![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
𝐭𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬 & 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐮𝐫𝐦𝐮𝐫
CONNECT.
All Vessels are connected by a low, persistent psychic resonance known as the Murmur: a background thrum that links every vessel, Host, and living fragment touched by One's desire for connection amplified by the Lunar Seed. You don't hear it, see it, but you do feel it, almost at all times. It manifests as a soft pull at the edge of thought that even serves as a gamewide network that characters can communicate through using their masks.
Every Vessel arrives with a mask, blindfold, or veil— a symbolic object bound to their arrival. When worn, it grants greater access to this shared psychic space. All masks are very flexible in terms of display, and may easily change appearance to fit the vessel's personality, form, needs and so on, even as time goes on.
Through this network, Vessels can communicate over distance, like whispering across a void or leaving behind a memory for someone to find. It can be intentional or accidental. Usually,when information is shared through the Murmur once, a Vessel can come across it, no matter how new to the setting they are (In other words, past "posts" are accessible, as well as information sharing, so long as it is marked as public).
The Murmur allows characters to send:
Tethers are personal, powerful bonds with anything connected to the Murmur. They are not submission to it, but rather an intentional use of it, so when you Tether, you're drawing on the Murmur's connection, but grounding it in intimacy with another Vessel. This focuses the use of the Murmur rather than being drowned in it. If the Murmur is the river, the current— Tethers are the wires, giving that raw power means to be tamed and used. There are types of Tethers your characters may have, starting with:
TETHERS: VESSEL TO VESSEL SYNCHRONY
Vessels may form deeper connections with one another with Tethers. A Vessel-Vessel Tether is the formation of a psychic and/or emotional link between two vessels. It may start subtly, as a shift in dreams, a shared sensation, or a deepening awareness of the other's presence, and then gradually grows— or can form immediately through intimate acts between Vessels. When people come together to form a tether manually, the intent is enough to initiate the beginnings of a bond. When they have the clear desire to connect, they will be able to sense the other with their mind, and the "contract" to seal this agreement can be made in many ways: through mental agreement, a verbal vow, or even by a handshake. There is no singular way to form a Tether— it can simply form through agreement, mutual interest, etc. It doesn't require spoken consent in-character, but it always requires agreement OOC. Your character may have multiple Tethers, or even a shared Tether of up to three individuals at a time (rare, but possible). Some may form instantly, others over time.
They can manifest emotionally, psychically or physically. Some examples include:
Tethers in general can grow stronger, fade, break, or warp. It's also worth noting that Tethers between Token and Offering are stronger than Token-Token or Offering-Offering combinations. Remember that Tethers are the beginning of a bond— they are significant, but still forming. Think of them as open threads, not yet tied. A strong and consistent Tether that has been tied can evolve into Convergence, a deeply entangled bond that leaves lasting impact on the involved Vessels. More on Convergences can be found further below.
AMBIENT TETHERS: FLORA AND FAUNA SYNCHRONY
Vessels may also attempt to bond with local flora and fauna, called Ambient Tethers, but with mostly negative results in the Interstice.
Flora is either sodden, dead or corrupt; they are generally "easier" to Tether to, but not without a build up of negative consequences leading to Succumbence. The once known Animal Hosts of the waking world are now Lesser Guardians. More on them can be found here. Unlike ordinary animals, Lesser Guardians cannot be tamed, reasoned with, or safely approached. They are instinctive creatures, but their instincts now serve Sleep. Thus, their nature makes them particularly dangerous to Vessels. Tethering with a Lesser Guardian is possible, but the consequences can be severe. A connection to one of these creatures may expose the Vessel to its corruption, its instincts, or even Sleep's influence, making the bond as dangerous as it is unnatural. What once made an animal simple and instinctive has become precisely what makes these creatures so difficult to control.
This mechanic is optional and highly customizable. Minor aesthetic changes are welcome even without full Succumbence (a vessel who has tried to Tether with flora may have small, aquatic plants growing on them, a green/blue tone to skin, etc).
CONVERGENCE
A Convergence occurs when a Tether becomes fully entangled— when both Vessels sync in a way that permanently alters their relationship and possibly themselves. What sets a Convergence apart from a Tether is:
Please remember that Convergences aren't meant to be formed quickly, nor taken lightly, as they are very strong bonds that a pair must be completely trusted and open to on both sides of the relationship (so a more one sided tether would not make this possible, nor would the slightest bit of distrust or secrecy on either end). If you would like to see if your pair is suitable for a Convergence, leave a comment here.
SEVERING
Not all Tethers are meant to last. Some fray on their own, and others must be cut. And sometimes, even a Convergence must be undone— though rarely without a cost.
Severing a Tether:
Severing a Convergence:
A decayed Convergence is what remains when a deep bond festers instead of healing or severing cleanly. The vessels stay connected, but the connection has soured, bent under pressure, neglect, betrayal, obsession, or despair. It hurts. It makes you unwell and unlike yourself.
