Witness

in Lancer

Witness was a memetic thoughtform propagated to some extent by all social interaction between any and all beings attuned to its presence. Individuals attuned to Witness (I.E. most Egregorians) could use it both as a mode of communication and a means of passively gaining an impression of the mental state of other individuals in their vicinity.[1] Witness attunement was constant and passive, active within an individual's subjectivity for as long as they were able to make contact (direct or indirect) with other attuned individuals.   Its reflection of the beliefs and sentiments of those attuned to it made Witness express those same ideas in a manner largely indistinguishable from an independent subjectivity, resulting in it often being labeled as one that represented the gestalt sum total of all subjectivities connected to it in some way, to varying degrees of prevalence. However, its status as a representative amalgamation meant that Witness did not use its own capabilities in a manner that diverged from that representative nature. Any influence that it had over others was purely an amplification of the naturally dominant mental/emotional trends among the relevant group(s), though its retention of older ideas meant that it did have a role as a more present 'ancestral memory', rather than purely being a product of the ideas active in that exact moment.  

The most frequent use for Witness was as an analog to language among the Egregorians. Although the species was capable of speaking human languages (and most did), it was very rare to encounter an Egregorian who did so to the total exclusion of 'speaking' Witness, and many opted to intersperse their human-esque speech with select applications of Witness communication. This integration into the thought-processes and personal expression of the Egregorians meant that they frequently did not make a distinction between the collective species-memory of Witness and their own subjectivities, seeing the point as moot.   When 'speaking' Witness, an individual memetically broadcasted their message to nearby observers. To those receiving this message, it came across as an impression of a concept, emotion, or similar idea upon their own subjectivity, but segregated by a sense of detachment, as if they were witnessing that idea being experienced by another entity (that entity being Witness). Although Witness communication was dulled and vague from the perceptions of those with poorer Witness attunement, in-person communication via Witness was usually coherent enough that even minimal levels of attunement could still result in one receiving some form of impression during one-on-one communication. The ease with which Witness could be registered was also increased if the broadcast was on a mass scale, as could occur if a large-scale event triggered a distinct emotional response from the species-memory.   Osteomemetics were memetic messages engraved into stone, chitin or bone> that served as Witness' version of the 'written word'. Those with attunement to Witness and sufficient practice could 'read' osteomemetics via tactile contact, similarly to reading braille.[6] Attempts to closely analyze an osteomemetic while not attuned to Witness could lead to nausea and headaches, though while the details were difficult to perceive, one could still recognize that they contained some form of message.   'Reading' an osteomemetic was a much more experiential process than reading human languages, being a more personal indirect communication between 'reader' and inscriber. As such, osteomemetics were viewed by those attuned to them as equal parts informational storage units and works of art.   The highly complex and granular nature of osteomemetics' lexical structure meant that they were highly time-consuming to create (the equivalent of a scientific paper could take over a year to create in osteomemetic form), and their construction was vulnerable to degradation over time, which led to the encoded memetic message being rendered illegible. This meant that pre-Hercynian Crisis osteomemetics, which represented the primary link that post-Crisis Hercynians had to the planet's ancient history and culture, were rare and highly valued archaeological findings.   Osteomemetics as a societal practice were derived from Egregorians' headplates, which served as a relatively crude natural osteomemetic that described that individual's personal history and subjective profile. Artificial osteomemetics were, essentially, a replication of these plates, with the memetic effect being produced to communicate a more diverse range of messages. In addition to the typical medium of stone/chitin, artificial memetics could also be inscribed in other materials, which altered the prefix to reflect that material (ferromemetics for memetics inscribed on metallic surfaces, igneomemetics for those inscribed into cooling lava/magma, etc).  

Attunement

Although Egregorians as a eusocial species had a natural ability to engage with Witness that far outstripped humans', the gestalt subjectivity's nature as a representative product of societal interconnection meant that it, or a rudimentary copy of it, was still present to a degree even in populated areas that had nothing to do with Hercynia or the Egregorians. As such, humans across the Orion arm had a history of registering some connective tissue underlying human interaction (even if they could not quantify, explain or interact with it) both before and after first contact.[12] Such an experience was believed to be the chance detection of a 'quasi-Witness' within human society, and resulted in theories that, if Witness-attuned humans became widespread enough among New Humanity, Witness could fully take root as a natural human ability in the same way that it was for Egregorians.   Empaths were humans who managed to develop an attunement to Witness that allowed them to engage with it with equivalent ease to an Egregorian. Although many such individuals did achieve this ability due to an in-born talent with Witness communication that surpassed those of the vast majority of humanity, attunement to Witness was ultimately a learned skill that any human could develop (though with varying degrees of difficulty).   Would-be empaths required training from an attuned Egregorian or, in very rare cases, existing empathic humans. These individuals assisted the soon-to-be empath in accessing Witness without their own subjectivity being overwhelmed, and once the process was complete, acted as an 'anchor point' to Witness for that human in the same way that Overminds acted for Egregorians. Such an empath/Egregorian pairing resulted in a strong bond of shared cultural and subjective experiences, which allowed Empaths to essentially be welcomed into Egregorian culture as equals who simply needed some assistance in naturalization.   Although some humans could and did demonstrate an inherent affinity for Witness attunement, direct exposure (or at least proximity) to already-attuned groups were a necessity for the development of genuine empathic abilities. However, some individuals had an existing sensitivity to Witness so strong that mere arrival upon Hercynia could trigger full attunement.   Locus was a non-addictive psychedelic fungus native to Hercynia. Upon being ingested after it was dried or brewed into a beverage (usually tea), locus induced euphoric and highly empathic (in the usual emotional sense) sensations, along with mild hallucinations and synaesthesia (sensory experiences for one sense triggering related experiences in another, I.E. specific colors gaining their own 'scents'). These effects generally lasted 3-6 hours, depending on metabolism, and aside from occasional bouts of migraines or general fatigue in the short term, did not have any long-term repercussions after use. Locus overdose was possible, resulting in dissociative episodes and more severe hallucinations.   Locus was notable for its ability to induce an increased sensitivity to Witness in those under its effects. Although this did not give users an increased ability to engage in Witness such as communication or osteomemetic literacy (those remained wholly within the realm of learned skills), it did temporarily make it easier for one to pick up those skills. As such, locus became a common tool in the learning process for aspiring empaths.