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Psychic abilities are a collection of talents that arise from within the mind, sometimes blurring the line between magic and talent. Most of these abilities are inherited, or come naturally to only a select few individuals through either random chance or mental disposition. Although these abilities are usually hereditary and the stronger aspects are indeed due to natural talent, any individual with enough will and drive to learn how to do it—and get past the cultural hang-ups and superstitions therein—can learn these abilities.

These abilities can be found in most races, but they are most common in the more intelligent races. Among the elemental races, individuals may have leanings toward certain abilities to which their element is conducive.

Astral Projection

Astral projection is an ability that comes naturally to many, and can be learned by anyone willing to invest the time and focus. Many Aserrans astral project during their sleep, but have little to no memory of it, or control of it. While their subconscious dreams, they project a more conscious version of themselves into the astral plane where they wander and explore for a time, before being pulled back to their bodies. Those who train this ability are able to astral project of their own will—either by entering into meditation, or when they sleep—and will readily remember their experiences on the astral plane.

Traversing the astral plane can have many benefits, but also comes with risks. Astralists can communicate with spirits, meet with other astralists while their physical bodies are hundreds of miles away, and do reconnaissance of real world locations from the connected astral plane.

An astralist’s projection can take any form they wish it too, though the average person who wanders the astral plane in their sleep typically is a projection of how they perceive themselves. More experienced astralists become masterful controlling the appearance of their astral avatar, even consciously shape-shifting into other creatures. Skilled astralists are also capable of crafting objects in the astral plane that they can only use there, such as weapons, armor, and clothing. The items they create are etched into their psyche, and appear with them every time they astral project.

Dreamwalking

Dreamwalking is the ability to enter and influence the dreams of others. It can be an ability inherited genetically, or can show up as a random mutation. Those with high psychic ability can also teach themselves this skill. Some shamans may also practice this ability, relying on their totems as a way of navigation.

The dreams of others can be reached through the Maze of Dreams, Entra’s realm, which is also inhabited by the various races of Fae. Portals to the dreams of mortals can be found throughout the realm, and are protected by the goddess Luma and the legions of fae whom she commands to protect the portals. It is considered taboo for the fae themselves to enter dreams, not that many care to. Dreamwalkers can avoid these guardians as there are innumerable portals and it would be impossible to guard them all. Occasionally, they may be able to bribe or otherwise convince a guardian to let them through if caught.

Dreamwalking is an ability which carries with it many risks, but the greatest risk is to those whose dreams are invaded. During sleep, the dreamer is most vulnerable, though dreamwalkers themselves, shamans, and those with strong psychic abilities can repel things that would influence their dreams. Dreamwalkers may either enter dreams passively as an observer, or they can enter forcefully and manipulate the dream and plant ideas into the dreamer’s head to be implemented upon waking. This latter form of dreamwalking carries the greatest risk to the dreamer, as they may suffer permanent brain damage as a result of the dreamwalker’s influence, often in the realm of memories—especially of the dream itself.

The dreamwalker themself runs the risk of becoming lost in Maze of Dreams, or even dying or suffering injury in the dreams of others if they lose themself in the dream. Dreamwalkers also must be aware of how much time they have away from their body. If they stay away too long and their body wakes without them, they can become lost. Another risk is the fact that unlike with astral projection, where one creates a mental projection of one’s self in the astral plane, a dreamwalker’s consciousness and soul fully vacate their body to enter the Maze of Dreams, which leaves their body open for other entities to enter. If this happens, the dreamer may not be able to reclaim their body. In the long run, dreamwalkers also suffer long-term damage from psychic trauma, which may manifest as senility and memory loss.

Oracle

The ability of an oracle, while similar to precognition, is actually unique. The ability to have visions of the future is not a prerequisite to being an oracle. Though some oracles are also seers, the true ability of an oracle is a profound comprehension of the workings of Fate, giving them the talent to interpret Fate’s course, and even to affect it to a degree (beyond simply making different choices). While it is classified as a psychic ability, the source is actually in the soul, so it is an ability that is inherited by every incarnation of the same soul.

The strength of the talent varies by soul, but as with precognition, the ability is strongest in young virgin females between the ages of 13-18. This is not to say that males, older women, and non-virginal women cannot have the ability, even to great extent, it is simply most common in youth. Though, when it comes to souls that have an especially strong oracle talent, gender, age, and sexual status play little role. While some oracles peek in their youth, yet others maintain the ability until late in life. The Temples of Fate which train and house oracles only accept virgin females, admitting them in youth and allowing them to maintain a position in the temple until their ability to interpret Fate is lost. In cultures outside of the reach of the Temple of Fate, oracles often find roles as seers, soothsayers, fortune tellers, augurs, and other similar titles in their communities.

