Worldfire
Worldfire is, essentially, the raw power of all magic and ultimately life itself. Tapping directly into and wielding un-diluted Worldfire is highly dangerous for most haka'a'manem (people) because the majority do not possess firelines--the channels through which the energy of Worldfire flows. Through training and discipline those with healing abilities can grow firelines and learn to utilize Worldfire for healing. It is speculated that any haka'a'manem could potentially grow firelines, but the possibility of becoming power-burned (or burned in actuality in the worst case), coupled with the amount of effort and personal energy it takes makes the vast majority unwilling to even try. This avoidance of direct Worldfire in the general population has prevailed for so long most haka'a'manem don't even realize anymore that it is possible to grow firelines if you are not born with them. In fact, by now most haka'a'manem in Araela'a know nothing about the existence of firelines since the DragonLineages are native to Delretha'an and the Saur’Tzalae’em (DragonFortresses) are all outside of Araela'a's borders until the time of Lysshae's Reign. Araela'ans have a vague understanding that the most highly and rigorously trained healers can access an energy not available to others, but there's not much thought given to it and much of the population considers Kovelak'Tzamokimae to be mythical if they even know about them. Though Saur'Khurandrimae (DragonHealers) are much more likely to travel or even live within Araela'a and are known to be real, there is a kind of mental disconnect between Saur'Khurandrimae and Kovelak'Tzamokimae even though Saur'Khurandrimae are in fact a kind of Kovelak'Tzamokimae.
There are two groups who can tap directly into Worldfire safely and essentially by instinct: dragons and the Saur'Valekimae (haka'a'manem with DragonPotential) who bond with them. Dragons and Saur'Valekimae are the only ones actually born with firelines which grow alongside the energy channels which everyone has. When their firelines have developed sufficiently and they are ready to Bond with a dragon, the Saur'Valekimae are stricken with BondingFever to raise their temperature so it is more in line with the dragon's temperature when their firelines connect. This generally happens between the Saur'Valekimae's 12th and 15th Sun'Round ('Round for short).
Once the firelines are activated, they continually fill at a gradual pace and the Worldfire must eventually be expended. An accumulation of excess Worldfire can cause excessive restlessness, irritability, aggression and horniness, and even literal heat in the body.
The most common ways of expending Worldfire for the newly Bonded are continuing to grow the firelines to maturity and learning to work with their dragon to develop their joint skills. While the Kovelak'Tzamokimae are still children and growing physically as well these methods are more than sufficient to keep the Worldfire at manageable levels except in cases of high emotion. That "high emotion" caveat is why a good portion of early training is focused on developing emotional intelligence, discipline and regulation. It is also why the training barracks of the newly bonded have as little flammable material in them as possible. Worldfire has "fire" in the name for a reason--the trained (or highly pissed off or frightened) Kovelak'Tzamokimae can manifest actual fire. Not working off the excess Worldfire in a timely or correct fashion can cause the condition called The Wild, which in its most extreme form leads to WildRage. (See Hazards)
DragonTalent has existed for HundredRounds upon HundredRounds and by the time of the Seventh Generation Prophecy the Wild is virtually never allowed to progress to the point of WildRage—it may occur in battle as a Berserker state, but even that is rare, since Saur'Guarda (DragonWarriors) must expend Worldfire to utilize Misting">misting, Weighting">weighting, and Side-stepping">side-stepping, which are their primary military advantages/specialties. Avoiding The Wild is a primary reason the Saur’Valekimae begin foundational pre-Bonding training in their tens or earlier, with Bonding generally taking place between twelve and fifteen.
Once Bonded and trained, Saur’Guarda, with few exceptions live in one of the ten Saur’Tzalae’em in Raa’Phen’s, A’Losshae’s and Niellien’s Haka’am’en. This provides on-going training and monitoring of the handling of the Wild and gives Saur’Guarda others to work it off with.
In addition to practicing saur’jhestina’em, the energy accumulated can also be expended safely through physical effort (such as manual labor, intense martial training/sparring, brawling, sex) and certain specialized crafts which combine creativity, spell-craft and both physical and energetic manipulation of materials (such as skor’im smithing and Saur'Glejhe).
