Silence FAQ

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SILENCE FAQ

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What is the Silence?

The Silence is a malicious otherworldly parasite that has begun infecting the residents of South Sister.

What does the Silence eat?

The Silence is sustained by suffering. It converts the negative emotions of other beings into energy that it can then consume as fuel.

Why isn't everyone on the island infected?

The Silence does not seem to be functioning at full capacity right now. Thus far, it has only lashed out with petty tricks and a limited number of slowly progressing infections.

What a mystery.

How exactly does the Silence spread?

The most common way Silence spreads is through blood and other bodily fluids, including inhuman ones. This is why it is so quick to promote violence. Coming in contact with an infected character's injury or being injured by an infected character is a fast track to infection.

It can also spread by touch but only when the surface of an object is made up of concentrated Silence fragments. Any object of this nature can be identified by a purple sheen or metallic purple hue.

Finally, the least common way Silence spreads is through information. Simply learning about the Silence in spoken or written form outside of a warded area can potentially induce infection.

Any player whose character comes into contact with the Silence in these ways can make a roll on the RNG page to see whether or not it results in infection. If the player wants to infect their character, feel free to let the mods know before rolling. Otherwise, each infection roll has a ninety percent clear chance.

What happens if my character clears their infection roll?

Even a close call with the Silence can induce cold and flu-like symptoms. How bad these symptoms are and how long they last will depend on the number rolled. Exceptionally good rolls will result in Blessed or World Speaker status.

What happens if my character doesn't clear their infection roll?

Your character is now infected by the Silence. Congratulations! The severity of their infection will depend on the number rolled, but characters will always start off with a stage one infection. There are three stages total.

Can my character's Silence infection be cured?

Yes! Here on Lighthouse Isle, a Silence infection is not necessarily a game over. It can be purified and removed from the body. Not every character can be purified immediately, however. Some will have to jump through a few hoops first, depending on which of their negative emotions the Silence has been feeding on.

Can death cure a Silence infection?

No. The revival process cannot purge the Silence from a character's body.

What does my character have to do to cure their Silence infection?

Players who want their characters cured right away need only have their character approach a priest, World Speaker, or someone with purifying/cleansing powers. The purification can begin as soon as both players are ready.

Players who want to experiment with the effects of the Silence infection can still direct their character to someone who can purify them, but the ritual will not go as planned. The Silence has already begun feeding on them and has stored up enough energy to resist. This will result in the infected character lashing out at their supposed savior or, if this proves ineffective, attacking themselves until the ritual ceases.

Characters who encounter this dilemma will have no choice but to face the sinister thoughts and feelings dredged up by their infection. Only after they have faced one of their demons, come to terms with it, and taken action to improve themselves will the Silence be subdued enough for purification to take place. Heavier infections will require greater emotional breakthroughs to subdue. If the Silence is amplifying a character's grudges, for example, they will have to examine that grudge and how it has negatively impacted them, come to terms with their own emotions, and finally forgive someone. Any character who manages this will feel inexplicably uplifted, as if their heavy body is suddenly weightless.

This indicates that the character is ready for purification.

What does a purification entail?

The Silence sustains itself with the twisted energy it harvests from negative emotions. Energy of an opposite nature - pure and nurturing - cancels out its negative counterpart. Negating the Silence's food source effectively starves it out of the host's body. Thus, the purification ritual consists of surrounding the infected character's body in energy of a purely positive, soothing nature. This can include surrounding the character in raw energy, blessing the character, or blessing items such as water or salt and then submerging the character in them.

Those attempting the purification must be gentle, but there is no guarantee that the infected character will respond in kind. Any energy the Silence can spare will be used in a last ditch effort to create more negativity. Players are free to choose exactly how nasty the process gets before it begins to work. Maybe the infected character just starts crying uncontrollably, or maybe they experience excruciating pain. Maybe they start screaming their deepest hidden and most hateful thoughts to the entire world. Or maybe they slip into a possession episode and are in the middle of choking their best friend to death when the purification finally takes effect.

Players can RNG roll for flavor, but ultimately, success and its cost will be up to player discretion.

Remember that the further the infection has spread, the more difficult it will be to remove. Heavy cases that have sat too long or spread too far may require two or three people acting together to purify the infected character. Think Yukine's punishment in Noragami.

