Manipulation: Draw Essence

Effect

Draw Essence is one of the fundamental spells of magic, with the caster able to either draw essence out of an object into its surroundings (cooling it), or draw essence from the surroundings into an object (heating it). The amount of magical stamina spent in effort and the concentration of nearby leylines controls the magnitude of the draw - a weak withdrawal can chill drinks at a party, but a strong draw into an object can incinierate it. Essence may not be drawn to or from living things directly, though they can be affected by proximity to things being warmed or cooled.
While the act of manipulating 'essence' heats and cools objects, the spell does not directly manipulate heat. There are limits on how much essence may be drawn from any given object or fluid, irrespective of the current heat or chill of that object. For example, temperate air may only be drawn from to the point of it being relatively cold, but colder air exists in nature (and itself can be drawn from, to become even colder). The current speculation is that 'essence' is some ineffable quantity that exists in all things, that is somehow related to something's temperature but not its entirety.

Side/Secondary Effects

While ordinarily quite a safe spell if used correctly, a common mistake by novice wizards is to attempt to force draw as much essence as possible as quickly as possible from an object. Sudden and rapid shifts in temperature can cause fragile objects to shatter and flammable objects to catch fire, when the intent was merely to warm or cool an object.
Apart from any obvious effects of rapid temperature change, one curious effect of drawing essence from one thing to another is a notable color shift in the objects being affected. Objects that have essence drawn into them subtly brighten in color and become slightly reflective, as though coated in a fine oil. Objects that have been drawn out fade in color, as though exposed to the sun. This effect is temporary; essence naturally stabilizes once the spell is no longer being actively applied, and color will restore over the course of a few minutes. Foods that are intended to be magically chilled are typically colored brightly in order to mitigate this effect.

Discovery

Next to the simple application of force (see Charge: Snap), essence manipulation was one of the first spells researched and published, and is one of the first spells wizards learn at The Academy of Etoile once they begin their training. While what precisely 'essence' is, is ill defined, all mages can intuit the relative quantities of essence within various objects and can manipulate them roughly by instinct. Extensive research is inconclusive on the exact relationship between magical essence and temperature, though wizards perceive no additional essence emerging from objects that are being boiled or on fire.

Gestures & Ritual

Drawing essence requires a somatic hand ritual from most wizards, though a rare few can cast the spell purely through mental concentration. The hand motion depends on the direction of the essence flow, but to begin drawing essence in any direction, the caster raises a hand in the general direction of the object being manipulated. To draw essence inwards to the object, the wizard brings their fingertips together in a five-fingered pinch. To draw essence out of the object and into its surroundings, the wizard instead spreads their fingers apart as widely as possible.

Effect Duration

As long as channeled, recovery in five minutes

Effect Casting Time

Immediate

Range

Line of sight

Applied Restriction

Essence may not be drawn to or from living things - attempts to do so have yielded no results in experimentation. While most wizards can manipulate the essence of small objects, it requires a great deal of power and stamina to do so at a large scale, ex. drawing essence from a building to cool its interior.