of diminishing returns. Not to mention the fact that the quality and quantity of the crystals required to produce the necessary aether rendered any such approach both impractical and economically unviable.
The same was true for any attempt to strengthen the spirit. Various methods such as ‘meditation’ and more exotic means like ‘cultivation’ were deployed, but their effect proved unsatisfactory, or rather their effect was practically indistinguishable from the normal beneficial effects associated with what is known as training. It is known that both soul capacity and spiritual potential are not static but dynamic. One’s soul and spirit develop with age, experience, and through continuous training, which causes them to increase, but only within defined limits. So far, it has not been possible to push soul and spirit beyond their natural limitations, which remain essentially determined by one’s bloodline. Despite centuries of scientific progress, one’s bloodline remains in the end the decisive factor determining one’s magic potential (for further information, consult History of Magic from Antiquity to the Modern Era: Practical Applications of the Concepts of Soul Capacity and Spiritual Potential, Vol VI).
3. Project B7 Seele
Advances in the fields of technology and aetherochemistry led at the beginning of the century to the initiation of Project Seele. The project was headed by the Army Ordnance Office in collaboration with exponents of the corporate sector, in particular with exponents of the chemical and metallurgical industy. The project serves as an example of the benefits of combining the resources and expertise of both state and private actors. A relationship that would prove fruitful in the years to come.
The aim of the project was to explore and develop new production methods to provide a steady supply of highly concentrated aether for both magic and industrial purposes. Research into the matter mirrored competing efforts from abroad.
Concentrated aether is defined as high density aether contained in a stable and accessible form for further use. Traditionally, concentrated aether was produced from crystallised aether through a process termed raffination. The crystalline material was broken up to extract the bound aether stored inside, but suitable crystals of adequate quality had become a limited commodity. The demand by industry and magic for more and more aether of higher and higher density continued to rise. It had become apparent that natural deposits alone would not suffice to meet growing demand. It was therefore necessary to artificially produce concentrated aether.
Among available methods, centrifuges came to be considered the most efficient and economical approach, superior to either gaseous diffusion or aethroelectrical breeding (for further information, consult annex 6, Production Methods for Concentrated Aether under the Aspect of Efficiency and Future Industrial Scaleability). Despite the technical challenges involved, initial results were promising. The success of the project together with the introduction of improved aether solutions based on aetheroreactive colloidal silver mythril alloys (for further information, consult annex 10, Colloidal Alloys: Applications and Benefits) led to a new generation of aether elixirs unmatched in terms of quantity and quality. The elixirs and other stimulants saw widespread and systematic usage during the war. The additional aether allowed our combat mages to increase spell use and potency, continue operations, and shorten regeneration time considerably (for further information, consult annex 15, Battlefield Use of Magic Related Stimulants during the War).
The adverse effects, however, could not be ignored. Aside from typical addiction symptoms and the known effects of aether poisoning resulting from an overdose, it was quickly noted that the continuous and excessive ingestion of highly concentrated aether strained the structure of the soul, even going as far as leading to permanent soul degradation. It was possible to enhance performance with the help of elixirs, but in the end, the soul could only be pushed so far beyond its natural mana capacity (for further information, consult annex 16, Aether Based Stimulants. Practical Dangers and Risks of Excessive Use).
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4. Project B14 Geist
The longer the war dragged on, the more High Command realised that time was playing against us. The war had turned into one of attrition. The battles of 1916 and 1917 were a testament to it. The enemy aimed to destroy our forces through the weight of sheer attrition. Confronted with this unfavourable strategic situation, a solution was required (for further information, consult History of the World War 1914-1921).
The army sought salvation in technology and innovation. New weapons of greater potency and new tactics should turn the tide of war, which included Project Geist. The Army Ordnance Office set out to create the ultimate weapon to achieve final victory.
Building on the foundation of Seele and the lessons learned during the war, it was recognised that all attempts to strengthen an existing spiritsoul were doomed to fail. A more holistic approach was thus required. The solution was to create an artificial soul, which required in addition the creation of an artificial spirit. A functioning weapon would require both, a functioning soul able to contain the immense quantities of mana and a functioning spirit able to wield such power (for further information, consult annex 21, The Union of Soul and Spirit. Potential Weaponisation of the Spiritsoul). Little did we know what lay ahead of us.
