branches (chapter 3)

BRANCH CLASSIFICATION:

Defensive: abilities primarily focused on strengthening and protecting the affected's body
Creation: abilities that involve the creation of physical objects
Elemental: abilities that involve the creation and manipulation of an element such as fire or water
Control: abilities primarily focused on controlling or manipulating other living things in some manner
Other: abilities that do not fit into the other classifications


BRANCHES KNOWN THUS FAR:

Dragon's Tooth: [that which devours]
Type: Defensive
Synapse range:  Extremely small
Physical effects
Primary:  The affected's jaw muscles and teeth are greatly strengthened, along with the digestive system.  The affected is able to consume and digest a wide range of organic and inorganic matter as if it were ordinary food.
Secondary:  Minor muscular enhancement
Other effects (full bloom):  After pulling out and planting one of the affected's teeth into fertile soil, a new instance of the affected is grown within the span of a day.  Each of these extra bodies begins life at the age and wearing the same clothing that the affected was wearing when the tooth that they grew from was removed.  All instances of the affected share a singular mind and are capable of acting in concert without verbal communication.
Known holders: Irene Lindegaard


Gardener: [that which plants the seed]
Type: Other
Synapse range: Massive
Physical effects
Primary:  Muscular enhancement (unknown extent)
Other effects: The affected gains the ability to bestow "seeds" to others at will.  Does not require physical contact.
Known holders: Lorelei


Blind Spot: [that which does not exist]
Type: Control
Synapse range: Long
Physical effects
Primary: Enhanced stamina, speed and agility
Other effects: The affected gains the ability to cloak their presence from other living things.  This is not limited to sight, all sensory perception of the affected is blocked while this ability is active.
Other effects (full bloom): By making physical contact with any part of a target's head, the affected is able to remove all of said target's memories which involve them.  This memory loss is permanent and irreversible.
Known holders: Theresa


Over Shine: [the sun which casts its light upon all things]
Type: Elemental
Synapse range: Average
Physical effects
Primary: The affected's eyes are altered, granting them night vision and also the ability to see beyond the usual spectrum of visible light.
Other effects: The affected gains the ability to create and manipulate light, though using ambient light is significantly less draining than creating it outright.
Known holders: Cecile Navarre


Forest Witch: [that which communes with the lesser]
Type: Control
Synapse range: Long
Physical effects
Primary: Enhanced senses, night vision, minor muscular enhancement
Secondary (full bloom): The affected gains the ability to alter their body to mimic the abilities of animals that they have had close contact with.  This effect is cumulative, though restricted to the basic limits of human physiology.
Other effects: The affected is able to communicate with and control animals, as well as being able to form a mental link with specific individuals.
Known holders: Charlotte Gauthier


Ornamental Tangram: [that which gathers the fragments]
Type: Creation
Synapse range: Average
Physical effects: Unknown
Other effects: The affected gains the ability to materialize small flat triangles of varying size, known as Tangrams, in the air within a certain radius of their body.  Upon leaving this set range, said Tangrams lose consistency and disintegrate.
Other effects (full bloom): It is possible for the affected to combine multiple Tangrams to form three-dimensional structures, which become far more resilient than their base components.
Known holders: Archibald


Oathkeeper: [that which seeks honesty]
Type: Control
Synapse range: Average
Physical effects
Primary: Enhanced visual perception
Other effects: The affected is capable of setting an "order" upon entering an agreement with a target.  Should the target break their word and go against said agreement, this "order" takes effect and the target loses all agency until it is carried out.
Other effects (full bloom): Multiple "orders" are able to be placed on an individual person.
Known holders: Antonio Riselli


Lucky Rabbit: [that which avoids calamity]
Type: Other
Synapse range: Extremely small
Physical effects
Primary: Enhanced reflexes and agility
Secondary (full bloom): leg muscle enhancement
Other effects: The affected is subject to "hunches" which are believed to be subconscious analyses of known variables within their environment.  When acted upon, said hunches always lead the affected to the best possible course of action in a given situation.
Known holders: Matteo


Armored Heart: [the devil that guards the priceless treasure]
Type: Creation
Synapse range: Average
Physical effects
Primary: Enhanced stamina and endurance
Other effects: The affected gains the ability to manifest a humanoid armor at will.  This armor may be used to cover the affected's body, granting them enhanced strength and allowing them to survive without breathing, but it may also manifest as an independent entity within a certain radius of the affected.  Should the armor leave this range, it will lose coherence and dissipate.
Known holders: Mina, Sun-Mi


Song of Unison: [that which brings harmony to all things]
Type: Elemental
Synapse range: Average
Physical effects
Primary: Enhanced hearing
Secondary: Strengthened skeletal composition
Other effects:  The affected gains the ability to control and amplify sound waves.
Known holders: Joshua Schweitzer


Howling Soul: [that which cries to the moon]
Type: Defensive
Synapse range: Long
Physical effects
Primary: Enhanced senses
Secondary: The body of the affected's regenerative capabilities are greatly enhanced, even going so far as to completely grow back organs and limbs which were removed.
Other effects: By varying degrees, the affected gains the ability to transform their body into a wolflike state and back.  The furthest extent of such a transformation has very rarely been witnessed.
Other effects (full bloom): The affected gains the ability to communicate with animals.
Known holders: Luiza


