Jaren
Jaren considered the question; he could see the logic behind it, based on what he’d said previously, but there were some flaws in the premise, in the assumptions behind the question. “By more intelligent creatures I meant ones able to recognise that their perception is being altered by the Ward,” he said. “Humans, higher end Shadowspawn. Sentient creatures, I suppose.
“But if you’re talking about a Ward that would only allow more intelligent humans through…” He shook his head slowly. “Whether a person can defy the repellent effect of the Ward depends on so many things and their level of intellect is, frankly, the least of them. If you eliminate all other possible variables — which, I don’t think you ever could, but let’s assume so — if you have two people with equal knowledge of the situation and equal motivation and physical ability to get through the Ward, the one who’s more likely to get through the Ward is the one with more willpower, more… resilience, if you will. That’s not necessarily the 'smarter' one. And,” he added with an easy smile, “we’ve not even begun to address the fact that there are different kinds of intellect and no objective way to measure and compare any of them.”
Of course all that only applied to Wards that didn’t cause physical harm and whose effect was based on making people not want to approach the Warded area or object. The range of Wards that could be devised to keep people or things out was vast and couldn’t possibly be covered within one lesson, especially as there were other kinds of basic Wards to cover as well… And this was a lesson on basic Wards, as Jaren had to keep reminding himself; his idea of what was basic might be slightly skewed because he had learnt from — and now lived with — Jaryd, who came up with staggeringly complex Wards basically in his sleep.
More than a little amused by the thought, Jaren went on, “What you can do, however, is to attune a Ward to a specific person or people, to allow specific individuals through, or a person in possession of a specific item, but that’s not something we’re going to be covering today. Now, besides the repellent Wards, there are Wards that don’t affect the intruder in any way but alert the channeller of their presence.” As he spoke, he wove a dome of Spirit again, over which he twisted spiderweb-fine threads of Air in a symmetrical pattern. “If anyone came within this Ward, I’d hear a sound like a bell ringing, alerting me of the intruder. I’d like you to replicate this, Warding your side of the classroom.” Demonstrating Wards in small, box-sized versions was all well and good, but in reality, most of the time you’d be Warding spaces the size of a room or a campsite, so practising the scale was essential as well.