Pacts

"Stumbling past the edge of reality,  the strain of simply existing begins to pull every part of you in all directions — fraying your mind until thoughts are edged in confusion. Without something to tether you to this place, you will be unmade completely…"Pacts are formal agreements between two individuals — The Bound, who are tethered to and share the strength of the Keeper, and the Keeper, who maintain the Pact and that tethering. Pacts allow one person to use the abundant Presence of another to tether to Unreality. Those who have gathered enough Presence in this land of the forgotten may choose to share some of it with another. Sharing in this power will allow the Bound to keep from Fading Away into a Fetchling through forming these bonds that leash one person to another.

At their very core, Pacts are about an exchange of power. This place beyond the mirror of reality is unforgiving towards those trapped in it. To survive, a person must do whatever they have to. While an individual may choose to remain Unbound and not submit to a Pact, this can make growing stronger much more difficult, and poses a risk to the self. This can additionally be seen in certain Gameplay Mechanics.

Creating a Pact does not have a formal ritual, but does require an exchange. This exchange must be on both sides -- Presence from the Keeper and a Tithe from the Bound. While a Keeper may choose to only ask for something inconsequential to meet the requirement of a mutual exchange, there must be an exchange of some kind. Forming and maintaining a Pact is a strain on the Keeper. Loss of Presence which can be scarce in this place isn't a small thing. Because of this, most Keepers expect adequate payment of some form. Keeper A Keeper is the individual who holds a Pact. They share their Presence with another. In sharing some of this strength, a Keeper can ask for something from their Bound in the form of a Tithe. This payment can be anything requested by the Keeper but for a pact to form properly, there must be an exchange on both sides of some kind.

While anyone may attempt to create a Pact with another as a Keeper, it is only possible by Outsiders, or Chambions of some strength. Those of greater power (in the form of higher Tier) have a better chance at maintaining a successful Pact without any danger to themselves or their Bound. Mundane are not able to create a pact as the Keeper, no matter what their tier.

An Individual may create and act as Keeper to many Pacts. The more Pacts a person acts as Keeper too, the more their Presence is divided and it causes greater strain. It can be assumed, as a rule of thumb:


 * Pale & Drab are not able to create a Pact as the Keeper and should be more worried about finding one for themselves!
 * Umber may hold one pact, but would struggle to maintain more.
 * Gold may hold a couple Pacts.
 * Crimson may hold a few Pacts.
 * Verdant may hold a handful of Pacts.
 * Ebon have few restrictions on the number of Pacts they hold dominion over and it would take a great number to even put strain upon them.

Bound A Bound is the individuals under a Keeper's Pact, using the shared Presence to their advantage. Individuals may be under only one Pact and only have one Keeper — with one person as their Keeper. When under a Pact, a person is considered to be within whatever Kith their Keeper is in. Individuals Bound directly to an Archaeon are considered in the Archaeon's Kith. Tithe is a payment made to create or uphold a Pact. When forming a Pact, an exchange on both sides is required. Without this exchange, a Pact will either not form or be altered in unexpected ways. While a Pact is for the primary benefit of the Bound in allowing them to survive, the cost may be very high depending on the Keeper.

Tithe is whatever a Keeper wishes, be it a physical object to indentured servitude, childhood memories to the ability to speak. What payment is asked for is completely dependent upon the Keeper.

If entering into a Pact directly with an Archaeon, the Tithe has Specific Requirements.

It's important to understand that once under a Pact, a Keeper may choose to seek additional Tithe. Until a Pact is broken, the Keeper may do what they wish with it. This can mean tightening restrictions, requiring further and additional payments. If the newly demanded tribute is not met, there is a chance the Pact will Corrupt in unexpected ways.

A Warped Pact is that which has been altered or does not behave in a standard, or suitable way for either the Bonded, Keeper or both. There are many reasons a Pact may become altered, and the way in which the Pact is changed will be based upon the reason it was caused to Warp in the first place.

The most common type of Warped Pact involves Tithe being taken, but no bond fully forming. Presence may not be given to the Bonded, or Presence may be given but no bond formed. These are not the only ways a Warped Pact may occur. (For Roleplay purposes, an agreement between all parties must be made prior to any Warped Pact bonds being created). Unmet Tithe When Tithe is requested from a Bonded, it is expected to be met - regardless of the conditions. If this Tithe is not met and the Bonded actively seeks to avoid offering up requested tribute, there is a very good chance the Pact will Twist.

