| Chapter 1: Masters of the Way |
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| Masters of the Way |
| Psionics and Race |
| Dwarves · Elves · Half-elves · Half-giants · Halflings · Humans · Muls · Thri-kreen · Other Races |
| Psionics and Society |
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The Sorcerer-Monarchs · Templars · Nobles · Free Citizens · Slaves · Tribesmen |
| Psionics and Law |
As noted before, nearly every level of Athasian society is permeated with psionics. Even the humblest slave may possess an unusual talent or ability, while the most powerful enchantments of the sorcerer-monarchs include psionic elements.
Mental powers are used on an everyday basis in Athasian culture. Telepaths allow instantaneous communication across hundreds of miles. Draft animals and slaves are kept under control by psionic overseers. Clairsentients use their visionary powers to forecast the fortunes of kings and peasants, find missing objects, and solve crimes. Psychokineticists and psychometabolists use their potent abilities in all manner of enterprises, both legitimate and otherwise. Many wild talents find a way to harness their special abilities in day-to-day life.
The Sorcerer-Monarchs[]
The rulers of the cities of Athas are among the most powerful psionicists on the planet. Only the most powerful of masters may hope to rival a sorcerer-monarch's strength in the Way.
The rulers of Athas are devious in all of their endeavors, and psionics are no exception. Most sorcerer-kings have psionic and magical arsenals designed to bolster their own strengths or to guard against intrusion. At a minimum, the typical sorcerer-monarch has an enormous bank of PSPs stored by means of the receptacle devotion. Most will routinely make use of items such as a ring of mind shielding or helm of telepathy.
In addition to their own potent abilities, the sorcerer-monarchs often have a retinue of several powerful masters who are sworn to serve them. Some of these retainers were personally schooled by their monarch from an early age and are loyal beyond question. Generally, the sorcerer-kings will not permit a follower to become as skilled in the Way as they are, for fear of one day being bested by a treacherous attack.
The sorcerer-kings are capable of remarkable feats of mental prowess. It is nearly impossible to hide from the personal attention of a sorcerer-monarch, or to resist his terrible Will.
Templars[]
Most servants of the sorcerer-monarchs rely on the magical power provided by their master, but the most dangerous templars are also students of the Way. In the competitive ranks of the king's bureaucracy, competence in the psionic arts can often mean the difference between survival and failure. A few individuals in the ranks of the templars are not clergymen at all, but instead psionicists who were rewarded with a position.
Templars who wield psionics often use their powers to ferret out the truth about events or crimes. They also turn their powers against their fellows, guarding against plots or pursuing some intrigue against their superiors. It can be assumed that anyone captured by the templars will eventually be subjected to a psionic interrogation. Once a criminal is known to the templars, it is extremely difficult to stay ahead of them when his own thoughts may betray him.
Nobles[]
Nobles enjoy access to excellent psionic instructors at a very early age. Most are taught the basics of the Way. A greater proportion of nobles are psionicists than any other social class. With the innate advantages of wealth and education, it is surprising that the noble class does not dominate Athasian society completely. The only explanation lies in the decadence of the nobility-many young lords turn a deaf ear to their masters' teachings and view their studies as a waste of time.
Despite the sloth that pervades the Athasian nobility, a number of nobles do succeed in their studies and become formidable psionicists. Agis of Asticles, a noble of Tyr, is an excellent example. Unfortunately, most nobles with psionic ability choose to waste their time and energy in an endless circle of intrigue and backstabbing. The Way is viewed only as one more edge over one's rivals.
The wealthy noble families also employ a number of psionicists. Some are valued advisers and mental bodyguards, rarely found without their masters nearby. Others are nothing more than brutal overseers who watch over the field slaves on the noble plantations.
Merchants
The powerful merchant dynasties of the Tyr region rely on mercenary psionicists to keep watch over family members and assets. With emporiums in every city and caravans scattered across the desert, psionics are a vital means of communication. On a smaller scale, psionicists are used to help guard caravans, control dangerous draftbeasts such as mekillots, and to keep slaves docile until they are sold.
Most merchant dynasties can afford to send their children and most valued agents to the finest psionic academies, much like the nobility does. However, more merchants take the training seriously. The dynasties are not self-perpetuating and must remain competitive to survive. They aggressively seek out any possible advantage and exploit it.
At a minimum, any outpost or caravan will have at least one practicing psionicist nearby to guard the house assets against
psionic attack. Merchant dynasties are very aware of the possibilities of others psionically influencing bargaining, and they take steps to make sure that their agents are defended from mental attack. Adventurers who dream of using domination or awe to convince a merchant to part with a steel sword for a few bits should be warned: a loyal psionicist is probably nearby, watching for cheats and scoundrels.
Free Citizens[]
The free craftsmen and farmers of the cities may be the class least touched by psionics in Athasian society. Potters, smiths, and shopkeepers have little need for mental powers in their day-to-day life. A few may possess wild talents that they put to use in their trade, but most get along without psionics.
Sometimes a wandering master may settle in a city neighborhood, training local children and watching over the area. The psionicist keeps an eye on the shopkeepers and their customers, ensuring that no one uses the Way to cheat the proprietors. Thugs and bullies should be careful in guarded neighborhoods; they can suddenly find themselves hailing the nearest templar patrol and confessing their crimes. More than one adventurer has met this fate.
Since the free citizens comprise one of the larger classes of Athasian society, a great number of practicing psionicists have their origins in this group. Many psionicists are the sons of villagers or the daughters of craftsmen.
Slaves[]
In most cities of the Tyr region, it is against the law to school any slave in the Way. Teaching a slave to use his psionic potential gives him a weapon far more powerful and subtle than any gladiator's blade. The study of the Way is fruitless for conditioned or brainwashed subjects, so the only slaves able to learn psionics are those beyond their masters' mental control.
Most prosperous slave owners find it necessary to retain the services of several mindbenders to keep their slaves in line. Even a berserk mul can be put back to work by a skilled psionicist. These mental overseers are the lowest and most ignoble of psionicists, but they are a crucial part of the slave trade and are well-paid for their efforts.
While most slaves are denied even the least schooling in the Way, a number develop wild talents and a very few blossom into extraordinary psionicists. Slaves are very careful to keep their abilities hidden from their masters; those who demonstrate any real power are often put to death on the spot.
Tribesmen[]
Living beyond the reach of the sorcerer-kings. tribesmen include nomadic herders, hunter-gatherers. slave tribes. and raiders. It is a hard life, an a few accidents or misfortunes can push a tribe to the edge of extinction. Any advantage a tribe can gain, such as elemental magic, sorcery or the use of psionits, can often spell the difference between life and death in the deserts of Athas.
In any good-sized clan. there will be several adults with significant psionic skills. Children are closely watched for signs of psionic potential, and if any show promise they are given the opportunity to study the Way under the tribe's psionic leader. A large and wealthy tribe may have one or more clerics, a preserver or defiler, and several skilled psionicists to help overcome adversity and defend against the predators of the deserts.