Surge

The so-called ‘Surge’ is an opposing force to the Veil. From the lengthy speculation that has arisen since the times that Surge became widely known to the galaxy, it has been deduced and widely accepted that Surge is the physical universes’ ‘immune response’ to the Veil. While the Veil is a force centered around thought and the immaterial ideas behind reality, Surge is born from the material and propelled forward by simple actions and reactions, not guided by the thoughts of sentient life. It is for this reason that, while the Veil naturally finds itself in some people in the form of Magus and Warlocks, it is impossible for the Surge to bind itself to sentients. However, that has not stopped people from trying to harness it, and through countless years of experimentation, sentients finally became able to harness the Surge. Cybernetics laced with the crystalline byproduct of direct Surge contact can become capable of channeling its energy. Further improvements of these basic models eventually culminated in the Fuse, a crystalline core that allows for the channeling of the Surge without the usual consequences of jeopardizing the structural integrity of the cybernetic limb. Those that use these Fuse imbued Cybernetics eventually became known as Surgers, a simplistic name, but it is one that gets to the point, which embodies the straight forward processes of the Surge rather well. Although people have tried to directly implant a Fuse into biological limbs, that direct interaction between the body of a sentient and the Surge eventually turned out to be highly lethal.

What makes Surge such a sought after commodity is the fact that it is effective against the energy of the Veil, making it an effective tool at combating rogue Magus and Warlocks. For this reason, Magus and Warlocks can’t become Surgers, as the Surge would conflict with their abilities, and their minds which are already wired to understanding the Weave or their Pact wouldn't be able to calm itself to sense the Surge. Hemothurges also can’t become Surgers, mostly for the fact that Ohm refuses to acknowledge someone as twisted as a Hemothurge, but also because the Surge refuses to cooperate with high quantities of Hemovis. Anyone could become a Surger if they aren’t tied to the Veil or aren’t a Hemothurge, however Surgers are required to undertake the teachings of the organization known as Ohm. And those who aren’t skilled enough to pass simply won’t be able to get their hands on the Fuse enhanced cybernetics that would allow themselves to become Surgers. While the Surge is effective against the Veil, it isn't to the point of outright overkill. The Surge, first and foremost, slows down the abilities of the Veil. In higher concentrations, it can overwhelm the Veil and outright counter spells, however the same can be said for the Veil overwhelming the Surge.

Using Surge is a learned ability, and has to be practiced unlike the innate talents of the Veil. Surgers have to practice sensing the Surge, which requires themselves to calm their mind so that they can reach a level of concentration that they can feel the simplistic energies of the Surge. With more practice, they’ll be able to sense its presence without having to steady their mind, as at that point they’ll have a connection built to the baseline ‘actions and reactions’ that the Surge flows through. They then can move onto trying to influence the Surge, through sensing and trying to direct the flow of Surge, and from that point they can start trying to wield it. The Mashina are unique in that they have a baseline connection to the Surge, which has formed in their people over time thanks to their constant interactions with Cybernetics and the material. Synthetics also are highly capable of using the Surge, due to them being purely material, typically having no connection to the Veil, and having an arguable degree of sentience. Unlike most Sentients, Synthetics have no penalties to directly implanting Fuses into their body, however protective countermeasures are commonly put in place in and around these limbs to help deal with potential overloads.

The Surge’s use is split up into different Circuits. Each of these Circuits represent an essential teaching from Ohm, and allows for different utilizations of the Surge. Unlike the Veil, which forcibly locks its users to a set path, the Surge is much more freeform, and is purely dependent on the users knowledge and aspirations. More simply put, Surgers aren’t bound to one path, and over time can learn multiple Circuits of the Surge- and possibly make their own, if they find new and innovative ways to use its power.

It is very possible to overuse the Surge, as overloading the capacity of what a Fuse can handle of the Surge will cause it to spill out into the Cybernetic limb, crystallizing parts of it. While it can increase the Surge output of the limb, it dramatically hinders the structural integrity, allowing for a once sturdy limb to snap under routine stress.

Circuits
The Circuits follow the teachings of Ohm, the enigmatic, monastic organization that is responsible for the creation of Surgers and the Surge based Cybernetics they wield. The Circuits were made through the trial and error of countless scientists and Surgers over the many centuries that Ohm has existed.

Silence
The Circuit of Silence was founded by Alastair, who was nicknamed the Silent thanks to his unending dedication to the understanding of the primordial flows of the Surge, living his life in silent contemplation to further his understanding. The Circuit of Silence amplifies the abilities of a Surger to detect the Surge, and spread its influence around them. A Surger that truly understands the Circuit of Silence naturally generates a field of Surge around themselves subconsciously, helping to ward off the sinister energies of the Veil. While they don’t have much in the way of combat potential beyond their cybernetics, the capability to be able to ward off the Veil is one of great power.

