Gifted Powers

The magic of Jerde; Extremely under progress

Gifted powers come in a variety of forms, with many different strengths, and are classified into two types that are then broken down into other sub-classes.

Types

The two main Gifted power types are Named and Unique. Named Gifted powers are those Gifted powers that occur often enough and are similar enough to be grouped together and definitively named, while Unique powers are often a combination of other Gifted powers and are rarer than the Named.

Named

Named powers are divided even more, into classes of commodity from common to extremely rare. Some writers and scholars will divide powers into classes of mental, physical, and emotional, but even Named powers are difficult to classify this way. Oftentimes, writers will group abilities into classes of helpful, harmful, elemental, entertaining, and protective. However, most records just list the abilities in alphabetical order. As follows, a list of the Named powers.
Agility: Agilitors are inhumanly flexible and often faster too. They can fit in small places, climb swiftly, and move silently. Agilitors are uncommon and only affected by minor Downsides, although these often come at the worst times.
Animing: Animers can control animals and understand them. Most can only control some animals of a certain type, but some can command an entire army of creatures. Animers are uncommon and are affected by symptoms like emotional detachment and severe OCD or other mental illnesses.

Pretty little snakes, how many takes, wrap around a stick, killing so quick.

— Animer nursery rhyme from Danoor, 4th century AEA

Aquacity: Aqualings can control water and can pull moisture in the air to form huge streams. The most powerful can drain water from living things or even create it, along with nearly effortless control of existing water. Aqualings are uncommon and usually exhibit physical or mental Downsides like illness, nausea, and hallucinations, all varying with their strength.
Dark Wielding: Dark Wielders can control shadows and darkness, allowing them to fade into shadows. The strongest can even snuff out lights and knock others out. Dark Wielders are common and affected by Downsides like hallucinations, mood swings, and unnatural cruelty.
Destructing: Destructors can destroy anything they touch, and sometimes even things they only look at. The most powerful can destroy whole buildings and some can destroy living things. Destructors are not common, but they are close to. They are affected by mood swings, emotional detachment, and cruelty Downsides.
Earthing: Earthlings can control the very earth, lifting rocks, moving dirt, and transforming the matter of stone and soil. Strong Earthlings can split the ground and create earthquakes. Some have been said to detect lies and sense the positioning of armies. They are not common and are some of the few Gifteds unaffected by Downsides.
Empathy: Empaths can identify, feel, and even manipulate the emotions of others. The strongest among them can manipulate their own emotions as well. Empaths are not common and demonstrate Downside symptoms of mood swings, emotional detachment, and emotional loss.
Flaming: Flamers create fire from heat, control that fire, and control any existing fire. Powerful Flamers can keep themselves warm and start flames even in the coldest places. Flamers are rare and demonstrate extreme mood swings, hallucinations, uncontrollable nightmares, and some unnatural cruelty.
Frosting: Frosters are often confused with Icers, but are rarer and more powerful. They create ice out of nothing and manipulate any existing ice or snow. They also drop temperatures and freeze the air, allowing them to kill with a touch. Frosters are very rare and are unstable, with their Downside symptoms usually tending toward emotional detachment or loss.
Healing: Healers can heal nearly every injury and sickness. Healing is one of the abilities to give off an aura and those with the power heal faster as well. The power does not affect Downsides or mental illnesses. Healers are uncommon and are some of the few to be immune to Downsides.
Icing: Icers can freeze moisture and turn it into snow or ice. They can then control that ice, along with already existing ice and snow. And Icer is virtually powerless in a hot area, they are rare, and their Downside symptoms include nausea, hallucinations, and illness.
Illusions: Illusionists project false images into any space they wish and affect all in sight of the illusion. The illusions do not actually exist, but some Illusionists can add sounds, smells, and feelings to their illusions. Illusionists are affected heavily by nausea, illnesses, and hallucination Downsides; they are uncommon.

It was beautiful, a thousand stars swirling with dozens of globes of light and scattered with streaks of darkness. I looked to Marinn and couldn't keep from smiling inanely. Luksia laughed at my expression and I still feel warm now thinking of it.

