Sometimes called a 'gift', a Trait is a natural ability to do something that would normally be either impossible, or take years of study to accomplish. While there is certainly a genetic component involved, Traits are random enough that most wouldn't consider it worth the effort to breed or create bloodlines to establish Traits in their children. Not that people don't try.

Anyone with a trait must register their ability with the empire. Failure to do so can result in anything from a large fine to imprisonment or even death, depending on the nature of the trait. While the empire guarantees the safety of all who register, those who have more dangerous traits

Traits grant a wide diversity of abilities, most of which have long been cataloged and studied. Occasionally, a new Trait will be discovered, and depending on its characteristics, studied... forcibly if it's considered dangerous.

For this reason, many who discover they have a Trait may hide their ability. Others use their ability to gain power and/or fame, especially if it's one desired by the Empire.

Shaping Traits

Possibly the most desirable Trait to have, a Shaping trait allows a person to essentially skip the decade(s) of study necessary to become a Shaper, depending on the nature of the Trait.

Shaping Traits come in a wide variety of forms, from those who simply have no issue generating a surface, to those who seem to "grasp" the process easier, to those who effortless create any shape they want (this is extremely rare).

There is some ambiguity and debate around what constitutes a Shaping Trait. Does a person who seems to naturally "get it" have a Trait, or are they simply intelligent and/or industrious? However, a four year old who creates a surface and "accidentally" cuts down a tree, definitely has a Trait... and should be treated very, very carefully.

This is the most common trait bred for... and the least successful, though some Royals claim to have done it.

Shielding Trait

This a Shaping Trait variant, but common and desirable enough that it's generally spoken of as a separate Trait. Essentially, it allow someone to easily generate a "shield", which is an unaltered surface. It's considered a kind of sub-variant of a Shaping Trait in that it allow a person to create a shape that aligns to the natural curvature of a field warp.

This is considered the easiest "surface" to create but it's also an extremely useful one. A field warp curves around the person generating it. If that warp becomes a surface, then the person creating it has a natural shield against all sorts of harm.

Even better, if that person can expand the shield, especially the width, then they can quickly become a valued member of any army.

They are called Shielders, and they are a natural stopping point for un-gifted shapers. The army especially pays well for them, providing an incentive against the decades it can take to become a proper Shaper.

Crushing Trait

Singular— this Trait does one thing and only one thing. Also highly desirable... or at least it is so long as the user can generate a crush far enough away from themselves to not die. Either way, this Trait allows a person to create a localized center of gravity of varying intensity, possibly strong enough to kill. Even if it can't kill, a crush can reap havoc on a battle field.

A person who can generate a crush at a reasonable distance is highly sought after by the military. Those who have it are often conscripted, but always well compensated. Many join mercenary groups, who often pay a premium over the military.

While there are numerous graetech devices that can create a Crush, there is no known way to create one personally outside of this Trait. It's just not a thing that can be learned no matter how hard people have tried.

There was one case of a person capable of creating a crush centered on themselves. They did not live a long life.

There are a few cases where a person was able to create a crush intense enough to become a warp. Unfortunately, no one has ever figured out how to launch the warp, though if they could they would likely become the most dangerous person on a battle field, even more so than a Shaper.

Travelling Traits

Sometimes called an Anchor Trait.

This is one of the most common Traits, which is to say not common at all but a lot more common than the others. While there are variations, this Trait allows a person to interact with a gate anchor more easily, or perhaps augment their attunement to an anchor in some way.

An Anchor Trait can allow a person to attune themselves to more anchors, increase the distance they can form a gate from an anchor, or simply make it easier to form the gate in the first place.

Having this Trait is a quick way to an easy, wealthy life, even if the job itself is rather boring— creating Gates all day gets old quick.

There are rumors of a Travelling Trait that allows a person to form a gate without an Anchor. While theoretically possible, it's considered a practical impossibility. No one is known to be capable of such a thing, and even most historical accounts of such an ability have been thoroughly discredited.

