Ask me anything about Wyrds!
In the world of Fables and Others, many supernatural phenomena are commonplace—oddities like a living predatory road or a third of New York being folded into a diner. Resonance is the main cause of this when actions, behaviors, and metaphysical effects synchronize at the right moment. Wyrds are individuals who achieved resonance with a specific phenomenon and were left changed by it. Any questions or suggestions are appreciated.
A Wyrd's abilities can range from a body perpetually on fire from the energy it makes to speaking with the universe or something entirely alien like astralpathy. ,In contrast, many random recurring traits can occur. Psychics for example owe whatever abilities they have to a unique psionic entity living in their mind/body that could be either benign or parasitic. Abilities aren’t genetic but can pass traits down like your children having grass hair cause your botanical body controlled plants or them being able to sense family coming cause one parent was psychic.
Wyrds can uniquely perform rituals by combining their abilities with each other or preexisting phenomena. This “Wyrd magic” is very experimental and only a handful have started to grasp how. An example would be the Amiss Roads, a phenomenon that traps people in a labyrinth of never-ending roads. You could figure out a glyph to escape but can’t direct where you’ll come out. Someone’s ability to converse with space lets them use the rune to travel to other worlds. Another character’s telepathy lets her zone in on someone’s mind opening the road near her target. Alternatively combining abilities with others can create independent phenomena. This relies on certain abilities being combined with a glyph like fire, telepathy, and spatial control acting as the lighthouse, signal, and bridge in a ritual to summon creatures. The main basis is that if you can associate a power with an archetype and achieve resonance by mixing said archetypes you can cast spells if the right people are involved.
The current climate for Wyrds is more nuanced than simple discrimination. Compared to active phenomena Wyrds are not considered a primary threat. Many of the laws are valid given how dangerous some can be but public opinion and actions usually Some can receive stipends using their abilities to power wind farms or reactors while others in less relaxed areas have registration laws subject to the bias of who enforces them. Trafficking has even taken place aiming to use Wyrds with desirable abilities for high level crime.