Telekinesis

Lore & Background

The art is not without cost. Prolonged or excessive use taxes the caster's nervous system; overzealous practitioners have been known to suffer nosebleeds, temporary paralysis of their own limbs, or a disorienting 'echo' where they feel the force vectors they imposed on the outside world reverberating through their own body. For this reason, seasoned telekinetics are advised to release their hold frequently and to never attempt to move something heavier than their own body for more than a few seconds at a stretch.

In Their Own Story

The corridor on the lower floor smelled of iron and old blood. Marcille's fire sputtered out, spent, and the chitin-beast's tail whipped toward them in a blur. Laios was already reaching for his transmutation, but the distance was too great, the molecular shift too slow for what was coming. It was the quiet woman at the back of the party—the one who had said almost nothing all day—who simply raised two fingers and stopped the tail three inches from Falin's ear. The creature shrieked, thrashing, and she tilted her wrist. The tail swung wide, smashing into the stone wall with a crack that sent dust raining down. She exhaled, lowered her hand, and a thin thread of blood trickled from her left nostril. 'Don't make me do that again,' she murmured, and wiped the blood away with the back of her sleeve. No one argued. They pressed on.

Reader's Guide

Properties: Telekinesis in this world is a kinematic magical art that generates an invisible, directional force field around a chosen target. The caster does not alter the target's material composition or elemental state; they apply vector force—push, pull, torque, or suspension. Range is typically limited to the caster's line of sight and comfortable arm's-reach extension, though highly trained practitioners can extend this. The force scales with concentration and the caster's magical reserves, meaning a single strong impulse costs far more than a sustained gentle hold. Known casters: Telekinesis is a recognized art taught in mage academies, but no single protagonist in the main party specializes in it exclusively. It appears as a secondary or tertiary skill among mages of varying focus, and is occasionally seen in the ranks of hired expedition mages or guild operatives. Its practitioners tend to be patient, spatially aware individuals who favor precision over raw output. Limitations: The art demands continuous mental focus; losing concentration causes the force field to collapse instantly, which can be dangerous if the target is mid-swing. Physical fatigue, emotional stress, and magical exhaustion all degrade control. Moving objects significantly heavier than the caster's own body mass is possible but brief. The caster cannot 'feel' the target through the force field the way a touch-based mage might, making blind manipulation extremely difficult. Prolonged use risks neurological feedback—nosebleeds, tremors, temporary limb numbness. Combat use: Disarming opponents, redirecting projectiles, creating momentary stasis on a charging enemy, holding a shield or barrier in place without a physical frame, and—most critically—protecting allies by intercepting a blow before it lands. In a party, a telekinetic often serves as the 'safety net,' the one who catches the stray claw or the falling rock. Cooking use: This is where telekinesis shines in a world built around processing Dungeon meat. A telekinetic can hold a filleting knife perfectly steady while the cook uses both hands to steady a slippery fish or a still-warm carcass. They can portion mince with surgical precision, suspend a delicate garnish over a plate without a spatula, and—most valued of all—hold a finished dish's components in place while the plating is arranged, preventing a perfectly cooked cut from sliding or breaking. In the culinary guilds, a telekinetic assistant is considered nearly as valuable as a second cook.

Did You Know?

• In this world's magic system, each mage typically specializes in one primary magical art; telekinesis is one of many recognized disciplines alongside elemental projection, molecular transmutation, and light-based healing
• Telekinesis is distinct from Laios's matter manipulation: he rewrites the molecular bonds of a substance, while a telekinetic simply applies force to a substance that already exists.
• The culinary guilds on the surface treat telekinetic assistants as a premium service, particularly for dishes involving fragile or still-warm Dungeon meat where a single clumsy touch can ruin the cut.
• Overuse of kinematic arts can cause 'vector echo,' a neurological feedback where the caster briefly feels the forces they imposed on the outside world reverberating through their own limbs.