There are two groups who can tap directly into Worldfire safely and essentially by instinct: dragons and the Saur'Valekimae (haka'a'manem with DragonPotential) who bond with them. Dragons and Saur'Valekimae are the only ones actually born with firelines which grow alongside the energy channels which everyone has. When their firelines have developed sufficiently and they are ready to Bond with a dragon, the Saur'Valekimae are stricken with BondingFever to raise their temperature so it is more in line with the dragon's temperature when their firelines connect. This generally happens between the Saur'Valekimae's 12th and 15th Sun'Round ('Round for short).
Once the firelines are activated, they continually fill at a gradual pace and the Worldfire must eventually be expended. An accumulation of excess Worldfire can cause excessive restlessness, irritability, aggression and horniness, and even literal heat in the body.
The most common ways of expending Worldfire for the newly Bonded are continuing to grow the firelines to maturity and learning to work with their dragon to develop their joint skills. While the Kovelak'Tzamokimae are still children and growing physically as well these methods are more than sufficient to keep the Worldfire at manageable levels except in cases of high emotion. That "high emotion" caveat is why a good portion of early training is focused on developing emotional intelligence, discipline and regulation. It is also why the training barracks of the newly bonded have as little flammable material in them as possible. Worldfire has "fire" in the name for a reason--the trained (or highly pissed off or frightened) Kovelak'Tzamokimae can manifest actual fire. Not working off the excess Worldfire in a timely or correct fashion can cause the condition called The Wild, which in its most extreme form leads to WildRage. (See Hazards)
DragonTalent has existed for HundredRounds upon HundredRounds and by the time of the Seventh Generation Prophecy the Wild is virtually never allowed to progress to the point of WildRage—it may occur in battle as a Berserker state, but even that is rare, since Saur'Guarda (DragonWarriors) must expend Worldfire to utilize Misting">misting, Weighting">weighting, and Side-stepping">side-stepping, which are their primary military advantages/specialties. Avoiding The Wild is a primary reason the Saur’Valekimae begin foundational pre-Bonding training in their tens or earlier, with Bonding generally taking place between twelve and fifteen.
Once Bonded and trained, Saur’Guarda, with few exceptions live in one of the ten Saur’Tzalae’em in Raa’Phen’s, A’Losshae’s and Niellien’s Haka’am’en. This provides on-going training and monitoring of the handling of the Wild and gives Saur’Guarda others to work it off with.
In addition to practicing saur’jhestina’em, the energy accumulated can also be expended safely through physical effort (such as manual labor, intense martial training/sparring, brawling, sex) and certain specialized crafts which combine creativity, spell-craft and both physical and energetic manipulation of materials (such as skor’im smithing and Saur'Glejhe).
History & Usage
Everyday use
Because of the limited number of those who can successfully wield raw Worldfire, it is only in common use in communities with Saur'Valekimae lineages, in the highest ranks of healers, and in the Saur'Tzalae'em (Dragon Fortresses).
That said, virtually all spiritual/magical systems utilize a "filtered/diluted" form of Worldfire in practices and spells by calling on, drawing on, working with, or manipulating the energetic properties of plants, animals, minerals, elements, practitioners, Guardians and even Deities whose ultimate Source is Worldfire.
Industrial Use
There are two crafts (Skorimcraft">Skorimcraft and Saur'Glejhe">Saur'Glejhe) which the skillful application of Worldfire makes possible.
Refinement
As referenced above, only specific haka'a'manem can utilize raw Worldfire. In order for the average haka'a'manem to utilize Worldfire, it must be filtered through another medium. This is not a conscious form of refinement or even understood as such. Instead, Worldfire is the Source of essence in virtually all things, but once imbued is no longer raw Worldfire. Calling on the essence of any of these things rather than directly upon the Worldfire itself is the refinement that makes the use of Worldfire possible for those without firelines. For most haka'a'manem, however, the understanding of energy goes no deeper than the thing upon which they are calling, except in the vague knowledge that all things are energetically connected to each other.