— Journal of Jacob Riler

Imagining: Imaginers can change reality itself, with very few restrictions to their power. The most powerful recorded Imaginers have been able to create or do anything they imagine, bending and even breaking reality to do nearly impossible things. Imaginers are extremely rare and, unless they are weak, demonstrate every single symptom of Downsides, making them unstable.
Jeweling: Jewelons can create and control precious jewels. They are quite rich as a result, but are also highly possessive and vain, preferring to keep their wealth close. Jewelons are uncommon and exhibit symptoms of mood swing Downsides. They can be manipulated easily.
Lie Detecting: Lie Detectors can tell if someone is lying no matter what methods are used to conceal the truth. Lie Detecting is often considered useless but is used in most court systems. Lie Detectors are common and often experience physical Downsides.
Light Wielding: Light Wielders can pull light from any source of it and twist it around themselves, changing the color and form to suit their interest. The most powerful can summon light out of nothing. Light Wielders are common and are affected by Downside symptoms like hallucinations, mood swings, and accelerated mental illness development.
Memoring: Memoriers can manipulate and imprint their own memories and sometimes the memories of others. This power is actually very limited and rarely useful. Memoriers are very rare and are not affected by Downsides.
Metalicity: Metalicitors can create and manipulate metal in most forms. Only powerful Metalicitors can create metal easily or in large amounts, and some can imbue the metal with supernatural qualities. Metalicitors are actually common, and their Downsides vary.
Morphing: Morphers are shapeshifters and can change into different things. Most can only change into animals they have seen or people similar to them, while others are strong enough to shift into objects or change their features to their desire. Morphers are not common and are affected by physical Downsides.
Necromancy: Necromancers can raise the dead as ghosts, corpses, or skeletons to do their will. The raised are completely bound to the Necromancer for as long as they are raised, and while retaining some personality, they are often much changed. Necromancers are very rare and susceptible to multiple Downside symptoms. They are unstable and cold to strangers.
Plantity: Plantlings can control plants and trees, accelerating growth and bending or changing them unnaturally. Most are not very powerful, but some are very dangerous. Plantlings are common and most are unaffected by Downsides, although powerful ones can be.

by Lilliana Casper

Prophecy: Seers can see into the future through dreams and visions. These are often unreliable, but powerful seers can see glimpses of the past and present, and any repeating dreams should be taken seriously. Seers are very rare and often develop mental illnesses like bipolar disorder along with other Downside symptoms, although some argue that their visions of the future could be considered tortuous enough to be a Downside.
Sensing: Sensors can identify what one's Gifted ability is or will be and how strong. Some can easily tell what each power is, and others must learn what each one looks and feels like. Sensors are very rare and are one of the few unaffected by Downsides.
Shielding: Shieldlings vary in their strengths and types, but all naturally project a field that protects them. Some can shield others, some create shields at will, some shields are visible, some are invisible, and some only shield from a particular danger. Shieldlings are rare and are affected by lighter Downsides including mood swings and minor physical illnesses.
Storming: Stormers control storms; they create and manipulate things like lightning, wind, rain, and snow. The most powerful can create storms with a thought and then totally control them, even harnessing the ability to fly or creating blades of lighting. Stormers are about as rare as Flamers and exhibit mood swings, emotion loss, and the constant urge to create storms.
Super Speed and Strength: Supers can heal faster, regulate their bodies, move unnaturally swift, and lift heavy objects. Some Supers can briefly absorb other Gifted powers, but only one has ever managed to use those absorbed powers. Supers are common and mostly exhibit physical Downsides.
Telekinesis: Telekinetics can move objects with their minds. This can be difficult enough to require focus or effortless enough to be done with a flick of the fingers. Telekinetics are rare and highly unstable, exhibiting multiple symptoms of Downsides.
Telepathy: Telepaths can read minds and even send their own thoughts into someone else's head. Some are strong enough to control minds, although every Telepath has a limit. Some can block out thoughts but some cannot, causing them extreme pain. Telepathy is not common, and Telepaths are affected harshly by Downsides.

It's not a gift, it's a curse! I always hear what people are thinking, and there's no way to stop it!

— Anonymous Telepath

Torturing: Torturors can inflict pain on others. While their actual power only causes the feeling of pain and no physical damage, Torturors are also hyper-aware of their bodies and those of others, allowing them to inflict pain physically as well. They are uncommon and affected by Downside symptoms like emotional detachment, mood swings, and hallucinations.

Unique

Unique powers are difficult to organize due to their seemingly random appearances and properties. Uniques generally appear when two Gifteds with different powers have a child but one of the parents' powers does not take prominence. However, Uniques have appeared all over, sometimes even from Non-Gifted families. Unique abilities range from a combination of two abilities to perhaps a previously unseen ability that does not occur for at least five hundred years or more, if ever.

