Telepathy

Telepathy is the capacity for two living creatures to communicate with one another solely via mental connection to one another. Telepathy is distinct from biological communication methods, such as bioelectric field interactions or non-verbal body languages.

At the basest of levels, telepathy serves to allow the exchange of emotional sensations. Much akin to sensation of heat or cold, it's very obvious to both parties that the emotional sensation comes from 'outside' of them.

Most mortal creatures do little to protect their surface thoughts. Scattered and sometimes incoherent, it takes little special effort to pick up stray emotions or ideas from someone not taking efforts to conceal their thoughts. More talented telepaths can decipher complex and abstract considerations more readily. This is generally a 'passive' role, receiving whatever is 'broadcast'.

More focused telepathy specifically requires a connection or conceptual 'bridge' between sender and receiver. Typically this is a psionic energy construct that links the two minds. This puts the telepath in a more dominant position, allowing them to more freely navigate the target's mind. It also makes the telepath more vulnerable to feedback, trauma, or psychic injury.

At higher levels, telepathy allows for the exchange of thoughts, ideas, even images or points of view. Higher-level psychics often use the psionic 'bridge' as a neutral meeting ground for their minds, allowing for dialogue without exposure.

Particularly potent telepaths are capable of more subtle stratagems. They can encourage strong emotional reactions from their target's internal dialogue. They can provoke compulsions or even direct actions and disguise their compulsions as being wholly internal. The aftermath of a psychic intrusion tends to result in depressive or aggressive fits, headaches, and feelings of significant disquiet. More forceful impulses require exponentially increased effort from the telepath and deeper penetration to the target's psyche.

The most effective counter to telepathic intrusion is an instinctual reaction. Subtle commands are rarely rejected, particularly if they're in line with the subject's desires or opinions. More radical commands-- commission of atypical behaviour-- tends to provoke a stronger instinct response and vastly increases the difficulty of the psychic's attempt to enforce the directive. A violent woman might slap someone with little encouragement, but it's unlikely she'd commit suicide on demand. A peaceful man is unlikely to hit his children but it's easier to encourage him to leave an altercation before it becomes violent. Long-term exposure to repeated psychic commands can cause psychosis and even brain damage.

Control of a person's mind-- "puppeteering"-- requires immense discipline and tremendous amounts of psionic energy. This creates a feedback loop between the psychic and their target. The more energy and effort devoted, the more deeply the psychic sinks into their target's mind. It becomes increasingly difficult to separate individual identities, emotions, or sensations. Stab a dominated person in the hand and a nearby puppeteer might cry out in pain. It is not difficult for a freed puppet to identify their controller, often unerringly locating them nearby even if they're out of immediate line-of-sight. A psychic who is mind-linked to their puppet experiences significant feedback and psychic backlash, which can cause serious harm or even be lethal. The mortal mind instinctively fights again total control, and like a caged animal grows increasingly frantic and enraged as the puppetting continues. Puppeting someone for prolonged periods can rapidly cause psychosis for both parties and the mental strain will drive a puppet into catatonia in short order.

Between telepaths, combat takes on a new meaning. The objective is to gain total access to the core of the target's mind. Telepaths create protections around their minds, typically giving their abstractions a metaphysical form such as high walls and barricades. Particularly intelligent or inventive telepaths create a mental ideologue to give their objectives more coherence, sending armies of whatever they can imagine into battle in an attempt to deconstruct the mental 'fortress' protecting their opponent.