Hazards
The primary hazards of Worldfire are The Wild and PowerBurning.
The Wild
Kovelak'Tzamokimae are said to be Wild, or to have/be in the grip of/are experiencing The Wild when excess energy accumulates in the Firelines and is not being properly balanced. Technically, they are always Wild because the Firelines are always on and always filling to prevent lag between the need for saur’jhestinem (DragonSkills) and the ability to perform them, but common usage refers to the point past which the accumulated energy is comfortably manageable. This is usually experienced as severe irritability, restlessness, anxiety, anger, horniness or a combination of several or all of these. The DragonBonded are taught at a young age to recognize and expend excess energy safely because there is no such thing as just toughing it out. Since indefinite, unregulated accumulation of Wild energy without expending it will eventually result in PowerBurning, the body will ultimately force energetic expenditure, which at the most extreme end results in sprees (called WildRages) of any or any combination of the following:
PowerBurning In spite of the body inducing WildRage as a last ditch effort to avoid PowerBurning, it can still occur. This happens when:
The Wild
Kovelak'Tzamokimae are said to be Wild, or to have/be in the grip of/are experiencing The Wild when excess energy accumulates in the Firelines and is not being properly balanced. Technically, they are always Wild because the Firelines are always on and always filling to prevent lag between the need for saur’jhestinem (DragonSkills) and the ability to perform them, but common usage refers to the point past which the accumulated energy is comfortably manageable. This is usually experienced as severe irritability, restlessness, anxiety, anger, horniness or a combination of several or all of these. The DragonBonded are taught at a young age to recognize and expend excess energy safely because there is no such thing as just toughing it out. Since indefinite, unregulated accumulation of Wild energy without expending it will eventually result in PowerBurning, the body will ultimately force energetic expenditure, which at the most extreme end results in sprees (called WildRages) of any or any combination of the following:
- Uncontrolled violence potentially to berserker-levels, causing blackouts, manslaughter and/or debilitating self-injury.
- Extreme and compulsive physical exercise or labor, usually to the point of self-injury, which is not felt while the Wild is upon them, but sure as hell is felt later, potentially to the point of permanent damage.
- Compulsive, deeply primal, probably rough sex, possibly involving multiple partners either consecutively or at the same time and/or complete lack of discernment, potentially also non-consensual/abusive behavior if the tendency already exists.
PowerBurning In spite of the body inducing WildRage as a last ditch effort to avoid PowerBurning, it can still occur. This happens when:
- The Worldfire called up exceeds the firelines' capacity to absorb and direct (most common with those whose firelines are not yet mature and the newly Bonded and untrained)
- In the case of magical attack where energy (whether raw Worldfire or otherwise) is forced into/through the body's firelines, their OathBond channels or the energetic channels all haka'a'manem are born with
- The practitioner has the strength of will to resist WildRage even for a few moments. At the point of WildRage, the firelines are already dangerously beyond their capacity. Think of a capped water pipe where the cap's ability to resist pressure is greater than the structural integrity of the pipe itself.
Environmental Impact
For the most part Worldfire is beneficial. After all, it is the energetic Source and has incredible healing powers. It endows the Kovelak'Tzamokimae with increased strength and stamina and a variety of special abilities, including the capacity to rectify imbalances up to a point. However, the Elementalists have the right idea--energies must be properly balanced for a harmonious existence. Utilized for malicious or evil purposes--forcing others to one's will, radically transforming haka'a'manem or creatures into things they are not (rarely something that can be accomplished without extreme pain and anguish to the transforming subject) and draining the energies of others for your own use heedless of their well-being--the Worldfire can become volatile and unpredictable, out of alignment with the proper balance of things and much more dangerously destructive. Individual haka'a'manem lack the strength and stamina to manipulate Worldfire to this extent. However, a collective of dark sorcerers might be able to. A Guardian definitely could, though it would be against the overarching mandate Guardians are expected to follow.
Type
Metaphysical
Density
Though Worldfire does not have a particularly density of it's own, the Kovelak'Tzamokimae and their dragons can utilize Worldfire to manipulate the density of things around them.
Common State
Energy
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