The joyful (or otherwise) noise of worship

[Rocket Man]

This may be a ridiculously simple question, but I've found that if you want answers, you've gotta ask.

In the Corporeal Player's Guide, pg. 67 describes how worship rites work -- perform the Rite, send 1 Essence to the ethereal "god" you're honoring. But does sending that Essence create any disturbance, the way conscious Essence use or some Tethers do? Or is it as silent as an Impudite's leeching?

I can see the logic behind silence. But noisy worship would explain how the Tasyadim could track down some of the pagan powers so quickly ...

[William]

Since worship is something un-Aware humans can do, I would suspect that it does not make any noise, much like unconsciously spending Essence on a roll.

It might be interesting if Ethereal Soldiers' Rites did while other worshipers' Rites did not, since the Soldier has conscious control of their Essence, but I see no need for this to have to be the case.

[tHEhERETIC]

Originally Posted by William

Since worship is something un-Aware humans can do, I would suspect that it does not make any noise, much like unconsciously spending Essence on a roll.

It might be interesting if Ethereal Soldiers' Rites did while other worshipers' Rites did not, since the Soldier has conscious control of their Essence, but I see no need for this to have to be the case.

The main reason I can see for the Soldiers' Rites to not make noise is survival of the gods, and even that is a weak case. If a Soldier's Rite makes noise, it pinpoints his location to anyone who cares enough to go after it. Follow the Soldier long enough you might see whether his god is violating Purity's ban and coming to Earth to collect, or at least to rewards a loyal servant with his presence.

[alexondria]

Does using Angelic/Demonic rites cause a disturbance? What about sending essence to limbo? I don't know the answer to those questions, but I'd figure that out and then decided on the rites for Ethereals making it match one or the other depending on the flavor I want for the game.

[Omegonthesane]

Originally Posted by tHEhERETIC

The main reason I can see for the Soldiers' Rites to not make noise is survival of the gods, and even that is a weak case. If a Soldier's Rite makes noise, it pinpoints his location to anyone who cares enough to go after it. Follow the Soldier long enough you might see whether his god is violating Purity's ban and coming to Earth to collect, or at least to rewards a loyal servant with his presence.

1 Essence is very hard to hear, so this is mostly a plot device by which the players might be drawn into locating an ethereal god rather than a serious danger to the owner of the Rite.

[Methariel]

Originally Posted by William

Since worship is something un-Aware humans can do, I would suspect that it does not make any noise, much like unconsciously spending Essence on a roll.

It might be interesting if Ethereal Soldiers' Rites did while other worshipers' Rites did not, since the Soldier has conscious control of their Essence, but I see no need for this to have to be the case.

I'd like to second this. As far as I recall, without being anywhere near my books, spending Essence consciously creates a Disturbance in the Symphony. So, when an Ethereal Soldier somehow directly sends a point of Essence to the soul-sucking, self-aggrandizing dream-thing...er, the god he worships, this will create a Disturbance. But Essence spent unconsciously during a Worship Rite wouldn't, since - somehow - people's lacking awareness of sending around the Symphony's "fuel" seems to make it quiet.

This leaves open the question if Ethereal Soldiers - or other Symphonically Aware people - can spend Essence unconsciously, at all. After all, they're aware that they're about to lose Essence. Or are they only aware after the fact, before having been in such a deep state of worship that they didn't notice the loss of Essence?

Originally Posted by alexondria

Does using Angelic/Demonic rites cause a disturbance?

If I recall it correctly, it doesn't. It's not the servitor spending Essence, but doing something that strengthens his Superior's Word and getting rewarded with Essence for that. But maybe the Superior creates a Disturbance for sending a point of Essence or two to his servitor? Or does that happen unconsciously?

Originally Posted by alexondria

What about sending essence to limbo?

I think it does, since you're pushing Essence out of you to "somewhere else", thereby directing it consciously through the Symphony - and beyond, or wherever Limbo is.


M.

[Omegonthesane]

Originally Posted by Methariel

I'd like to second this. As far as I recall, without being anywhere near my books, spending Essence consciously creates a Disturbance in the Symphony. So, when an Ethereal Soldier somehow directly sends a point of Essence to the soul-sucking, self-aggrandizing dream-thing...er, the god he worships, this will create a Disturbance. But Essence spent unconsciously during a Worship Rite wouldn't, since - somehow - people's lacking awareness of sending around the Symphony's "fuel" seems to make it quiet.

This leaves open the question if Ethereal Soldiers - or other Symphonically Aware people - can spend Essence unconsciously, at all. After all, they're aware that they're about to lose Essence. Or are they only aware after the fact, before having been in such a deep state of worship that they didn't notice the loss of Essence?

Possibly they're allowed to make a Precision roll to spend Essence "silently", similar to a Soldier of any stripe making a Focused Effort.

[tHEhERETIC]

Originally Posted by Methariel

So, when an Ethereal Soldier somehow directly sends a point of Essence to the soul-sucking, self-aggrandizing dream-thing...er, the god he worships,

OMG stahp it. You're making me miss Shenmachel even more.