Soulstone Volatility: The Price of Power

The Fundamental Danger

Soulstones are not inert minerals. They are imprisoned consciousness trapped in crystalline form, constantly struggling against the Void-warped lattice that binds them. Every soulstone is a volatile pressure vessel containing raw bioelectric energy, Void contamination, and the tortured psychic emissions of a trapped soul.

The horror is simple: You are not handling a battery. You are handling a screaming bomb.

✿

Why Soulstones Are Volatile

1. Contained Consciousness Fights Imprisonment

The trapped soul does not accept its fate passively. At a subconscious level, the bound consciousness constantly attempts to escape, creating electromagnetic fluctuations within the crystal lattice.

Psychic pressure: Measurable as electromagnetic flux
Structural stress: Visible as hairline fractures in poorly-maintained stones
Energy spikes: Sudden output surges, especially during refinement

2. Void Contamination Destabilizes Matter

All soulstones form through exposure to Void energy. This contamination makes soulstones fundamentally unstable in baseline reality:

Phase instability: Soulstones exist partially "outside" normal space
Reality friction: Contact with normal matter generates heat/energy discharge
Spontaneous fragmentation: High-Taint stones can shatter without warning

3. Refinement = Forced Soul Cannibalism

During refinement, a smaller soulstone is crushed and fed to a larger Core soul. If this process is mismanaged, the energy discharge can:

Overload containment: Crystal shatters explosively
Ignite volatile materials: Fuel, ammunition, flesh
Trigger cascade failures: Nearby soulstones resonate and destabilize

✿

Refinement Disasters: What Goes Wrong

The Three Categories of Failure

Disaster Type	Cause	Consequence	Frequency
Explosive Overload	Energy discharge exceeds containment capacity	Shard detonates (3-hex radius, 2d6 damage)	5-10% (amateur), 0.5% (expert)
Corruption Cascade	Void contamination spreads from unstable stone	Taint spikes in area, nearby souls infected	2-4% (amateur), 0.2% (expert)
Psychic Backlash	Core soul rejects fragment violently	Refiner suffers neural damage (Thread Snap, sanity loss)	8-15% (amateur), 1% (expert)

✿

Historical Disasters

The Forge-Maw Incident (Year 12)

Location: Dwarven Forge-Guilds, Deepforge Refinery
Cause: Apprentice attempted to refine 3 T2 Fragments simultaneously (standard protocol: one at a time)

Result:

Cascade detonation destroyed entire refinery wing (14 dead)
Void contamination rendered the area uninhabitable for 6 months
All soulstones within 30 meters shattered simultaneously (sympathetic resonance)
Surviving workers reported "hearing hundreds of voices screaming in unison"

Lesson Learned: Refinement must never be rushed. One shard at a time. Always.

The Scream of Ashfields (Year 8)

Location: Nomad salvage camp, contested territory
Cause: Untrained scavenger attempted field refinement without proper shielding

Result:

Psychic backlash transmitted through neural threads
Refiner's brain suffered catastrophic neural damage (permanent vegetative state)
Core soul "woke up" during process, seized control of Casket
Casket rampaged for 2 hours before self-destructing (8 casualties)

Lesson Learned: Field refinement is desperately dangerous. Proper shielding is not optional.

The Exchange Vault Fire (Year 15)

Location: Exchange central repository, merchant district
Cause: Poorly-maintained T3 Crystal stored near combustible trade goods

Result:

Crystal spontaneously fractured (age + Taint accumulation)
Energy discharge ignited surrounding materials
Fire spread to soulstone storage vault (400+ Shards)
Chain reaction of detonations leveled 3 city blocks (200+ dead)

Lesson Learned: Soulstone storage requires constant monitoring. Old stones are ticking time bombs.

✿

Why Standard Methods Fail

"Just Crush It and Move On" (Nomad Approach)

What It Looks Like:

No containment chamber
No energy shielding
Manual crushing (hammer/rock/Casket hand)
Minimal time investment

Why It Fails:

No dampening: Energy discharge is uncontrolled
No isolation: Void contamination spreads to refiner
No preparation: Soul resistance is maximum

Failure Rate: 15-20%
Consequence: Burns, Taint spikes, crystal shrapnel injuries, occasional death

"Fast Batch Processing" (Early Ossuarium Experiments)

What It Looked Like:

Multiple Shards refined simultaneously to save time
Industrial-scale chambers with high throughput
Minimal monitoring per individual refinement

Why It Failed:

Sympathetic resonance: Multiple souls screamed at once, amplifying each other
Cascade overload: One failure triggered chain reaction
Taint accumulation: Concentrated Void energy overwhelmed containment

Failure Rate: 8-12% (catastrophic when it failed)
Outcome: Protocol permanently banned after Deepforge Incident (Year 12)

✿

Extreme Measures Required: Safe Refinement

Ossuarium Standard Protocol (87% Success Rate)

Equipment Required:

Reinforced containment chamber: 6-inch bone-steel walls
Void dampening field: Suppresses energy spikes
Psychic shielding: Blocks neural backlash
Emergency venting system: Redirects explosive discharge

Procedure (2-5 Days Per Shard):

