Art of the weilder

Few are those who can master, let alone even learn, the art of energy weapons. It is a power little understood by even great scholars and magi. It is not an art that can be considered apart of any of the schools of magic, nor does it truly even fit with the art of a monk's ki. Though it fits closer to the latter. Users of the art are known as Weilders.

Users of this art do not carry weapons with them and typically wear light or no armor. They are all trained highly in hand-to-hand combat, though specific techniques can vary from person to person.

Their real power comes from their energy art though. They channel their energy into a perfect sphere shape relatively the size of their own fist that 'floats' a half inch from the palm of their open dominant hand. This is the beginning process and takes maybe a second or two. Masters can do this faster than the time it takes to blink.

The spheres do not read as magical, though anyone who detect energy will know that a massive amount of energy radiates from this sphere. The spheres are also colored, and the color is different for each individual, though that does not mean that people can't share colors. They can be any color and color blends do occasionally happen.

After holding the sphere the weilder can morph it into the shape of any weapon they have seen. Weapons can then be shifted into any other weapon at will or back into sphere form to conserve energy. Ranged weapons such as bows appear to fire and impale their targets however immediately after impact the energy is particalized and pulled back to the main source. Weilders can also morph these weapons around giving them greater mobility and speed than real versions of these weapons. An example of such a morph is the weilder cut down a foe in front of them. Now a foe is attacking them from behind. Rather than turn the weapon around, as one would have to with a normal weapon, they can simply shift the shape to face backwards and stab behind them. These weapons are also exceptionally more powerful than a standard weapon. The speed of these shifts depends on the weilder's level of mastery, however even the slowest weilder takes no more than a couple seconds. Another thing to note is these weapons are weightless, however they are still physical and can block.

At any point the weapon can be reverted to sphere form. Once in sphere form a weilder can release all of the energy in a blast in front of them. This type of attack is most commonly referred to as a burst release. The blast fires in a cone like pattern and varies in power by the weilder's mastery. Once used this way the sphere is gone and the Weilder would have to channel to make a new one. Lesser Weilders though typically burn their energy out after such an attack.

These powers require a low level of focus to keep them up. If a Weilder becomes greatly wounded, i.e. close to death, whatever weapon that is currently in use will revert to sphere form and begin to seem to flicker. After a few seconds the sphere is gone. It is possible to burst release the sphere at this point.

Training is done in buildings far away from major cities and settlements known as Warens. Training begins at a young age and is very selective. The masters of each Waren are known as Waren Lords. They are the ones who select trainees being said to be able to see the flow of energies within people. They completely refuse to train anyone who has already grown, which they define as being over 12 years of age, and the oldest student recorded started at the age of 10. Typically students begin at 6 years old. How new students are picked up is not well known. It is typically assumed that they were orphan children. Training is broken down into steps.

6-8: Students train in meditation and discipline. During this period they never are even introduced to combat. They are made to do chores so that they can learn discipline and build up their bodies. At 7, in the middle of this period, they begin major physical conditioning.

8-13: Students begin hand-to-hand combat training, which varies from Waren to Waren. The training is rigorous and full contact sparring starts at only a year. By the end of this period students could be considered more fit and better trained than most town and lesser city guardsmen.

13- : Students begin energy training. During this period they learn to channel and focus their internal energies. By a year of this they should be able to hold a sphere and shift into a weapon relatively easily. At the end of this Waren Lords recognize students as Weilders.

After be recognized a Weilder can pretty much go where they please. Many choose to stay and assist the Warens, while others choose a life of travel. The Warens themselves pay no homage or allegience to any country, guild, clan, or other organization. Weilders are recognized as completely independent in their actions outside of the Waren.