Unbound

The **Unbound** are Humans who have obtained the ability to manipulate the energy of the world around them in many different ways. It's rumored the name comes from the notion that these people have had the energy of their souls "unbound" from their bodies, so that this soul energy is able to move freely in order to manipulate other energies.

Inversely, those without these abilities are called Soulbound- People who's souls are strictly bound to their bodies and who are not able to manipulate life energy outside of themselves.

Between these two groups, there were also people who could see the energy that the Unbound worked with, but could not actually manipulate it. Some of these could only act as visual aids of sorts and were known as Seers, but others with abilities to commune with old-world spirits became known as Mediums.

## Origins of the Unbound

At what seemed to be the apex of technological advancement for the humans of Axxenith, there was a bizzarre addition to the elements that made up the planet, and a new, destructive element called Nihilex began to infest the world on a global scale. After a few years, almost immediately after in terms of history measurement, some humans began to show the ability to manipulate the elements around them.

They explained it as seeing fibers, strings, and rivers of energy and life – they could feel matter and time existing and resonating all at once, and with focus, idea, and by pulling on those “strings” with the energy they felt was housed within them as a living entity, they could change matter into something different entirely – some even learned to slow, or
 halt time completely within a specific area.

This granted individuals who had this innate sense of attunement with the world around them abilities never seen before – to manipulate their energy as well as the world around them were feats that to most could only be explained as a kind of magic, and while there existed a limit of
 how much any individual could do at once or do without becoming exhausted, the kinds of feats individuals could preform seemed to only be limited by the mind and state of the individual themselves.

These abilities caused great panic at first, as the few who began exhibiting these abilities soon proved to be large in number across the world. While the number of people without these abilities were far greater, it was easy to feel threatened by people who could set a home on fire, converse with animals for spying purposes, even change their own physical forms... They could be anywhere, at any given time, ready to destroy the powerless others that they lived among.

## Abilities of the Unbound

The Unbound were extremely varied in their abilities and in the techniques that each individual Unbound was able to perform - or at least perform well. There are a few common examples here, but the range of their different and unique abilities is truly limitless.

A few examples include:

* Creating sudden reactions in the environment such as fires, storms, changes in the land itself, sudden floods from seemingly nowhere, and so on. These are usually done by simple changes in molecules – nothing is ever created without equal amounts of matter to convert. Many of these reactions are quite easy for Unbound and are thought of as “simple” abilities, though some still struggle to work with elements that they don't exactly “resonate” with.
* “Summons,” creatures created from matter infused with the energy of the Unbound that creates it. The more summons an Unbound creates, the more the energy of themselves becomes spread thin, and there have been cases of Unbound individuals who have suffered failing bodies once too much of their energy had been displaced.
* Shapeshifters experiment with their bodies' structure to, at times, or even permanently become other creatures, monstrous beings, ideal images of themselves, and even inanimate objects. Care has to be taken when shifting at all times; if an Unbound is untrained in this ability, they could potentially destroy a vital organ, and may not be able to survive if they do not know how to compensate for the loss. (The brain is a commonly destroyed organ; as such, many try to keep shifting as simple as possible.) Shape-shifting also proves to be a constant drain on focus and energy unless the individual has an effortless time envisioning what they wish to become or desire to happen; specifics of Shape-shifting otherwise are vague, and most find it very hard to explain besides sensations.
* Energy-based Unbound are normally more attuned to life around them versus matter; They can thus learn to become excellent healers, and some have the ability to commune with creatures that otherwise cannot understand human concepts or language. Sociopathic behavior in Unbound with this affinity are very dangerous, as they may try anything to break an individual so that they may force them into becoming a sort of “puppet” for them, so many of these persons are monitored closely.

## Limitations of Ability

Even with the broad scope of their abilities, there were many limitations to what the Unbound could do. Some of these limitations include:

* Individuals tend to have specific affinities for elements, concepts, and abilities; some are healers, some are “cardinal element” manipulators (fire, water, air, earth, so on,) some are adept at managing time, some are able to “summon” creatures created from surrounding matter and use their own energy to fuel them, and so on. Most go to academies to better understand their own personal affinities, and even learn to achieve new abilities or tasks depending on what they find manageable, but hardly any are able to really become “jacks of all trades” and show great influence over anything.
* Most cannot do more than 2-3 tasks involving manipulation at once, and doing even more than one task at a time is ill advised. Prolonged focus on multiple sources tends to have adverse effects on the mind, and some have been left with broken cognition.
* The hyper-focus that Unbound exhibit when grasping the threads composing the physical world and it's energy must be limited – there is such an abundance of life, matter, and energy that flows all at once that an untrained individual can easily become overwhelmed, and possibly face black-outs. Meditation and imagining a mental “lasso” around the physical area that an individual attempts to manipulate is a must so that things are taken in easier, and managed better. They are taught to start small, and generally increase their areas of effect.
* Manipulation of matter and energy is a test of mental and emotional stamina – while individuals can pass their limitations, doing so will cause great fatigue that eventually can even effect the body, and rest is necessary for much longer durations. When pushed far too great past one's limits, comas, seizures, or even death can result.
* While some Unbound have greater influence over energy versus matter itself, perceiving the flow of living energy and sensing a “signature” energy for each living person or thing, there seems to be a great struggle over how any Unbound can effect living creatures; a living creature's will and mind can cause a sort of barrier against Unbound influence, and unless allowed – or broken mentally – the effort to do anything to living creatures is far too great to normally be bothered with.
* The energy of the “Self” could be described as the life force of each individual; whether a person is Unbound or otherwise, human or animal, all things that are alive have a specific “signature” of it's own life force. Unbound use this energy akin to how one would picture a spirit or soul, and anything their energy influences can directly cause damage to them as well. Using this personal energy can mean very powerful changes in how the Unbound uses their abilities, but it likewise leaves them very vulnerable, and if overused to the point of exhaustion, it can mean termination of the individual's life.
* Anxiety, Depression, Stress, Pain, and other highly emotional states have vastly ranging effects on the abilities of the Unbound. For some, certain states subdue their ability, and make them weak; others may only be able to preform their manipulation while under extreme stress. The common destructive force against the Unbound's ability, however, is influence of Nihilex.

## Rules and Regulations

It was clear some sort of order needed to happen to dictate what was and was not acceptable to practice within the realms of these abilities, and people who were able to manipulate reality at whim needed discipline so that they did not simply destroy themselves due to lack of information
or understanding. Thus came the Ordonnex, an elderly group of people who had knowledge of experiences with these abilities prior to most
knowledge having to do with them – They created order, laws, and built
academies and places of meeting for those who exhibited these abilities.

They were called the Unbound; people who felt their minds were free to observe and change the world around them, people who had affinities for natural elements, tasks they excelled at, and energy they worked best with. They called themselves scientists, scholars, warriors, mages – but above all else, they were human, and the Ordonnex forbade acts of hostility of any kind toward anyone who did not happen to have these new found abilities to protect themselves with.

Those who looked down on their fellow humans for being unable to work this way were seen as unlawful and would be subdued.