Presence

Presence is part of everything which exists and has a sense of identity; Similar to concepts of anima or spirit, Presence is an intrinsic part of every real and sentient thing that exists.

Naturally created as a byproduct of a sentient thing's knowledge of existence, Presence is abundant in all realities. For anything to exist, it must have Presence. The stronger a creature is (seen through Tier), the more Presence it will have.

Presence in Unreality Presence is only possible to create in real places. When a person, being, or creature becomes trapped in Unreality, they bring with them their Presence, but are unable to generate more. The process of leaving reality is also arduous, and will pull from a person much of that natural Presence they previously had. These severed remnants of Presence are scattered, flung across Unreality and to the winds, while the individual in question must seek to re-kindle what has been lost. Gaining Presence No matter how powerful a being might have been in their world, they can only enter Unreality with a small amount of Presence, as if their self has been pulled through a sieve. Over time, more Presence may be gathered back -- regaining strength and eventually surpassing former limitations. This can only begin after that initial dip in Presence taken when entering Unreality (seen with Drab Tier being the highest a character may begin at).

Any creature attempting to exist in Unreality needs Presence both to maintain their existence, as well as to grow stronger. Presence is in short supply here, with only limited amounts ever slipping through alongside new, lost souls. As nothing exists, here, Presence can never be generated - only found, or sometimes stolen.

Presence is gained most commonly when an individual discovers the Secrets scattered throughout Unreality. Presence can also be found through Scavenging for and using powerful Oddments. Presence may also be forcibly pulled from another person who has already been weakened. This process has no certainties to it, and in most cases results in most of the stolen Presence simply vanishing, received by no one and ceasing to exist. This doesn't stop many from attempting such an act, whatever the risks. Pacts Main Article: Pacts

Most beings trapped outside of reality have a hard time holding onto their Presence without the aid of others through a Pact. While there is never a requirement for a creature to be under a Pact, the Presence that can be quickly acquired as a result of one make it an attractive choice those of low Tier when struggling to survive. Loss of Presence While theoretically a person could get by on only the Presence they fell into Unreality with, it is easy to lose Presence through injury, illness, or emotional turmoil. Whether physical sickness or existential mental dread, if a person begins to think or feel they may not exist, or that they are in danger of Fading, their Presence will be pulled from them; They will begin to Fade Away. Fading Main Article: Fading & Fetchling

Fading is the process through which a being ceases to exist - being pulled apart at the seams until only a shadow of a memory (called a Fetchling) remains. Fading begins whenever enough Presence has been pulled from a creature to put their 'self' in danger.

The less Presence something has (or the lower Tier a creature is), the more quickly Presence will slip away once Fading begins. While those of less Presence and lower Tier are in the most danger of Fading, is is a risk to everyone in Unreality. A sudden injury or dire illness can very quickly render a person non-existent. Tier Main article: Tiers

The strength a character has is directly tied to their Presence, with the colours used to denote Tier based upon the ethereal flicker of colour which lingers about every Presence holder. As Presence grows or fades, this colour will change.

While Tier is something which any character can learn how to see, use of Phantasm, a Mysticism skill, would be necessary to discern another's exact Tier. Similarly, a person would use Phantasm if they wanted to conceal their true Tier and Presence from divining eyes. Objects with Presence Items and objects without a sense of identity may hold small amounts of Presence. The Presence an inanimate object holds is usually gathered as a byproduct of having interacted with, or holding the attention of, creatures with a sense of identity.

Even the most mundane objects or creatures, if given directed attention, will gain very small amounts of Presence. In some cases, people may attempt to use stored Presence in various objects as an emergency supply... but the amount which can be forcibly placed into a completely unaware object is limited, and pulling it out requires a great deal of skill.

Refer to Roleplay Mechanics for more information. Oddments Main article: Oddments

Occasionally, stray threads of Presence find their way into other things -- twisting and changing lost objects scattered across the landscape of Unreality; This creates Oddments.

Oddments have remained within Unreality long enough to have absorbed ambient Presence, warping and changed in strange ways. The strength of this, and which Stats or Mysticism a particular Oddment effects, is dependent on where the Presence absorbed originally came from. Beings with a sense of identity may choose to use these objects for their own benefit.

A full list of Oddments Players have access to can be found here. Roleplay Mechanics There is no set number which a character's Presence is seen through, and minor changes and alterations that may happen over the course of roleplay are up to the Player. Tier is the main dictating factor to determine how much Presence a character has, though their current status and strength may be tailored to suit the player. All characters, upon being created in The Space Between, may choose to start at either Pale Tier or Drab Tier and no higher.

When Trading Secrets with other Characters or NPCs, the assumption can be that Presence is being exchanged, but this is not a set rule. Similarly, when creating a Pact with another Character or NPC, there is the assumption that Presence has been exchanged. Players are encouraged to play this out however best suits their character and story.