The Collective Unconscious

Both abilities tied to foretelling the future (oracles and precognition) require a certain degree of whimsy and introspection on behalf of the one foretelling. Being able to daydream and fantasize within one’s self opens one to the ==Collective Unconscious==, which is an ocean of thought from all sentient beings in Aserra. Teenage girls, their minds coming into adulthood, and as of yet, unburdened by the duties of marriage and children, are able to daydream and fantasize and draw into themselves, connecting them to the Collective Unconscious.

The Collective Unconscious is hard to quantify, and nearly impossible to consciously reach out to. However, the information provided from the Collective filters into the minds of precognitives and oracles alike, and manifests in their ability to foretell the future in one way or another; whether that is through dream-like visions or the comprehension of Fate’s will that oracles possess.

Foretelling

Oracles often foretell the future by using an object as a medium. Items such as bones, dice, cards, or stones are cast down and the oracle interprets the meaning from the results. Only the oracle doing the casting can interpret the result, as the items she uses are infused with her unique spiritual energy, and she has her own perception of what the results mean. Even to another oracle, a few bones cast by another may be as meaningless to her as it is to a non-oracle.

Oracles may have visions if they have the ability for precognition as well, and visions may occur during sleep or meditation. An oracle with precognition will likely rely on this as a means for her fortune-telling, and with focus and training can bring forth visions through a meditative state. Other oracles without the natural ability for visions may turn to intoxicants that will induce visions. Some temples are built in the mountains where ethylene gas seeps out of the ground. Breathing in this gas can cause visions, as can a few other natural compounds. Ethylene gas and other drugs are often dangerous to the health of the oracles in the long run.

Perceptionism

Perceptionism is a psychic ability that alters the perceptions of others. It comes easiest to those with a hereditary talent toward psychic abilities, but can be learned with time, effort, and a willing teacher. It is a rather rare psychic ability, and those with the ability tend to use it for less than scrupulous means. Many perceptionists demonstrate some ability with illusion, misdirection, and “magic tricks”. They are not illusionists, instead they “brainwash” people into seeing things how they want to see them. With a bit of focus, directing their opponent with well-placed words, a perceptionist can change the perceptions of their opponent.

Perceptionists often hone their ability from their youth onward, first learning how to alter the perceptions of a single person, then eventually learning to expand the influence to larger and larger groups. Eventually, they reach limits to their sphere of influence, only being able to affect an area around the size of a town square—though the amount of people in that location is no limitation. Many perceptionists find it easier to hypnotize larger groups as “mob mentality” will work in their favor. However, once their audience leaves their sphere of influence, their perceptions revert to normal, though they may never realize they have been tricked unless they have evidence to contrary that challenges their memory of the event. For example, if a perceptionist gives a copper coin to a merchant and convinces the merchant that the coin is gold, the merchant won’t realize they’ve been had until they find themselves a gold coin short, but they will remember receiving the gold coin as payment, rather than the copper.

Precognition

The ability to foresee the future, usually through visions had during sleep or meditation. Individuals with precognition have varying degrees of natural talent, which can be honed through focus and understanding. It is typically inherited, and approximately fifteen in every hundred people have the ability to varying degrees. Though, just about anyone can have a fluke premonition once in their life. This can be chalked up to either the will of a god or the Fates, a spiritual connection, or other causes. However, recurring premonitions or visions are traits of those with the natural ability.

The gene for precognition is co-dominative, meaning that if an individual has a parent with the gene for precognition and the other parent doesn’t, both genes will be dominant. This leads to only a decrease in the precognitive ability in comparison to the precognitive parent. If there are no fresh infusions of the gene into a family’s bloodline, the ability will often weaken over each generation and could eventually become non-existent. However, sometimes the gene will present itself strongly as a random mutation, even in bloodlines with no history of it. Some bloodlines may attempt to practice “pure breeding” by paring precognitives together, even close relatives, but while this may sometimes result in a generation or two of strong seers, it inevitably becomes detrimental to the trait and can lead to unintentional dilution.

