====== Sprout ======
Sprouts are small devices placed inside the brain to connect the human mind to [[quinta|the Aether]]. First created by the [[Children of Genesis|Children of Genesis]] to survive [[Aetherial Corruption|Aetherial corruption]], the method to produce sprouts has long been lost to time. Sprouts are therefore considered one of the most important non-renewable resource, and are harvested from dead bodies to be redistributed to newborns.

=== Production ===
There are no known Sprout production methods. The search for such a process is considered one of the foremost scientific pursuits, and vast amounts of time and money are invested into the subject by a variety of organizations, government departments, and research institutions.

=== Collection ===
Various collection initiatives have been proposed and/or tested. Initially, [[monarchy_of_ivykeep|the Crown]] offered a simple buy-back program. This, unsurprisingly, lead to a vast increase in violent and lethal attacks by criminal groups and desperate individuals. The buy-back program was scrapped and the Crown began purchasing directly through disposal groups such as [[wasteworks|WasteWorks]], funeral homes, and medical centers. This limited, although not entirely eradicated, criminal retrieval of Sprouts; some of the mentioned groups retain ties with criminal groups, and the Overdrive black market remains.

=== Overdrive ===
The implanting of 2 or more sprouts is popular within some circles. The practice supposedly allows the user a deeper connection with the Aether, often appearing externally as a drug-like stupor. The more sprouts one has the harder it is to safely remove any, making Overdriving extremely dangerous. [[liquidators|Liquidators]] are known to attempt to remove Overdriver's Sprouts and rehabilitate them into their own ranks, but the success rate is not particularly good.