Somnium (Sommneeum)

"This is only the beginning"- Karl Reid

Somnium is a power source. It is harvested from the stormclouds which blot out the skies of Tempest, most notably the Great Squall which hangs over the skies of Exodus one of the only producers of the chemical, along with smaller outposts, albeit with limited access. It is by far the most precious subsstance on Tempest, due to all modern technologies dependance on it.

Appearance

In its basic form, Somnium is invisible to the naked eye, but after the regulation process (see next paragraph), resembles a thin, blue vapour at room temperature.
In its liquid state(-73 degrees), Somnium is highly dangerous causing cold sores silmilar to that of liquid nitrogen. In all its forms, Somnium retains its blue tint and is harmful when ingested.

Harvesting

The process of Somnium harvest is long and complicated. The first stage is extraction. Huge Stormvanes extract invisible Stormblood, the first componant of Somnium, from the Great Squall.
The Stormblood is then sent to Purification Vats, where all traces of other substances are removed. This part of the process has been made the subject of veneration by the Sons of the Future Day, a forward thinking branch of Storm Worship, as it poses a significant part of their doctrine. It is now considered Somnium.
The harvested Somnium is then sent to Somnium Condensers, where it is compacted and made less volatile, corrosive, and therefore ready for consumption. From this point, the condensed Somnium is wired through to any and all factories and workshops which can afford it.

Somnishot

Argueably one of the biggest and life changing advances in Somnitech, the combination of liquid Somnium and radium to form Somnishot was, without a doubt, a ground-breaking discovery.
Somnishot is a flameable and propelling liquid, used in all modern weaponry as a substitute for gunpowder.One Somnishot projectile will land with 10x the force of its gunpowder equivalent, cutting through most armours.
Somnishot is also used as a fuel in transport, and in most power reactors. Its volatile nature means that it must be kept cool, and at room temperature it ignites, forming the need for cooling devices, like the one at the top of the page.

Misuse

In its long history of usage, there have many dangerous misuses of this technology, argueably the biggest being its development into weapons. One notable misuse is Fara Squall's betrayal in the early days of the World State.
Fara Squall, the scientist who worked with Karl Reid was also the one responsible for its weaponisation. Before the invention of stable Somnishot weaponry, all projectile weapons had a chance of overloading, endangering the lives of the soldiers which wielded them. Reid confronted Fara about this leading to The Betrayal
In the days after the World State, when many foundries and refineries lay in disrepair, many small settlements sought to use their power for their own needs. Unfortunatly, in many cases, the purification vats were in disuse, causing an influx in corrupted Somnium, a radioactive, unstable and mutating substance which, while providing Somnium access to those settlements, was eventually their downfall.

An example of a Somnium Cooling Chamber, used in all portable devices.

Access & Availability

Access to Somnium was wideranged in the days of the World State due to prosperity and successful trade. However, in the years after collapse, Exodus has had sole control over the chemical and has been unwilling to trade with many other settlements whom they percieve as barbarian villages, cities or nations. Within the city, Somni-Tech devices such as weaponry, transport and household appliences can only be afforded by the wealthy, a system carefully cultivated by the series of greedy, tyrannical or out-of-touch Regents following the collapse of the State.

Discovery

Information on the discovery of Somnium is patchy at best, as before the formation of the World State, there was no archival system, and most knowledge of that time was lost. However, the name Karl Reid, the man who invented Somnium, is common knowledge, as he went on to found the city of Exodus underneath the Great Squall in the year 187BS. This established Exodus as the leading power as supplier of Somnium as the World State was founded.

Shock Batons carried by all members of the Paragon Corps