Geodes

Geodes take the form of rocks of various types and sizes, with a crystal or crystals in the center. The exact form can vary - some are like traditional geodes, with small crystals inside a rock shell; others have thick veins of crystal running through them; others have one large crystal hidden inside. Crystalline dust and sand can also be found in some locations. The largest crystals one usually finds are about as big as a fist, but reportedly larger ones, perhaps the size of a human head, have also been discovered. More typical geodes are about the size of a chicken egg (this includes the rock shell, so the crystals inside are smaller).

The crystals inside Geodes are elementally aligned, and their color and appearance will reflect this. Fire crystals are shades of red and orange, water crystals are shades of blue and green, air crystals are pale shades of blue, pink, green, or lavender, earth crystals are shades of brown, thunder crystals are yellow or chartreuse, plant crystals are deep shades of green, dark crystals are dark purple or black, and light crystals are clear or white.

In most cases, a Geode will grow warm when held in the hand for a few seconds, and the crystals inside may glow a little. For those individuals who are particularly attuned to the element, it may react in a variety of ways - fire crystals could start a very small flame, air crystals could summon a light breeze, water crystals could begin to drip liquid or form a coat of frost, light crystals might glow brightly, dark crystals could cause a room's light to dim slightly or deepen the shadows, earth crystals could cause a tiny tremor in the ground, plant crystals might cause nearby flora to bed towards the user, and thunder crystals might begin to spark with small arcs of electrical current (or, in some cases, become magnetic). These are mostly effects that do not require conscious effort.

Geodes can also be controlled with conscious effort, though this takes practice. Training by someone who has learned to do it can also help, but it is mostly a matter of the person's will. Someone who is attuned to one element may be able to use others, though not as effectively. Sometimes trying to use an opposed element will be extremely difficult, though not for everyone - some people are skilled with opposed elements. The form an element takes can also change depending on who is using it - some are particularly adept at forming ice using a water geode, for example.

Trained Geode use will have stronger effects - starting larger fires or generating significant heat, summoning or manipulating waves of water, producing a bright flash of light, etc. These effects are usually sufficient for defeating simple enemies and Minor Spawn of Erebos. Stronger Minor Spawn and all Major Spawn cannot be defeated with typical human use of Geodes, though the power can be enhanced using specially designed equipment, the prototypes of which were installed in the original Power Armor, and are now being further developed for use in mechs. Even this wasn't enough to completely defeat stronger enemies, however, and further experiments were necessary.

Humans and Xenians use Geodes differently. Xenians appear to use the power of a Geode as an extension of their own bodies, which greatly increasing the effectiveness and versatility. They are more skilled not just at summoning power, but directing and shaping it. They have tried to teach these skills, but there is a limit, a barrier beyond which human will seems inadequate. Human and Xenian researchers speculated that the cause may lie in humans' unfamiliarity with magic as a basic reality of nature, as it is on Xenia, and thus humans have difficulty understanding and accepting it as fully real. Hypnosis, thought experiments, and even roleplaying were tried as a way to get the test subjects into the right mindset. Eventually, they attempted to graft crystals directly into the body, to try to integrate them with the test subjects' being more fully, but this had some disastrous effects, and even the most successful tests left the subjects unable to control their power. Finally the idea of simulated reality was suggested. Test scenarios and short term sims (a few hours at a time) seemed to be partially effective, but to truly accept the reality, memories had to be temporarily altered and a fully immersive environment had to be created, to convince the brain of the realities of magic. Geodes were not used directly in the simulation, but the sim was designed to mimic the elemental effects of Geodes and necessity of using will to control them.

Geodes can be altered - crystals can be cut down and shaped, although this can be dangerous and may not always have useful benefits; they can also be grown by seeding the crystal with geode dust of a similar type. Crystals are often removed from geodes when used in Power Armor or mechs, or other experimental types of machines - however, any machine using Geode power must have a human strongly linked to it, capable of exerting their will to activate the Geode.

Directly handling the crystal within a Geode can be dangerous for a human without training, but those with a particularly strong connection to an element will find it easier and safer to do so. Most Geodes are sufficiently effective within their rock shell, however, and those used inside a machine are not touched directly in any case. Most humans do not use crystals without some sort of protective shell, since it can be so hazardous, but Xenians generally have no trouble.

The Xenians claim that some among them can use magic without Geodes, although this is far more common on their homeworld, where magic suffuses the very air. They've had difficulty with it on Hemera, and they seem to doubt that humans could ever be capable of such a feat.

Geodes cannot typically be used up, but they can be temporarily drained of power. If given time, they will recharge. The amount of time necessary varies depending on the size and strength of the Geode – for example, three or four hours will recharge an egg-sized Geode, overnight for a fist-sized one.