These are abilities which the elf uses to manipulate physical substances or objects around them. Some can be used in conjunction to provide very interesting new powers.
Most powers of this sort have a minor ability which is only ever used to sense the object or substance in question, and cannot be used to alter the substance at all. Each is described below. Each of the powers at full strength can also be used in this sensing fashion but if the elf doesn't have the full power, they will never be able to use it.
Healing
The ability to heal is something that is very important to elves. Because they never seem to grow old, some might think they're never going to get hurt, either. But they can and do all the time, anything from being in a tree and falling, or going out to hunt something and getting clawed or bitten. The magical ability to heal is highly prized, but it is not very rare. Those people who are extremely good at it usually do nothing else for the Holt but heal those who are hurt or sick. Elves can also use conventional means, such as bandages and herbs to heal as well, but this section is all about their magical types, and many people don't have those skills. Also, some healers won't always want to heal every scrape and cut. Imagine how lazy people would get if they always came running to the healer, "oh, I've got a papercut!" The Healing power knits bones, muscles and skin, can fix holes and puncture wounds, heal burns and bruises, all within several minutes depending on the seriousness of the wound. The Healer too has to be very attentive to anatomy and physical things. If they do not know where organs are or what a muscle does, they might not be able to heal it properly. Those who know more about medicine in their Earthly life will have high power in this magic. Healing usually requires the user to be quite close or actually touching the subject, but some of the best healers are so good they can do it at a distance of up to about 10 feet or more. To heal one wound, say a simple broken bone, it usually takes about half an hour. More complex injuries might take much longer, and poisons or other ailments might take less.
There are other things to do with Healing as well, sub powers which can be used by a few of those who have that power first. Hurting is like healing, only inside out. Instead of healing it actually causes damage to be made on someone or some thing. People who can do this aren't always well-liked, if they use it on other people. They can hunt with it though, that is the more common use for it. But if they use it on a person without good cause, they might get kicked out of their Holt! Hurting (or Anti-healing) can usually be used at a greater distance than healing. This power works much more quickly than healing, inflicting raw damage in whatever form is necessary -- usually just opening up a gash or causing blisters.
Flesh Shaping is part of the healing group, since it works on other living things, including people. It makes the user able to change a tissue into something else, or make details like skin color or hair changes. They can even make flaps of skin for gliding, change the shape of bones and muscles, or even add or change limbs entirely. It is very painful to do this, however, since it's taking all the cells and moving them around! That can't be nice! If they do it without asking, they might be kicked out of their Holt. It takes a close-up presence to use this power, but some flesh shapers practice so much that they can do it at a distance too, like Hurting. To shape about a palm-sized amount of flesh and bone, takes around an hour. Using this power in addition to healing keeps the subject calm and pain free.
The last part of actual Healing ability is a weaker form called Shielding. This power purely is good for stopping pain and other magic attacks.
Bone Shaping
Shaping Bone is the next closest power to Healing, but it can be used on dead bones, antlers and even coral and shells! While it's being used on bone that is living, it is very painful, so should be used very carefully. A bone shaper can fix a break, but a healer would be best to do it. Many animals which are killed for food have bones which are used by Bone shapers to make into tools, weapons, musical instruments, and other objects. It takes around half an hour to shape a piece of bone around the lenght of your hand.
Coral and Shell shaping are only found in areas near the coasts and water ways where shell fish live.
Self Shaping
With this power, the elf can change the way they look, their hair and eye color, or even their whole body shape. They can shape themselves into an animal, birt or even a tree! Some of them, very very rarely, can even change into metal or crystaline shapes, bu they're considered really strange. This power is great to hunt with, because if you can shape into a wolf or hunting cat, you can smell and see and hunt just like one. Sometimes that kind of ability takes a long time to get used to though -- who on Earth has ever flown like a bird with real wings and feathers? Or how to walk on four paws and lap water with their tongue? Some elves with this power stay between two shapes, Fang is a wolf-shaped elf man, Panther is a cat-girl, Shrike is a bird-girl. Just because they shape this way doesn't mean they always have to be, most people with this ability just look like elves most of the time. When an elf shapes themself, their clothing shapes along with them. When someone has this power, they don't always have the ability to attract a Wolf as a bond friend, but other animals might come to them. If they can be a wolf, why would one need to ride one!?
There are some elves who can only shape their own Appearance, like their nose shape, their hair or their colors of clothing close to their body. Obviously, this power only can be used upon the elf with the power, they cannot shape other people with it.
A weak form of Self Shaping is Adaptation. It cannot be controlled by the elf who has it. Instead, it acts in response to the surroundings. So if it is cold the elf might grow fur, if it's a watery environment they might be able to grow gills or breathe water. Usually these changes happen slowly, over the course of a few hours or even a day or more. With some effort the elf might be able to shape themselves back out of their adapted form, but why would they want to do that?
Plant Shaping
Elves who can shape plants and make seeds sprout and grow, or change the pattern that a branch will reach. These elves can make fruits bloom out of season, or even change the very nature of the plant! They usually make the homes in the Holt by shaping large trees into hollow spaces and by weaving branches together. They can also shape dead wood as well as living plants, though it is harder. They make some of the hunting spears, nets and clubs that the elves use for hunting. Plant shapers can work with pretty much every living kind of plants, from spores and mushrooms, grasses, algae, trees and ferns and seaweed. To shape around a forearm-sized living plant, grow a seed into a small sprout or little sapling, or shape a piece of dead wood into a harder functional tool, will usually take around half an hour. This power can be used at short distances, but is most effective with touch.