Fortunately for us, we were hardly the first attempting to create an artificial soul and spirit. The dream of creating the ultimate magic weapon was a dream that has existed for centuries if not millennia among mages and alchemists alike, but so far none of them has succeeded, although they provided useful information (for further information, consult annex 25, Possible Applications of Daemonlogy and Spiritology).
Two distinct phenomena served as the foundation of the project, spirits (spiritus) and daemons (daemon).
From a purely historical and etymological perspective, originally no distinction between the concepts of spirit and ‘daimon’ existed, which were essentially interchangeable. Just like spirit, the term ‘daimon’ denoted an aetherial entity and was still devoid of any negative connotation. In that sense, a daimon was neither inherently malevolent or benevolent, nor was a daimon inherently artificial.
Only during later stages of antiquity when the first attempts at spirit creation bore fruit, the term ‘daimon’ or later ‘daemon’ began to acquire its prevalently negative connotation to distinguish between spirits and daemons. It was at that age that the modern notion of demons was born. Whereas the term ‘spirit’ came to denote natural aetherial entities, the term ‘daemon’ came to be used solely for artificial aetherial entities (for further information, consult Introduction to the Art of Daemonology, Vol I).
Nevertheless, the difference is fundamental. Though practically extinct in this day and age, spirits form without external invention from natural concentrations of condensed aether. The aether enables lesser spirits to form a rudimentary spiritsoul, and higher spirits even to develop sentience or intelligence. Under certain aspects, the formation of spirits shares similarities with the formation of the human spiritsoul (for further information consult, annex 37, Differences and Similarities between Humans and Spirits in the Formation of Spiritsoul).
Meanwhile, daemons are created artificially through the use of magic. They consist of harvested human souls anchored around a suitable catalyst to bind them together by force. It goes without saying that the process is undertaken on an involuntary basis. Unlike spirits, the soul and spirit thus do not form on their own, but are rather created from existing material. Albeit a viable and known method, such an approach was found to be highly problematic. Aside from the significant number of necessary sacrifices that would have been required, the nature of their creation renders their souls and spirits exceedingly unstable and prone to degradation, an effect which only worsens the more souls are used and more control is required. Daemons are by nature rampant and violent, and usually, only a moment away from turning against their creators, which renders them impractical for actual battlefield use (for further information, consult annex 45, Inherent Instability of the Daemonic Spiritsoul, and annex 51, Battlefield Use of Daemons in the Modern Age).
Two lessons could be drawn, that utilising existing spiritsouls was highly problematic and that it was necessary to opt for a more ‘natural’ creation process. It has become evident that soul and spirit can be manipulated to a certain degree, but they cannot be forced beyond their intended limits. To achieve a stable product, it was judged indispensable to pursue a predominately organic approach (for further information, consult annex 57, The Artificial Creation of Soul and Spirit. Problems and Potential Solutions). Unlike our predecessors, we thus decided to abandon the daemon option entirely. Even though, souls continued to represent a tempting and easily accessible quality aether source. The war would have provided propitious circumstances and plenty of human material (for further information, consult annex 64, Industrial Methods of Soul Accumulation and Aether Conversion).
Our first experiments produced the desired results. We succeeded in creating entities qualifiable as spirits, although the experiments only confirmed admittedly existing knowledge. It is common knowledge that a higher concentration of unbound aether naturally favoured the formation of spirits. By artificially providing favourable circumstances, we thus merely accelerated said process (for further information, consult annex 72, Introduction to Artificial Spirit Creation. Formation and Incubation).
The resulting products proved of limited use. The experiments produced almost exclusively lesser spirits of negligible spiritual and soul strength more or less proportional to the level of concentrated aether employed. To produce a spirit of sufficient strength, enormous quantities of highly concentrated and unbound aether would be required. The problem, however, was how to achieve the required concentration level while maintaining the aether in an unbound and, even more importantly, stable state. Aether is by nature volatile, not to mention highly pyrophoric once exceeding a certain concentration threshold, with obvious potential catastrophic consequences (for further information, consult annex 81, Pyrophoric Properties and Reactive Nature of Highly Concentrated Aether).
