Ennead

Sometimes called stringers, enneads use string figures (like a cat's cradle) to invoke different emotions that they then wield to influence emotional resonance.

Resonating

All emotion resonates, creating the nommic energy known as emotional resonance. This is simply an (usually invisible) aura around a person that shows what they are feeling. Enneads learn to detect that aura and capture it by using special string formations and watching how they vibrate, then changing them so that the resonance is captured, to be released later.

Stringing

The stringer must deftly move between each configuration they use without making mistakes, acting within a few seconds to capture, alter, and release the resonance. This requires extreme dexterity. Any failure can cause severe damage to the emotional state of a target or the caster. Typically the goal of an ennead is to use emotional resonance to temporarily alter the heart of a target or targets. Calming angry crowds, soothing depressed individuals, or otherwise providing emotional support or relief. It is dangerous for an ennead to use their powers to manipulate, control, or harm someone, as it is more likely to cause burnout.

Nine Configurations

There are nine ways the string figures can be configured. Each has a different function. The basics are that they must be aligned between the hands of the ennead (two hands, even if the user has more than two hands). The configurations are

1. Cat's cradle: from Merukis, senses any emotion
2. Coconut palm tree: from Taggarus, strengthens emotions
3. Dancer: from the southern Island Bridge, moves emotion around
4. A growth in the tomana tree: from the southern Island Bridge, releases emotion
5. Hammock: from Mahad, captures emotion
6. Lizard: from western Palhur, alters emotion
7. Saw mill: from Lyrilla, breaks stored emotion into smaller parts
8. Two islands joined by a log: from eastern Palhur, combines emotions
9. Yam thief: from eastern Palhur, steals emotions

While there are many different string figures used around the world, usually by children, these nine have the power to react to emotional resonance. Their secrets have been developed in different cultures around the world, but sometime in history, these were shared and the occupation of ennead developed.

Vibrations

The use of the cat's cradle to sense emotion requires an understanding of which string means what. This varies slightly by user, but typically, the upper strings mean depth of emotion, the lower strings mean intensity, and the middle strings indicate how long the emotion has been felt.

Concentration

Learning to concentrate enough to see the extremely subtle vibrations in a string figure is the hardest task of learning to be an ennead. It takes decades to have the sensitivity to find them. Some mortals, such as empaths, have this ability naturally, but most must learn it. One must also learn to understand emotions, how they connect, what they mean, how they manifest, how they affect people, and so much more. Emotions are deeply complex, often unique to individuals, and drawing upon their resonance and wielding it requires incredible insight and care.

Formulations

The configurations are designed such that the ennead should be able to move between them quickly. One must capture resonance first. Then they must alter it as they will, if at all. Then they must release it quickly before it dissipates. The use of different combinations, however, between that can create different effects. The faster they can move between them, the more they can do with the power they capture.

Targets can be anything. While things without feelings will not be affected emotionally, they can be altered by emotional resonance in strange ways.

Release

Releasing emotions is done by the "a growth in the tomana tree" configuration. Once this is done, the ennead must loosen their strings. The resonance will flow outward in all directions, but the ennead's will may concentrate it in one area if they have a specific target in mind.

Emotions

There are two sources for emotional resonance an ennead may use: their own or someone else's. They must take extreme care not to take up too much resonance, or they risk losing those emotions permanently. For a list of emotions and their properties, see emotional resonance.

Burnout

Burnout is when an ennead uses too much resonance and either loses some of their own emotions or causes another to lose theirs.

Inventory

The only tool an ennead needs is their strings. Strings can be made of anything, but they must be well kept so they do not snap. A broken string during a spell can have severe consequences.

Variations

Some variations include

• Descubridor: an ennead who uses their powers to investigate issues, mysteries, or other things to report on them, often as a journalist.
• Firer: Ranic enneads who serve as elders in their community and guide the people via emotional resonance.
• Penari: an ennead from the southern Island Bridge who uses huge strings that connect between dancers to form complex emotional spells.
• Sentimentiere: a celebrity ennead, usually one who offers professional advice through their platform.
• Txantxalari: western Jesenyan enneads who work as clowns and use their powers to make people happy.

Psychologer

Those who use ennealogy mixed with modern psychological sciences in order to help or heal people.

Listener

Witches who use ennealogy mixed with their lore and powers. They are known to listen to the people of the community, to serve them as an adviser, and to fix emotional problems for them.

Qedesha

Sex workers who use ennealogy at their clients' request, usually as an offering to Sash-levavevs, the Goddess of Nine Hearts.

Specializations

There are many specializations:

• Etape: an ennead who uses their powers during stage performances as part of a specific acting tradition in Jesenya.
• Jaden: an ennead who uses their powers on plants to encourage them to grow.
• Kaihanga aho: an ennead who imbues works of art with emotional resonance in order to make others react to it more intensely.
• Khaghats’vogh: an ennead who uses their powers to create emotionally powerful games and puzzles, often working on the Puzzle of Hearts.
• Nahay Niara-Niory: an ennead in Basuri whose focus is working with the many animals there, usually lemurs.
• Pannakipagrikna: an ennead who uses their powers to draw people into playing games or checking out attractions at carnivals or sideshows.
• Mete ve: an ennead who imbues emotion into glass in order to create material that reveals emotional currents.
• Vendedor: an ennead who uses their powers unethically and dangerously as a merchant.
• Ýazyjy: a poet who uses ennealogy in their work.

Similar Occupations

Other users of ennealogy:

• Arquere: an archer who uses ennealogy to empower their arrows to seek the heart, often causing emotional damage rather than physical damage.
• Cazador: a hunter who bonds to the landscape and feel all the animals within it.
• Cruitire: a harpist who uses their harpstrings to wield emotional resonance.
• Jinete: a warrior who uses ennealogy to bond with their mount.
• Lam dlo: a pirate who uses ennealogy, often very dangerously, sometimes using it to terrorize their targets.
• Monja: a nun who bonds emotionally to the Divine.
• Sentire: secret police who use emotional resonance to investigate people's feelings, thus trying to capture them before they commit crimes, or spies who use their powers to control others.
• Vate: a bard who wields emotional resonance.
• Viajero: a helmsman who uses ennealogy to tap into deep emotional power to move ships.

Societal Role

Enneads are respected within the communities they originated in, but they are considered dangerous in many societies. They are honored as healers, leaders, and advisers in some cultures and secret police, spies, and manipulators in others.

Skills

Common skills include

• Prestidigitation
• Sewing
• Psychology
• Medicine
• Teaching
• Politics

Stats

Modifiers from base of nation/species:

PRO -2
ATH -2
STR -2
AWA +5
WIL +2
STH +2
PRS +3