Channelling

Magic in Thamos involves the Channelling of raw matter and energy from the infinite sea of Chaos, through one's Life Force, and given shape by pure force of Will and Affinity.

General principles
Each person, each living being, whether sentient or not, possess a Life Force. Life Force is not created, but instead given to a being by another, say, its parents. Each seed of a tree contains a small, tiny bit of Life Force. Life Force, however, has the capacity to grow. It does so not by drawing upon normal matter, normal energy or nourishment, but instead has its own link to the great Chaos. Through this link, this connection, it draws forth raw Chaos and thus grows.

Every person is able to do this. Every living being is able to do this. Some, however, are able to hijack this connection and draw forth Energy or Matter through Channelling.

There are several things that can be done through Channelling, though ultimately they are either the creation of matter or energy. People talk of Creation, Power, and Manipulation. Others refer to them as Energy, Matter, and Vectors. Most commonly, however, Channelling is classified in terms of Paths.

First Path
The First Path of Channelling refers to a Channeller brining into existence new matter. It is known that certain materials are more difficult to create while others take little effort. Similarly, the more complex the shape desired, the harder it is for the Channeller to do so. Presumably as the newly created matter wants to exist, forcing it into complex shapes or specific compositions requires the Channeller to impose his Will onto the matter’s primal drive to exist. Complexity increases the burden on the Channeller, both in terms of his own concentration and the level of detail in which he needs to “steer” the newly created matter. Records, however, speak of Channellers whose Affinities make it easier for them to create certain shapes - and harder to create others.

For example, records speak of a Channeller named Idris Stonespike who had the uncanny ability to create spikes of stones piercing from the ground with relative ease, using the ability to slaughter enemies. However, the records also mention that Stonespike struggled greatly when it came to creating materials other than stone or even forming the stone he created into more complex shapes.

Other notable Channellers have created liquids, most commonly water, or various metals. Interestingly, some Channellers have been able to create substances never seen before, with other Channellers unable to replicate them. It is also notable that organic matter is extremely difficult to create - there are no records of any Channeller able to create non-poisonous meat or grain.

Lastly, there have also been examples of Channellers who produced matter in unusual ways - one Channeller seemed to extrude acid from his pores when agitated. Said Channeller was unable to create acid in any other manners or under any other circumstances.

Second Path
The Second Path refers to the calling into existence of raw energy. Channellers who focus on this category of Channelling often die early in their careers because they fail to control the energy sufficiently. Many young Channellers have burned themselves to death because they were unable to steer the energy away from themselves into a controlled shape. Energy takes a multitude of forms, most commonly flame or lightning. Similarly, the level of control over these energies varies greatly from Channeller to Channeller.

There have been Channellers that have combined Creation and Power for stronger effects, such as by infusing heat into stone, creating lava. Others have used flammable liquids to cause large fires.

It is notable that unlike Creation, any effect caused directly by Power dissipates once the Channeller stops fuelling it. Thus, a wall of fire, unless supported in some way, will run out of energy rather quickly.

There have also been Channellers that had the uncanny ability to energise a body’s natural healing process by using Power, causing wounds to heal much faster than normal.

Third Path
Manipulation is a less clear field of Channelling. Users seem to be able to manipulate the connection between things - causing effects such as gravity or magnetism - or people, influencing their minds or feelings. Manipulation appears to allow for the creation of illusions, changing the momentum of objects, or even control temperatures.

There is some debate whether giving objects kinetic force is actually an appellation of Power, but the current classification offers the benefit of greater clarity. Similar discussion also surrounds the manipulation of sound.

Affinity
A being’s Life Force influences the manner in which Channelling is possible, the shape that such Chaos takes, the way it can be employed, and the amount of Chaos that can be drawn forth. This is called an Affinity, some form of instinctual ability to Channel in certain ways. A person’s affinity is determined by a multitude of factors - anything that shapes one’s Life Force shapes one’s Affinity. Thus, experiences directly influence Affinity.

Affinity’s are theoretically infinite, but over time, some types have been more common than others. The more primitive the relevant application, the more common are Channellers capable of doing this - generally speaking.

Patronage
Patronage can be viewed as an adopted Affinity. A person is given Patronage by tying himself (or herself) to another, greater being, usually an Ascendant - the Patron. A Follower is, through this connection, allowed to draw forth Chaos through the filter of the Patron - essentially allowing the Follower to imitate the Channelling of the Patron. Obviously, this requires the consent of said master and it is speculated that a master may revoke permission altogether, suppress a Follower’s access for a time, or amplify the Follower’s Channelling.

Demesnes
Closely tied to Channelling are the realms, demesnes, or planes that are known to exist on a different layer of reality. These other worlds are seemingly created by beings. Gods usually rule over such worlds. A Channeller may, akin to a Patronge, draw forth from such a realm.