Theoretically, the required aether concentration can be achieved by relying on an adequately powerful relic or by employing mythril orichalcum based storage devices, which would provide a suitable anchor to tether the volatile aether and even provide a sufficiently strong moderator to prevent a disastrous chain reaction, but at the same time, they would irreversibly bind the employed aether, thus preventing any possible spirit formation (for further information, co nsult annex 89, Forms and Methods of Aether Storage, annex 92, The Advantages of the Usage of Relics, and annex 97, Stability and Instability of Aether: Theoretical Foundations of the Bound and Unbound State of Aether).
It was a matter of squaring the circle. The project required a sufficient aether concentration yet at the same time in an unbound and stable state. The road from hereon was marked with failure, but ultimately, partial success was achieved. Either by luck or fate, it was discovered that the blood of a suitable donor could serve as an effective catalyst for the formation process by leveraging on the strength of the donor’s bloodline as a foundation, even when the aether was confined in a relatively highly bound state (for further information, consult annex 117, Practical Applications of Bloodlines as a Catalyst for the Process of Artificial Soulspirit Creation). A few bloodlines turned out to be promising. Unsurprisingly, the majority of them belonged to the major ancient noble houses, including the imperial line. These bloodlines proved the most stable and powerful, yet one bloodline stood out in particular, proving time and time again exceedingly versatile and adaptive.
As a result, we managed to produce the first samples of an essence that contained a functioning spiritsoul of modest but acceptable quality. These samples would serve as prototypes for later iterations. The first step was made. The Geist was created, but now a suitable host would be required. To achieve its intended purpose, the spiritsoul had to be given a corporeal shape and form (for further information, consult annex 134, The Importance of Physical Manifestation of the Soulspirit: Corporeal Form and Gestalt).
Initial attempts failed miserably. Even the smallest dose of spiritsoul essence proved to be exceedingly lethal. Injected subjects died within hours or days from the effects of complete soul disintegration. The most resilient specimen survived less than a week. Death was observed to be slow and excruciating. (for further information, consult annex 147, Essence Injection and Observed Mortality Rate).
The injected essence provoked a violent reaction from the observed subjects. Their spiritsouls either disintegrated after merging or rejected the essence. Both outcomes proved equally fatal. In the former case, their spiritsouls broke down completely under the strain. In the latter case, their spiritsouls rejected the essence, which provoked an adverse response on the part of the essence.
The intensity of the reaction depended on the quantity and potency of the essence that was administered as well as on the age and disposition of the tested subjects. The latter factors were found to have a significant influence.
It was observed that the spiritsouls of minor subjects in the age groups ranging from 6 to 14 proved significantly more malleable. They were far more likely to merge with the injected essence and complications were rarely observed. The reason is most likely the fact that their spiritsouls have not yet fully matured, which renders them more compatible. But on the other hand, they rarely possessed the necessary resilience to withstand the strength of the essence. They disintegrate far too easily.
The contrary was the case for older subjects. Their souls and spirits proved far more resilient, but they lacked the necessary degree of compatibility, which caused the injected essence to be easily recognised as a foreign entity and thus rejected.
Furthermore, it was noted that the sex of the subjects appears to be relevant. Regardless of age cohort, female specimens consistently displayed a higher survival duration, although it was difficult to say whether the difference exceeded the standard deviation or not considering the limited sample size and a deviation in the percentile range.
In general, though, it was observed that subjects with magic aptitude proved by far the most resilient. The best results were achieved if the elemental affinity and aspect of the subjects aligned with the affinity and aspect of the essence, which was found to be the most essential factor. Any other approach must be considered a waste of time, resources, and human material.
The experiments confirmed our suspicions that a vassal with satisfactory characteristics could not be procured by conventional means. The existing human material of civilian origin proved entirely unsatisfactory for the intended purpose. Meanwhile, more suitable candidates of noble blood were unlikely to volunteer in the face of a calculated mortality rate of 99.99% upwards.