In most cases, this can result in changes to the Pact which may include Presence being exchanged the wrong way, with The Bonded losing strength, or with the Bonded becoming incapable of certain actions until Tithe is paid.

Malformed Bonds

While the creation of a Pact may be attempted by anyone, certain factors can keep it from fully forming. If the Keeper is of little strength (or lesser strength than their intended Bonded), or if a Pact is attempted against the will of another, it's common that a Warped Pact will be created instead.

Similarly, if a Bonded attempts to break free forcibly and fails, they may instead end up altering the Pact they were already under in unexpected (and usually undesirable) ways. Breaking a Pact A Keeper may choose to break a Pact after the short period immediately after its formation (for Roleplay purposes, this may be considered around a week). After this point, it is completely up to a Keeper whether they wish to maintain the Pact, break these newly formed Bonds or demand additional Tithe. A Keeper may break their pact for any reason at any time, and with no warning.

While normally only a Keeper may choose to break Pact, there are some additional ways a Pact can be severed.

Lending or Trading Pacts It is not uncommon for Pacts to be Lent or Traded to others. To pass a Pact along to another, there is a hefty cost to the Keeper in the form of Presence, meaning only those of greater ability can manage this. If done wrong, attempting to Trade a Pact may result in it simply dissolving.

In the case of Trading Pacts, the Bound is not required to have a say in this, and there is a chance they will end up with a different Keeper.

Forcibly Severing If a Keeper doesn't hold tight to the Pact, there is a chance it may be forcibly broken by their Bound. This usually means by the Bound having increased greatly in strength of Presence far above their Keeper. Usually this can only be managed by those of higher Tiers (Gold and above), and is more likely when the Bound is an Outsider.

In certain cases, if a Keeper loses a substantial amount of power or falls in Tier, it can be very easy for a Pact to be severed. If the Bound are a higher Tier than their Keeper, they are very likely to be able to sever the Pact.

Neglect A Keeper's inattention to their Bound may result in a Pact dissolving naturally. While this is not commonplace and would require an immense amount of carelessness on the part of the Keeper, it can happen.

Similarly, if a Keeper finds they've lost a great deal of strength (be in lowering in Tier or other means), if extreme enough, this may result in a Pact will simply dissolve.

Outside Influence A Pact can only be affected by those within it. While a person outside of the Pact Bond may desire to alter it, they are only able to influence the Pact by effecting either Keeper or Bound. This can mean aiding the Bound in gaining strength to overthrow their Keeper, attempting to make a deal with the Keeper for trade, or even attacking the Keeper directly, too threaten their own Presence and Tier. Kith Pacts are the formal bonds which tether individuals to The Four. These are the bonds which directly tie individuals to an Archaeon without anything between. These Pacts typically garner the Bonded a great deal of Presence, as well as Additional Benefits both in and out of character.

Only those already possessing some amount of strength in the form of Presence and Tier are able to create a Kith Pact. When a person not strong enough to maintain a Kith Pact attempts to form one, chances of the pact Corrupting or simply not forming are high. Someone who wishes to join a Kith but cannot form a Pact on their own, should seek to create one with an individual who is already within the right Kith.

Read more about Kith Pacts...

Those without a pact to bind them are at a constant risk of fading away into nothing but the shadowed memory of a person. The longer a person of little Presence (usually those of a Low Tier) has nothing to tether them to this unreal place, the more likely they are to turn into a Fetchling.

Unbound individuals at lower Tiers are often seen as easy targets, especially those who have just recently found their way to this place. It's not uncommon for someone who is Unbound, regardless of their Type or Tier, to be preyed upon by others.

Pacts are not required to roleplay here — though they are a key facet of the IC experience. To join a Kith, you must be under either a personal or Kith Pact. There is no other way to be part of a Kith.

Players may choose to make a pact with an NPC instead of another Player Character. If you plan on doing this, make sure to review the rules surrounding NPC Creation.

For anyone seeking to enter into a Pact as either Keeper or Bound, there are roles available in the Discord for both which can be used in the Seeking Roleplay channel.