Pushing/Pulling Traits

This Trait grants an ability that can not be learned. Moreover, there is currently no known Graetech that can replicate the effect.

Also a common trait, this gives a person the ability to push away graescence or pull on it. Rarely will someone be capable of doing both both, but if they can, it's generally a secondary ability.

Pushing is considered a more valuable Trait to have, mostly because of its defensive uses. The ability to redirect a warp or even shaped graescence can, quite literally, save a person's life. For this reason, a "Puller" is much more likely to discover "Pushing", whereas a "Pusher" is far less likely to discover "Pulling", if only because of a lack of interest.

So pulling is less desirable— pulling on a warp would be suicidal. However, more subtle applications for pulling have been studied and used extensively. The ability to pull (and push) your opponent off balance cannot be underestimated. Many people who have this Trait go to extreme efforts to hide it, using it during their fights to keep their opponent off balance.

Of course, this assumes one is actually a fighter. But in truth, practical application outside of combat are fairly limited. It is quite likely that many with this Trait either remain ignorant of it, or ignore it completely for lack of any practical application.

Aside from Travelling Traits, this is one of the most studied Traits, if only because of one person who devoted their life to it: Voris Helshen. His research led to a rather sophisticated theory of resonance, by which the Trait's effect are accomplished by establishing a resonance with the target, and then shifting that resonance to create a kind of force generating anti-sympathy (not antipathy, anti-sympathy... he was extremely particular about this).

It should be noted that the laws of physics still apply. Push on something, and it pushed back on you. There are accounts of strong users able to push or pull themselves into the air for a short distance. While useful in an emergency, it invariably leaves the user exhausted. This led to Helshen to research using this Trait as a form of locomotion. Shortly thereafter his funding dried up. His career followed not long after.

Feeding Traits

Feeding Traits are very controversial, mostly because they're difficult to quantify and validate. They essentially come down to an ability to "feed" graetech device more efficiently, achieving the same effect using less energy.

For one, this is something that can be learned. Efficiently using one's graescence is basic training to any Royal. It's not even a particularly difficult thing to learn; it just requires time, discipline, and awareness which— okay, so it may be a little difficult. Still, it's a thing that can be learned and commonly is amongst those with resources. Disentangling this from a supposed Trait becomes difficult.

Second, personal power is a separate issue. Some people are simple more powerful than others. To determine efficiency, one must first figure out what a person's power level is. That is... subjective. The most common method is to have them create a field warp, then measure the distortion. The greater the distortion, the more power a person has. This is, though, a limited perspective on a complex issue. Some people can create short bursts power easier than others. Some are better at endurance. You can have them fill some kind of reservoir, but you always run into a singular issue: what if they don't try. Cause if they don't, their overall power appears to be lower, thus increasing their apparent efficiency and lending credence to the Trait.

Finally, Feeding Traits are generally considered lower class. No Royal would ever admit to having one, even if they were certain they did. Doing so would be tantamount to admitting either laziness or lack of power, either of which would invite death. Thus, not only would Royal never admit such a Trait, but they actively avoid financing research into the very subject.

Distance Feeding Trait

A somewhat common, if weird feeding trait that Royals generally don't mind admitting to, though it's usefulness is debatable. It allows a person to feed graetech at some significant distance. Usually, that distance is about the span of a room, though sometimes it can go as far as a house.

What makes it of dubious usefulness is that is even at smaller distance, it take far more energy to feed the device than it would be to simply get up and walk over to it.

It is also an ability that can be learned. Anyone can feed a device at a distance of a finger or two. It's just harder to do. There are thieves that learn the ability, and possibly spies and assassins do as well, though no one can agree on what exactly they would use it for.

Knowledge Traits

Knowledge traits are the only trait the empire does not require registration for because, officially, they don't exist. Or if they do, they're unverifiable.

Even if a person does have a knowledge trait, they will never admit to it. Why would you? Would you rather admit that you have a Trait or that you're... just intelligent?

