Everything was once perfect. But time, evolution, age -- call it what you will -- eroded all things and made them imperfect. Mankind evolved and with its genius set to improve the world through science and imagination. And the most direct route of improving the universe is by tapping ether, the source of all existence, the universal material from which all things derive. Max knows this like every good Son of Ether. And he wouldn't even know about ether had he not Awakened.
Of course, it's a little more complicated than simply being aware of ether's existence. To tap into it, Max must develop the appropriate scientific resolutions to life's imperfections. This demands advanced mathematics and biochemistry. It also requires that Max delve into the future potential of bioelectrics now. Only with genius, flexibility, intuition, and imagination has Max been able to push his experimental devices so far and with such success. By crosswiring through the essence ether, that primal substance that still exists beyond the Tellurian, Max is able to improve the universe around him and exact fantastic ends. It's not that Max is necessarily smarter or wiser than Sleeper scientists. He simply thinks on different levels. He's willing to accept the existence of a material that cannot be proved to exist, only theorized. And it's a material that opens a whole other ballgame of potential. All the same, mankind reshapes the world through tools. Whether those tools are mundane or tap directly into ether is irrelevant. Max believes in thinking on his toes, and can sometimes jury-rig a plan in emergencies without the proper devices and tools. But like most Etherites, he is bound to his science and technology.
Still, one of the most astounding advents of etheric manipulation is the recognition of Quintessence, the fifth state of matter. Solids, liquids, gases, plasmas (of which Sleepers are only beginning to understand) make up the first four states. But Quintessence is a fantastic thing because of how it overcomes all boundaries. Nothing blockades Quintessence but Quintessence. It is the purest and truest form of energy and matter and probably the first state of all matter. That is, purified ether! Some Awakened, Max understands, view Quintessence as the opposite of Paradox. But this just isn't true as far as he's concerned. Paradox is not some strange and mysterious force. It is the result of doubt in unproven, theorized science: the disbelief of the Masses thanks to their crippled imaginations. And that's due to the Technocratic paradigm enforced on so much of society. They're unwilling to look beyond. But even more than global doubt, Paradox is self-doubt. All it takes when enacting some "beyond tomorrow" scientific experiment is a split-second of self-doubt. And that's when it all goes to hell. But that's why constant education, study, and practice are vital to the success.
And over the years, Max has amassed a steady amount of scientific knowledge. He's educated in the Sphere of Correspondence. These devices are simple. He's taken radio and satellite transmitters and reconnected them with circular circuitry to bypass the core of space-time and tap ether. By so doing, he can connect to anywhere, anyone, anything, provided he knows where to connect in the first place. Through these devices, Max can also patch through other energies (Spheres) or even matter or people eventually. He can use "bugs", computer monitors, A/V cameras, and more provided they've been upgraded. His enhanced radio and satellite transmitters are required for this Sphere, however.
To control the Sphere of Forces, Max constructs computer-like transducer devices that are programmed with advanced chemical equations to activate specialized on-board linear circuitry. As with the circular design used for Correspondence, this electronic device taps into ether and merges it with the micro-particles that the device intakes from the world around. These become super-charged energy particles that can be programmed in all sorts of chemo-physical manners. Furthermore, Max often attaches a "gun-like" discharger to these small box-shaped computer-operated containment-and-charge systems. Connected by the appropriate wires and tubes (wrapped in a single bundle, of course), the discharger is as long as an assault rifle. A simple grip extends near the center. The muzzle opens wide like a horn. Max can hitch the charging box on his belt and act physically with greater ease. Of course, despite its appearance, rarely does Max have his discharger device (which he named the "Trumpet Bell") expel raw flames or thunderbolts like some dundering anachronistic Hermetic. In fact, usually the energies he expels are invisible to the naked eye. All the same, Forces is usually a vulgar Sphere, given to much global disbelief. He's very cautious. The main containment-and-charging device he calls "Molecular Rods". They're shortened to MRs sometimes. So as a private running joke, he sometimes refers to his Forces focus as "Mr. Nuke". Max is able to jury-rig something Forces-related in an emergency, however, eschewing his MRs entirely. So while his MR is not necessary for Forces, (by paradigm) this requires him to willfully tap his personal bioenergy and can be quite taxing (i.e., he must spend at least 1 point of Quintessence on such Effects).
As mentioned above, Max taps into bioelectrics at times. In fact, to effect Life science, Max employs small devices that do just that. He uses a universal device that is wire-strapped to the torso so that the device rests on the chest between the lungs. Once the device is primed and programmed for the intended results, Max allows the smaller MR inside these devices merge ether with bioenergy -- the electricity the body generates chemically -- and discharge it back into the Life Pattern. This is a short and painless procedure (usually). Curiously, although Max is willing to dare direct bioenergy taps in emergencies for Forces and Matter Effects (see below), he doesn't dare try to do that with Life Patterns. He fears the lack of internal control could be devastating. So his MR device for Life, nicknamed "Mr. Cure", is still necessary.