Plant Sensing can be used at a distance much greater than that of the shaping ability, usually around 10 yards or more all the way around the elf. With it, they can determine the health and condition of the plants nearby, if there are any animals living in them or eating them, if a tree is diseased, ready to bloom, or other things. This power is active at all times, unless the elf wishes not to use it.
Rock Shaping
Much like shaping plants, rock shaping allows the elf to move rock like it was clay! They can mold it into shapes for wepons, objects like jewlery, or furnishings. They can take a cavern and make it into a home! Most of the elves who are responsible for making the pretty trinkets and items are not the same ones who make the weapons, by the way. It takes around half an hour to shape a bit of plain rock around the size of a fist into something else. Rock shaping only allows for working with dirt, stone and rocks.
Metal Shaping is something which certain rock shapers can use, a specific brand which makes rock with ores into pure metals. They are usually weapon makers and jewelry smiths. To create a small knife or arm band out of mostly pure or pure ores takes around an hour of intense concentration.
Gem and Crystal Shaping specifically deals with those items. They can utilize crystal patches or raw gemstones and are usually able to make beautiful objects with them. These things are rarely if ever used in weaponsmithy. To use a pure diamond or other such hard substance is very difficult and takes much longer for even just a tiny gem.
Stone Sense allows the user to sense the rocks, dirt, and ores around them, usually about 10 yards all the way around including up and down. It shows the user where a weak spot is, an earthquake fault, hot stream or water way fissure, lava flow, or other such items are.
Water Shaping
The ability to move water around, be able to float and swim in it without any trouble. The elf using water shaping can even make it do 'tricks' like rising into the air and splashing things, or making mist around things, or even to keep rain from getting them wet. This ability is used to make someone breathe under water, either by allowing the water into their body and getting their oxygen from it that way, or actually making the water itself breathable. It is also used frequently to make stagnant water clean, salt ocean water fresh for drinking, and to irrigate plants.
Water shapers can also use this to Ice Shape. Any water is at their command, but ice quickly starts melting when it's being shaped. Some elves can actually cause water, air or other objects not normally found this way to Freeze, though it is a rare power.
Water Sensing allows the shaper or elf with this version of the power to detect water in any amount in a 10 yard area around them, including up and down. So if they are in a desert or without a stream, they can sense if there is water deep below them. Only if they have the water shaping power (or Rock shape) they can then coax it up to the surface. Otherwise they'll have to dig. Any water shaper can tell if water is impure, which direction it is flowing, and how much of it there is nearby. A less common use is to tell if a storm is coming, though there is a far more powerful combination power called Weather Shaping which does a lot more than detect!
Fire Starting/Fire Shaping
Technically these are two different powers. One is able to start a fire where there is none. The other is able to use an existing fire and make it do things it doesn't normally do. Most elves with one can do both to a certain extent, but some can only do one or the other. A fire can be started close up more easily, but often these elves can light small fires (say, a candle wick or torch which was intended to burn) at a distance. The stronger fire shapers and starters can even make wet things or substances which don't normally catch flame burn. Fire shaping can be used to make a small, weak flame grow stronger or burn when there isn't enough air, or dampen a large brush fire, dim down a camp flame or extinguish a small flame entirely. Some elves use this power to hunt, they don't mind burning their prey... ick! Elves which are extremely good at this power sometimes 'glow' with their own light even when they're not using their powers!
Heating is a minor power based upon Fire starting which allows the elf to warm a large volume of air or a substance, just not enough to make it burn. This is a very popular power in winter time, and in cold climates! Usually they will have enough of this ability to keep themself and one other person warm.
Light Shaping is a newer minor power, which utilizes only the light aspect but no heat. The light shaper can cause bright or dim lights, anything from a small candle flame worth, up to big fireworks and even create Illusions based on their imagination! These lights do not cause any heat, so they can only be used against (or for) things which see.
Flame Blast is a strong but very rare power. The elf using it can throw a gout of flames made by magic alone, into the air. This could be used to hunt, or to alert others as a flare, or to show off in a variety of other ways. This power is usually either "on" or "off", with very little in between.
Note that with some of these powers, if the elf has a more minor version of the ability, they might not ever be able to use the full power version.
Levitation (Air Shaping)
The ability to fly! Most elves love this ability but certainly not all of them can do it. Some can fly up to the clouds, many only stay near the treetops, and some simply hover right over the ground or use the power to climb things very well. With a lot of practice, an elf can remain in the air for a very long time, or can go a farther distance, but sometimes they will just tire themselves out and fall. Many elves with this power have a very quick ability to react and dodge things that are coming at them (a thrown stone, a falling branch), and many can jump or climb with great ease.
One of the many sub-powers of Levitation is Telekinesis. This power allows the elf to move things that are smaller than their own weight, without touching them. They can lift other things up to their own weight but they just don't have enough power to lift themself. People who do this cannot feel through their ability, but their 'touch' can be felt at a distance. This power is very useful for manipulating objects which are hard to reach, many items at a time, or just for juggling.
Wind shaping is an ability which some elves use instead of Levitation, which allows them to use a current of wind below them. They can actually move a large amount of air around, but it isn't really enough to move much more than loose objects or thrown items.
SoundShape is the creation of noises based on manipulating the air. Almost any sound can be created this way, some elves hunt using bird calls, some elves trick other elves by immitating their voices. They are very popular with the Light shapers at parties! This power can also be used to cover up sounds that are in the elf's area.
Air Sense is the weakest of all these abilities, and is useful for telling the direction and force of the wind, if there is smoke or unusual objects in the air, if there is a storm coming or passing near, and also if a flying elf has been there recently.
