Weapons of the Ether

           Constructs are objects designed or manufactured by a sentient being and they can have a variety of uses, depending on the intentions of the designer. Constructs are almost always made of Chi or some form of energy though theoretically it is possible that they may manifest physically under certain conditions. Making a solid construct and then accelerating it achieves a makeshift projectile. Striking another entity with such will in most cases achieve annoyance more so than damage because there is more involved in how it will interact with the target than simply contact at a high speed, as usually such constructs have no mass. Concentrating energy into a dense core and having it release all at once makes a makeshift bomb, but unless the energy released is very large (in quantity) then it will not do any sort of damage but make cause a disturbance in the energy balance in the region from the over-saturation of energy. It must be noted that energy does not come from no-where. It must be either taken from the individual creating the construct or from the surrounding region, but the quality of the construct is reduced when more passive surrounding energy is used, in comparison to active living energy from the individual.

           Constructs, once made, have a tendency to degrade over time if left alone, and be re-absorbed into the surrounding region. This is because they are not living entities and can't support themselves nor 'live'. As a result one must maintain them personally or 'bind' them to an object that will not degrade, such as a physical object. This object can then be kept charged and while it does not come to harm the construct should remain functional under normal circumstances.

           It is possible to harness natural energies in the surrounding environment. As physical objects have Chi associated with them it is possible to harness it for activities on the ethereal level. Typically ecologies and where there is plentiful life is a good source of energy but it must be realized that taking away energies results in lower energies for the region. This will restore itself over time, but one must be aware of the damage, if any, they may be causing by their activities, lest they be interpreted as hostile. There are many excess energies around that can be harnessed, such as the winds and oceans, but this falls back on the quality of the energies and what one is intending with them. Brute force activities generally do not require 'refined' or high quality energy, while designing complex devices may require that the energy being used in it will not degrade back to its source.

           Void is an especially dangerous thing to harness and use due to the fact that it readily absorbs or 'eats' the normal Chi that may be found in our universe. This means that handling it is a risk in itself while using it on another individual may result in their non-existence or severe injury. Death isn't normally a threat in the astral as only a need for existence on some level (there are many) is necessary for survival, at least for sentient creatures. There are void-based entities in existence, but unless one is experienced in interacting with them it is best to avoid contact because by their nature they may begin consuming your energies, though they themselves may not be hostile. An interesting find is that the Earth is capable of absorbing void 'energies' and neutralizing them. The exact reason for this is not yet known but it may serve a defensive purpose.

           It may be found that constructs most easily take on the forms or functions of already existing human weapons, i.e. swords, guns, siege weapons, etc. (see Dragon Attacked By Teenaged Werewolf) Though these items need to be adapted for the different physics by which they work as say for a siege weapon one does not need a taut rope to store energy and the projectile need not be a stone. It is true though that one does not need constructs to cause harm unto others, the individual self is much more powerful and capable than anything they can produce, at least in potential. Curiously enough, observations and experiments have shown that anything resembling a fighter craft is completely inefficient due to the fact that objects do not need airfoils to fly, nor high speeds. There also isn't a speed advantage as moving from point A to point B need not occur as it would in physical existence. This may be different when dealing with constructs that physically manifest, which has not yet been observed.

           As with human weapons there are weapons that can be created ethereally that will destroy a large area, or WMD's. These do not work in the same fashion as nuclear weapons in that there is not a large quantity of uranium (or similar) that undergoes a chain reaction. It is also inconceivable to store that much energy into a small space thus the surrounding energy is used in the reaction. Observations and testing has shown that by using a system where the surrounding energy is consumed and converted to raw force it is possible a render a large area devoid of its natural balanced energies and harm everything within said area. This also serves an area-denial purpose in that any 'normal' entity that enters the area would be drained of their own energy balance, even though this is post-detonation. Also, all exploding weapons will leave their own distinct radiation within affected objects and this requires cleanup. This can be thought of as a residue and is not entirely healthy to be around. An interesting point on this subject is that it is next to impossible to detonate such weapons in deep space due to the lack of ambient energies to consume, but the presence of natural ambient energies means there is some form of life on some level in the region, and testing destructive weapons disturbs that life. Whether it is sentient or not depends on the species and the level of disruption depends on the type of weapon and how it affects other objects.

           From constructs to WMD's it should be noted that all of these are so-called "logical weapons" where thinking is required to produce and use them, and when they go off it is easy to understand and predict that explosion pushes things away, for every action there is an opposite and equal reaction. On the other hand there exist creatures and entities with the capabilities of ignoring such rules and affecting the space and objects around them in chaotic and unpredictable ways. The author has not personally observed such but new developments and theories strongly suggest they exist. As a result a strong reliance on 'logical weapons' is not advised, possessing adaptability and control of the self will serve one better over the long term.

           These ideas and applications are in use today by entire species. 'Logical weapons' can be used to defend a planet in the form of a network of sensory, on multiple levels at that, and weapons, as well as data collection about the surrounding area. What this means is that a hostile threat would have a hard time passing through without being detected and dealt with. The offensive groups can come up with more complex or imaginative weaponry and the defensive groups can come up with ways of detecting and disabling such methods. It may boil down to the use of the more chaotic energies, where a non-sentient species of predators, though unable to go past their planet, used the planet itself as a part of them to sense out and consume those who may approach and track down those who escape. Though the methods by which this occurs are unknown without going into the field, and that is completely undesirable. Also, it must be mentioned that our solar system appears to have a very powerful defensive system. A test where the energies of the aforementioned hostile creatures were recreated in a drone and the drone sent to approach our system resulted in the merciless and instant destruction of the drone. The cause of this is not believed to be human in origin, it is hypothesized this may be a sign of 'divine' protection but it is uncertain at this time.

           Overall this covers, with generality, the more known regions of existence and the entities that inhabit them. Typically one will not come up against any of the threats shown unless they happen to be developing weapons themselves and/or seeking or attracting fights. Very few regions are actually under anybody's control though where certain species live it is a good idea not to cause trouble, even though they are not likely to respond with a WMD because it would hurt them as much as it would hurt the troublemaker. Sentient creatures generally do not seek out fights as they have better things to do. Some may be aggressive and easily provoked while others are very passive and would rather leave the scene than retaliate against an attack. You never know.

[This article may become obsolete in time due to new information and developments, as well as understanding. If you believe you have observed something that contradicts the writings here please write in and give a detailed account.]