Because there are several ways things could go wrong, bringing a friend or two along to oversee the process may not be the worst idea.

Can a character whose infection has been purified be infected again?

Yes. Again and again and again.

If my character with purifying powers gets infected, can they still purify others?

No. Even in a stage one infection, the Silence will ensure that its host cannot use abilities that will purify other hosts.

The exception to this rule is when any character performing purification is infected in the middle of the purification process. If a character is purifying another and is infected before they are able to finish, they can retain their purifying powers until the process ends. This exception only exists to allow players more flexibility when plotting. If players want a character to have to stop halfway through purification because they've been infected, that's fine!

If my character with purifying powers gets infected, can they purify themselves?

No. Even in a stage one infection, the Silence will make sure it can't immediately be expelled from within.

Are there any restrictions on where purifications can take place?

There are no restrictions for where characters can attempt purifications, but in areas such as the lighthouse that are heavily tainted by the Silence, there's a chance the location itself will attack in order to stop the purification. Objects coated in Silence may fly across the room or walls may cave in on top of characters. In these situations, anyone attacked would have to roll for infection.

Can my character remain infected indefinitely?

No. Logically speaking, there are too many outside forces that would intervene including both NPCs and PCs. We don't intend to use these outside forces to enforce restrictions ICly, but we have decided to lay out OOC limits on how long characters can remain infected in order to keep progression fluid.

What is the maximum amount of time my character can stew in their stage one infection?

Please have your character purified or progress to stage two before six months pass. Having your character sealed does not affect this timeframe.

What is the maximum amount of time my character can stew in their stage two infection?

Please have your character purified before three months pass. Having your character sealed does not affect this timeframe.

Is there a minimum amount of time my character has to remain stage one before their infection can proceed to stage two?

There is no hard and fast minimum. We recommend giving it at least a week between initial infection and the onset of stage two, but this is not something we will enforce.

The more people the Silence infects, the more it is able to feed and the stronger it gets. Thus, even though infections have progressed very slowly in game until now, if a player would prefer a faster progression, they can simply decide their character was infected with a stronger strain.

What is a stage one infection?

Stage One is the spreading stage. At this time, the infection is still circulating through the body; it has not taken root. As the Silence is still concentrated on the surface level of the character's body and soul, it is easier to purify. It is also very infectious, however, eager to spread to any new hosts within its grasp. Another character brushing against a surface level injury is all it would take.

What are the symptoms of a stage one infection for characters who are not World Speakers?

The first sign of infection is when a purple double S symbol appears somewhere on the character's body.

As time passes, the Silence digs deeper into the character's consciousness and begins altering it. It hooks its metaphorical claws into any trauma, fear, hatred, or agony it can find and heightens it exponentially. Unable to escape from their mental prison of negativity, the character becomes more irritable, plagued by mood swings and increasingly darker thoughts. Things that once made them happy now fill them with dread, and paranoia runs rampant. These mood swings lead characters to lash out, and after lashing out, they can only feel guilty. A repetitive and damaging cycle that leads one to question their own sanity. Eventually, these dark thoughts spiral out of control, becoming so all-encompassing that the character gets lost in them.

This leaves them prone to possession episodes in which the Silence temporarily turns them into a berserker.

What do possession episodes entail?

Possessed berserkers no longer have control over their bodies. Their consciousness can only watch, smell, feel as their body relentlessly attacks anyone in the area. They will not stop until the body collapses from exhaustion or is forcibly subdued. Keeping the host conscious is a purposeful act by the Silence meant to drive the possessed character into deeper agony.

The possessed can easily be identified by the purple veins visible through their skin and their solid purple sclera.

During the course of each possession episode, the character's double S marking will grow in size.

What happens if the double S Silence marking grows to cover the entire body?

The character will no longer be playable as is, but they can potentially be taken in and reset by the NPCs.

What is a stage two infection?

Stage two is the acclimatization stage. When the infection first takes hold, the body can't keep up with the Silence's intense appetite. This massive energy production and drainage is what leads to the purple veins and sclera witnessed in the possessed. When the body begins to adjust to the infection, to work with it rather than rebel against it, stage two has begun.

