Athasians use the term “Will” to refer to someone’s innate ability for psionics. A nomad with a wild talent is said to have the Will, while a noble who studies at an academy of the Way but never learns more than the

theory of poisons clearly lacks the Will. Without the desire to push oneself, to master the forces within, a person can never learn to use the Way.

To psionicist, Will also refers to reserves of mental strength. Using psionic powers can be strenuous, and the limit of a character’s endurance is his Will. Eventually, even the most powerful of masters becomes exhausted and must rest to replenish his strength. When wounds and exhaustion cloud the vision and the mind swims in delirium, only the greatest masters still possess the Will to continue using their powers.

In game terms, Will is represented by a character’s psionic strength points (PSPs). With time and self-study (rising in level), a character’s psionic strength increases. A psionic strength points are expended, the Will diminishes. Use of psionic powers becomes harder and harder, until finally the energies can’t be summoned again until the character rests.

The Way is the study of the psionic sciences. Many people may possess the Will, but unless they are schooled in the Way they will never do more than scratch the surface of their potential. The study of the Way is difficult and demanding; not every creature with the Will can learn the Way, but every master of the Way must possess a strong measure of Will.

The Way is very similar to the study of magic. Just as wizards strive to master more advanced and difficult spells, psionicists seek to unlock new and more powerful abilities. Unlike wizardry, there is no single formula that will reproduce an effect of the Way that will work the same for each individual. Students must independently develop the command of their powers.

While many beings can discover the strength of the Will within themselves, most who go on to study the Way require guidance from a teacher. There are schools of the Way in every city of Athas, and merchant houses and noble families often pay dearly to have their scions educated by the best. Rarely, the academies waive tuition for a promising student of the free classes. Slaves are never formally instructed in the Way.

In addition to the formal schools, there are wandering teachers or tribal elders who take it upon themselves to instruct those who show promise. Even field slaves may be instructed by an older, wiser slave in secret sessions. Most of these tutors can’t provide the quality of training that a formal curriculum can, but some wandering masters are very capable and can provide an unrivaled education in the psionic arts.

Psionics have been a part of Athasian society for thousands of years. It is almost certain that use of mental power predates the founding of most of the city-states of the Tyr region. The modern culture’s understanding of psionics dates back almost 900 years to a woman known as Tarandas, the Gray Lady.

Tarandas was a member of the Raam’s nobility who displayed potent psionic talents at a very early age. At that time, no formal psionic schools existed. All psionic learning was passed on by the efforts of individual

masters who often banded into orders to pursue their own goals. As a young woman, Tarandas quickly rose past the teachings of the masters her family hired and began to develop her own methods of accessing psionic power.

Over the course of her lifetime, Tarandas codified the six disciplines and created the basic structure of learning that is still used by instructors throughout the Tyr region. She rejected the various orders that monopolized psionic power, and she opened an academy where people could study the Way without the mystery and deceit that had been fostered by the orders, who sought to preserve their own power.

It is said that Tarandas ventured beyond mastery of the Way into realms unseen by lesser beings. She vanished 800 years ago, her fate unknown.