Psionics

"It doesn't seem very complex to me. We make so much talk about how the human mind is infinitely adaptable and that we can achieve anything we set ourselves towards. Ponder a scenario, then, when that was actually true."

-Dr. Grace Liu, Neuroscientist at the Next Steps Society

Introduction

The first recorded instance of psionic abilities demonstrated occurred in May of 2083, when Annette Ryker, a young mother from Vancouver, Canada, lifted a crashed car into the air and off of her infant daughter with nothing more than a furrowed brow and a moment of concentration. Recorded by a roadside security camera, the event set the world on fire as politicians and scientists scrambled to make sense of what had occurred as individuals with similar abilities began to appear all over the globe. 
Three months later, the world ended, and hopes of understanding the phenomenon were, in a word, dashed.
Psionics survived The Crash, as people both young and old began to demonstrate unusual powers abruptly and without explanation, but it wasn't until humanity had started to settle itself again after decades of reconstruction that research was resumed to attempt to piece together the mystery. Both the country of Regalia and the scientists of the Next Steps Society have conducted extensive studies monitoring and testing those with psionic abilities (known colloquially as "psionics" or "psis"), with limited results. There also exist rumors of less ethical scientists within both organizations attempting to artificially induce or unlock psionic abilities in those without them. 
The true nature of psionic powers is ambiguous. They exist in many different forms and can arise at any apparent age, with the only unifying factor seeming to be that they initially manifest in a moment of extreme stress for the wielder. What is known is that the supernatural powers wielded by psionics are completely distinct from practitioners of the Small Science (or so-called "magicians"), as they do not draw on the ether to fuel their abilities, either using some other, unknown source or simply drawing any needed energy from within. As such, psionics are an anomaly in the wasteland, and not always a welcome one, though the usefulness of their abilities still finds them employment in many areas.

Psionic Categories

Not unlike Night Folk, psionics have been tentatively organized into a number of categories by the Next Steps Society, depending on the general manifestation of their abilities:

• Dominator: Dominator-class psionics are a rare and feared breed, capable of reading thoughts and memories, modifying the minds of others, or even controlling them outright. Due to the untrustworthy nature of their abilities, dominators are often run out of communities they appear in when they are not killed outright.
• Kineticist: Kineticist-class psionics define the adage of "mind over matter", capable of manipulating matter around them with nothing more than force of will. The scope and span of their abilities vary widely, with some kineticists having the raw power to lift buildings but lacking in finesse, while others can precisely manipulate even the smallest of objects but struggling with shows of force.
• Overlord: Overlord-class psionics are the least common variety, and though little is known of them, scientists who study psis believe they may well be the most dangerous type. Overlords interact with the minds of others much like dominators do, but their abilities are more connected to emotions and abstract feelings, which they can detect and manipulate to aid or control creatures in equally subtle ways.
• Paragon: Paragon-class psionics have less overt manifestations of their abilities than other varieties, but are no less powerful overall. Their abilities enhance their own minds and bodies, granting them superhuman reaction time and coordination, and capabilities of organization and logic far beyond a baseline human. Most work in scientific or military fields. 
• Seer: Seer-class psionics are uncommon and highly prized, as their ability to preordain future events makes them valuable to a number of factions. Seers vary in the accuracy and precision of their predictions, as well as how they manifest - some see future events in dreams, while others have more active sensory powers but can only perceive the present or past, not what's to come. 
• Voyager: Voyager-class psionics have powers connected to manipulation of space and time, allowing them to disrupt fundamental forces like gravity, move at superhuman speed, and travel long distances in the blink of an eye. Many find careers as couriers, transporting goods and messages across long distances.