Titanic Shift
Type: Defensive
Synapse range: Small
Physical effects: Unknown
Other effects:  The affected is able to increase the size of their appendages at will, with an upper limit of several times their original size.
Known holders: Unknown


Traumatic Reflection: [that which shares pain]
Type: Defensive
Synapse range: Average
Physical effects: Unknown
Other effects:  The affected gains the ability to transfer any injuries that they incur to another living thing.  However, the target must also possess the same bodypart that was injured in order for this to be done.
Other effects (full bloom): The affected gains the ability to transfer injuries from any living thing to any other, this power is no longer limited to just the affected's own injuries.
Known holders: Lloyd


Basaltic Dominion: [the cold stone which flows like blood]
Type: Elemental
Synapse range: Long
Physical effects: Unknown
Other effects:  The affected gains the ability to control all stone and stone-based materials over a certain size that exist within a limited range of their person.
Known holders: Eric


Divine Breath
Type: Elemental
Synapse range: Average
Physical effects: Unknown
Other effects:  The affected gains the ability to control all freely existing gases within a certain radius of their person.
Known holders: Unknown


Roaring Soul
Type: Defensive
Synapse range: Long
Physical effects
Primary: Enhanced senses
Secondary: The body of the affected's regenerative capabilities are greatly enhanced, even going so far as to completely grow back organs and limbs which were removed.
Other effects: By varying degrees, the affected gains the ability to transform their body into a catlike state and back.  The furthest extent of such a transformation has very rarely been witnessed.
Other effects (full bloom): The affected gains the ability to communicate with animals.
Known holders: Unknown


Sunflower
Type: Defensive
Synapse range: Average
Physical effects
Primary: The affected's eyes are altered, granting them night vision and also the ability to see beyond the usual spectrum of visible light.
Secondary: The affected's body draws power from the sun, allowing them to survive on its light without the need to consume food.
Other effects: The affected's body absorbs sunlight, storing it in a similar fashion as a solar battery.  As long as said solar reserves aren't fully depleted, the affected's physical strength is increased and they also gain limited regeneration from wounds.
Other effects: The affected gains the ability to manipulate light to a limited degree.
Other effects (full bloom): The affected is able to draw from their stored solar reserves to create a destructive blast of light.
Known holders: Unknown


Directional Gate: [that which guides the way]
Type: Other
Synapse range: Long
Physical effects
Primary: increased endurance
Secondary: The affected suffers no ill effects from travelling or changing direction at high speeds.
Other effects: The affected gains the ability to materialize intangible black rings, known as "Gates," within a set range of their person.  Anything that passes through said Gates is accelerated or decelerated by a degree and in a direction that is up to the affected's discretion.
Other effects (full bloom): The affected gains the ability to specify which objects are affected by the Gates that they create, down to something as specific as only accelerating a certain person who passes through them.
Known holders: Leonardo Riselli


Blood Witch: [that which feeds from its comrades]
Type: Control
Synapse range: Large
Physical effects
Primary: Night vision, muscular enhancement, minor regeneration
Secondary: The affected is able to mimic the physical abilities and non-Branch talents of any human who is under their control.
Other effects: The affected is able to control any human whose blood they have ingested.  The duration and extent of this control is dependant on the amount of blood that was consumed.
Other effects (full bloom): The affected is able to freely manipulate their own blood.
Known holders: Noelle Graham


White Crystal: [the chilling silence that pierces through all]
Type: Elemental
Synapse range: Average
Physical effects
Primary: The affected is unaffected by subzero temperatures.
Secondary: The affected's natural ability to sense heat sources is amplified by a great degree, granting them what is effectively thermal vision.
Other effects: The affected gains the ability to decrease temperatures to a great degree, as well as to create and control ice.
Known holders: Jessica Monell


True Familiar: [that which is never alone]
Type: Creation
Synapse range: Large
Physical effects
Primary: Enhanced strength (minor)
Other effects: After "claiming" an object to use as a focus, the affected gains the ability to mentally control its shape and movement.  By absorbing other objects into it, the affected is able to increase the object's mass and volume up to a certain upper limit.  Control of this object is restricted to within a certain radius of the affected, and leaving this range may cause it to lose consistency and dissipate.
Known holders: Gabrielle Gauthier


Sleeping Hand [the embrace of damnation]
Type: Other
Synapse range: Average
Physical effects
Primary: Increased skin durability
Secondary: Slightly enhanced grip strength
Other effects: By making skin-to-skin contact with a target, the affected is capable of paralyzing whatever body part is touched for up to twelve hours at a time. With prolonged contact, this paralysis effect is able to spread from the area which was touched initially.  It is possible for the affected to paralyze a target's entire body without any further contact simply by touching their head.
Other effects (full bloom): The affected is able to prematurely end the duration of the paralysis ability's effects at will.
Known holders: Wayne Morrissey


Starlight Rain: [the aurora of the divine]
Type: Elemental
Synapse range: Average
Physical effects
Primary: The affected's body interacts with concentrated light as if it were a solid object, unaffected by the heat that it may produce.
Secondary: Increased durability
Other effects: By drawing from ambient light sources or producing said light on their own, the affected gains the ability to create blades of concentrated light.  The affected is able freely to control the movement of these blades.
Known holders: Glenn Markham