Mana (Patreon)

Mana is a resource like any other. Every sapient, AI or otherwise generates a little bit, but not much. There are many ways of acquiring mana, most of which are industrial in nature.

Mana has four main sources. The first and most well known one is from underground liquid mana reservoirs, called 'mana wells'. These reservoirs formed during the Wave, and appear to be regenerating to some extent, though how is still a hotly debated topic.

The second, 'traditional' method of gaining mana is by hunting monsters. Most monsters can have a great deal of their blood processed for mana, and some capable of casting spells carry crystalline organs called 'cores' that can be tapped for their pure mana reserves, though it is generally safer to process it anyway.

The third way is through the processing of various plants, which when ingested through a variety of means will regenerate the user's mana, as well as potentially a variety of other effects, positive and negative alike. Generally considered the safer, if slower way to regenerate mana for mages, compared to directly draining crystals, or heavens forbid injecting oneself with liquid mana. It is possible to refine these plants into 'pure' mana, which has become a large industry in the last century, with agricultural worlds finding a susbtantial source of revenue in fueling the endless need for mana with a variety of high mana production crops.

The fourth, and last, way is through various stellar phenomenon. Most are simply an occurence of the other sources in space (mana wells in asteroids, voidborne monsters and flora), but others are stranger, such as the so called 'Eye of Ysh', which could be compared to a wormhole, gushing out mana, though where it links or how it does it is unknown. Most of the more esotheric phenomenon are either interdicted or kept quiet by the Empire and other interstellar powers.

Mana can be stored a variety of ways. For must purposes, enchantments and runes alike, mana crystals are the preferred solution. They can store mana without loss seemingly indefinitely, but artificial mana crystals are expensive to manufacture and naturally occurring ones relatively rare compared to the demand. Furhermore, mana crystals cannot discharge their energy very quickly, making them a problematic power source for systems requiring immense bursts of energy such as starship weapons and hyperdrives.

Mana can also be condensed in a liquid form, which is unstable and hazardous but useful for a variety of engines and systems, momentum drives chief among them, making it effectively into starship fuel.

Last but not the least, mana can be turned into a powder. This is used either for manafused (or mana infused / just infused) alloys or long term mass storage without the use of crystals.

Mana is also used as a currency, though usually currencies have a 'mana standard', giving each a certain mana value.