Surgers who understand the Circuit of Silence find joy in the simpler things in life, as they have such a deep understanding of the small motions behind everything thanks to their rigorous studies of the Surge.

Flow
The Circuit of Flow was founded by aTL-A5, who garnered the name of the Swift thanks to its understanding of the motion of Surge. Surge is the essence of the material, which is tied to motion and its laws, and Surge can also be understanded with the flow of electricity. aTL-A5 combined these ideas of motion and the flow of electricity into his understanding of the Surge, and his movements on the battlefield became unrivaled. The Circuit of Flow allows the Surger to amplify and redirect their movement using the Surge. A Surger that fully understands the Circuit of Flow can effortlessly glide across the battlefield, and sharply correct their movements to an impossible degree. Hitting a Surger of the Circuit of Flow is a tall order, as there isn’t many who can match their ability to maneuver.

Surgers who understand the Circuit of Flow understand the value of the motions that life goes through. The many cycles of life and the various interruptions that may interject in it are all simply part of an endless flow through the cosmos.

Voltage
The Circuit of Voltage was founded by Yolunon, who earned the title of the Wise for his advancements in the understanding of the Surge in the earliest days of Ohm, tying together the principles of Surge and electricity. Yolunon was the one who laid out the basis for all forms of weaponized Surge, but his studies have been furthered ever since, and have been refined into the Circuit of Voltage. The Circuit of Voltage allows the Surger to shoot forth Surge, in its most simplistic but potent form as mystic ‘electrical’ discharges. Although these arcs of Surge look to be electricity, it is still pure Surge, but it simply takes on similar properties as electricity. These arcs don’t have much range, but they devastate whatever they hit with raw power and transforming what remains into crystalized Surge.

Surgers who understand the Circuit of Voltage find fascination in the understanding and applications of electricity. As the Surge can mimic it, anything that gives insight to its potential use is a useful tool in the knowledge of the Circuit of Voltage.

Aura
The Circuit of Aura was founded by CR1-t1C4L, who was gifted the name of the Philosopher for his revolutionary insight of the possibilities for Surge mimicking that of electromagnetic fields and shields. The Circuit of Aura teaches a Surger how to arrange and condense the Surge. This allows the Surger to create layers of Surge on parts of their body, acting as both a defensive measure, and also as a way to weaponize the Surge. A punch from a fist covered in a layer of Surge is far more devastating than a fist without Surge. The Circuit of Aura also allows the Surger to resist, and similarly mimic the effects of EMPs on a more minor scale. The Circuit of Aura is commonly taught alongside martial arts, as the ability to fight hand to hand maximizes the potential of the Circuit of Aura in close quarters combat.

Surgers who understand the Circuit of Aura are combatant scholars, finding joy in the spirit of battle, as to them it is an elaborate display of the moving pieces of the Surge. The use of shields and EMPs are especially interesting in their view.

Form
The Circuit of Form was founded by Taylor, who was awarded the name of the Resourceful for her realization of the ability to deliberately crystalize the environment to the benefit of the Surger. The Circuit of Form teaches a Surger how to control the Surge to crystallize materials, and how to reinforce those crystals with the Surge. With these skills the Surger can form walls of crystalline Surge from the environment, and even form weapons from the ground using it. Those who follow the Circuit of Form are taught basic skills relating to numerous melee weapons, allowing them to form a weapon on the fly to use in combat- even if it isn’t that durable. The Circuit of Form also minimizes the damage an overloaded Fuse does, but there will still be some damage, for it is impossible to completely remove the danger of an overloaded Fuse.

Surgers who understand the Circuit of Form find beauty in the composition of materials and the environment that they come from, as their Circuit deals in rearranging that matter through the simplistic grace of the Surge.

Charge
The Circuit of Charge was founded by BRUt3, who eventually formed the title of the Warrior for their brutal but simple technique of overcharging items to dramatically increase their potency at the cost of their durability. The Circuit of Charge gives the Surger the capability to ruthlessly imbue something with the Surge, dramatically increasing its speed and overall damage at the cost of a sharp decrease in its durability thanks to the crystallized surge that will rapidly overtake most of its original material. Taking it to its limits, the imbued Surge can even weaponize the object as a Surge bomb. Because of the nature of the Circuit of Charge, archery is heavily endorsed as a great way to weaponize the Circuit of Charge even further. Arrows can be turned into deadly tools of Surge-based destruction.

Surgers who understand the Circuit of Charge revel in the brutal outcome of their abilities, as it shows the capability for the Surge to completely overtake other, more complex but useless forms of combat.

Change
The Circuit of Change was founded by John, who was renowned as the Trickster, for his seamless integration of the Surge into the chaotic nature of reality. John, even though he was often seen as a slacker, had unparalleled insight into odds thanks to his unorthodox understanding of the Surge, which took inspiration from the swirling chaos that is the Veil. The Circuit of Change embraces the random side of the Surge, as its base simplicity can also give way to unique happenstance. Tweaking the odds is one of the most well known tricks of the Circuit of Change, using the Surge to subtly pry at the immaterial things at play, including the severing of strands to the Veil. Their greatest asset is being able to turn the tides of the Veil against its users, subverting their control and using the Surge to redirect them towards their casters.