As with oracles, the ability to foresee the future is more common in females than males (approximately four females to every one male). Young virgin females between the age of thirteen and eighteen tend to be the strongest in the ability, but this is not to say that males, older women, or non-virginal women cannot be powerful seers in their own right. It is merely more common in virgin teenage girls. Truly talented precognitives can maintain the ability late in life, regardless of gender or virginal status. In many cultures, precognitives are revered as seers or soothsayers and given special positions in the community. Other cultures, however, may fear and ostracize a seer.

Visions

Visions typically occur in a sleep or meditative state. They may be confused for dreams by the uninitiated, but they are not dreams. Visions feel absolutely real for the seer, as if they are experiencing it in that moment. Many visions reoccur night after night, increasing in frequency as the event is approaching. These recurring visions typically do not change, unless an alteration has been made in response to the knowledge gained from previous occurrences of the vision.

Visions will occur naturally in sleep to those with the ability, and the seer will wake upon completion of the vision to remember it. It is often such a jarring experience that they will not easily forget it or be able to return to sleep and override the memory of the vision with fresh dreams. Precognitives will learn better mastery of when and what they foresee with dedication to focus and meditation, but no matter how powerful their ability becomes, they are bound by Fate and the gods with what they are allowed to see.

Rules of Visions

1. The future is never certain, even when it has been foreseen. The very act of knowing what will happen may completely change the outcome. In many cases, precognition acts as an early warning system, notifying the seer of an event in the future that they can change (for example, foreseeing a deadly accident and then avoiding the circumstances so that it never occurs).
2. Fate-bound events are harder to avoid than normal events. These events seem to have a mind of their own and it becomes nigh on impossible to avoid the outcome. A seer can see this event and try to stop it, but by trying to stop it they create the circumstances that make it happen anyway. This rarely happens, and when it does it is often a part of a crucial series of events that the Fates have laid out.
3. The Fates and gods allow people to foresee only what they want them to see. While visions pertaining to a seer’s everyday life are not regulated, visions on a world or regional scale (such as an impending disaster) may be blocked, depending on the outcome the gods or Fates want. Some individuals may be allowed to see visions of these events if the Fates have allowed it, thus making it a “Fate-bound” vision.
4. Visions are always seen through the eyes of an individual while the event is occurring—not from a bird’s eye view, nor is it viewed like a movie. It is always experienced through a person’s perception. Typically, it is the seer themselves, but it can also be through the eyes of another person with whom the seer has somehow connected with—either by the will of Fate or from a personal or spiritual connection.
5. Visions feel absolutely real. It is not an “almost” real sensation, nor is there any lucid knowledge that this is a premonition while it is occurring. The seer feels as if they are actually there so long as the vision lasts, basically existing in that time frame for a brief period. Only when the seer wakes can they address the fact that it is a vision and not a dream.

Psychokinesis

Also known as “telekinesis,” psychokinesis is the ability to manipulate objects with one’s mind. This typically includes moving and lifting objects, or levitating one’s own body, but it can also include “pyrokinesis,” the ability to start fires with one’s own mind—which is basically a function of using their ability to excite molecules to the point of ignition (though the psychic in question will not be aware of the exact mechanics of this ability, only that they can focus their skill on an object with the intention of making it burn). Approximately only 10% of the population has a natural talent for psychokinesis, which may go largely untrained.

A psychic with a low level of this ability would be able to lift small objects such as coins, nuts, pebbles, and other small, lightweight objects. Psychokinetics of this level are also able to levitate their own body, but not the bodies of others. A psychokinetic of moderate talent would be capable of lifting objects under around 10lbs. Higher-level users are capable of moving objects up to 200lbs, and also have the finer-tuned ability of pyrokinesis. There is potential for even higher skill levels, but incredibly rare.

Psychometry

Psychometry is a rare psychic ability that allows the psychic to read the history of an item touched. Touching an object will give the psychometrist flashbacks of its past. This is the surface of the ability, however, and many psychometrists do not bother to search further. With practice, this skill can be of greater use; a trained psychometrist will have the ability to sense their surroundings. By putting their hand to the floor, wall, or other surface, they can sense what lies beyond it if the object is touching the surface that they are in contract with. This is a highly advanced ability, however, and few have ever gone far enough into their pursuit of this dangerous psychic art to get this far.

With people, psychometrists can read into the near future with them, as well as their intentions. This is a Pandora’s Box, though; deep hidden secrets, things better left in the dark, can come to the surface and affect the psychometrist horribly, warping their view on the world and even making them fall into a comatose stupor.

