User:Zoey The Edgedancer/Awakening (Warbreaker)

"BioChroma is the power of life, and so it seeks patterns of life."

- Vasher

Awakening is a manifestation of Investiture on Nalthis. It is the art of combining color, BioChromatic Breath ("Breath"), and an Awakening Command in order to animate an object.

BioChromatic Breath
BioChromatic Breath, also known simply as Breath, is the common form of investiture on Nalthis, used for the Invested Art of Awakening. All Nalthians are born with one Breath, though it is possible to transfer Breaths from person to person through the use of the proper Command.

""My life to yours, my Breath become yours.""

- Command for Transferring Breath

Any form of Awakening requires more than one Breath, therefore any Awakener must collect Breaths from others.

Awakening
Through Awakening, one invests an object with Breath and assigns a Command, with a clear visualization of the Command in their mind to further specify exactly what you want the Awakened Object to do. Simple Commands are easier and more likely to be followed properly, while more complex Commands require a greater visual picture of it in ones mind, and is more likely to go wrong.

These follow two central laws,


 * 1) Law of BioChromatic Parallelism: The closer a host is to a living shape and form, the easier it is to Awaken.
 * 2) Law of Comparability: The amount of Breath required to Awaken something isn't necessarily indicative of its power once Awakened

BioChromatic Entities
An Awakened Object is known as a BioChromatic Entity.

These Entities have been separated by Vasher into various groupings known as Types, there are Four Types of BioChromatic Entities according to this system of organization.

Type I
Spontaneous Sentient BioChromatic Manifestations in a Deceased Host, also known as the Returned, are people that were resurrected by Endowment, retaining sentience and being endowed with a divine Breath, which brings them up the the Fifth Heightening. These are the only known naturally occurring form of BioChromatic Entity.

While Returned retain sentience, they retain no memory of their previous existence.

If they give away or use their Divine Breath for awakening, they would perish. Therefore they use normal BioChromatic Breaths on top of their Divine Breath in order to Awaken objects. These Breaths are consumed every week in order to keep them alive, if a Returned does not collect more Breaths, this would consume their Divine Breath and kill them a second time.

Divine Breaths also cannot be transferred like a normal Breath, as when released they instantly convert into Kinetic Investiture. This would heal the recipient in the body, mind, and soul alike. However, it will not grant them the Fifth Heightening, and would kill the Returned who gave up the Breath.

They have various abilities due to their nature as a Returned and due to their reaching of the Fifth Heightening. Their bodies will not grow stronger from exercise or weaken from a lack of it. , they become immune to most physical sicknesses and ailments, and all toxins. They do not require physical sustenance in order to survive.

Type II
Type II BioChromatic Entity or Mindless Manifestations in a Deceased Host is the classification given to Lifeless, that is to say, non-sentient reanimated animal remains. They are able to understand, interpret, and act upon Commands. However the Commands it is able to follow are locked behind a Command Phrase, a sort of password, granted to them at creation. They would only follow Commands which include this added Phrase.

Due to the Law of BioChromatic Parallelism these are quite cheap to make, this is furthered by the use of Ichor-Alcohol, a clear fluid invented by Yesteel, which increases the length of time a Lifeless can go without requiring a new Breath, and reduces the amount of Breathes required to Awaken one. This is injected into the veins of the Lifeless and acts as their blood.

Type III
Type III is a BioChromatic manifestation in an organic host far removed from being alive. That is to say, objects such as ropes, cloth, or skeletal remains.

These are the most common type of BioChromatic host entity.

Type IV
Type IV BioChromatic Entities are sentient objects made by Awakening inorganic materials like metal and stone, this is incredibly difficult and requires at least the Ninth Heightening. The most notable example of a Type IV BioChromatic Entity is Nightblood.

