While the Three Forces (and the spheres of ability they empower) may seem universal to us, information from Outworlders (see; Aedvectis) has revealed that their presence is not reliable across the barrier of worlds. Even more interesting than that are the cases of Aedvectis who arrive with abilities that do not conform to our understanding of our world's fundamental nature. Despite breaking every known law of nature that we have, these abilities continue to function. This raises an interesting question: are these aberations unique to outworlder physiology? Or are there possibilities that we, ourselves, have thus far left untapped?
— Oriana Tansea
   

The Spheres

Empirica Sin has four primary ability spheres and three major forces, or energy types, with three of the spheres corresponding to one of the forces. The final sphere is somewhat unique. See below for more information about that, as well as commentary on the truly unusual wildcard abilities possessed by some for various reasons.

 

Elements and Elemental Affinity

Elemental energy is the raw power of the various elements that are a large part of matter's substance in Empirica Sin. Because of their universality, there is no particular species or race that is more attuned to or talented in elemental manipulation. That said, it is nonetheless the case that fully half of all people have no elemental affinity at all. Strong affinities are rare, and most people are able to interact directly with only one of the elements.

The Elements are Earth, Air, Fire, Water and Aether. Either is a unique element that incorporates all elements.

For more information on the use and prevelance of Elemental Energies, see Elemental Affinity.

 

Od, Odic Energy and Psionics

Od is a form of energy generated from within a given person's body. With the proper application of talent and skill. this energy can be used to shape nearly anything: Inorganic matter, the bodies of others or oneself, the minds of others or oneself, and more. Odic energy and the corresponding Odic abilities can be dangerous to the user if misused, but the more Od a given person tends to produce the more leeway they have in its use. While all races can access Od, it comes most naturally to Celestials.

For more information on Odic energy and its uses, see Psionics.

Void Energy and Magic

Void energy is the energy that circulates the external world, powering the lifeforce of Empirica Sin itself. With talent or skill, it is possible for a person to use this energy, channeling it into Magic. Because Void energy is, on a practical level, bottomless, there is virtually no limit to what magic can do given the will and ability to shape it. That said, the amount of Void energy that a given body can handle without breaking down does vary from person to person or group to group. Furthermore, Void energy is known to have a destabilizing effect on the minds of its users over time. Much like Od, Void energy can be accessed by anyone. However, Demons are more attuned to its use than others.

For more on Void energy and Magic, see Magic.

Physiological Abilities

Physiological Abilities are the the only one of the primary ability spheres that do not draw on an energy form or force. That is because these are not technically "abilities" in the way the others are; rather they are a basic description of what each race, subrace or individual's bodies are naturally capable of: how much a person can lift, how quickly they can move, etc. This extends as well to natural abilities such as shapeshifting for races that are simply capable of shapeshifting rather than using some special ability to do so.

Generally speaking, physiological abilities are not truly available to mortals, because their physical limits are within the human range. That said there are some exceptions. For example, some Brightbloods, Cambions or Sisthenos may have enough Celestial ro Demon to affect their limits... and there is one other kind of exception...

The Chaos Effect

Rarely - very rarely - a person will manifest an ability that has no apparent connection to any of the normal systems of abiltiies present in Empirica Sin. This is due to the presence of Aedvects. When an Aedvect comes into Empirica Sin wholly (including their body rather than as a soul-only transference), they can bring abilities and information that did not previously exist in the world - abilities that may recur in their descendents.

 

A Primer on Ranks

The Assessment System

The power assessment system was invented inside Incaendium due to the importance Demons place on relative power levels. However, it has since migrated throughout all of Empirica Sin, despite no one really caring as much as Demons do anyway. The ranks are as follows:

 

Expanding Potential

All lifeforms are born or created with a certain level of lumen. Lumen is a general description for the potential possessed by a person (or a bloodline in some cases), including the potential they are aware of/using already and any untapped/latent potential as well. Despite this, there are ways to expand one's potential - however every species has access to different methods.

 

Celestials

In order to expand their potential, a Celestial has two options: Promotion by the Seven or Ascension via overcoming internal limiters. They are also capable of engaging in Exedis but benefit is at a very reduced rate; it is also culturally condemned and against Astrum's laws.

 

Demons

Demons expand their upper limits through Exedis - which is to say they directly drain the Lumen from a victim, leaving that person's abilities reduced or destroyed. This can be done to a living person with some difficulty, but they can also consume the energy of the recently dead.

 

Mortals

Mortals must expand their limits through diligent training, learning, studying, etc.

 

Access to Populations

Regardless of the source, each is hypothetically available to Celestials, Demons and Mortals alike. However, on a practical level, each race, subrace and individual person will have a different relationship to those abilities! Beyond that, the abilities can also interact with one another, creating a complicated tapestry of abilities that serves to make each person's ability set truly unique. In short, nothing is definite and everything is possible!

More specific information about the different systems and their prevalence among different groups can be found on the pages dedicated to the individual Ability Spheres.

 

Advanced Applications

Interconnections

If a person's abilities across the various different ability types substantially overlap, those abilities will ultimately overlap and strengthen one another. For example, if a person with a Fire affinity also has pyrokinetic psionic abilities and then casts a magical fire spell, those abilities will strengthen one another. This can make it difficult to tell where a person's level of ability derives from: if someone is exceptionally powerful in one area, it could be that they are moderately able in that area across multiple forces, or that they are strong in one and weak in two that reinforce the strong area, etc.

Furthermore, a truly skilled wielder of multiple spheres may invent their own ways of weaving their abilities together to create new and interesting effects that are unique to themselves. This can make unraveling or nullifying effects exceptionally difficult as it is not always clear what exactly is being nullified.

A skilled practitioner of energy analysis and sension (a psionic sphere) or divination magic may be able to determine what specifically is going into an effect.

Creating Empowered Items

Each ability sphere has its own range of things that they can accomplish with regards to objects. For example, elements can be used to enhance objects, but only while it is being maintained. One cannot design a sword to set itself on fire, for example, but one can give a sword an aura of fire as long as the elementalist is actively maintaining the blaze. The same applies to, for example, psionics - one could maintain an aura of mind-scrambling on their dagger so that stabbing a victim causes confusion, for example, but the effect will fade when the psion is no longer maintaining it.

Ultimately, only magic can make an effect permanent. This means that all empowered items are magical, and someone capable of using magic was involved in their creation. That said, there are things other spheres can do that magic cannot. For example, a high level psion is capable of creating constructing a certain level of sentience from nothing - which neither elemental energy nor magic can do. The only way to create a sentient object via magic alone is to anchor a soul to the object.

So, for example, if someone wished to create a sentient sword without capturing and essentially enslaving a soul to empower it, they would need both a powerful psion and a magic user to be involved in its creation. Creating a flaming sword could theoretically be accomplished with magic alone, or with a magic-user and an elementalist or psionic pyrokinetic... though the fire involved might have slightly different effects depending on its source. Never assume that two magical items that seem to do the same thing are actually the same.