Fading

Fading is the process of ceasing to exist. As a creature loses their Presence, they begin to fade, first losing parts of themselves and then turning nothing but a shadow with no sense of self. Eventually, this shadow will grow dimmer and dimmer, until it vanishes.

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

Injury, dwindling health, fear of death, or 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 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 upon dropping into Unreality. While they normally hold a limited amount of Presence outside of it it begins to diminish fast. Animals and creatures which may only

If something loses all its Presence, it will cease to exist. The process of Fading from existence isn't an immediate one, happening 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 Effects of Fading include symptoms which may be easily overlooked, Including most commonly:

Middle Stage Effects of Fading are harder to overlook and more intrusive in a person's basic functionality, these include: Late Stage Effects of Fading are impossible to overlook, and highly disruptive, including but not limited to:
 * 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).
 * 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


 * 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 the result of a fully Faded person, having lost all 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 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.

Once Fading has begun, it can be reversed only when acting 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 acting quickly, the lost Presence can be regathered and with it lost memories, abilities, or physical pieces of a person.

Only 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.

Middle Stages of Fading may be possible to reverse, but will likely result in some longterm side effects if undone. An individual who while Fading lost their ability to see completely, once stable may regain their eyesight but find that it isn't as good as before.

Once a being has reached the Later Stages of Fading, it becomes impossible to completely reverse. If Fading can be stopped, it's 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 might choose to use some of the Early Stage Effects of Fading, or not. 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 do SoS Damage or take SoS Damage; They cannot use Mysticism of any kind.