What this means will vary between cases, but body horror, hallucinations, and violence can be expected. In stage two, the Silence gains a foothold not just in the character's mind but over their body as well.

More information will be revealed once a character in the game progresses to stage two.

What is a stage three infection?

Stage three is game over. More information will be revealed when a character nears this stage, but a character who has entered stage three can no longer be cured. Infections should not progress to this level unless a player intends to drop the character from the game.

Are there any lingering symptoms after a character is purified?

If the character is purified during stage one, all symptoms directly caused by the Silence infection will fade quickly after purification. If players want scarring (mental or physical) some may remain, but the Silence will be completely purged from the body.

If a character reaches stage two before being purified, more visible and permanent damage may result.

You mentioned Blessed and World Speakers earlier. What do they have to do with the Silence?

Blessed and World Speaker are titles that can be granted to characters, much like Infected or Possessed. While infected or possessed characters have been overtaken by the Silence, however, the Blessed and World Speakers have received gifts from an opposing force: the island itself. These gifts can be used to counter the Silence's spread.

The island is giving people powers?

Yes! Lighthouse Isle is more than just a clump of dirt poking out from the sea. It is very much aware of what's happening on its surface, and it isn't thrilled with what the Silence is doing.

Who are the Blessed?

The Blessed are characters who have rolled an exceptionally good number during an infection check. As such, the island has granted them a blessing. They are gifted with the ability to channel a small amount of the island's energy into their bodies. Using this energy, the Blessed can soothe someone in the midst of a Silence possession through touch. This act is not unlike wrapping a warm, safe blanket around the possessed character to protect their psyche from the harsh world outside. The Blessed can only channel a small amount of the island's enormous energy store, so this soothing touch will not always stop a possessed character's rampage, but it will help.

All Blessed can be identified by a single gold spot located somewhere on their back. This spot can only be seen by characters with supernatural vision.

Can Blessed lose their status as Blessed?

Yes. The island is rather fond of the people who live on it, so there are certain acts it will not condone. If a Blessed deliberately spreads Silence infection, murders, tortures, or otherwise grievously and purposefully harms other residents while in their right mind, their gift will be revoked.

Who are the World Speakers?

The World Speakers are characters who either rolled the best possible numbers during an infection check or already possessed the ability to commune with nature in their canons. The term World Speaker was coined by Admin because it refers to exactly that: characters who can speak to the world. They can talk to the island itself, hear its cries, and even ask for boons.

Like the Blessed, World Speakers can channel the island's energy, but they can do so on a larger scale. Not only can they channel it into their own bodies, they can project it outward. They can purify an infected character with this energy, speak to the island, transform their clothing into armor, and temporarily strengthen their own powers and abilities. Because each of these acts require a great deal of energy, any given World Speaker must be in top form to achieve them. Heavy injury, illness, and mental strain will drastically impede the World Speaker's ability to project the island's energy, so they could use a bodyguard or three in crucial moments.

These helpful abilities also come complete with a whopping downside. Because of their strong connection to the island, World Speakers are the Silence's favorite target.

Why does the Silence target World Speakers?

The easiest way for the Silence to achieve its mysterious goal is for it to get a World Speaker to reach stage three of infection. That, and World Speakers are melt-in-your-mouth delicious.

What does this mean for the infected and the World Speakers?

This means that all infected characters, no matter which stage, will be drawn to World Speakers, probably without them even realizing it. Initially, the infected character may simply feel the desire to be around a particular World Speaker and enjoy their company. As time goes on, that desire will evolve into aggression. The infected still wants to be around the World Speaker but may constantly get angry or frustrated with them until they lash out.

Certain events may trigger this aggression into sudden overdrive, such as the threat of purification. If a World Speaker suggests an infected character might need purification, for example, or if an infected character witnesses a purification in progress, they may attack without warning. The infected character won't necessarily stop attacking after they've defeated the World Speaker, so World Speakers will rarely ever be the only ones in danger. They'll just be the first target.

Can World Speakers get infected?

Yes, but their symptoms differ drastically from other infections as they are a conduit for the island's energy. And possibly something else too.

What does that mean?

The short version is that an infected World Speaker is dangerous to everyone nearby. More information will be added as soon as a World Speaker becomes infected.

Can World Speakers lose their status as World Speakers?