It was thus recognised that a suitable vassal had to be constructed (for further information, consult annex 163, The Quest for Perfection. The Necessity of Artificial Gestalt Creation). Further research into the matter, however, was cut short by the defeat of the Reich and the end of the war.
5. Project B21 Gestalt
The first years after the war were difficult for the military research sector. The peace treaty prohibited any military research, at least officially. The clause was of course ignored the moment the ink had dried. In secret, research continued in preparation for the next war, but even then, the Army Ordnance Office lacked the enormous financial and industrial resources necessary to resume Geist. In times of peace and tight budgets, the resources required to pursue the project would have far exceeded the limited resources at the Ordnance Office’s disposal. Based on preliminary findings and the results of the prototypes, it was obvious that for the creation of the essence exorbitant quantities of aether would be required together with the infrastructure to produce and refine aether and essence. The project was thus suspended, or so it seemed.
It was then that an old ally lent its support, the House von Schwarz. The companies and subsidiaries under their control had already participated previously in Project Seele. The armament producers and mining corporations had shown particular interest. The Schwarz were later also heavily involved and invested in Project Geist, even on a personal level.
The Schwarz put their wealth, influence and connection to use. With their help, the support of the industry provided by IG Farben, and the assistance of the Ordnance Office, the project was resumed under the designation of Gestalt.
The objective of Gestalt was to complete what Geist had begun, which meant to create the essence and the corresponding vessel to harbour it. The challenges involved were mostly technical in nature. The theoretical foundation was already established, and the underlying concepts were understood. The completion of the project was now primarily a matter of execution.
The essence was created by relying on the extensive use of enrichment facilities to produce the required quantities of aether. The backing of the chemical and metallurgical industry proved vital in that regard. Nevertheless, the effort required to fulfil the quotas was immense, as were the costs with an estimated [redacted] (for further information, consult annex 161 Economics of Industrial Scale Aether Enrichment).
Furthermore, the moment had become to select the catalyst bloodline for the final essence. In consideration of the resources required for the creation of an even single essence, it was judged unfeasible to create multiple essences based on multiple bloodlines. Instead, it was decided to focus all available resources on a single bloodline. Based on previous results and performances, the [redacted] bloodline was chosen for the role of catalyst for both the essence and later the vessel (for further information, consult annex 167 Quantitative Analysis of Comparative Bloodline Compatibility and Performance).
As far as the creation of the vessel was concerned, we resorted to the arcane arts of alchemy and the creation of a so called ‘homunculus’, a term that is often improperly used and poorly understood even though the creation of homunculi has at this point a long and proud history (for further information, consult The Science behind the Creation of Homunculi: Between Myths and Reality)
Popular perception and superstitious beliefs aside, a homunculus is defined as a functioning biological human organism created with the assistance of magic. The original purpose of their creation was to provide an alternative method of reproduction to maintain the bloodline when biological procreation was not possible or had become impossible. As such, homunculi had always enjoyed ample popularity among the higher circles of society, despite their social stigma. Only later on, it was explored whether it was also possible to produce a magically enhanced specimen through this method. The results were mixed.
Traditionally, a homunculus is created by utilising female and male gametes of suitable candidates and inducing artificial fertilisation. The resulting embryo is then incubated and sustained in vitro with the assistance of magic and aether. In that sense, homunculi are not, unlike what many believe, soulless automatons created out of thin air from lifeless, but rather inherently biological products.
For Gestalt, however, more than just a simple homunculus was required. The homunculus would serve as a vessel for the spiritsoul essence, which meant the homunculus had to be able to physically contain the essence, and, much more importantly, had to be to the highest degree compatible with the bloodline of the essence to facilitate a seamless integration from the earliest stage on without complications. Spiritsoul and vessel had to form a union of mind and body. To achieve the optimal result, it was considered indispensable that both the maternal line and paternal line of the homunculus possessed equal compatibility to favour integration, with all the implications such a step brought (for further information, consult annex 182 The Maternal and Paternal Factor of Bloodline Compatibility in Homunculus Creation).
In the end, it was a long and arduous journey marked by failure and defeats, yet we succeeded. Seven years after the end of the war and five years after Project Gestalt had commenced, a child was produced.
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