Dominion of Thought

The Dominion of Thought holds within its purview the psychic and mental. Widely wielded by gods of knowledge and gods of trickery, the Dominion of Thought requires a great degree of intellect to be able to use. It enables those who master it to detect and manipulate mental energies, enabling telepathy, psychometry, the distortion of perceptions, mind control, and memory alteration.

Telepathy
One of the most well known Thought based powers, Telepathy allows an individual to read the thoughts of other beings, or transmit their own. More basic uses of Telepathy allow for one to sense and transmit mental "audio", the sounds of one's inner voice, while more advanced applications can allow for the sharing or reading of images, smells, and even entire memories. As one advances in their telepathic abilities, they can transmit and read more Thoughts at once, though they remain limited to what is at the forefront of consciousness, as penetrating deeper into a mind requires the use of a different skill.

Those unskilled in Thought typically cannot tell when someone is Telepathically Scanning their minds. However, by training in Telepathy or the skill of Thought Occlusion, it becomes possible to detect intruders. Skilled Telepaths are able to avoid such detection, if their ability outmatches the sensitivity of their victim.

Probing
Thought Probing is a more advanced form of Telepathy, wherein one penetrates the deeper recesses of a target's mind, beyond the outer layers of their consciousness. Thought Probes are more noticeable than Telepathy, and projecting one whilst remaining undetected requires tremendous skill. More often, launching a Mental probe entails battering down a victim's mental walls, rather than slipping past them.

Higher level Probes are able to penetrate deeper into a target's mind, to root out old, hidden memories, and to do so with greater clarity and speed. The particularly practiced can rapidly root out specific information, such as a subject's fears or hidden desires.

Obfuscation
Thought Obfuscation is a rather rare and difficult to master ability. Like Occlusion, it is a defensive technique, but rather than harden one's mind against penetration, Obfuscation hides it from detection. Minor use of a Thought Obfuscation makes an individual's mind seem small and slippery, difficult to mask, making it harder forr them to be noticed telepathically.

Stronger applications enable those Obfuscating to make their mind utterly impossible to detect, even when an individual can directly perceive them through the physical sense. The highest use of a Thought Obfuscation makes it so the Obfuscated individual does not even register within the consciousnesses of those who surround them (unless they are sufficiently sensitive to penetrate the mental cloak), allowing them a form of invisibility.

Occlusion
Thought Occlusion is perhaps the most widely sought Thought skill. While beings possessed of divine power, strong mind and great mental fortitude are naturally more hard to mentally invade and dominate, the discipline of Occlusion allows such individuals to actively defend their minds, allowing them to wield a mental shield

Basic uses of the skill enable an individual to sense when their consciousness is being invaded (provided the intruder is not skilled enough to bypass their awareness). As Occlusion ability advances, it becomes possible to raise barriers around one's mind, making it harder to read their thoughts, alter their memories, or dominate their will, which now requires their mental barriers to be penetrated. Thought Occlusion can also be used to directly force an intruder out of one's mind, with powerful Occluders being able to produce a painful psychic backlash that leaves their attackers stunned.

Illusion
Illusion is a use of Thought that allows for a wielder of the Dominion to alter the mental perceptions of someone else, making them perceive what is not there, or preventing them from perceiving what is. Illusions are typically projecting into the mind of a subject, distorting their perceptions and senses to match the Illusionist's will.

More advanced Illusionists are capable of psychically implanting an Illusion into an area or object, or even a conscious being (this latter case being for the extremely talented), allowing them to continue to exist without continued effort from the Illusionist. The more complicated the Illusion, the more difficult and taxing it is to produce and maintain.

It is easier to project illusions into willing minds, while tricking those who are actively aware they are facing an Illusion requires far greater skill. The more complete an illusion is, the harder it is to break. For instance, merely having the sensation of being burned alive projected as an Illusion would be easier to break than if the Illusion also contained the sight of fire, the sound of the flames crackling, and the smell of burning flesh.

Typically, more talented Illusionists are often skilled liars and manipulators, and possessed of vivid imaginations and an eye for detail.

Shaping
After having gained the ability to Probe minds, Thought wielders can also learn how to alter the psychic matter that they are sifting through. This enables them to delete, alter, or even create memories. The more advanced their skills, the more difficult it is to discern that memories are artificial.

It is also possible to remove memories from an individual's mind, storing them to be returned at a later date.

Whilst within a consciousness, it is also possible to take over and begin altering their dreams, if they are dreaming at the time. This application of Thought Shaping is often used by gods to covertly communicate with their divine children, speaking to them within their dreams.

Highly advanced uses of Thought Shaping can allow for the complete rewriting of an individual's personality, or even completely erasing, leaving their identity blank.

Compulsion
Thought Compulsion involves a Thought wielder performing an advanced form of Telepathy, where they send their Thoughts into the mind of another being, and suffusing them with their will, forcing them to be carried out. Magical beings and those with strong wills are more resistant to being Compelled. As one advances their Compulsion skills, they become able to deliver more complicated and longer lasting commands, and overcome more powerful wills.

Mindscape
Mindscapes are illusory realities that godly wielders of Thought may implement on their victims, to keep them out of commission in the real world. The creation of a Mindscape requires advanced skill in Illusion and (insert other skill name). Implementing a Mindscape on the wary or perceptive is more difficult, and individuals with such minds often cause exits to form in Mindscapes that were not crafted with sufficient skill. Any Thought wielder may attempt to enter a Mindscape by making telepathic contact with some trapped in one, and willing themselves to enter. Anyone trapped in a Mindscape remains in a coma, unable to act, in a deathlike trance where they do not require sustenance of any kind.

Thoughtform
The ability to craft Thoughtforms gifts those rare few who master it the power to create from pure Thought. If a Thought wielder is sufficiently versed in the power of illusion, this is a skill that they can wield. Conjuring simple items from one's own mind or from anothers is easiest. More advanced and complicated Thoughtforms, such as a creature or a burst of fire, are more difficult. Typically, Thoughtforms must be constantly maintained by the will of their creator, but Archmasters of the power are able to solidify a Thoughtform into reality by gifting it with true sentience.

When creating a Thoughtform, it is easiest to conjure what is familiar, such as a faximily of a truested weapon, or a type of metal one is familiar with working.