Fading

Fading is the process of ceasing to exist. As a creature loses their Presence, they begin to fade, slowly losing parts of themselves until nothing but a shadow with no sense of self remains. Eventually, this shadow will grow dimmer and dimmer. Eventually vanishing completely, and never to be re-kindled.

When a person Fades Away, their Presence scatters freely across Unreality -- bare threads of stray Presence drifting aimlessly for a time and waiting to be collected. If not collected fast enough, this stray Presence will dissipate. The default state of Unreality is absolute nothing, and unbound Presence will eventually join this nothing over time.

Injury, dwindling health, fear of death, and existential fear will pull Presence from a person. If a person begins to think they may not exist, or are in danger of ceasing to exist, then their Presence begins to Fade.

Any creature trapped in Unreality, no matter how strong or how high Tier they are, can begin to Fade. The less Presence something has (or the lower Tier a creature is), the more quickly Presence will slip away once it begins; Most beings trapped outside of reality have a hard time holding onto their Presence without the aid of others through a Pact.

Creatures of limited sentience are at the most risk of fading once dropped into Unreality. While they normally hold a limited amount of Presence outside of it, this will begin to diminish quickly.

If something loses all of its Presence, it will cease to exist. The process of Fading from existence isn't an immediate one, happening slowly as Presence is pulled from a person. Within Unreality, as a person loses hold on themselves and fades away, they begin to lose tangible physical form, memories, knowledge, and personality.

While there is no set progression of symptoms and speed, intensity, and order of these effects may vary from person to person, ultimately anyone who fully Fades will meet the same fate.

Early Stage Early Stage Effects of Fading include symptoms which may be easily overlooked, including most commonly:


 * Dulled Pigmentation & Color (hair, skin, eyes)
 * General Confusion & Disorientation
 * Short-Term Memory Problems
 * Problems with Concentration
 * Clumsiness & Lack of Balance
 * Limited, or Temporary Numbness (Often seen as a 'pins and needles' sensation to effected areas).

Middle Stage Middle Stage Effects of Fading are harder to overlook and more intrusive in a person's basic functionality, these include:


 * Translucent Skin (partially or completely)
 * Difficulty with Language and Speech (inability to remember words, repetition of things said or various forms of Aphasia)
 * Memory Loss (loss of long term memories; loss of time or learned skills or knowledge).
 * Inability to perform long or complex tasks
 * Excessive Difficulty with Fine Motor Coordination or Control
 * Partial Paralysis (usually temporarily, but progressive)
 * Sensory Impairment and Loss (this can take the form of a dulled sense of taste or smell, hearing or vision loss, etc.)
 * Agitation, Anxiety, & Paranoia

Late Stage Late Stage Effects of Fading are impossible to overlook, and highly disruptive, including but not limited to:


 * Transparent Body Parts up to a fully Sheer Body (darkened, and similar to the appearance as a shadow)
 * Extreme Language Difficulty (inability to understand or form words or sentences; repetition of any phrases said)
 * Excessive Memory Loss upwards of complete Amnesia
 * Loss of Physical Motor Skills or Capacity (walking, use of limbs or digits, breathing, speaking)
 * Inability to consume substances of any kind
 * Degradation of all Knowledge, Skills and Learned Abilities
 * Hallucinations and Delirium
 * Violent or Emotional Outbursts (directed erratically and with little cause or focus)
 * Difficulty interacting with tangible, physical objects (phasing through objects after contact, or rendered incapable of moving things)

Fetchling are what remain of fully Faded persons, having lost all of their Presence. Fetchling are living shadows, devoid of identity and trapped in a loop - reliving who they once were; They have lost their grasp on existing and now remain as a shadow of the person they once were. They are devoid of identity and trapped in a loop. Fetchling are incapable of gaining Presence.

Fetchling are only ever able to relive experiences they have already had; They will never be fully aware of where they are, or what is going on around them. A Fetchling is incapable of following a train of thought or conversation, and can only repeat words that they had already said while alive.

Fetchling either remain in place where they finally Faded, or are known to roam in places they once lurked when they still existed. A Fetchling is aimless in how they wander, with no goal or meaning to their movements.

The older a Fetchling is, the more blurred and dim their shadow will become. When a person first becomes a Fetchling, they begin as a darkened version of the creature they once were, with the same silhouette and shape they held in life. Over time, every Fetchling will fade away completely, growing fainter and dimmer until finally disappearing. There is no process to slow a Fetchling vanishing.

Warding Off Fetchling
Fetchling can only act on instinct and incomplete memory from when they were still 'real'. Because of this, Fetchling are prone to respond to direct commands they may have  in life.

What a Fetchling responds to varies heavily between individuals; Common practices in Warding Off Fetchling are simply making it clear they are not 'Allowed' to be there: Signs, Charms or Physical Omens which the Fetchling may have responded to when still living. In many cases, a "Do Not Enter" sign is a surprisingly effective way to keep Fetchling out. When attempting to Ward Off a large number of Fetchling, the  best approach is to use a variety of Wards and Signs to try and effect as many varied Fetchling as possible.

The newer a Fetchling is, the more responsive they may be. For far more aged Fetchling, they are extremely unlikely to anything at all. Wards are never fully effective, but they can keep a place from becoming overrun with shadows.Once Fading has begun, it can be reversed only when acted upon quickly. The longer a person remains in a state of Fading, the more of them will be pulled away; The parts which Fade are gone into the nothingness that is Unreality. If one moves quickly, the lost Presence can be regathered and with it lost memories, abilities, or physical pieces of a person.

Only the Early Stages of Fading can be completely undone, with the effects vanishing after the person has taken in enough Presence to become stable once more.

Middling Stages of Fading may be possible to reverse, but will likely result in long-term side effects. An individual who, while Fading, lost their ability to see completely, may find themselves with poorer eyesight than before once it's regained. Lost skills and memories may only be fragments.

Once a being has reached the Later Stages of Fading, it becomes impossible to completely reverse. If Fading can even be stopped, it is unlikely that a person will regain what was lost completely, and it is exceptionally unlikely that they will ever go back to the person they once were.

The Condition: Fading which occurs when a character is injured while in Conflict denotes that a character has begun the process of Fading. While under this Condition, players can choose whether or not they would like to use some of the Early Stage Effects of Fading. Further, a character does not need to be under the Condition: Fading to consider themselves Fading if it suits their current plot.

Characters who have completely Faded become Fetchling; Player Characters are not permitted to be Fetchling. Fetchling may be freely used as NPCs by anyone. Fetchling cannot attack, they do not have Sense of Self, and they do no SoS Damage or take no SoS Damage; They cannot use Mysticism of any kind.

NPCs, Gathering Nodes, and other items associated with the HUD may not associate with characters who have the Fading Condition, or may be sporadic in their responsiveness.