Surgers who understand the Circuit of Change find the greatest joy in claiming chaos for their own, taking it from the Veil and bringing it into the skillset of the Surge. They find great joy in fighting against those who use the Veil.

Ancestry
The Circuit of Ancestry was founded by Grinin, who became famous enough to reach the title of Idol, for he discovered the ability to use the Surge as a connection to pull upon ancient powers from those long dead. Cybernetics of past Surgers still maintain the patterns that the Surge traveled through them, giving those with the Circuit of Ancestry unique insight into the applications of the Surge. The Circuit of Ancestry can copy the moves that were used through a cybernetic limb of a past Surger. Circuits that have their effects separated from the limb are harder to copy than those who have direct contact with the limb. Their learning of a given Circuit that they’ve copied before is accelerated, allowing them to understand other Circuits much faster.

Surgers who understand the Circuit of Ancestry respect and find inspiration in the ancestors and older beings, for they have experienced the flow of the Surge throughout history, giving insight that may not be possible in the current day.

Transfer
The Circuit of Transfer was founded by an unknown member of Ohm, whose legacy is only identified by the greek letter Theta. ‘Theta’ created the methods for the Circuit of Transfer, involving complex equations that range across several different disciplines. The Circuit of Transfer allows the Surger to temporarily augment any given item that isn’t tied to the Veil. However, they are limited in how much they can augment, as they need concentration to ensure the Surge doesn’t crystalize the enhanced object. All aspects of an augmented object are improved while under the complex effects of the Circuit of Transfer. The difficulty of using this Circuit is mostly because it goes against the nature of the Surge, making a simple energy do complex actions.

Surgers who understand the Circuit of Transfer understand the importance of giving, and see the act as an important symbol of the Surge being passed on to others. They don’t exactly see eye to eye with most other Circuits, as their over-complication of the Surge can often be seen as heretical.

Embrittle
The Circuit of Embrittle was founded by P41n, a sadistic Synthetic who eventually became infamous as the Shatterer, for he employed the method of deliberately weakening and poisoning the enemies body through the use of Surge, in particular lacing the bones of an enemy with crystalized Surge. The Circuit of Embrittle teaches a Surger how to send direct ‘pulses’ of Surge into an enemies body through contact, sabotaging their body by rendering the bones brittle and making their body unwilling to cooperate. Although the Circuit of Embrittle, by no means, betrays anything about the simplicity of the Surge, it is still disliked simply because of its sheer amount of brutality. The pain of having one's body imbued with the Surge is unworldly, and one that can’t ever be forgotten- if they even live past it.

Surgers who understand the Circuit of Embrittle utilize the weakness of Sentient life, directly combating them with the Surge with a level of unnerving glee. Other Circuits aren’t fond of the Circuit of Embrittle because of their innate cruelty.

Atonement
The Circuit of Atonement was founded by Y’Lo’Un, who was known as the Zealot because of its hatred for all things Veil. Y’Lo’Un’s past is shrouded in mystery, but it was at the very least full of trouble involving the Veil, which formed Y’Lo’Un’s hatred for the Veil. The Circuit of Atonement focuses on making the various monsters of the Veil repent for being tied to such a heinous energy. It allows the Surger to punish Veil users for trying to harm them, creating a feedback of Surge upon being affected by something of the Veil. This feedback, although weak, prevents the Veil user from using their heinous abilities for a short amount of time, allowing for righteous retribution upon them. At the risk of overloading the Fuse in their equipment, a Surger can directly stop a Veil user from using their abilities by putting constant Surge pressure on them.

Surgers who understand the Circuit of Atonement are especially zealous, seeking out ways to punish those who use the Veil to make them atone for their use of such sacreligious energies. Other Circuits are careful around the Circuit of Atonement, as wrong opinions on the Veil can send them into a rage.

Storm
The Circuit of Storm was founded by Ve-17, a seemingly mundane synthetic that, through a series of malfunctions, spontaneously created the methods of the Storm. Ve-17 only managed to record a fraction of his thoughts on the Circuit before the rapidly progressing onset of malfunctions completely destroyed his system. From what teachings he managed to share, those after him managed to create the Circuit of Storm, capturing most of the original spirit to Ve-17’s art. The Circuit of Storm allows a Surger to concentrate the Surge and then disperse it over an area, forming a ‘Surge Storm’. These Storms, although potent, are difficult for Surgers to control. It is said that the true secrets to controlling the Storms were the last thing that Ve-17 was unable to write.

Surgers who understand the Circuit of Storm understand the importance of power. Sentients wish to wield all forms of power, but all power, no matter how serious or insignificant, is equally as corruptive and tempting to those who wield it.