The Mechanical Expression of Being
Facets are the discrete, quantifiable, and descriptive elements that define an Incarnation’s capabilities and internal state. They are the emergent properties of an Incarnation’s core Anatomy, but they can be further shaped by the echoes of past Eidos. These are offsets chosen during the Eidolon phase, serving as an optional layer of narrative characterization that encodes a life previously lived. If the Anatomy is the raw, crystalline structure of a being, its Facets are the polished surfaces through which it interacts with and reflects the world.
Crucially, these Facets are not static. While their initial state is determined at the moment of Awakening, they are the very site of the Incarnation’s journey. During the Anamnesis phase, the Actor’s life is a constant process of evolving these elements. Skills are honed through practice, Memories accumulate with every new experience, Beliefs are formed and challenged, and new Abilities can be acquired through profound rituals or attunement to powerful artifacts. In this way, an Incarnation becomes a living chronicle of its own Thread, its Facets telling the story of its struggles, triumphs, and transformations.
This dynamic nature is the engine of the game’s core loop. The final, evolved state of an Incarnation’s Facets at the end of its life is precisely what the Reflect verb acts upon. The skills a warrior mastered, the traumas a survivor endured, the faith a zealot embodied; all are distilled from these evolved Facets into the potent Eidos that the Author will use to weave the next Tapestry. The story of a life, as written in the changing nature of its Facets, becomes the raw material for the next story to be told.
These elements serve as the primary mechanical interface between an Incarnation and the game’s various systems. They are the legible facts of a character’s existence, the language through which the simulation understands what an Incarnation is and what it can do. A Faction’s recruitment logic might check an agent’s Beliefs, a crafting recipe might require a certain Skill level, and a physical Conflict will test its Attributes.
Together, these Facets form a holistic and interconnected system. A high Strength Attribute is a simple number, but when it is derived from a Vessel with [Dense Muscle Weave] components and is paired with a Belief that ‘Might makes right,’ a story begins to emerge. Facets therefore are more than a character sheet; they are the mechanical vocabulary for the poetry of an Incarnation’s Thread.