Sorcerers. Wizards. Magicians. Witches. Psychics. Whatever one calls them, Ethites are one of the most diverse professions in all of Setareh, simply because of the multitude of ways their powers can be used.
Magicians have one thing in common: their powers stem from the ability to channel Ether, the life-giving element present in all living things, into etheric energy to perform feats beyond what they would normally be capable of.
Powers
While it is an almost impossible task to catalogue all the powers that Ethites are capable of, official institutions separate the powers into four main etheric categories (listed in increasing order of rarity): Divination, Dynamics, Kinetics, and Legendary. Most Ethites are capable of more then one category, but most have abilities that lean towards one more then most.
Divination
Divination based powers tend to be based around gathering information based on sensing ether and by proxy, thoughts and emotions. These powers tend to be the first to develop in Ethites, and are the most common. However, one should note that "most common" does not mean "least powerful". When those based in Divination join criminal organizations, the results can be disastrous.
Powers in this Catagory include:
- Empathy/Emotion Manipulation
- Telepathy/Thought Manipulation
- Dowsing
- Mediumship
- Type 1 Clairvoyance
- Type 2 Clairvoyance
Dynamics
Dynamic powers have to do with converting etheric energy into thermal or electrical energy and vice-versa. This tends to manifest as heat or electricity being released from the Ethite, but with practice, Ethites can manipulate thermal or electrical energy in the immediate area as well. Some Ethites who are extremely proficient in this area can even recharge their ether by exposing themselves to outside thermal or electrical energy (such as shocking themselves on an exposed live wire).
Powers in this Catagory include:
- Pyrokinesis
- Cyrokinesis
- Photokinesis
- Energy Beams
- Hard-Light Construction
Kinetics
As the name would suggest, the powers in this category involve the movement of objects. This can include affecting an object's position, speed, or both without physically touching it. It is hypothesized that the reason this area is more difficult to master then Dynamics because more etheric energy is needed to produce mechanical or kinetic energy then thermal energy. There is also no word if those proficient in this can recharge their ether through motion as they can in Dynamics.
Powers in this Category include:
- Telekinesis
- Levitation
- Kinetic Acrobatics
Legendary
Legendary, as the name would suggest, is by far the rarest of the etheric categories. Very rarely seen in those who are not Deities, Transfiguration can include both the changing of objects and people into other forms, and manipulation of time. Those with this power are incredibly rare, those born with the ability are even rarer. Because of its rarity and power, those proficient in Legendary powers are viewed with a mixture of fear and awe. They tend to live away from society as hermits or explorers.
Powers in this Category include:
- Shapeshifting1
- Polymorphing
- Transmutation
- Probability Manipulation
- Time Dilation
- Type 3 Clairvoyance
- Teleportation
1: Shapeshifting in this case refers to the ability to deliberatly shift to a form of one's choosing, such as the Puka do. It does not refer to switching between predetermined forms (like the Mesede). Career
While it is possible to learn to be an Ethite, most Ethites develop their powers naturally, either at birth or during puberty, depending on the species.
Perception
Ethites can pursue many paths in life, from military to medical to musical. Those who pursue formal education usually have to take extra classes to channel their powers into their profession. For example, a Ethite in the military will focus mostly on offensive and defensive uses (such as creating energy blasts or shields), while an Ethite in the arts might learn to use their power to enhance their work (such as a musician creating a light show around themselves to draw attention to the beats of their music).
Ethites are both celebrated and feared, the opinion differing from person to person. Ethites who use their powers in their fields tend to become famous simply because their powers make them better at their chosen professions. Historically, this lead to complaints about Ethites having an "unfair advantage". Around 200 AKC these complaints got so bad that the High Minister at the time, Shoj-Ina, made an official statement:
Hey, maybe if you lazy fucks put as much work into your trade as you did into your complaining, you could actually get up to their level!
The number of complaints have died down since then, but have sadly not gone away completely.
Ethite Percentages by Species
The percentage of each species that have etheric powers (only counting natural ethites, not those who developed powers later)
Operations
Too much use of ether in a short amount of time can cause exhaustion, wear and tear on the body, and sometimes even death. Ethites with physical or mental illnesses are encouraged strongly to use their power sparingly (or not at all in severe cases) until they recover or at least stabilize.
Roleplaying an Ethite
Because of the versatility of Ethites, when making a character, you may choose this background in addition to one other background, which will tell how you used your power before becoming an adventurer, and what schools you may be already trained in.
Keep in mind when choosing this as a background what species you are, referencing the demographics above. If Ethites are common in your species (such as an Ent or a Drazard), you may have received training on your home planet, or even from a family member. If Ethites are not common in your species (such as a Lucian or a Human), you may have been sent off world to train, or you may have been forced (for whatever reason) to hide your powers completely. Your species can also affect the powers you are trained in. For example, all Ents communicate by telepathy, but trying to control fire when you're made of wood is kind of a bad idea.
Oh boy. I like it, I really, really like it. It is well structured, and the description and separation of classes and schools of magic is very neatly done. But, if you want anything else than Ether to describe the force the dominates magic, you could always use Quintessence, or distort some name (Magic, Life, Energy) in Latin, Portuguese or Italian. It helps on making it be rather unique.
Thanks for the compliment! I might change the name later, because yeah it is a pretty common name (of course then I'll have to change all the adjectives, too)