Symptoms of Decay may include:
Every Vessel arrives with a mask, blindfold, or veil— a symbolic object bound to their arrival. When worn, it grants greater access to this shared psychic space. All masks are very flexible in terms of display, and may easily change appearance to fit the vessel's personality, form, needs and so on, even as time goes on.
Through this network, Vessels can communicate over distance, like whispering across a void or leaving behind a memory for someone to find. It can be intentional or accidental. Usually,when information is shared through the Murmur once, a Vessel can come across it, no matter how new to the setting they are (In other words, past "posts" are accessible, as well as information sharing, so long as it is marked as public).
The Murmur allows characters to send:
🪢Telepathic messaging. There are no spoken words, but "felt" ones that can feel like writing and responding to text messages.
🪢Illusory voice communication, where a vessel hears another's voice in their mind, much like a phone call.
🪢Projected apparitions, resembling the speaker's form in a dreamlike facsimile, like a waking hallucination or VR in front of them. They can also display a visual feed from their point of view or memories.
It is not bound by distance, but proximity can intensify the clarity of connections. The more emotionally charged the message, the more vivid (or distorted) the image. The Murmur is neutral by nature, but transformative by effect. On its own, The Murmur does not have intent, but it remembers each and every one that was once a part of it. It stores emotion, sensation and memory, like an active hard drive. Interaction with The Murmur always has a bit of a cost: It amplifies connection, but slowly dulls individuality. It rewires them over time, like falling asleep in a warm bath that's slowly flooding. There is one way to combat its pull, and that's by Tethering.🪢Illusory voice communication, where a vessel hears another's voice in their mind, much like a phone call.
🪢Projected apparitions, resembling the speaker's form in a dreamlike facsimile, like a waking hallucination or VR in front of them. They can also display a visual feed from their point of view or memories.
Tethers are personal, powerful bonds with anything connected to the Murmur. They are not submission to it, but rather an intentional use of it, so when you Tether, you're drawing on the Murmur's connection, but grounding it in intimacy with another Vessel. This focuses the use of the Murmur rather than being drowned in it. If the Murmur is the river, the current— Tethers are the wires, giving that raw power means to be tamed and used. There are types of Tethers your characters may have, starting with:
TETHERS: VESSEL TO VESSEL SYNCHRONY
Vessels may form deeper connections with one another with Tethers. A Vessel-Vessel Tether is the formation of a psychic and/or emotional link between two vessels. It may start subtly, as a shift in dreams, a shared sensation, or a deepening awareness of the other's presence, and then gradually grows— or can form immediately through intimate acts between Vessels. When people come together to form a tether manually, the intent is enough to initiate the beginnings of a bond. When they have the clear desire to connect, they will be able to sense the other with their mind, and the "contract" to seal this agreement can be made in many ways: through mental agreement, a verbal vow, or even by a handshake. There is no singular way to form a Tether— it can simply form through agreement, mutual interest, etc. It doesn't require spoken consent in-character, but it always requires agreement OOC. Your character may have multiple Tethers, or even a shared Tether of up to three individuals at a time (rare, but possible). Some may form instantly, others over time.
They can manifest emotionally, psychically or physically. Some examples include:
🪢Feeling the other's emotional state or pain.
🪢Dream-sharing or subconscious bleedover.
🪢Slight combat buffs.
🪢Reflexively reacting to each other's presence.
Tethers are mutual by default, but asymmetrical, toxic or even forced connections are allowed with clear OOC consent from both player parties (when forming these types of "forced" tethers, for example, it might not feel good at all for the victim party, though the controlling party may feel dominating throughout. You are free to be creative with how it happens). 🪢Dream-sharing or subconscious bleedover.
🪢Slight combat buffs.
🪢Reflexively reacting to each other's presence.
Tethers in general can grow stronger, fade, break, or warp. It's also worth noting that Tethers between Token and Offering are stronger than Token-Token or Offering-Offering combinations. Remember that Tethers are the beginning of a bond— they are significant, but still forming. Think of them as open threads, not yet tied. A strong and consistent Tether that has been tied can evolve into Convergence, a deeply entangled bond that leaves lasting impact on the involved Vessels. More on Convergences can be found further below.
AMBIENT TETHERS: FLORA AND FAUNA SYNCHRONY
Vessels may also attempt to bond with local flora and fauna, called Ambient Tethers, but with mostly negative results in the Interstice.
Flora is either sodden, dead or corrupt; they are generally "easier" to Tether to, but not without a build up of negative consequences leading to Succumbence. The once known Animal Hosts of the waking world are now Lesser Guardians. More on them can be found here. Unlike ordinary animals, Lesser Guardians cannot be tamed, reasoned with, or safely approached. They are instinctive creatures, but their instincts now serve Sleep. Thus, their nature makes them particularly dangerous to Vessels. Tethering with a Lesser Guardian is possible, but the consequences can be severe. A connection to one of these creatures may expose the Vessel to its corruption, its instincts, or even Sleep's influence, making the bond as dangerous as it is unnatural. What once made an animal simple and instinctive has become precisely what makes these creatures so difficult to control.
