Giftling

"Giftling" is the (sometimes derogatory) term for a human with various extra sensory powers and/or abilities.

The monks teach that these gifts are given by Ard, but others are suspicious of the Matari, as the first gifts in humans started to be observed around the same time the Matari arrived on Gesara.

For un-known reasons, giftlings are more common in population centers. The leading theory on why this is the case, is that higher concentration of giftlings interbreeding spreads the giftling genetic component, but few studies have yet been conducted in this area.

Gifts vary greatly from person to person, but can be sorted into major classes:

• Energy - An energy giftling can generate or manipulate various forms of energy.
• ESP - Telekinetics are the most common, then locators, and various others. Telepathy is a rare gift--almost un-heard of.
• Enhancers - An enhancer can apmlify existing properties of a thing. This can vary from useful (increasing durability of a structure) to practicaly useless (such as amplifing a sneeze.)

Research has not yet discovered the root-cause of the appearance of these gifts in humans, but it has discoved that burning calories is what powers these gifts.

Giftlings are ranked according to raw power output, and effeciency in burning calories to power gift abilities. Each increase in level is exponetially more powerful than the previous level. The distribution of the level among the population also decreses as the scale goes up.

• E-Class - E-class isn't officially recognized, as they're power out-put is slow low as to not be noticeable. Examples would be someone who's got really good luck with plants, but can't consciously influence them, or a nurse who's patients allways seem to improve, but healing isn't visibly supernatural, and usage isn't on a conscious level. Quite a large segment of the population falls into this catagory, though they would call themselves un-gifted, and no authority recognizes them as giftlings either
• D-Class - Least effecient, and least power output. An E-Class gliftling tires quickly, and has a very limited use of his or her gift (For example, an E-Class light generator may only be able to generate light from one specific finger. Going up the scale, a giftling with the same ability will be able to generate light from more and more appendages, and for a longer time and at higher lumens.)
• C-Class - A C-Class giftling can use his gift for a high enough level and for a long enough time to be able to practically and regularly use it as a part of his job.
• B-Class - Quite powerfull, able to use her gifts for demanding applications.
• A-Class - Rare, able to use his gift for an extendeted timeframe, with impressive results.
• S-Class - Extremely rare. An S-Class giftling can perform almost miraculous feats with her gift.