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moustre ([personal profile] moustre) wrote2018-10-20 11:09 am
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BONDS



The Lore The history of Bonding is both old (within the personal history of the Coven) and recent (on the greater continent of Geardagas). Most books date its beginnings as those who are familiar with it today, in its standard Witch-Monster pair format, to when the Cwyld began to affect the world some hundreds of years ago. Prior to that, Witches solely paired together - a dangerous Bond that risked them going mad from too much magic, if they didn't actively use it every day - or with a magical creature: a familiar. While Bonding with a familiar did help to ease the burden somewhat, they acted more as battery packs, and without careful monitoring would bring the same risks as two Witches bonding (though with less destruction; two Witches cause much more of a mess when their magic goes supernova than just one).

Monsters were (and still are, in some circles, though things are vastly improved from the past) considered dangerous; they were either taken care of on sight, or brought in for study. It's said the first Witch-Monster Bond was created by a young Witch who'd been more curious and friendly with, than cautious and fearful of, the Turnskin she'd been studying, and had thought that perhaps Monsters could work similarly to her familiar.

They worked better.

Essentially, Witches need to filter and cycle their magic. The quickest way to do this is to simply use it every day, and so students (Witches-in-training) generally don't require a Bond, as they're near-constantly using it as part of their practice. This can cause its own set of issues, however: things get very, very loud if every Witch in the area is setting off some spell or another to keep their magic from spilling over. Monsters have historically been able to live without a Bond, but having one - that is, having a stable source of magic to draw from - keeps their minds clear and helps against entering a feral state. The simple act of having a Bond with a Witch can keep them more lucid when they must change (such as Turnskins on the night of the full moons, as their change is more drastic than other Monsters).

The other thing the Coven discovered upon accepting Bonding with Monsters was that Bonds strengthen them - it makes their magic cleaner, easier to use and more direct, it allows them to cast magic above their technical level, and enhances their ability to cast spells relating to the type of Monster they've Bonded to (such as a Witch Bonded to a Fae getting an extra boost in illusion spells). Such power grows the more Bonds one has, to a point. Too many and a Witch or Monster risks overextending themselves and hurting both them and their Bonds severely. The current safe number for a single person to have is three at maximum. While characters will be warned against having more than this at the beginning of their world explanation, it isn't as though anyone keeps a strict record of Bonds. (Just let the mods know if you're going to do more than three! We'll hash things out with you.)

The benefits of a balanced Bond are immediately obvious. The Witch's magic grows stronger and easier to use, the Monster consumes the excess and feels more mentally balanced and stable, along with gaining a boost to their own natural abilities from their Bonded Witch's magic. Bonds must be formed between two willing parties who go through the ceremony together; they cannot be formed accidentally, nor against either party's will. The Bonding ceremony is a simple one: both persons will join hands in a magic circle set up by the Coven and repeat their own written vows to each other. The Witch overseeing the ceremony will tie each person's magic signature together - in other worlds, this "magic signature" is simply referred to as a "soul" - and the ceremony will be complete.

It is considered quite a big step to take between family members, close friends or lovers, as those Bonded will be able to more clearly sense their partner's moods and, if empathetic enough, can even be influenced by them. In particularly strong Bonds, partners have even been known to share memories or dreams with the other. This is why it's generally only done between those who truly care about each other in some way, platonically or romantically. This is one of the reasons Witch-Monster Bonds were much less accepted in the past, though in recent years, it's become more common even outside of the Coven. Particularly in the Shopping and Harbor Districts, the sight of humans and Monsters working and living together is almost as frequent as it is within the Coven's walls.

Members of the Coven and Witches aren't the only ones that benefit from Bonds, though not everyone chooses to form one. Everyone born on Geargadas has a spark of magic within them, and while not all of them go on to formally study it, each of them is at least given pointers and help with it in their growing up, either in public institutions or from those taking care of them. These formally untrained people, with the exception of those living in the Aristocratic District, use magic almost daily in their lives, and thus can generally get away with merely Bonding to a familiar or with each other, while aristocrats use expensive dampeners to keep their magic under control. Many more regular citizens are choosing to find a Monster Bondmate these days as acceptance of Monsters grows in poorer districts, though.

This growing normalcy also extends to one of the next biggest things to note regarding Bonds: tactile contact as a means to enhance the connection between Bonded. Even the most aloof Witch, the most aggressive Monster, will benefit if they share physical affection or intimacy with their Bonded partner(s). This is regardless of whether they're friends, family, or lovers, as this helps to strengthen the bond. So it isn't too strange to see gestures of affection, fleeting or lingering, when around Witches and Monsters in these settings. Typically, the common gestures are foreheads touching, hands to each others' hearts, or cupping the neck. This is a different contact from the common Geargadas handshake (a clasp of the forearms) although some Bonded may also use this, if that's their comfortable exchange.

Regardless, this is what it is - an exchange through contact. Magic can be stored without this contact, but crossing that bridge is made all the easier through tangible reinforcement.

