Essence

Overview

Essence magic involves the manipulation of the elements in accordance with the caster’s wishes. These elements are air, earth, heat, liquid, light, void. Approximately half of the population can use essence magic and of that half, only about ten percent have the ability to become skilled in two. Each person with enough magical ability to use essence magic will have one element they are naturally attuned to. Using anything else will be extremely difficult. Rarely, a person is born who can use two with equal skill.

• This means that 50 in 100 can use magic enough to control essences, but only 5 in 100 can control two.

Due to their inbreeding, the Shiroko Dynasty has concentrated their magical ability. Instead of 50%, their instances of magical ability is closer to 70% and the rarity of someone able to use two essences equally has increased to 15% of that.

• In contrast to the general population, 70 in 100 Shiroko can control essence and about 10 in 100 can control two. Taras Shiroko I is one such person.

Classification

People who can use this type of magic only are called Esh. They are further broken down by element. Someone who is proficient in more than one is called an Aliq-esh.

• Fire: Pyr-esh
• Liquid- Hydr-esh
• Earth- Hort-esh
• Light- Lu-esh
• Void- Ina-esh
• Air- Cae-esh

Limitations

This is dependent purely on the ability of the person using it. However, there is a general rule that no to elements can be used at the same time. For example, if a person is working with light, they cannot introduce water without stopping their manipulation of light completely. Strength and practice are also limiting factors. A person who has spent more time working with a particular element will have more stamina and fine control than someone who is just beginning. Someone who is new to manipulation would need to have the source around (example, an already burning fire), but someone more experienced could pull from the atmosphere (heat). Another limit is the order vs chaos of what is created. Their world's magic operates on a tendency toward order. If whatever the person is trying to do creates more chaos, then it is harder or impossible to do. Pulling heat together is more ordered than having is separate out so creating a burning fire from atmospheric heat is much easier than making a burning fire dissipate into a room.

• A user cannot create elemental energy out of nothing. If a water manipulator is in a desert, for example, they cannot summon vast amounts of water because it simply isn't there. Along with this, someone who works with darkness will be more powerful at night. Elements exist in varying amounts in all locations, but their specific quantity is finite. Often, two or more users will work together if more than one element is needed in a specific instance. This helps them get around their inability to use two or more at once.