Officially, Inanis, Resonants or extraterrestrials do not exist.
Resonants are individuals altered by direct or indirect exposure to Inanis phenomena. They may, at times, perceive patterns hidden from ordinary senses, influence electronic systems, distort physical forces, or affect the thoughts and perceptions of others. These are examples of possible manifestations, not abilities shared by all Resonants. The capabilities of each Resonant are limited to their specific class features and available/learned spells.
No two Resonants manifest their abilities in exactly the same way. Some experience minor sensory anomalies, while others demonstrate effects that challenge accepted scientific understanding. Their powers often emerge gradually and may be accompanied by migraines, lost time, intrusive memories, emotional instability, or an awareness of something that cannot be clearly described.
Officially, Inanis, Resonants or extraterrestrials do not exist.
Only a small number of classified government and intelligence programs are aware of Resonants, and even these programs have identified only a fraction of those affected. Individuals who come to their attention may be regarded as valuable research subjects or potential security threats. Depending on the organization and circumstances, they may be monitored, recruited, detained, or subjected to experimentation. Some retain limited freedom under observation, while others are confined within facilities such as the Vostok Black Archive or concealed research sites on Mars. Many Resonants remain entirely undetected, unaware of their own nature, or beyond the reach of these programs.
Resonants are not publicly recognized as a distinct group or phenomenon. Most people have never knowingly encountered one and have no established terminology for their abilities. Witnesses typically interpret Resonant effects through familiar explanations such as experimental technology, implants, neurological conditions, environmental hazards, equipment failures, or simple confusion.
It remains unclear whether Resonants are accidental survivors, deliberately selected intermediaries, or the first stage of a larger transformation.
Officially, Inanis, Resonants or extraterrestrials do not exist.
The transition into a Resonant is rarely understood when it begins.
Officially, Inanis, Resonants or extraterrestrials do not exist.
Initial manifestations often occur during or shortly after direct exposure to an Inanis phenomenon. The first event may involve altered perception, impossible geometry, communication failure, unusual gravitational effects, missing time, distorted memories, or other phenomena that appear to originate from the surrounding environment rather than from the affected individual.
In the hours or days that follow, brief manifestations may recur unpredictably. These early effects are usually inconsistent and difficult to distinguish from stress, illness, equipment failure, coincidence, or sensory distortion. A newly altered Resonant may therefore spend considerable time believing that something is happening to them rather than recognizing that some of the effects originate through them.
Early manifestations may resemble incomplete, accidental, or distorted expressions of effects that the individual later learns to reproduce deliberately. They may occur spontaneously and can coincide with concentration, fear, instinct, emotional stress, or attempts to understand what is happening. Their apparent triggers are not proof of an understood causal mechanism.
Officially, Inanis, Resonants or extraterrestrials do not exist.
Resonants do not possess a single known biological, neurological, electromagnetic, or other measurable signature that reliably distinguishes them from ordinary humans. Researchers studying known Resonants have recorded unusual correlations and physiological responses, but these vary between individuals and circumstances and are not sufficient for reliable identification.
Authorities therefore identify suspected Resonants primarily through incident records, observed behavior, exposure history, witness reports, surveillance, repeated anomalous correlations, or direct observation of unexplained abilities. No established technology can simply scan a population and identify Resonants with certainty.
Even researchers who knowingly study Resonants do not possess a complete scientific explanation for their abilities. Terms used to categorize observed effects describe patterns of behavior rather than understood physical mechanisms.
The observable effect of a Resonant ability does not establish its physical mechanism. An ability that affects electronics is not therefore known to be electromagnetic; one that alters movement is not therefore known to manipulate gravity; and unusual perception does not establish a neurological transmission mechanism. Similarity to a familiar physical effect is not evidence that the same process produced it.
Officially, Inanis, Resonants or extraterrestrials do not exist.
With repeated exposure to these effects, patterns begin to emerge. The Resonant may notice that certain phenomena respond to attention, emotion, intention, or repeated behavior. At this stage, the individual may begin experimenting, consciously or unconsciously attempting to reproduce something that previously seemed accidental.
The first deliberate use of a Resonant ability is an important threshold. The effect does not need to be clean, powerful, or fully controlled. It only needs to demonstrate that the phenomenon can be consciously influenced or invoked. Even after this realization, control is usually unreliable, incomplete, and poorly understood.
A newly awakened Resonant does not automatically know that they are a Resonant, that their abilities correspond to recognizable techniques, or that Inanis is responsible. Unless they possess prior classified knowledge or have encountered another informed Resonant, they are more likely to invent their own explanation for what is happening.
Some learn through experimentation. Some encounter others like themselves. Some are discovered by organizations that already know what to look for.
Others never receive an explanation at all.