[stormturmoil]

Just so you all know I ain't'n't dead, another insight into the still in-development nature of the 'Savant' Ability and what it entails, as well as a little potential explanation on how David ended up with a paperwork-sink job and a possibly harmful psychological illness.

Spoiler for explanation and consequences.:

Rare Ability: Savant
David’s use of magic has been for a large part subconscious, contributing to his development as a mage who is able to invoke magical effects almost at will with very little in the way of casting delay. It’s been said (with some accuracy) that he’s often cast a spell before even thinking about it. Unlike Conventional Mages, who channel magical energy with spells, programs based on mathematical equations and complex interlocking of forces, a Savant possesses raw power that they direct at will with imagination and visualisation; they have no set spells, no equations, no programs. However, they also suffer in that while they can create an effect merely by thinking of something, merely thinking of something will cause an effect. To avoid this becoming dangerous, most Savants adopt limiters, Anti-MagiLink fields and Control Devices to limit their power and help control their stray thoughts.

David is different in that his Control Device is surgically implanted at his own request, a result of an earlier incident.

[b] The Storm that Brings Turmoil: [b]

In the beginning, David was not able to actively use magic, merely subconsciously channelling certain effects such as healing energies when performing a related task. As a means to help develop active control over his abilities, a system was introduced to breakdown the strong psychological barrier preventing active expression.

A Savant’s power is subconscious, but it is affected strongly by their mental state; if a user doesn’t believe an effect possible, then attempts to accomplish it via their power will fail. This was extremely pronounced in David, who being raised on a largely non-magical world, with a highly cynical mindset, harboured extreme doubts about magic and himself, which were not easily dispelled.

In an attempt to break the barrier, a psychological gambit was attempted: It is known that wearing a mask can often change the personality of the user; It hides hesitation, conceals fear, banishes doubts. It allows acts normally considered impossible or taboo. It makes the wearer into a symbol, something more than were before.

It was hoped that such an approach could bypass the psychological blocks preventing David actively using magic. Eventually, it would prove far too successful.

It was true David did rapidly gain access to his power while wearing the mask, thus truly becoming more than he was before, however it affected him in other ways too. Initially, he still was unable to act without the mask, which in turn increased his desire to wear it. This acted similarly to a form of mild addiction or dependence- in his desire to use his powers constructively, he began to use them more often and more aggressively, and for longer periods at a time. He became irritable and stressed when without the mask, which he began to see as a key to power. Soon, he began to change psychologically. Part of this was a gradual concealed lessening of self worth; after all, while it is true he was a valued member of the Bureau, it is also true that much of that success was actually attributable to the fact he had the mask- he began to feel helpless without it, and ultimately, of less worth than it.

This began to eat at his psyche, eroding his sense of self.

This allowed the second part of the issue to arise: the very abrupt divide between his mental state wearing the mask compared to without; while wearing the mask, his ego grew to a point, but then began to become consumed; ultimately, he saw who he was, with or without the mask, as less important than what he did: Even he began to think of himself as symbol rather than a self, and his personality began to corrode, as he became more and more an expression of his power and little else, with what remained of his personality slowly fading.

This came to a head in the ‘Storm of Turmoil’ Incident, where he demonstrated a hitherto un-noticed erosion of moral values: as an expression of the manifestation of his power to accomplish goals, he had lost the ability to see the reasons for those goals, resulting in his supposed defensive actions against a Hostile mage taking a tactically and strategically advantageous approach but one with no concern for collateral Damage or civilian Casualties.

Unable to be reasoned with, it fell to his immediate Superior, Enforcer Fate T Harlown, to restrain him before his own actions in battling the Hostile mage caused more damage than the enemy themselves! This led to a fairly insane three-way battle that gradually spiralled out of control.

Ultimately, David Brown was able to break through the encroaching persona for a mere moment, as a result of being forced to act against the strongest of his subconscious safeguards, and tore the mask off. This essentially crippled the Bureau’s position, however, as without the mask, David was unable to utilise his powers, leaving Enforcer Harlown unsupported. The incident was resolved unsuccessfully, as the Rogue mage escaped after causing extensive damage.

In the wake of the incident, David Volunteered to receive surgically implanted Control Devices to prevent further such incidences, and requested transfer to a non-combat posting, and was assigned to Section 13, the Bureau Cold Cases department.

Ironically, it was the peace of mind granted by the implantation of a permanent safeguard that finally broke his psychological barriers and allowed him to use his powers actively without risking the addictive and psychologically damaging effects of the mask.

Spoiler for notes:

So, for those figuring it out, the ability itself is something akin to the effect's of a Green Lanterns power ring: the user can project an effect as long they have the will, the imagination and the mana to construct it and the focus and concentration to maintain it. However, they also have a lot of associated baggae that GL's don't have, such as the fact that unless they maintain focus, their stray thoughts can also become projections.

I've modified Control Devices to use AI to 'filter' thoughts and minimise that, though it's not a perfect system (a Unison Device might do it better, but that's for further exploration)

As a result of this, Savants don't have set 'spells', but rather can achieve similar effects but in different ways based on what they come up with; they could certainly, for example, emulate a divine buster, but they could also create an energy projection wrecking ball to do the same thing...

The other factor new here is the mask. This came up from drawing, rather than writing, but then I realised that it could be a way to get round the Psychological limitations I imposed on Savants due to their power being affected by mental state

Then I realised that it could very well have it's own set of downsides.

Gazgh, Keroko and other 40K'ers may recognise the effect: it's modified version of the Eldar 'Exarch' effect, whereby the person loses themselves wholly and merely becomes a pure expression of a subject or path, with no individual will or personality beyond exercising that path or role.

In David's case, the mask, his powers and his role in the Stab all kind of merge into one and he essentially becomes 'addicted' to it.