Ability Detecting

Ability Detecting
General Information
What Happened	Prodigies are placed in a room with something that corresponds to an ability to try to see if they can manifest as something
Why	To see if prodigies have an ability or are Talentless
Where	At Foxfire
Book Occurred	At Foxfire during Levels 1-4
Character Involvement
People Involved	Any prodigies that haven't manifested
Effect On People Involved	If they manifested something they would go to an ability class, and not have to take Ability Detecting

This article is part of a series about Foxfire

Basic Information
Foxfire • Foxfire Entrance Exam

Campus
Healing Center • Gold Tower • Silver Tower • Hall of Illumination • Tutoring Center • Secret Mentors’ Cafeteria

Known Principals
Foxfire Principal Dame (now Councillor) Alina • Magnate Leto Kerlof

Ability Detecting is a class at Foxfire, used to trigger unmanifested prodigies' abilities. Prodigies who have manifested an ability take special sessions in said ability, replacing their Ability Detecting sessions. This class is very unpopular because the methods of triggering abilities are unpleasant. Ability Detecting checks for all abilities except pyrokinesis, which is forbidden.

If a Prodigy hasn't manifested

If a prodigy hasn't manifested by Level Four (the end of the manifestation window), they can be expelled for being Talentless. If they do stay, they will not qualify for the Elite Levels. This means they cannot be part of the nobility.

Ability Detecting outside of Foxfire

Sometimes Elvin parents also hire ability detecting tutors, as shown by Keefe when begging to help him manifest himself as an Conjurer. The main way to trigger an ability is to put students in places where they might need the ability.

An alternative is to send a powerful mental surge into someone's mind as Mr. Forkle did upon Marella's request, though this process is rather draining.

Known Ability Detecting Tests

• Frosters - Prodigies spend two hours in a very hot room.
• Gusters - Prodigies spend two hours in a wind tunnel.

Official Descriptions

• All Foxfire prodigies who have not manifested a special ability are required to take this session on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. A group of mentors will test their senses and skills in a variety of ways to discover hidden talents and hopefully trigger an ability.

• A group session where Mentors test each prodigy’s senses in a variety of ways in the hope of triggering their special ability. All Foxfire prodigies who haven’t manifested are required to take this session on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons until they can be placed into their proper ability session. (Note: Pyrokinesis is not tested for—and Talentless prodigies remain in ability detecting until they complete the basic levels.)