Knowledge Traits are widely believed to exist and impossible to verify. While some have tried to claim such Traits, they have just as often been consigned to some mental ward for their (and other's) protection.

If they do exist, they give preternatural awareness, heightened intelligence, or just "gut" intuition that somehow never goes wrong... or just makes a person absurdly intelligent. None of these are verifiable.

Spacial Traits

Completely theoretical and, according to most, an impossible Trait to exist. No one known has it, and perhaps never did, and for good reason. It defies the very fabric of reality, allowing one who has it to bend space itself to their will. It's widely assumed that such an ability perspective would render the user utterly insane, incapable of any rational action.

Regardless of whether it's real or not, this Trait grants the ability to bend the fabric of space itself. Someone with this Trait could (theoretically) collapse or expand space at will. A single step could traverse a thousand leagues... or a micro-pace. Someone with this Trait could "shrink" themselves to the size of an atom, or expand themselves to a planet. They could... do anything, theoretically. There's assumed to be limits, but since it's all theoretical, no one knows what those limits are.

Elementalist Traits

Also don't exist? This is controversial not because it's impossible, but because lot's of researchers believe they should exist, yet for some reason do not. Even more concerning, these "Traits" have definitely existed in history at various points. Problem is, they were never described as Traits. Instead, they were described as "schools", as though the denizens of distant path actually chose their path rather than were gifted it.

It'd be a concerning thought, if anyone were an Elementalist. But no one is. They don't exist, and perhaps they never did. Still, people wonder why not.

An Elementalist has gained abnormal control over specific elements like heat, cold, air, stone, or other "elements", who's membership is constantly debated. Why air? Why water? ... heat and cold at least make some sort of sense. But what makes up an element is entirely subjective and thus the idea of an Elementalist is a kind of oxymoron. Why not a "metal" Elementalist? A "wood" elementalist, perhaps?

It's all absurd... and yet people persist in believing they must exist, or at least be possible.

Light and Heat Traits

Technically, they might be considered a kind of Elementalist Traits but nobody does. Both of these Traits embody a skill that can be learned with enough training. They are also considered curiosities with limited value given the same effects can be achieved with graetech, which does not require years of study and effort.

Light based Traits allow a person to generate either sustained or bursts of light. Bursts of light are arguably more useful, and some have used it to distract or blind during battle. As with any Trait, there is a large variety of colors and intensities among those who have this Trait.

A Heat Trait is singular and simple. It allows a person to create heat. Note: it does not create fire itself, which would fall under the Elementalist Trait. A person with this trait would be lucky if they could generate enough heat to even start a fire with dry kindling, but it has been known to happen.

This is also something that can be learned and it's not even all that difficult, at least conceptually, sort of— it's more tricky than anything. Simply place your hands opposite of each other and "press" your graescence out to create conflicting, dissonant fields. These will interact and create excite the particles between your hands to create heat.

Dissonant is where it becomes tricky, as a person's graescence will naturally resonate with itself. To create dissonance, one must modulate the graescence in one hand to resonant differently. While this is difficult to do, it can usually be learned with a few days of meditation and effort. Virtually no one does this except monks... and very bored children.

Note: Creating heat and light is a favored trick of monks, who do have the time to spend on meditating endlessly on their own bodies enough to gain the fine control of their graescence needed to create the desired effect.

Time Traits

Also don't exist. They only reason anyone thinks it could be possible is because there is an understanding (among scientists and the learned, at least) that space and time are intrinsically bound. Yet the mechanics or even conception of a Time Trait remains beyond even the realm of theoretical. And certainly anyone who might have this highly, doubtful theoretical Trait, isn't speaking of it.

Mind Traits

Also don't exist. There's also no research on the subject. Literally none. Which begs the question: Why would no one research this potentially incredible weapon of altering other people's minds? You would think that given such an incredible, potent weapon, someone would think to—

—but of course they don't exist. It was stupid to even think such a thing. You're not even certain why you had thought to question it in the first place. It's obvious. They don't exist; they never did.

Perhaps you should get back to your life.