Magical Conduit
A conduit is a human with a predisposition to channeling magic. This capability typically manifests as a sensitivity to magic, they're able to feel sources of power and will often gravitate towards them. Overtime, they can passively absorb energy from the environment and store it inside them subconciously. It's a coin toss whether they ever discover this ability. Some will accidentally perform an unmistakable act like levitation and seek out answers. Others will go their entire lives never realizing what they were. They may well subconciously use their powers, but it will be in such minor capacities as to be easily denied or rationalized away.
Among the mage community, magic-capable people who haven't yet learned of their abilities are said to be sleepers. Showing them their abilities and bringing them into the magical-world is said to be 'awakening' and a user who is aware of their abilities can be described as 'awakened' if they had never been aware of the abilities in the first place. Some conduits are raised and trained from birth to use their powers, they are the bulk of the population. Being an Awakend conduit is considered somewhat of a stigma.
Basic Information
Anatomy
In all technologically measurable ways, a conduit is a completely normal human. There's nothing that makes them stand out. Their organs are normal, their cells are normal, and at least as far as science can determine, their blood and genetics are normal. That said, magical capability is mostly hereditary. If a conduit has powers, they likely inherited them from an ancestor no more than 2 generations separated. That said, random chance has occasionally caused an individual to develop magical abilities.
Genetics alone are not enough to explain the presence or absence of magical abilities. There are rare cases of identical twins where only one twin will develop powers. This suggest an additional factor that cannot yet be understood. Most mages simply explain it all as some things not being meant to be known.
The best method to possibly detect a conduit will lie in their blood. All magical conduits need to store magic. Most will have a measure of magical energy stored within them. To that end, the magical energy is stored in their blood. Some of their cells will also have a measure of energy, but the bulk is in the blood, where it can be immediately channeled at need.
Genetics and Reproduction
Being a conduit is believed to be hereditary, with some exceptions. Typically an ancestor within 2 generations must have been a conduit on either side of the family. If they are on both sides of the family, it will improve the chances of being a conduit. That said, there are a few conduits who have no known magical lineage. These individuals develop their abilities entirely at random. By the same token, magical ancestory does not guarantee a conduit as offspring. It is readily able to skip generations, skip siblings, or die out entirely.
Currently, there are no known methods to artificially create a conduit. There have been efforts to create such artificial magic users, and to depower a conduit into a regular human. There is debate over what the true scope of difference is. Humans are able to wield magic, in some cases, just as well as a conduit. The only key factor that is not present in humans, for-sure, is the sense of magical energy.
Dietary Needs and Habits
In order to perform magic, a conduit requires a source of magic. Most will subconciously collect magic inside them, but these are small amounts. Conscious effort and a selection of magical sources is needed to obtain power to use their abilities. They are able to survive without magic, but it is not in their best interests. Conduits who have constant exposure, particularly from a young age, are shown to have stronger abilities and often live longer lives than the average human.
Additional Information
Social Structure
There are numerous conduit-organizations. They range in scale, mission, and operations as much as any other human endeavor. Some guilds exist purely to further the knowledge of magic, others focus on protecting humanity from unseen and incomprehensible threats, and there are of course orders which seek to bring only harm to the rest of the world through conquest and destruction. These organizations are somewhat intercompatible. A conduit may join as many organizations as they like, providing they are in compliance with that organizations rules.
The research guilds forbid members of criminal or villainous organizations from joining their ranks. They will readily expel a member found to have betrayed the guild's trust. There is an underground of magic users who traffic in secret knowledge, usually stolen from the research guilds or plucked directly from the minds of researchers.
Average Intelligence
There are some indications that conduits possess above average intelligence, but the sample size of these examinations is too small to draw a thorough conclusion. It is equally possible that in cases of testing, conduits subconsciously use their abilities to enhance their performance in the tests. It is an open question that cannot be resolved in the near-term.
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
Conduits have almost identical abilities to any human in terms of sensory-perception. They have human eyesight, hearing, taste, smell, and so on. Their only extra-sensory ability is the ability to sense magic. A conduit is able to detect the location, intensity, and nature of magical energy sources. Stronger sources will have stronger auras that can be detected from greater distances. Weaker sources can require a measure of practice and skill to be noticed.
The magic-sense is a combination of visual and touch. A conduit can see the aura of a magical signature if it is in line of sight. Hidden magical sources can be felt as an almost buzzing sensation, as if something were intensely vibrating. This touch-sense is enough to locate a source of magic and roughly gauge its strength, but is generally insufficient to tell what kind of magic. At best, a mage will feel heat, coolness, or some other weak indicator.
Symbiotic and Parasitic organisms
All conduits rely on various sources of magic. They can be parasitic to werewolves, dragons, and other magical creatures. In general, they are parasitic to all sources of magic, having a deep reliance on them. This can be a well moderated and healthy relationship, or it can be a dangerous over-reliance that depletes the world of essential magical resources.
Genetic Ancestor(s)
Lifespan
90-150 Years
Conservation Status
Conduits are believed to make up to 15% of the population. Some however cite a far lower 1.4% of the population. Exact figures are hard to determine. Only a tiny fraction of the world's 8 Billion people are active conduits.
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