Matter is the keystone of the Etherite philosophy, of course. Matter is the universe upon which the Sons of Ether wish to improve through imaginative science. And Max does so the same way he effects changes in Forces. He uses a MR, usually with a Trumpet Bell. Of course, he must use a completely different system. The MR for Matter is calibrated to states, not energies, and it employs ether-merged micro-particles to dissolve, change, or strengthen the state of a Matter Pattern. Fortunately, he can wire one Trumpet Bell to both MRs and even hitch both MRs to his side (though it'd be a bulky load). Like Forces, Max is careful not to push the envelope with too many vulgar Effects. Also like Forces, Max can in emergencies eschew the MR for raw bioelectricity (with the same system). (The MR for Matter was nicknamed "Mr. Coffee"...for those long study nights.)
Mind is more difficult for Max to pursue. He's found that the consciousness can be stimulated through bioenergies just like the body. But it also requires a state of emotional awareness that he only dimly understands through his acceptance of human intuition. Through a device similar to the MR he uses for Life but even smaller, Max can stimulate the conscious energies of the cerebral nerve system of the brain the way Life might stimulate the nerves themselves. The merge of ether and bioelectrics is discharged into the head, where the MR ("Mr. Brain") is strapped. In a way, this is like advanced biofeedback. But Max must be even more careful than he is with other such devices. It is definitely necessary for his Mind sciences.
Prime is the hardest Sphere Max learned to date. Yet he eventually grew skilled with it because of how he recognizes it as yet another Pattern. It is the fifth state of matter, as well as a distinct Pattern itself. But it is recognized most easily in how it merges with the normal Patterns (Forces, Life, Matter) of the universe. (That's also why it's eluded Sleeper notice.) Because of that, Max learns he can capture and manipulate Quintessence, whether "raw" or "free", best through the tools of Pattern sciences. Thus, all he need do is recalibrate the appropriate MR (Mr. Nuke, Mr. Cure, or Mr. Coffee) to gather particles of Quintessence instead of surrounding Pattern energies. However, Max is fairly sure his bioenergy would not be able to tap into Quintessence fields. This recalibration of MRs is mandatory for Prime.
Spirit (Dimensional Science) is the latest Sphere he learned, primarily as part of his research to futilely find Dylann. His lab works overtime to develop the appropriate device (Mr. Barrier) to help him pierce the Gauntlet. This highly specialized and lab-dependent (by computer remote if not physically in the lab) is still required for his Spirit science.
Avatar
Max sees himself as an Indiana Jones-like hero of the modern age: brilliant yet adventurous, fearless but practical, intellectual, well-educated, witty, handsome, and plain cool. His Avatar isn't some spiritual shard or mystical guiding force. His Avatar is just his superego manifest in his every thought and act and whim. It drives him beyond what he might usually think himself capable. It pushes beyond the backlashes of Paradox, those moments of self-doubt crippled with global disbelief. Max works to balance his Avatar's lust for adventure and knowledge with his own practical nature. He helps balance this nature by sharing what he discovers with others. That way, Max realizes, he acts like a channel for all the incoming energy instead of a battery that could be driven into Quiet from an overload of secrets. Max craves to understand his place in the world by understanding the roles of everything else, like any good scientist. He wants to record all the facts he uncovers for the edification of mankind. And Max will indeed discover much. But how long will his luck run? The modern world has no room for heroics anymore, does it? Even now, Max has occasional nightmares of freaky flashbacks that he can't explain. They usually involve a strange man he does not recognize but who seems much like himself. The man is involved with some sort of parapsychological research and is fallen upon by terrible ghostly phenomena who take him and break him like an egg. Max awakens from such dreams in a sweat, naturally. Perhaps they're an early warning system for a fate he may suffer.
Resonance
Dynamic (Energetic)
Max virtually glows with the need to stay active. He can't be a lab scientist. He has to be out there in the world, doing and not just thinking. His eager and assertive attitude can be quite infectious. Socially, he finds it easier to get others excited about something he's excited about: -3 difficulty to such rolls. Unsurprisingly, he rarely goes without grant funding! On the down side, should he find himself exciting someone about something he'd rather not, persuading them to cool out about is much harder: +3 difficulty to such Social rolls. [Example: "A meeting of these vampires! I need to check this out immediately!" "Oooh, I'm coming!" "No...I think you'd better stay." "You can't keep me out of this one, Max!"]
Scientifically, his Resonance infects his Spheres more elementally. Effects that directly involve electricity are easier (-1 difficulty to the rolls). Effects that involve manual activities (not counting pushing a button on an electronic device, but including manual uses of mechanical devices) are harder: +1 difficulty to such Effects.
Static (Probing)
The quintessential scientist, Max comes across as curious and even nosy, intuitive but relentless. He's very good at getting to the bottom of things and digging up fact. He gains a -3 difficulty to Social rolls in which he must question a subject repeatedly. However, this nature can be irritating. He suffers a +3 difficulty to Social rolls involving him attempting to retract or mend damaged relations with a person whom he's questioned repeatedly.
His Spheres react accordingly and in potent manners. In fact, any time he attempts to enact an Effect without first scanning the subject of his science ups the difficulty by +1, as if he were fast-casting just for hastening past a preliminary study. However, he gains a -1 difficulty bonus on repeated sensory scans (even if it's a roll following a failed casting!).