Psychometry can be an inherited ability, or a random mutation. Many natural psychometrists will discover and use their ability with a little focus or only in the right mindset. Most psychics have a natural mental shield of sorts, which allows them to block their ability most of the time. Some psychics, however, do not have this natural shield or filter. Psychometrists who cannot shield their mind find it easier to feel the world through gloves, keeping their hands hidden behind the protective layer of cloth, and only taking them off when they need to use their gift.

Spirit Medium

Spirit mediums are individuals who can perceive and see spirits without the aid of a magical apparatus. The very definition of the term makes a medium a bridge between the human world and spirit worlds, but it is not just a skill for communicating with spirits and ghosts, but also the “spirits” of trees, rivers, rocks, etc.; essentially the ability to “talk” to mana itself. While on the surface, many mediums are easily aware of ghosts and spirits (such as fae, elemental spirits, higher spirits, etc.), it takes greater dedication and training to connect to the spiritual side of the world beyond that. In many ways, the ability of spirit medium can mimic and merge into other psychic abilities. Being a spirit medium is kind of like having a free pass to every language in the world because it’s empathic in its own way.

The ability is largely genetic, but it can be learned by those dedicated enough to devote themselves to developing it. The genetic trait can skip generations unpredictably, sometimes skipping only one, but other times skipping five or more until suddenly a new medium is born. Typically, family lines with strong mediums will continue to produce strong mediums, even if a generation or two skip out on the talent.

Telepathy & Empathy

Telepathy is an ability of the mind to read the thoughts of others. It is an ability that is often inherited, and manifests early on as empathy, or the simple reading and understanding of the emotions of others. While telepathy is at its strongest inherited, nearly all individuals have the ability to use it, though it is a trait that is mostly dormant and undeveloped. A vast majority of individuals are at least mildly empathic, and this ability is not limited by race either; though some races are more inclined to it. Air, Water, and Life related elemental races are highly inclined to it, while Light and Dark elemental races follow at mediocre, and Earth and Fire are some of the lowest inclined. Humans cover a vast spectrum of abilities; some are highly inclined, others not so much. Only about 3% of the human population show a strong inclination toward high level telepathy.

It is easiest to read minds with eye to eye contact, though the more skilled a telepath, the easier it is to pick up thoughts from a short distance. Usually, this distance is no more than a few feet, and even in a crowded room, with some focus on a specific individual, their thoughts can be reached. In very rare cases, pairs of individuals can forge a telepathic link that keeps them aware of each other, even if they are hundreds of miles apart. This most often occurs between twins, siblings, or close friends or lovers where at least one is a telepath.

Furthermore, telepathy has a small, underappreciated value of being able to imprint a thought into another person’s head, coercing the person to start thinking along the lines that the telepath wants information towards. Exceptionally skilled telepaths can impose their own thoughts into another person’s mind as if they were speaking to them, allowing a form of two-way communication where they implant their thoughts and the other person responds by allowing their surface thoughts to be read by the telepath.

Empathy

Empathy is the ability to decipher a person’s emotional state. It is a common ability, and sometimes a combination of telepathy and a simple understanding of expression and body language. Empathy can also be applied to extra-species interaction, such as human and animal relations. While most people can gain a good understanding of a person’s emotions from cues through body language, others can look deeper and read a person’s real emotions, especially if they are skilled at keeping their feelings hidden. A true empath, someone who can read emotions instead of taking physical cues, has the potential to advance further into telepathy.

Surface Reading

As telepathy grows from empathy to actual reading of thoughts, the first sign is being able to read the surface thoughts of people and animals; snippets of sentences or words from people, or impulses from animals. After a bit of practice, fully formed thoughts can be gleaned from others, but only surface thoughts.

Very quickly, telepaths learn to put up their own mental filters and blocks to protect their sanity. Without this defense mechanism, they would be inundated with thoughts from every person and creature that came within range. This may hamper development for some people if they do not actively exercise their ability and keep their guard up at all times, but those who wish to advance in skill learn to focus on a single person and relax their mental barriers when needed.

Deep Reading

The most talented telepaths can delve deep into the minds of others, below the surface thoughts, to read the deeply buried thoughts, retrieve memories and information, find the truth behind lies, and other things that the recipient may be hiding. This usually requires eye to eye contact, and can cause quite a bit of psychic damage to the one being looked into.