This mechanic is optional and highly customizable. Minor aesthetic changes are welcome even without full Succumbence (a vessel who has tried to Tether with flora may have small, aquatic plants growing on them, a green/blue tone to skin, etc).
CONVERGENCE
A Convergence occurs when a Tether becomes fully entangled— when both Vessels sync in a way that permanently alters their relationship and possibly themselves. What sets a Convergence apart from a Tether is:
🪢Stability: The Tether becomes harder to sever or ignore. Even if the characters part ways, the resonance lingers. Vessels that have converged share an incredibly strong gravitational pull towards each other. They are constantly drawn back together if apart.
🪢Mutual Effect: Physical mutations, memory shares, dream shares, power sharing, mental changes, empathy, echoed thoughts or emotional influence becomes stronger and more immediate, near or apart (A Token in Convergence with an Offering who has horns may begin to grow smaller horns; a pair may share the same eye color; An Offering in Convergence with a necromancer Token may adopt a more ghoulish appearance, etc).
Just as a Tether, Convergences that are between Token and Offering are much more intense than Token-Token or Offering-Offering combinations. If a threeway Convergence is being attempted, at least one of each Vessel type will work as the bond's stabilizer. It is also possible for one Vessel to be in more than one Convergence. 🪢Mutual Effect: Physical mutations, memory shares, dream shares, power sharing, mental changes, empathy, echoed thoughts or emotional influence becomes stronger and more immediate, near or apart (A Token in Convergence with an Offering who has horns may begin to grow smaller horns; a pair may share the same eye color; An Offering in Convergence with a necromancer Token may adopt a more ghoulish appearance, etc).
Please remember that Convergences aren't meant to be formed quickly, nor taken lightly, as they are very strong bonds that a pair must be completely trusted and open to on both sides of the relationship (so a more one sided tether would not make this possible, nor would the slightest bit of distrust or secrecy on either end). If you would like to see if your pair is suitable for a Convergence, leave a comment here.
SEVERING
Not all Tethers are meant to last. Some fray on their own, and others must be cut. And sometimes, even a Convergence must be undone— though rarely without a cost.
Severing a Tether:
🪢Requires intent.
🪢Can happen organically (characters grow distant) or violently (betrayal, trauma, forced separation).
🪢May leave behind emotional or psychic residue— phantom sensations, dreams, or physical after effects.
🪢Can trigger a moment of vulnerability where the Murmur tries to replace the lost connection, which may make a vessel more susceptible to Succumbence.
🪢Can happen organically (characters grow distant) or violently (betrayal, trauma, forced separation).
🪢May leave behind emotional or psychic residue— phantom sensations, dreams, or physical after effects.
🪢Can trigger a moment of vulnerability where the Murmur tries to replace the lost connection, which may make a vessel more susceptible to Succumbence.
Severing a Convergence:
🪢Rare and difficult. Convergences are not meant to be casual.
🪢Requires a traumatic split, external force, or deliberate ritual, such as death or a traumatic event.
🪢Leaves scars, literal or metaphorical. One or both vessels might lose abilities gained through the bond, retain memories or habits not their own, or become more susceptible to Succumbence.
DECAY: WHEN CONVERGENCE TURNS🪢Requires a traumatic split, external force, or deliberate ritual, such as death or a traumatic event.
🪢Leaves scars, literal or metaphorical. One or both vessels might lose abilities gained through the bond, retain memories or habits not their own, or become more susceptible to Succumbence.
A decayed Convergence is what remains when a deep bond festers instead of healing or severing cleanly. The vessels stay connected, but the connection has soured, bent under pressure, neglect, betrayal, obsession, or despair. It hurts. It makes you unwell and unlike yourself.
Symptoms of Decay may include:
🪢Disruption in the Murmur: Static, distortion, invasive thoughts, dream intrusions— like feedback from a broken circuit.
🪢Unreliable Resonance: Emotions misfire; one vessel may feel things that aren't theirs, or nothing at all.
🪢Physical or Psychic Rot: Glitches in memory, phantom limbs, spreading mutations, or "wrong" flora/fauna traits creeping in uninvited.
Decay is not always mutual. One Vessel may pull away or change while the other clings, corrupting the Convergence further. Sometimes, both simply . . . Drift, likely into Succumbence, or something even worse. For more information, check out the Succumbence page.🪢Unreliable Resonance: Emotions misfire; one vessel may feel things that aren't theirs, or nothing at all.
🪢Physical or Psychic Rot: Glitches in memory, phantom limbs, spreading mutations, or "wrong" flora/fauna traits creeping in uninvited.