Soul Preparation (Day 1): Core soul "calmed" via electromagnetic lullaby
Shard Inspection (Day 1): Fragment examined for cracks, Taint levels, structural integrity
Isolation (Day 2): Chamber sealed, Void dampening activated
Controlled Crushing (Day 2): Mechanical press applies gradual pressure over 6 hours
Essence Extraction (Day 2-3): Soul essence liquefies, drained into containment flask
Feeding (Day 3-4): Essence injected slowly into Core (1ml per hour maximum)
Integration Monitoring (Day 4-5): Core soul observed for rejection signs

Cost: 40 Credits per refinement
Failure Rate: 0.5%

Church of Absolution Ritual Method (60% Success Rate)

Procedure (3-7 Days Per Shard):

Confession (Day 1-2): Core soul "confesses" sins via radio transmission
Fragment Consecration (Day 3): Shard blessed, cleansed of "impurities"
Ritual Crushing (Day 4): Shard crushed during prayer ceremony (8-hour service)
Sanctified Feeding (Day 5-6): Essence mixed with holy water, poured slowly into Core
Penance Vigil (Day 7): Clergy monitor Core soul, intervene if rejection occurs

Cost: 20 Credits (prayer time) + risk of divine "disapproval"
Failure Rate: 2-3%

Dwarven Forge-Guild Method (65% Success Rate)

Procedure (1-3 Days Per Shard):

Structural Analysis (Day 1): Shard measured, flaws catalogued, optimal crush angle calculated
Rune Activation (Day 1): Containment circle powered, forms electromagnetic cage
Precision Crushing (Day 2): Shard crushed along calculated fracture planes
Controlled Feeding (Day 2-3): Essence funneled directly into Core via runic channels

Cost: 30 Credits (runesmith time, equipment use)
Failure Rate: 1-2%

The Elven "Mourning Method" (40% Success Rate, Lowest Taint)

Procedure (7-30 Days Per Shard):

Mourning Ritual (Day 1-7): Both Core and Shard "mourned" by druids
Natural Dissolution (Day 8-28): Shard placed in soil, allowed to liquefy slowly (no force)
Willing Absorption (Day 29-30): Core soul "invited" to accept essence

Cost: 0 Credits + massive time investment (7-30 days)
Failure Rate: 10% (but failures are "gentle"—soul dissipates, no explosion)
Taint Gain: -50% (natural method reduces Void contamination)

Why It's Rarely Used: Takes 10-30 days per refinement. Most factions can't afford the time.

✿

Field Refinement: The Desperate Gamble

Scenario: Casket energy is critical (< 20/100). Mission is not over. Pilot has Shards in inventory.

The Process

Pilot retrieves Shard from storage pouch
Reaches behind, places Shard against Core socket
Smashes the crystal (brutal, desperate)
Fragments spray soul essence directly onto Core
Core screams (pilot hears it through neural threads)
Energy surge courses through Casket systems

Risk Table (Roll 1d6)

Roll	Result	Consequence
1-3	Success	Energy restored, normal Taint gain
4-5	Partial Overload	Energy restored, +2x Taint (double corruption)
6	Critical Overload	Energy restored, +3x Taint, immediate Thread Snap, 1d6 damage to pilot

Narrative Horror: Crystal shards pierce pilot's gloves (blood mixes with soul essence). Core soul screams so loudly nearby pilots hear it through closed caskets. Pilot's hands burn (Void energy discharge). Neural threads feel "on fire" (psychic backlash).

Why Pilots Do It Anyway: Because the alternative is casket shutdown mid-combat (certain death).

✿

Taint Accumulation: The Hidden Cost

Every Refinement Adds Corruption

Refinement Method	Base Taint Gain	Notes
Ossuarium Standard	+1 per T1, +2 per T2, +5 per T3	Controlled, but still corrupting
Church Ritual	+1 per T1, +2 per T2, +5 per T3	Prayer comforts souls, not Void
Dwarven Precision	+1 per T1, +2 per T2, +5 per T3	Efficiency doesn't reduce corruption
Elven Natural	+0.5 per T1, +1 per T2, +2.5 per T3	Only method that reduces Taint (but takes weeks)
Field Refinement (Success)	+2 per T1, +4 per T2, +10 per T3	Double Taint (no containment)
Field Refinement (Overload)	+3-6 per T1, +6-12 per T2, +15-30 per T3	Triple Taint (catastrophic)

The Trap: You need refinement to keep fighting. But refinement accumulates Taint. High Taint makes your Casket unstable. Instability can kill you. There is no escape from this cycle.

✿

The Unspoken Truth

Every Casket pilot relies on soulstone refinement. Without it, Caskets run out of power and die. But refinement is inherently dangerous. Even with perfect protocols, there is risk. The Void does not forgive mistakes.

"You cannot opt out. You can only manage the risk. And sometimes, the risk kills you anyway."

✿

Explore Further

Topic	Description
Soulstone Power System	How soulstones work, energy mechanics, Core lifespans
Soul-Binding Mechanics	How souls are captured and imprisoned
Soulstone Energy Rules	Gameplay mechanics for Energy tracking and refinement
The Void	The extradimensional force that makes soulstones possible (and dangerous)

✿