Brand

The Origins

Evitrix. WIP.

Concepts

The Axis: The origin of the name 'Brand' arrives from a process known as Soulbranding, wherein which the exterior layer of the initiate's soul becomes crystallized and therefore physically interactable. For this reason, the mage becomes known as a 'Branded', forever marked by the process of initiation. The Axis is the word for that crystallized encasement, and rather than a purely interior detail, it acts as a conduit through which the Brand mage may manipulate, view, and channel raw ether. The Axis is also where a Branded's weapons emerge from, crafting them rapidly within its structure before allowing the mage to pull their weapon through their body.

The Armory: In order to craft weapons with ether, the Branded must memorize their shape, and know them as innately as their own skin. For many Branded, this means becoming a weaponsmith and learning to forge their own weapons. For others, it means carefully studying and detailing every aspect of a weapon, and understanding how each curve and edge relates to the weapon's applicability within war. Once a weapon is understood wholly, it may be forged within the Axis, and added to a Branded's Armory. The Armory is a collective of memorized weapon templates, typically built from exact replicas of physical weapons and reforged with ether. All weapons in a Branded's Armory are incapable of harming the mage, passing through their body like air as they're pulled through to be wielded. Armory weapons, called Arms, are the focus of much of Brand's abilities, and appear to serve as a sort of foci.

Initiation

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Overstepping

The drawbacks listed below do not always come in pairs, and certainly not simultaneously. Some may come and others may not.

Lesser: Nausea, fatigue, headaches, muscle spasms, dehydration

Moderate: Bleeding through the nose, eyes and ears, intense cramps, seizure-like shocks and spasms, internal bleeding, vomiting and weakness

Severe:

Abilities

Glyph: Novice. From very early on, the Branded learns how to draw Glyphs, complex, circular symbols of intricate character and detail. Glyph is known to be one of the most singularly useful abilities within magic, and many mages become Branded purely so they may learn this ability, and subsequently master it. By drawing a Glyph and impaling through its center with one of the mage's Arms (Armory weapons), the Branded may utilize this Glyph as a direct conduit for their abilities, including abilities of other magics. This means that one might conjure an ability remotely, allowing the mage to overwhelm or surprise a foe, or to channel their abilities without them being noticed. Glyph has many applications, and as mages have explored them, they have only found more.

This ability is, however, known for having several limitations. To begin with, the range through which Glyph might be accessed is limited. At Novice, a Glyph can only be accessed within ten feet (or three meters), with this range increasing by ten feet per the Branded's level of mastery, up to fifty at Master. Additionally, Glyph needs to be prepared. A Glyph is a highly complex symbol requiring hundreds of strokes. Once it has been 'inlaid' with ether, it is very difficult for a Glyph to actually be removed from a given spot, but it can take as long as an hour to create a single Glyph. This changes at Expert, when the Branded becomes able to memorize and produce Glyphs with ether, but until that point it must be prepared beforehand. Finally, a Glyph must have an 'Arm' impaling through it in order to be viable for utilization. This limitation also eventually disappears, though only at Master.

Devise: Novice. Devise is doubtlessly the most core ability of Brand, though it is one that is both dangerous and difficult to learn. It is the construction of Arms, the ethereal weapons that a Branded wields. In order to Devise, or construct these weapons, the Branded must understand them innately (as is mentioned in The Armory), and must visualize their forging through ether. The weapon is constructed within the Axis, piece by piece, and as it is made it will be forced out through the body of the Branded. In order to perform this ability without being killed, the mage must recognize the weapon as a part of their own shape, typically through meditation and force of will. Devise is often only first learned following hours, days or even weeks of meditation and deep thought on the process, as it is often lethal but does not need to be. Once the ability is performed correctly and the weapon passes through, presenting its handle through the body of the mage, the mage must grip the weapon at its handle and firmly grip it, dislodging it from the Axis. No wound will be left behind, the weapon incapable of harming its creator if forged correctly. This also means Branded may slash, hammer or impale themselves through with their own weapon in order to attack foes at differing angles, a trick that often leads them to victory in battle.

Arms constructed by Devise follow a few rules. To begin with, excluding in the case of Arsenal, a Branded may only utilize a select number at any given time, determined by their mastery in Brand. This number is one at Novice, three at Apprentice, five at Journeyman, eight at Expert and ten at Master. In addition, in order to understand a weapon enough to be able to craft it adequately, the mage must be at least Apprentice in that weapon skill, with more variety and better results coming with greater understanding. A weapon's durability is determined by the Branded's level of mastery, with a Novice's weapons being weaker than iron, while a Master's weapons nearly rival Redspear Steel, Atharen's most durable weapon material. Arms vary in color, but they generally appear as glowing weapons, often almost ghost-like with seemingly transparent interiors, though not always. The appearance of Arms can change over time, often as a byproduct of the mage's internal psychology, and even - some say - their morality.

Revoke: Apprentice. Revoke is a simple, but useful ability. By focusing on one of their Arms, the Branded may recall it back to them, the weapon being flung back to their hands. At Expert, the weapon instead seems to effectively rematerialize within their grip, disappearing from its original location after a brief moment of being rattled.

Arbiter: Apprentice. WIP. Control ethereal weapons.

Galvanize: Apprentice. WIP. Control base ether.

Replica: Journeyman. WIP. Replicate current weapons.

Ethersight: Journeyman. WIP. See ether.

Huntersight: Journeyman. WIP. See traces of living ether; used to trace activity and follow tracks.

Transmutation: Expert. WIP. Copy and connect glyphs, including underground.

Disband: Expert. WIP. Dispel ether, break it down.

Myriad: Master. Myriad is among the Branded's most powerful tools - ten of their Arms will circle around them in powerful aethereal form and can be transitioned to instantly, dematerializing and rematerializing in fractions of a second. The Branded can therefore exchange the weapon they are wielding and utilizing fluidly. They can even switch mid-motion, as well as dual wield these weapons if they desire. Thrown weapons will immediately return when willed to, and the Arms surrounding them can even be made to violently dance around them, placing vast pressure on any nearby foes. There are effectively two versions of Myriad, and each has their own associated costs. The Myriad in which all ten Arms are persistently dancing, chasing after foes and attacking in formation is certainly far more powerful, but expends considerable aether and over-use can quickly lead to overstepping. The Myriad that allows for constant weapon-swapping, more commonly utilized by master Branded, can be sustained for much longer periods of time and tends to be a part of a master Branded's general arsenal of abilities.

Arsenal: Master. A Branded's "Arsenal" is the manifestation of their ethereal armory - materializing at their disposal - only to duplicate them en masse, creating at first tens, then hundreds of these fabricated weapons typically overhead and beside themselves to be launched at a foe. Arsenal is often an ability that moves in a straight line, launching these weapons at a high velocity within the designated radius. Its area of effect, however, is versatile; it can be conal, can follow multiple straight lines, and can even launch in odd formations such as variating crescent shapes. The weapons of the Arsenal can be guided to briefly follow after individual or multiple targets, making evasion and defense more difficult. Arsenal's weapons fade a few seconds after impact is made, though the ten original Arms may return to the Branded's side, allowing for a smooth transition into the next ability.

Descend: Master. WIP. A colossal blade descends.

Templar Abilities

Reaver: WIP. Dispel the ether in a body.

Reach: WIP. Turn blades into ethereal lines, akin to lasers, which endlessly pursue foes.

Ascension: The Templar

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