While Witch-Witch Bonds are still considered fairly dangerous, an active outlet for magic will still make them workable (Witch-Witch Bonds also have the option of taking Familiars to help make their Bond more sustainable), and a way to consume magic for Monster-Monster bonds will keep them from going feral too easily. There is the additional option of adding a Witch or Monster to either side of the equation, as that balanced Bond will feed into the overall Bond and help to moderate magic and monster. While Monster C might not directly feel the effects of the Bond - they won't feel stronger with Witch A, or be able to sense their moods easily, and so on, not the way Monster B would be able to - their risk of losing themselves decreases. If they Bonded with Witch D later on, they would feel the full effects of their Bond with that Witch, and have even less of a chance of going too far.


The Nitty Gritty
The encouraged maximum is three bonds; while one is able to exceed that, the consequences can be as followed:

For Witches, the consequences of more than three bonds comes in the form of a disagreement in magics; if they have two monsters and two witches, for example, while the Monsters would be more than enough to take care of their pesky excess magic, the Witches will be cycling magic into a system that has enough and would be on the edge of overflowing. In an opposite example, with the Witch having more Monster bonds, the Witch would spend too much of their magic "feeding" the Monsters, leading to a possible comatose state. This state fades in and out, but can be elongated at the player’s discretion; it will only cease once the Bonds have been nulled somehow, be they broken properly or not.

As a Witch gains more bonds, all Bonds will weaken at different speeds and eventually break, the magic essentially wearing thin.

For Monsters, there comes the heightened chance of ferality even when a full moon isn't present. In the same example as above, while they would be getting the magic they need from the Witches, the Monsters they're bonded with would affect them twice as much as they're attempting to draw magic from a source that needs magic itself. In an opposite example, with the Monster having too many Witches, the Monster would consume too much magic, leading to the increasing danger of magic addiction, which can cause irrational behavior, paranoia, hallucinations, aggression as they seek to get their 'fix', and eventually a comatose state, the duration of which is up to player discretion and may fade in and out. As with Witches, it will only cease once balance has been restored in their Bond system.

As with the Witch, the Monsters' Bonds will weaken at different speeds and eventually break as well.

There's no exact point for one to be unable to physically possibly Bond more, but they’ll feel the above consequences increase with every one... Additionally, it’s best that one annuls them properly versus allowing them to snap or dissipate, as it can lead to potential harm (mentally and emotionally) as well as a “phantom bond”, the feeling of having something one does not.

Going un-Bonded is not recommended for any Mirrorbound, Witch or Monster. Side-effects may start at the three-month mark without a Bond. A gradually increasing lack of mental stability is the biggest one - irritability, aggression, paranoia, or insomnia may creep in for both Witches and Monsters. Monsters will also start to slip into their more animal instincts, eventually declining into going fully feral. The longer they go without a Bond, the harder it is to pull them back. A Witch will start to lose control of their magic as it increases without a sufficient outlet; even regular practice will do little to take the edge off, as it were. Spells will be more potent but uncontrollable. Eventually, the Witch will go supernova and explode from trying to contain too much magic within themselves.


The Effects of Death & Drops
In the case of sudden deaths which would require the Resurrection spell - old age is treated with respect and as a fact of life in Geargadas, so natural death in this regard is typically a different matter entirely - Bonds will feel something that settles between annulments and abolishments, and lean more towards one or the other depending on the results after death.

Bonded connected to someone who dies a sudden death find that same, heart wrenching feeling as an abolishment twisting in their chest as the connection between them is suddenly broken. The emptiness sets in, nerves frayed where the disconnect hit the hardest, with an echo of their Bonded's last emotion before their death reverberating in that hollow space behind their sternum.

However, this certainly isn't like the typical abolishment.

If the character is successfully Resurrected, this feeling will slowly start to abate if the Bond is actively repaired, with nurturing done by all parties involved in the Bond. This is a matter of reconnecting all of the frayed threads of their Bond, and strengthening the ones that just barely managed to hang on.

But if the Resurrection fails, whatever threads between them that managed to remain connected will snap, and the same effects of an abolishment start to sink in.

When a player character is dropped or swept from the game, if they have a Bonded, said Bonded will feel something close to annulment of their Bond - they would have a faint phantom pain, as if missing something, that'd eventually fade with the formation of a new Bond (or Bonds) or adjustment to their current ones, should they have any other than the dropped character.


Familiars
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it; this is the methodology of many older Coven members, who prefer the company of their various Familiars to others.

The spell for Bonding a familiar is similar to the one for Bonding a Monster, but on a smaller scale - the Witch still stands in a particular spell circle holding or touching said familiar, and makes a personalized vow to it. (Obviously, the familiar can't say vows back unless it's been enchanted to talk, but that's alright, it will still work as long as the creature is friendly to the Witch in question.) Luckily, it doesn't require another Witch to officiate. The spell is short and readily available in the Coven library.

Any creature can be a familiar! Cats are preferred by many Witches, but other creatures are possible familiars as well. The more domesticated a creature, generally the easier it is to Bond with, and so exotic Familiars are considered more impressive.

As Witches in the Coven itself are more used to familiars than Bonds, having a familiar to be "bonded" with instead can recycle excess magic for anywhere from five to seven months. It's recommended that you have two familiars if you go this route, they'd say, to give one rest while the other works, but as ever they will say that bonding with a Monster proper would be the best way to go.