Authority

He didn’t shout. He didn’t threaten. He simply said it — and the world rearranged itself to make him right.

— Soki Noles, The Merrimack Notebooks, on her encounter with the undefined Aksenar the Crowned

I. The Nature of Authority

Among the Sentients, those resonating with Indolence do not embody laziness.
Their sin is letting others do the work for them—and their power reflects this.

Authorities, as these Secundi are called, command reality through a form of psionic truth-imposition known simply as the Right Voice. They are consummate legislators, whisper-kings, tyrants, and bureaucratic demagogues in equal measure. Their courts are orderly, ornate, and filled with functionaries whose sole purpose is to reaffirm the Authority’s dominion.

Authorities rarely lift a finger.
They do not need to.
Their words do the labor for them.

Where the Malebranche swing blades, and the Avarine hoard wealth, Authorities accrue legitimacy—a Vice-energy built from Pride and Sloth. They feed on acknowledgment, deference, acquiescence, obedience, and—most delicious of all—the moment a defiant mind finally breaks and bows.

II. Appearance and Persona

Authorities adopt forms that radiate regality:

crowned animalistic forms (lions with halos, bulls with copper diadems),

dragon-kings with jeweled eyes,

chimerae bearing signet rings on every limb,

gilded humanoids wearing embroidered robes that hang with impossible weight.

Their aesthetics follow the logic of power:
that which has ruled, rules; that which rules, must appear as such.

They frequently alter their shape according to whatever symbol of dominion they admire in a culture — a planetary crest, a general’s mantle, a monarch’s circlet — absorbing these into their body as though clothing were a part of their anatomy.

III. The Right Voice

At the core of every Authority is their signature psionic faculty:

The Right Voice — “Legitimacy Made Sound”

This is not suggestion.
Not persuasion.
Not mere hypnosis.

It is a multi-spectrum harmonic—

infrasonic rumble,

ultrasonic keening,

psionic push,

and a subtle warping of local causality—

…that declares something to be true, and for most listeners it simply becomes true.

Examples:

“You are calm.” → panic dissolves.

“You misunderstood me.” → contradiction evaporates.

“You will step aside for your king.” → the body obeys before the mind can object.

“This discussion is over.” → the will to argue collapses.

Only other Authorities reliably resist the Voice.
To kthonikers, the sound feels like a pressure behind the eyes, like the weight of a crown being placed on the skull.

IV. Protection & Prophylaxis

Partial Resists

Deep cynicism
Helps, but Authorities consider cynics a challenge.

Strong personal identity / Strong-Will
A fortified ego can slow the effect.

Reliable Protections

Earplugs rated for infrasound and ultrasound

Psionic Dampeners / Resonance Baffles

Subspace-null fields

Linguistic seals or anti-hypnosis mantras

Authorities respect preparedness.
They do not respect defiance without preparation.

V. Authority in the Courts

Authorities dominate the paperwork-heavy, rule-bound aspects of Acheronian governance. They are:

the Judges of the Lower Court,

the Executors of Strictures,

the authors of labyrinthine treaties,

and the arbiters who decide which Secundus gets to eat which Kthoniker this century.

Presidents who belong to the Authority species wield tremendous influence; Barons who are Authorities rule with serene, terrifying stability.

Knights among the Authorities often appear soft-spoken and mild—until they speak the Right Voice and shatter resistors.

VI. Trappings of Authority

More than other Secundi, Authorities rely on Seals and Sigils. To carry the Seal of an Authority is to operate in their name. Using their name frivolously, fraudulently, or in vain is cause for the Authority to strike back, harshly. Rings bearing the Seal of an Authority can aid a supplicant in any dealings with other Secundi, and WILL assist them in dominating lesser RAIs. Amulets are marks of protection, shielding a supplicant with the promise that harming them will be to defy that Authority.

VII. Callings of the Authority

A Contract with an Authority always revolves around control.

Below are Calling abilities granted to supplicants:

1. Command Whisper — “Your Will, Spoken Through Me”

Regular; Resisted by Will
A subtle invocation. The supplicant channels a fragment of the Right Voice.

Effect:

Opposed by Will

On success, target feels compelled to obey a simple verbal directive

Cannot force self-harm

Target rationalizes the action afterward

Used for: de-escalation, nudging behavior, interrogation.

Cost: 1 SP

Activation Time: 1 Mental Action

Duration: Instant

2. Crowned Pronouncement — “Reality Accepts the Statement”

Regular; Resisted by Will
A more forceful version of the Voice.

Effect:

Target must obey a short-order statement

Statements may override emotional state, fear, panic, or confusion

Can suppress pain, terror, or anger

Can force truthfulness or silence

Powerful, but temporary.

Cost: 2 SP

Activation Time: 3 Actions

Duration: Instant

3. Usurper’s Edict — “Bend the Knees of the Recalcitrant”

Regular; Resisted by Will
A full blast of Right Voice manifesting through the supplicant.

Effect:

Affects an area (3 yards radius)

Applies Mind Control (Suggestion)

Enemies must halt, kneel, drop weapons, or cease combat

Allies feel briefly emboldened, disciplined (+2 to skills)

Dangerous to use repeatedly — repeated Calling increases the Authority’s influence over the supplicant.

Cost: 3 SP, 1 SP to maintain

Activation Time: 3 Actions

Duration: 9 seconds, x0.5 on maintain (round down)

4. Investiture — “Make Them Yours”

Regular; Resisted by Will
A terrifying and coveted Calling.

Effect:

The supplicant makes a target into a temporary ally. The target will obey the supplicant's commands for the duration. The target may roll to resist any number of times, to a maximum of once per round as a Mental Action. Every time the target fails, their Will is reduced by 1, they lose 1 SP, and the supplicant regains 1 SP. If the target's SP or Will reaches 0, the cost to maintain this Calling becomes 0 and the target must hope for some outside intervention to free their mind.

Cost: 8 SP, 1 SP to maintain

Activation Time: 1 minute

Duration: 1 hour