The Principles of Mancy

In Quaartheinian science, a mancy is defined as the ability to control an element, a combination of elements, or a subdivision of an element. This may or may not include the ability to create as well as control, as this depends partially on the mancy in question as well as the mancer. A mancer is someone with the potential to learn a mancy, be it deliberately or accidentally. It's worth noting that a mancer is not defined by their ability, but rather by their potential; that is, a fully-fledged pyromancer is no more a mancer than a completely unskilled person with the potential to do the same.
It's long been debated between the relatively few scientists in Quaartheim whether the mancer chooses the mancy or vice versa. In theory, anyone with the potential to learn a mancy can learn any mancy they choose, be it fairly broad or ridiculously specific, but observations have been made on the correlation between one's mancy and one's personality. Some argue that this is due to a gradual change in personality as a person delves deeper into their mancy, but others believe that a person's personality will force them towards a specific mancy, even if they don't notice.
Mancers can learn as many mancies as they like, but it typically becomes exponentially more difficult as they add more mancies to their repertoire. In contrast, the more mancies someone learns, the less powerful they become altogether; strangely, someone who specialized in a single mancy would be far more powerful overall than someone who tried to learn several. Similarly, the more specific someone's mancy is, the more powerful they become relative to their mancy. For example, a pyroxymancer (a mancer who can control bullets) would be far more powerful than a metallomancer (a mancer who can control metal) in respect to bullets. 
Different mancies are tied to different personality traits, and most mancers find that their abilities are amplified under certain emotional stresses. 
== Notable Mancies ==
While there are - in theory - an infinite number of mancies, as they can be combined to create new ones, there are many which are either relatively well known or are drastically affected by one's emotions.
=== Pyromancy ===
The infamous art of pyromancy is likely one of the most common - and certainly most well known - mancies ever discovered. It refers to the control and creation of fire, and as such is potentially one of the most self-destructive mancies, yet also one of the most useful. Typically, novice pyromancers can create small, dense balls of fire with ease, but more skilled pyromancers can create steady streams of flame, or even massive pillars that erupt from the ground. 
Pyromancers are infamous for the suppressed rage they typically hold. For the most part, they often seem quite happy and even comedic, but can summon some sort of rage that often seems out of character. This rage strengthens their flames, boosting their ferocity and often causing them to grow out of control. It's largely for this reason that the Quaartheinian Empire outlawed pyromancy within its borders.
=== Cryomancy ===
Cryomancy is considered a respectable mancy, due to how difficult it can be to master. Cryomancers create ice more often than they control pre-existing ice, as they do so simply by lowering the temperature of the air drastically in very, very short bursts, to the point where it's unlikely anyone but them would notice. Unlike pyromancers, novice cryomancers find it much easier to create snowstorms and streams of ice than solid objects, due to how unpredictable their powers can be. As such, skilled cryomancers can be identified by their ability to create useful objects of definite shape, such as weapons or obstacles.
Again, in stark contrast to pyromancers, cryomancers are known for their stoic, serious personalities, as well as their tendency to avoid building complex relationships with people. As a result, they are usually asocial and keep to themselves, sometimes avoiding human contact for years at a time. Strangely, they seem to perform best when they feel legitimate fear or hopelessnes - when they see no way out of a situation whatsoever.
=== Aeromancy ===
Contrary to popular belief, aeromancy is often tied to anger management issues, and as such an angry aeromancer is very unpredictable. They tend to be brash and reckless, and commonly have a disregard for their own safety. Typical skills include the ability to create small gusts of wind from their hands, powerful enough to knock someone off their feet albeit in a very small area of effect. More experienced aeromancers are more accurate, able to create manipulative tornadoes in order to pick up and move objects. Despite their unpredictability when angry, they are most powerful under calm conditions.
Category:Powers and abilities
Category:Unfinished Pages