Yes. Just like with the Blessed, the island will not condone a World Speaker who deliberately spreads Silence infection, murders, tortures, or purposefully harms other residents while in their right mind. Any World Speaker caught in the act will have their gifts revoked.

The island can also break off its connection with an infected World Speaker as an act of self defense. Any World Speaker who develops a stage two infection will be a massive risk to Lighthouse Isle. At that point, whether or not they're causing harm intentionally, the island may revoke their status to protect itself.

Characters can also lose their World Speaker status during stage one, but only if the player wants it that way.

My character isn't a World Speaker or a priest. How can they fight against the Silence?

There are several ways characters can fight back against the Silence.

First, any character with powers/skills pertaining to purifying or cleansing malevolent energy can participate in purifying a Silence infection. Their abilities may not be as immediately effective as a World Speaker's, but as a trade off, the Silence may not be as immediately violent against them either. Characters whose abilities aren't as specialized to work against the Silence as a World Speaker's or as divine as a priest's may simply need a partner with similar abilities to help them complete each purification.

Second, World Speakers and other characters performing purification will obviously be the Silence's first targets. If they are gravely injured during the purification process, they won't be able to complete it. Any character can offer themselves up as a bodyguard, to restrain the infected, or even as emotional support during purification. These are not specialized positions, but they are crucial in protecting the lives of everyone involved.

Third, characters can create charms and wards that protect against the Silence. Any character who wishes hard enough can create a ward, but wards powerful enough to keep the Silence at bay will require three or more characters from three separate canons combining their efforts. The more characters involved, the stronger the ward will be.

If my character can channel evil/dark energy, could they potentially channel the Silence's energy?

They could try, and there's even a slim chance they could succeed! For a short time. It's much more likely, however, that the Silence will turn around and take a heaping metaphysical bite out of whoever is trying to control it. This would result in a terrible infection and damage of both the physical and mental varieties.

Any players willing to take this risk can feel free to RNG roll for this whenever they'd like.

What happens when someone who isn't a Blessed or World Speaker tries to reach out to the island?

Characters with no direct connection to the island are always welcome to try to communicate with it or tap into its mana, but the player will have to head over to the RNG page and roll for it. The chance for success is slim, however, and a bad enough roll could result in consequences as damaging as an explosion.

Do protective charms work against the Silence?

Yes, they can protect against infection. A character can have no more than one protective charm on their person at any given time, but if they get infected while carrying it, the charm will take on the infection in their place. This means that if a player rolls badly on an infection check, they can choose to use up their character's charm and roll again.

Infected charms will promptly disintegrate. They are single use only.

Do wards work against the Silence?

Some do, yes, but not all. Any character with the canon ability to create wards can do so, and this will protect the warded area from monsters and even certain event effects. It will not, however, be effective against the Silence. In order for a ward to work against the Silence, it must be created through the cooperation of at least three characters from at least three separate canons. This rule is not an IC one; it is an OOC rule meant to promote cross canon cooperation and limit the number of warded areas available at any given time.

These Silence wards are created when three or more characters cover the space with their individual wards. As long as three or more characters from at least three canons participate, it doesn't matter if they have the canon ability to create wards. Any character who wishes for it strongly enough will be able to contribute to the Silence ward. The strength, longevity, and square width of these protected areas will depend on how many characters contribute. An area warded by six characters will be more protected than an area warded by three characters. No matter how powerful any given ward may be, however, it will never be permanent and will require regular maintenance to upkeep. Finally, each character can only help sustain one Silence ward at a time. If any one character helps to create a second warded area, the first ward will immediately lose its effectiveness and anyone still in the area will be vulnerable.

Warded areas protect against the Silence's influence in several ways. As long as they remain within the warded area, characters can talk about the Silence without consequences. They are also safe from invading Silence fragments, as no piece of the Silence can enter the warded area. This means that no infected characters can enter a warded area either, with some exceptions. The first exception is if an infected character or object is already present when the wards are placed. In this case, the infected character/object will not be expelled from the area unless the Silence lashes out. If it's feeling particularly smart, the Silence may use an opportunity like this to influence its host into sabotaging the wards. The second exception is if an infected character is currently sealed. As long as the Silence has been completely sealed within the character, they will be able to enter warded areas without repercussion.

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