The Athrometer is a specialized and highly rare piece of technology designed to measure both potential Aether energies and the disruption or displacement within a local Aether field.
¶ Device Examples
| Vintage | Image |
|---|---|
| 1940's |  |
| 1960's |  |
| 1980's |  |
| 2000's |  |
¶ Construction and Operation
- Core Components: The device relies on Videns Autem Magia crystals placed within its internal mechanics.
- Mechanical Conversion: Electricity produced by these crystals is converted into mechanical energy using distinct materials that expand and contract when micro-voltage is applied.
- Calibration and Targeting: The device is carefully calibrated to provide a reliable strength reading and an approximate bearing of the energy source. It features dials and adjustments that allow the operator to focus on detecting specific kinds of non-conventional energy and their unique patterns.
- Limitations: While highly effective at measuring active flows of Aether that are currently influencing the physical world, the Athrometer is significantly less refined at measuring potential energy that has not yet been released.
¶ Units of Measurement
The Athrometer measures Aethic energy using a distinct system of units that parallels conventional physics but applies to fundamentally different energies.
| Unit | Symbol | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Oswald (Aethic-Watt) | Ю (Cyrillic Yu) | Measures the actual flow of energy over time and its active impact on the environment. It is officially defined as the aethic displacement required to alter the local aether field by 1 Aethic-Volt in 1 second. |
| Aethic-Volt | Ѵ (Cyrillic Izhitsa) | Measures the potential aethic-energy stored within a region. In magical terms, it measures potential energy build-up in the local Aether outside a body; in psionic terms, it measures potential energy build-up inside a body's Aether. |
| Aethic-Ampere | Ꙗ (Cyrillic Iotated A) | Measures the flow of potential energy moving over time that is not yet affecting the environment. |
Analyzing Readings:
- High Aethic-Voltage / Low Aethic-Amperes: Indicates a massive amount of stored, slow-moving energy. This is a key sign of a powerful, dormant entity or anomaly that is currently safe but capable of intense environmental changes if it manifests.
- Low Aethic-Voltage / High Aethic-Amperes: Indicates a relatively weak entity or anomaly that is very close to actively manifesting.
¶ History and Rarity
- Victorian Origins: The device was invented in Victorian London by a group dedicated to investigating strange occurrences in the city, and its design was passed down to various secret societies and law enforcement groups.
- Oswald Coldstone: The "Oswald" unit is named after Oswald Coldstone, an English resident during the height of the European occult study. Using an Athrometer passed down from his grandfather, Coldstone defined the "supracorporeal shadow" (the disturbance supernatural entities leave on the world) and perfected the device's mathematical and mechanical applications.
- 20th and 21st Centuries: The technology was perfected in the late 20th century, though it was never mass-produced. In the 21st century, Athrometers are uncommon but known to serious investigative groups. Building one requires closely guarded knowledge, with handwritten designs occasionally appearing on the black market for large sums of money.
- 24th Century: By the 24th century, the knowledge required to construct original Athrometers has largely been lost to time and multiple wars. While cruder equivalents exist, original devices are exceptionally rare and mostly found in museums or private collections where their true purpose is forgotten. The organization Vident Obscura is a notable exception; they have retained several original devices, know how to produce them, and have secretly integrated their functions into modern sensing equipment.
¶ Known Applications and Users
- Anomaly Classification: Vident Obscura uses calibrated Athrometers to classify unexplained entities and artifacts based on the displacement of energy they cause. The scale ranges from a Class 0 normal environment (0-2 Ю) up to cataclysmic Class 10+ events (greater than 40.151 kЮ).
- Agatha Blackwood: Possesses a rare digital/analogue hybrid Aethrometer originally built in the 1960s and later retrofitted with modern digital hardware.
- Robert Langley: Utilizes a compact Athrometer detection device to sense fluctuations in psionic or supernatural energy fields in his vicinity.