Amustos Flennore is a mental discipline of heightening the senses through a feeding of personal fears. Acknowledged by all those of learning as a dangerous, but powerful mental method of increasing the inner strengths of a person.
“Am-Flen” as the Knights of the Regent referred to it was a rare discovery the knights made centuries ago. It existed on a level of its own in that it is nothing like the other mental disciplines humanity has developed while on Maenatae. In many ways this ancient art was one of the few disciplines developed solely by the humans, perfected by them and controllable only by human-kind. Other beings pursued the ritualistic life-style of Am-Flen only to discover it did nothing to benefit them and perhaps went so far as to end in their insanity.
Some sages schooled in the arts of sociology and physiology theorize that the free willed and sporadic lifestyle of the Mae was not capable of living within the requirements of such a controlled and rigorous discipline. Perhaps, but then why could the Khrn, truly the most ridged of all creatures not reap the benefits of Am-Flen? The experiment by the dwarven colonies never yielded the powerful results the humans now enjoyed but, they did free the dwarves of the psychosis that befell humans unable to control the effects of Am-Flen. For instance, no khr or khr’Ah ever became completely deranged, while trapped within their transited state and murdered their entire clan before taking his own life. No dwarf ever withdrew to live out his life in a shell, as if his soul were banished to another plane while the body lingered behind to wither and die.
The dangers of Am-Flen are real and equally final; once transit is failed there is no cure for the damage that has been done to the mind. It is forbidden to attempt to practice the ancient art without the proper guidance from an Am-Flen master. The penalty of death often welcomed by those poor souls that attempted to wield the powers of the inner man and then failing. As a consummate master of the art of Amustos Flennore, Vincenzo balanced his life. Being aware of his surroundings while locked a private struggle between his own fears and their possible outcomes. A victory against unseen foes on a daily basis built his powers of perception and tactics to the highest levels. His reflexes were not only faster but they were subtler than many of the best thieves. His mastery of the “one eyed nap” had become renowned and the ability to “dream speak”, a talent he developed himself befuddled even the most accomplished of Am-Flen users.
Am-Flen is not simple at all to describe in its truest form for it is a place within the mind of its host. Those who have the capacity to make it work actually create an alternate reality within the confines of their own mind. While there, they live out, in the case of the greatest of masters, countless lifetimes battling an unending horde of foes each more deadly than the last. From within this mental fortress the practitioner is able to improve skills and go to places that they would certainly never be allowed to within the span of a normal human life. Indeed it is unlikely that any Am-Flen master has fewer than 10,000 virtual years of perfecting their craft in what to most would seem a twisted and deadly altered reality. It is for this reason, among many unmentionable others, that those who are true masters of this discipline have no one which can better them in their chosen combat.
Although this discipline allows its practitioner to improve their skills in the combat of their chosen form to that of one who is many thousands of years old that is not its most impressive effect. There are a handful of those which are masters of this form that have the ability to move through space without the affects of time; that is they can perform a great number of acts within the period of one second. It is said that the more time that is spent in this state the greater the risk to the mind which undertakes the action. But to experience this effect in action is quite unnerving to any who witness it as there are odd moments of many voices whispering and some speaking in what sounds like reverse. Other eerie effects manifest themselves about the effect which, simply put tends to scare hell out of all but the most stalwart and experienced of magickal combatants.