Heightening
As one gathers very large amounts of Breaths, they would begin to gain certain abilities as a result of their stores of Breath. This is not a precise list, as some might reach a Heightening with more or less Breaths than another person does. This is not to say they earn certain abilities when they reach a specific Heightening, but rather it is when these powers reach their peak. For instance, with each Breath, one's ability to distinguish colours increases, it simple reaches its peak at the Third Heightening.

This is separated into Ten Levels.

First Heightening
The First Heightening is reached by those with around 50 Breaths, this grants the ability of Aura Recognition.

Aura Recognition is the ability to instinctively see the Breath Aura of others, and judge roughly how many Breaths an individual has.

Second Heightening
The Second Heightening is reached by those with around 200 Breaths, this grants the ability of Perfect Pitch.

Perfect Pitch is the ability to re-create a given musical note without the benefit of a reference tone.

Third Heightening
The Third Heightening is reached by those with around 600 Breaths, it grants one Perfect Colour Recognition.

Perfect Colour Recognition is the ability to instinctually determine the exact shades of colours and their hue harmonics. While this is granted by Breath in general, granting one a greater and greater appreciation of and ability to differentiate between colours, it is only at the Third Heightening where this reaches its peak.

Fourth Heightening
The Fourth Heightening is reached by those with 1,000 Breaths, and it grants the ability of Perfect Life Sense.

Perfect Life Sense is the perfected ability to instinctively sense other people around you, and to tell when they are watching you. Like with Colour Recognition, this is held by all Awakeners, however, it reaches perfection at the Fourth Heightening.

Fifth Heightening
The Fifth Heightening is reached by those with around 2,000 Breaths, it grants the trait of Agelessness.

Agelessness is the resistance to aging and disease held by all Awakeners to an extent. However it reaches such a degree at the Fifth Heightening that the Awakener becomes effectively immortal. They become immune to most toxins, including the effects of alcohol, and most physical ailments.

Sixth Heightening
The Sixth Heightening is reached by those with around 3,500 Breaths, it grants Instinctive Awakening.

Instinctive Awakening is the ability to immediately understand and use basic Awakening Commands without training or practice. This makes more complex Commands easier for them to discover and master.

Rising above the Sixth Heightening is exceptionally rare, therefore any Powers above this point are poorly understood due to lack of research.

Seventh Heightening
The Seventh Heightening is reached by those with around 5,000 Breaths, it grants Invested Breath Recognition.

Invested Breath Recognition is the ability to recognize the auras of objects and tell if something has been awoken with Breath.

Eighth Heightening
The Eighth Heightening is reached by those with around 10,000 Breaths, it grants Command Breaking.

Command Breaking is the ability to instinctively cancel and override Commands in other Invested Objects. As shown by some of Lightsong's priests, this is held by even those under the Eighth Heightening. This is simply where it reaches its peak.

Ninth Heightening
The Ninth Heightening is reached by those with around 20,000 Breaths, it grants the abilities of Greater Awakening, and Audible Command.

Greater Awakening is the ability to create Type IV BioChromatic Entities, that is to say, the ability to Awaken stone and steel.

Audible Command is the ability to Awaken objects that they are not touching, but rather are just touched by the sound of their voice.

Tenth Heightening
The Tenth Heightening is reached by those with around 50,000 Breaths, it grants the abilities of Colour Distortion, Perfect Invocation, and Mental Command.

Colour Distortion is the natural and intrinsic ability to bend light around white objects within their BioChroma, creating coluors from them as if from a prism.

Perfect Invocation is the ability to draw more colour from the objects Awakeners use to fuel their art. This leaves them able to drain the colour of objects all the way to white, instead of the usual grey.

Mental Command is the ability to give Commands mentally, this is notably difficult to learn.

It is theorized that the Tenth Heightening gives far more abilities which are not understood and have not been made known by those who reached it.

Known Awakeners

 * Vasher
 * Shashara
 * Denth
 * Yesteel
 * Arsteel


 * Lemex
 * Lightsong
 * Susebron
 * Vivenna
 * Hoid