Quantal

**Quantal** is one of the four original tribes of men, the ancestors of the people of Abeth; the others being Gerant, Hunska, and Marjal. The traits of the Quantal bloodlines sometimes show in the current population, but it is the rarest of the four tribes. By tapping directly into the power of The Path, a trained Quantal can work greater magics, from blowing the strongest door asunder, to throwing lightning, from scattering men with a wave of the hand, to controlling the wind. By manipulating the Threads that are woven to create reality, they can work subtler magic, from tracking anyone, to getting drawn when an object moves, from unlocking any door, to influencing what someone thinks or feels. Young Quantal children are trained to use and control their power at institutions such as the convent of Sweet Mercy, where the Shipheart magnifies abilities to an incredible degree. On taking holy orders, they become Mystic Sisters or Brothers in service to Ancestor. Other institutions that train mages, such as The Academy, only train Marjals. Those with Quantal traits include Sister Pan, Nona Grey, Zole, Hessa, Arabella Jotsis, and Joeli Namsis, as well as the legendary Sister Argatha and Sister Rain.

## History

Of all the bloodlines, quantals are considered the most powerful and rare. This perception is quantified in the many legends and tales telling of large Path based explosions. Some of these stories are even from the current era, such as Sister Pan who is very old, deaf, and laughed at by the novices she teaches, she is hugely respected by Abbess Glass and others in power, who are all aware of her vast amount of power and experience.

## Religion

The idea of the Path is closely tied to the Ancestor's church. Just as the Ancestor is connected to all humans through the original tribes, the Path is a line going through all the corners of the world and connecting everything, always leading back to the Ancestor.

It is unclear how the beliefs of the Hope church relate to quantal abilities, but since the organization is descended from the Ancestor's church it is likely they are at least somewhat similar.

## Notable people

### Zole

She is considered the Chosen One as she has all four bloods, including quantal. While not much of her Path-walking abilities are actually shown and thus making her true skill unclear, it is assumed that she is quite powerful. But she is seen to struggle with thread-working, a skill requiring a lot of subtlety and care, which is not one of her strong suits.

Unusually, when her being is looked upon by Nona to see what threads are inside, none are available to look at. Initially Sister Pan thought that this was a mistake, but later confirmed it, much to her confusion.

## Shipheart

Sweet Mercy's former shipheart is most closely tuned to quantal abilities, the convent's most valuable treasure as it magnifies quantal abilities to an incredible degree. As evidenced by the confrontation between Yisht and Hessa, those who come near have their poweThose who have gone near the shipheart will become overwhelmed and infected with demons in close contact, but still allows terrifying power for a short time. Another valuable asset as with all shiphearts is the ability to produce heat without any fuel or burning.

It is unknown if there any other quantal shiphearts though it is quite likely. As the planet Abeth is covered with ice except for a fifty mile wide diameter it is certainly possible there are more under the ice.