Harmonic Silver

by Professor Harvey Wangenstein, Electrodyne Engineer
September 19, 1881
 

The past forty years of westward immigrant settlement in North America have been a great boon to the Engineers. As you may know, the western territories consist of little more than scrubland and desert, and the courageous pioneers and miners who took up the task of taming this primitive land had met with only limited success early on. Fortunately for both the settlers and ourselves, the harsh environment made them more open to new ideas, especially in the realm of time- and effort-saving Scientific advances. For example, the release and quick public acceptance of the magnetic telegraph in 1844 was a triumph for our cousins, the Difference Engineers. Samuel Morse’s key-tapped question “What hath God wrought” brought a smile to many Electrodyne Engineers, who had already assisted in developing what was to come next, including the thermionic triode tube and the more-recently released telephone.

Alongside the projects resulting from the human migration to the west is research performed by individual Scientists in the field. In this case, the “field” is that portion of North America west of the Mississippi River. It deserves mention that when acting in the interests of Scientific Research, the concept of “harsh environment” takes on a very different connotation. Through painstaking investigation, it has been discovered that within the western territories, most of the Scientifically-significant locations are occupied by lycanthropic creatures of undetermined origin (hereafter referred to as Weres). These Weres (who I believe live in a tribal schematic) typically react super-aggressively to any attempts to survey locations that they have claimed as their own. In recent years, some Weres have begun to assault anyone who, to them, represents any sort of modern science. I have heard reports of Sleepers, exhibiting themselves as innovative scientists, whose bodies were found savaged on the long trails between towns in the West. The attack locations correlate positively with the locations known to be populated by Weres. Therefore, it would seem to be of the utmost priority to devise reliable methods of defense against these creatures for those engaged in the noble endeavor of Scientific Research.

By pooling the limited research data available on Weres, our Mechanocratic allies have reasoned that they and the lycanthropes of European, Indian and Asian legend share the same infirmity: the inability to abide the touch of the element argentum, more commonly referred to as silver. Naturally, many Scientists have proposed theories to explain why. I am no exception. What follows is my own Theory to explain why silver affects Weres the way it does, as well as a new method of applying said material to the creatures. Although the Weres, their extraordinary nature and their closed society are unique and tempting opportunities for research, I feel that, at this time, they are more of a burden to the Scientific community than they have any right to be. The right theory may be the key to staving off the Weres and the impediment to Scientific Progress they currently represent. I must stress here, however, that I in no way sanction the use of lethal force in dealings with these creatures. As a man of Science, I believe that we are above the use of base violence to resolve conflict. Because of this, I would request that the Theory I propose be applied only in the spirit of personal defense and Scientific betterment.

This Theory asserts first, that every Pattern contains one or more natural, resonant frequencies within its make-up. These frequencies are innate to the Pattern’s size, shape and material consistency; and second, that through the manipulation of these frequencies by means of an external source of vibration, the Pattern itself may be affected. Of course, every Scientist reading this will recognize the process of constructive and destructive interference as a simplistic example of these assertions. As the first assertion states, within every Pattern resides one or more resonant frequencies. The Patterns of living beings, which contain more frequencies than their non-living counterparts, typically require more complex groups of frequencies to be addressed in order to have an effect. (Example: while the correct single note can shatter a crystal wine glass, a human standing nearby would be unmoved. On the other hand, the mingled frequencies of ocean waves crashing upon the shore can have a profoundly calming effect upon the human mind, whereas the crystal wine glass has, as far as all tests have shown, remained unaffected. Tests to determine and assess any mental activity by the wine glass have been inconclusive.) While performing tests to learn more about the natural properties of silver, I discovered that the Pattern for silver contains several frequencies that are precisely, inversely-related to certain frequencies within the Pattern of every Were I have examined. With further tests, I have discounted such features as the shape or size of the silver mass used, and (to a limited extent) the minor physiological differences inherent in Weres of differing lineage. I have concluded from this that Weres and the silver element share at the core of their respective Patterns several opposing, inversely-related resonant frequencies. It is this trait that lends silver its extraordinary effect upon the Were species. The destructive interference of the silver and Were frequencies cancel each other out, having no effect on the silver (due to its natural density), but having a devastating impact upon the Were. Naturally, specific effects depend upon the Theory’s interpretation by the acting Scientist, but with this Theory in mind when constructing an Effect or Device for use on Weres, a wide variety of effects are possible.

While various chance encounters and experiments have resulted in Were contact with myriad forms of matter and energy, in order to locate and exploit any effects they may have upon the Were physiology, none has had a more reliable result than silver. However, while silver may be relied upon to have an effect, a consistent method of application has been much more difficult to discover. Weapons (typically blades or more-recently, bullets) constructed from silver have served dutifully, if crudely, in our defense against Were aggression. The major problem with traditional silver weaponry is the need to hit the Were with the silver item. The Were physiology gives it tremendous speed and strength against which even the most fit Scientist can but fare poorly. The solution comes in finding a method of application that the Were cannot avoid. To this end, I have invented such a method. When struck, a body of silver will confer its natural frequencies upon the resulting sound waves. Usually, however, either the striking object’s natural frequencies or impurities in the silver itself will so muddy the resulting sound frequencies that they are rendered useless as a weapon. This concept is of such importance that it bears repeating: both the striker and the struck object MUST be of the highest purity silver, else the Scientist risks either mixed effect or outright failure. The intensity of the vibrations are also important. While minor mental disruptions or physical discomfort are possible with a small source of vibration, its effective range will be very limited, and it should be noted that for most significant effects, a large source of vibration is preferred. Of course, other methods of application are possible, the most promising of which is a process whereby silver’s Were-specific frequencies are imparted into other materials, thereby disguising their true nature and increasing the Effect’s practical usefulness. An example of this might be so-called “silvered water”.

It is my sincere hope that by disclosing both this Theory and its applications to the Scientific community, future Scientists will be able to research, unhindered, in places that they do not dare go today. For the general good. For the Consensus. For Science!
 

Game Notes:

(Second Edition). By itself, this Effect causes unsoakable stun damage to any creature with a vulnerability to silver. Only after prolonged exposure to the “silvered sound” will the creature begin to take physical damage. In game terms, the Storyteller would mark any stun damage as such on the Health chart, starting with the first unmarked box. When the creature reaches “Incapacitated”, it is rendered unconscious. If the attack is pressed, the Storyteller returns to the first unmarked box on the Health chart and begins marking actual, physical damage. This Effect can also be used to transmit other, conjunctional Effects to the creature, which will also be either more difficult or impossible to soak (Storyteller’s choice, of course). Prime disruptions, Mind (music to soothe the savage beast) and other Sphere Effects may be carried to the creature in this way. There are two ways that the base Effect may be created: using Forces •••/Matter ••, some or all of the vibrating silver is consumed in the Effect by being transformed into sound waves. For example, a large, silver gong would take several strikes to fully dissipate, whereas the silver CD or speaker cone of a Virtual Adept would be consumed in one shot. This method may be most acceptable to Storytellers, who don’t want their Werewolves tamed by an ever-lasting source of silver. Alternately, Forces •••/Prime ••/Matter •• will create the effect without destroying the silver focus, by using it as a template for creating new sound waves. Other uses of this theory are possible: if a Werewolf and someone you don’t like are facing each other down, imagine his surprise when he finds that his silver bullets are (coincidentally, of course) of such a poor quality that they don’t have the effect that silver bullets typically have on Werewolves.

1997 Derek D. Bass
 

Return to Etheric Musings...