See these other essential articles:

Type

Metaphysical, Arcane

Acceptance
Varies/Well
Occurrence
Common

Extinct Powers

What happens when a power is so dangerous or hated that people refuse to marry the Gifteds who have it? It disappears, of course. This has happened to many abilities over the long existence of Gifted powers. After several generations of no marriages (or, in the case of the Gravitrons, a mass genocide), the gene for a specific Gifted ability can almost entirely disappear, causing the Named ability to vanish. This only happens to Named powers, as Unique powers are too erratic to track carefully and develop due to rare gene combinations or cycled occurrences.
Casting: Casters can cast spells. Similar to the Hexers, Casters can enchant and curse things, but their power is less dark and not limited to vessels. Casters are affected by a variety of Downsides and are either extinct or extremely rare.
Graviticity: Gravitrons can manipulate gravity and other forces, allowing them to lift, move, steady, and crush objects or structures. The power is similar to that of Telekinesis, but less specific and more widespread, manipulating the area instead of the object itself. Gravitrons were once uncommon, but are now extinct. They showed particular susceptibility to emotional detachment, mood swings, nausea, illnesses, and similar Downsides.
Hexing: Hexers can cast spells or curses on people or objects. Some can only cast small curses, others huge enchantments. Hexers exhibit unnatural cruelty, emotional detachment, physical illnesses, and mood swings. However, Hexing disappeared sometime in the 1600s due to its malice. Hexers were previously rare.
Jumping: Jumpers have the power of brief time travel. This ability works in two ways, viewing and participating, and neither actually changes anything. Jumping to the future comes with dangers and is not recommended. Jumpers are either rare or extinct; they are affected by multiple Downsides.
Power Twisting: Power Twisters can manipulate the Gifted powers of themselves and others, with the power to mutate, activate, and disable others' powers and give themself unnatural powers. Strength varies like all abilities. Power Twisters are affected by multiple Downside symptoms and were rare before their extinction.
Teleporting: Teleporters can transport themselves, others, and objects over distances, to any place they have been before. The amount of times and objects or entities transported varies from Gifted to Gifted. Teleporters experience mostly physical Downsides and are now extinct.

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The Case of Mimicry

One of the most confusing debates of the fifth century AEA, Mimicry is still considered a partially Named power, although scholars across the world agree that Mimics are actually Uniques. This confusion comes from a specific incident in the fifth century when enough Gifteds manifested the power to replicate the ability of a Gifted they touched. Mimicry was listed in several documents during this period. However, when none of their children manifested the power, nor those Gifteds' children, genealogy studies about the parents were done, and scholars discovered that the "Mimics" were actually Uniques.
Five of the "Mimics" were discovered to be siblings, and the combination of their parents' powers caused each child to have the exact same power. Coincidentally, a few Uniques throughout the world were given the same power, allowing "Mimicry" to be classified as a Named power. Mimicry was still listed in many texts, and although it was removed after the discovery, whenever a Unique with the replicating ability appears, they are honored (or mocked) with the title of Mimic, and their power is called Mimicry. The most recent holder of this gift is Jaylynn of Westerly.

I'm not a Stormer. I'm a Mimic.

— Jaylynn of Westerly

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Houseless Gifteds

Not all Gifteds are born in a Gifted house, a "noble" family associated with a certain Named power. Since science has determined that Gifted powers are hereditary, this seems to pose an interesting dilemma. However, after years of research, some experts have managed to discover that Gifted genes are still present even in Non-Gifteds descended from Gifteds. These genes can remain dormant for generations, even centuries, and so "houseless" Gifteds are actually descendants of Gifteds.
Although the hierarchy of Gifted houses rules the world, some Gifteds will leave their houses and start families with other deserters or even Non-Gifteds. And even this is not the only solution, as Gifted powers are just that: gifted. Some Gifteds only have Non-Gifted children, and some of the most powerful Gifteds have come from Non-Gifted families not descended from Gifteds. This makes tracking of Gifted powers virtually impossible outside of the houses and occasionally inside.
All Gifted powers have appeared outside of the houses at one time or another, but the most common powers that manifest outside of houses are Storming, Lie Detecting, Healing, Agility, Empathy, Unique, and, surprisingly, Imagining.