The Anchoring Band

The Anchoring Band is a slim circlet of shimmersteel and veillinen cloth, often worn around the wrist or throat. It was developed in secret by early members of the Clearborn Accord, intended as a tool to resist the emotional gravity of the Hollow Beneath—the ancient ruins beneath Pluvia, and the only known source of the Tears of the Deep.

While Mistkin do not become Veiltouched naturally—this transformation only occurs when one drinks the Tears—the Hollow has a way of calling to those who are nearing readiness. Some Mistkin begin dreaming of rain that never ends. Some hear echoes in dry places. Others feel a constant emotional shimmer beneath their skin, drawing them toward something they can’t name.

The Anchoring Band was created not to block the transformation itself, but to dampen the resonance that precedes it. It works by anchoring a Mistkin’s emotional frequency in its pre-Veil state, muting the stirrings that often lead them to seek the Hollow in the first place.

Function & Risks

Each band is tuned to its wearer during a short, private ritual involving mirrored breathwork and dampening glyphs. While wearing the band, the Mistkin’s resonance remains stable—less intense, less fluid, and far less sensitive to the Veil.

But this stability comes at a price:

• Resonance fatigue: prolonged dullness of emotion
• Memory static: gaps, fogging, or over-compression of past experiences
• Backlash: if the band breaks under emotional strain, resonance may rebound uncontrollably

Some say the Veil remembers those who wear them—and that no Mistkin escapes its notice forever.

Cultural Standing

The Anchoring Band is banned within Pluvia and forbidden by all formal Echoweaver teachings. Public rituals cannot be entered while wearing one, and any Mistkin caught using a band will be barred from offering themselves to the Veil in an Echo Offering.

Yet whispers of their use persist—among Clearborn radicals, frightened families, and even wandering Mistkin who have no wish to hear the Hollow’s call.