To Threaten is to use the potential for harm as a tool to resolve a social Conflict. It is the specific, intentional act of coercion; an attempt to force an opponent’s compliance by presenting them with an outcome more costly than surrender.
Within ATET, threatening is a high-risk, high-reward social maneuver. It is a declaration that the time for persuasion has passed and that the currency of the negotiation is now fear. A successful Threat can end a conflict before it begins, but a failed one can escalate it into open hostility with terrifying speed.
Nature of the Verb
The act of threatening is a specialized rhetorical frame, often available as an option within the Conversation or Intervene systems. It is an argument made not with logic, but with a weapon, a social position, or a piece of damning information.
Its success is not determined by the truth of the threat, but by the target’s belief in its credibility and their appraisal of their own inability to withstand its consequences.
Systemic Context & Mechanics
The verb “to Threaten” is the primary mechanic of the Coercive Threat, one of the four major categories of danger an Incarnation can face.
For a full breakdown of the mechanics that govern this action, including the contest of Leverage versus Resolve and the various potential outcomes; please see the core document on the broader concept: