Athem

Athem

Athem (or the biological form Roa) is the essence of The Countless Things. It is believed to be the basic energetic structure for everything that is, was and will be. The existence of the Athem is equally accepted in the spiritual world and within the scope of science.

In modern Teel, Athem is the most desired resource and serves as the main currency in some markets. It is used for biological, intellectual or technical improvement and as a fuel for lifeless objects.

1. Etymology

The original Juru word for the Athem is Roa, which is an onomatopoetic term that is associated with the breath of living beings. When the Alchemists discovered that this vigor of life is a physical energetic entity, they renamed the concentrated unbound form as Athem.

2. Natural Occurence

Roa is a natural force that is concentrated in every live being in the universe. Apparently, there are some entities with the ability to bind more Roa than average (eg. Arrivals and Undying). The Athem is also bound to certain places and materials, such as Vermillion Powder. Concentrated quantities of the material can easily be detected by their reddish or purple glow.

3. Extraction

The first successful synthetic extraction of concentrated Athem took place in Wave 18/79 AS by the hand of Herma. Eventually, she was able to prove that a high concentration of Roa blocks the reproduction of the Undying.

It was not until the death of the Juru woman Abell in the year 90 when people realized that the presence of Roa also prevents the Undying from aging or from suffering from injuries and illnesses.

3.1 Synthetic extraction

The synthetic extraction of the Athem is practiced with organic and inorganic material (living beings, animals, plants or charmstones are sources for Athem). To date, the Alchemist's Guild is the only organization that is capable of conducting the alchemistic process without destroying the source. The procedure requires a source of concentrated Roa and a charmstone, other details are not advertised publicly.

3.2 Biochemical extraction

People with a connection to the Countless Things have the ability to steal Roa from competitors in the moment of their shameful defeat. The procedure usually requires a charmstone to bind the obtained power. The biochemical extraction of Roa within fights is the base for the modern system of massive Athem farming.

4. Utilization

The people of Teel are just beginning to use Athem as an energy source. Charmstones are demanded in every corner of the country, since they mean life for naturalists and fuel for machinists. The recently established battle spheres in Teel open up new possibilities in the spiritual, the scientific and the technological field, for they offer a great opportunity to farm Athem in remarkably high quantities in comparison to the quantities that were available before the Sphere was made.

Type

Natural