Here's a preview of one of the schools while I flesh out the others:
I looked upon the brave before me and felt a strong truth, saw within his strength and sinew a hidden hollow. With eyes now truly open the brave was no longer before me, but below.
ϾώϿ
The first and most fundamental teaching of this school is the Nature of Nothing, specifically that any given object will contain more 'empty space' than substance. Mastery of this truth allows the cognoscenti to manipulate these fields to considerable effect, all while moving 'nothing' at all. Despite this knowledge pupils invariably find 'nothing' difficult to grasp but as their intuition grows the inverse comes to be true, nothing being difficult to grasp.
For the act itself the cognoscenti must first clear their mind of all thoughts, for even these have substance and emptiness must first be found within. Thus prepared it is then the simple process of allowing oneself to perceive the world within as one would the greater world without, to peer into each atom as if its nucleus were a star. On these orbits of the furtive firmament they exert their will; mind, body and the void for which each is a vessel brought to bare through practiced gesture. These motions meaningless save for delicate state of mind those taught learn to associate with them.
As a learned member of this school you:
Breath deep, stand strong but tread softly; my domain runs through you.
Bury: The First Form - The Burial form is focused through the cognoscenti clapping their hands in front of themselves as if crushing the object they are viewing, then focusing mind and body in a downward motion. This is most commonly accomplished by lacing the fingers of the clapped hands together and swinging them towards the ground whilst stomping their front foot forward.
Effect: An object (or part of a sufficiently large object) is altered so that it briefly 'lines up' with the gaps in where it stands, causing it to fall or sink a few feet into the ground. Unfortunately the effect is very short lived, lasting only about as long as it would take a human being completely pass from sight; unfortunate because--assuming the subject now occupies solid earth--less dense materials will be 'shoved' out of the way by their heavier peers.
Entomb: The Second Form - The Tomb form is focused through the cognoscenti shaping a triangle by joining the thumbs and forefingers of each hand and holding them outstretched but level with their field of view and the intended target. They then release the gesture and pull apart their hands as if holding a rapidly expanding sphere, following this with an upward motion of arm and body.
Effect: The majority of empty space of an area is forced into the shape of a prism, now sheathed in the smooth, crystalline exterior of what was its substance and surrounding atoms. Size is a direct result of the effort one invests, with gases being easier to arrange than liquids or solids. While sufficiently hard, heavy materials are difficult or impossible to alter in this manner prisms of 'ghost glass' can be conjured from thin air.
*These forms don't travel as a projectile would, instead focused on an area or object as an anomaly, the most effective form of defense being to break line of sight.
**They're also more versatile than they may appear. Cognoscenti may bury -themselves- with the aid of a mirror for stealthy rooftop entrances, raise tombs as tactical cover (and likewise expose foes via the first form) or compromise structures they'd have no other means to assail. The only limit is one's ingenuity.
Rivers of empty space permeate all things. First find your headwaters, then follow them.
Are attuned to the emptiness of things and upon physical contact can sense the boundaries of an object. More a guestimate than exact measure this gives the cognoscenti the ability to tell how thick a wall is, if there's a room below, how long a drop may be, etc. Of important note however is that this property is not limited to solids, so they are able to get a less accurate reading from liquid and gas.
Receive training in the use of a bow, sling or similar ranged weapon, as the forms are most effective at range and require a great deal of concentration. (You can bury and entomb less of a visible object the closer it is to you and to even try require elaborate motions and an empty mind/hands.) If forced into a melee many rely on a crude cestus formed from lumps of tombed material sewn into a padded glove.
For those wondering the remaining schools are:
- School of the Sword Eating Shield
- School of the Eremitic Eye
- School of Tethered Tides
- School of the Still Stride
