So a recent post mentioned the possibility of Val gaining psionics if they become silence-touched. That was interesting to me because of an almost total lack of understanding of the Silence, especially in the books. I lack the history so many of the others on the board (and PCI people) seem to take for granted.

What are the Silence, and how do they interact with the world?

Here was my understanding:
1. I heard long ago that the Silence were originally mind flayers but since mind flayers weren’t covered by the D20 open license, they had to change a bit, but my base understanding of them was that they were essentially mind flayers.
2. In the current main rule book the only references that I could find are reference to silence-touched (in some talents and spells that can affect them specifically/differently) and two spells (Voice in the silence and Silent no Longer) that are specifically designed to help psionic casters when they are “Shut down” psionically.
3. There is a reference in the Codex about the Citadel of Silence in the Blessed Lands, and it is my understanding that “The Silence” does indeed operate there.

What first aroused my curiousity about them was Tony making a passing reference to them at Arcanicon when talking about dragons after the fact. I don’t remember the exact wording, but it was something along the lines of them functioning at the power level of plot, just as dragons do.

This shocked me. I mean, I know that mind flayers are powerful, but considering that the dragons in Arcanis are significantly more powerful than the D&D dragons (and D&D type dragons are called drakes), I was shocked to find them ranked on that tier. I always considered mind flayers (individuals) to be mid-tier threats, and groups or advanced ones to be high tier threats, while I consider advanced dragons to be epic. I was surprised to hear them places solidly in the epic position.

I asked someone about this at the Origins BI and was told that there were all levels of Silence. There are wee baby ones that might function as a mid tier threat, and there were millennia old ones that can threaten a Dragon or Val, just like there are a rare few very old epic Elorii at the same power level. Rumor has it there was a Silence active at the BI as well, though I never encountered it or heard anything direct about what it did.

This made sense to me. Anything old enough learning the entire time should be pretty darn powerful. But it seems like the campaign staff is working on the assumptions that we know what these things are (to at least some degree), and it is clear that many players do know. But since none of this is covered in rule books (you know like the Bestiary, something that you would think would cover a major monster of Arcanis), can anyone here help out?

I would never have guessed that the Silence can actually make someone psionic. I would have assumed they would be pretty much eat us as soon as look at us. So what have past interactions been like with them? What does it mean to be silence touched?

What you have written is all essentially correct. I'm not sure whether the Voiceless Ones were actually intended to be mind-flayers in the D&D 3.0 version of Arcanis, but if I remember correctly by the time the conversion was made to 3.5 they were their own creature. There are certainly similarities, so it is possible that illithid were an inspiration for the VO. The PCs never encountered VO during the 3.0 campaign, so it is a moot point.

The VO are preternaturally psionic, which is explained (up to a certain point) in the PCI book Psionics Unbound, which was written for D&D 3.5. It is (was?) markedly different than regular psionics. The main differences under the 3.5 rules were:

1. Preternatural psionics ignored the first 10 points of Spell Resistance a creature possessed, but Power Resistance worked normally.
2. Preternatural psionics could not be detected by non-psionic forms of magic (for instance arcane or divine spell casters using detect magic). Similarly, preternatural psionics could not be used to detect non-psionic magic.
3. Preternatural psionics continued to function normally in areas of dead magic/antimagic. Areas that specifically suppress psionics also affects Preternatural psionics. Preternatural casters can suppress psionics, but not non-psionic magic.

The Silence is the name for the forces of Entropy. It has been suggested that this was what Larissa saw when she looked into the future, which caused her to go insane and become hedonistic. By and large Henry has maintained a lot of mystery surrounding the Silence. We know that the VO work for the Silence, but if I remember correctly, there is more to the Silence than just the VO.

The VO did pop up during a few combats in the old campaign, and at that point I believe most PCs were around 18th level. Like any species, there are high level and low level versions. One VO is far less dangerous than dozens or hundreds of them. There was a VO at this year's BI, which was imprisoned in the cell block in Tultipet. While I wasn't at that table, my understanding is that it didn't get involved in the combat. When the PCs were rescued all of the cells had to be opened simultaneously, which released the VO. Don't worry, I'm sure that won't come back to bite us in the ass later

It is known that preternatural psionics can be granted to creatures. It was possible through the Mist Wanderer class for Mourners in Silence to gain preternatural psionic abilities. I don't know that it was ever explained what the exact process was, but any race could become preternaturally psionic (not just vals).

At the end of the day, it is possible that some of this is no longer accurate, as there were certain changes in the transition from D&D to the current system. Nonetheless, if you can get your hands on a copy of Psionics Unbound, it is a good read.

Fun fact, the val'Virdan Nierites of Canceri have a tradition of Silence Hunters...in fact, one of the Nierite cities, The Vrain, is an underground complex of caves which were once a VO stronghold.

Thanks for all that information!



Wow. I knew there were entropy beings out there, but I had no idea the Silence was connected.



That is very cool!

Additional Data:

The Bestiary Vol 1 expands somewhat on our knowledge of the Silence, specifically their unique psionic tradition: The Entropy Source. This arcanum source appears to use Arcanum (Meditation) as its casting skill, and presumably also uses either Insight or Charisma. It has the unique Tradition known as "Dissolution", which includes some of the Voiceless One's most iconic spells/abilities (ie: Mental Anguish).

The Silence makes use of many minions, from Humans to animals to crystalline constructs. The Voiceless Ones, however, appear to be the top of the food chain among 'Servants of the Silence' on Onara. That said, they are the SERVANTS of the Silence, and not the Silence itself. There was some talk that Umor/The Other/the 13th/Franklin is the real silence, and His servants seek to free him from his bounds, but the data to support that theory is pretty bare at present. The most direct evidence that comes to mind a single scene from the short story "The Storm" which followed the events of an attempt to breach the Lost Citadel of Nier in the 3.5 story.

Another interesting tidbit is that PCI published "Unveiled Masters - The Essential Guide to Mind Flayers." Preternatural psionics is a sidebar in this book. That appears to be the only direct connection. I would not be at all surprised if various elements from the history or the feats, prestige classes etc align closely with the VOs. Then again as early work, there may be little or nothing in common beyond that sidebar.

With a sweep of his hat,

Paul

No one IC or OOC really knows 100% if there even is a "Silence," or what it wants. Smart money says there is and it wants the universe to wind down. But facts as opposed to opinions are really few and far between. There is good reason to believe that the PoM, Kas/Yig and the Song of Pyrric (what ever that is) oppose it. Vals might have the potential for Psionics just to be able to fight it.

The others have given a good summary about what we know of the alleged servants of silence. They tend to linger in the background nudging events.

The Citadel of Silence was once the Citadel of Nier. Just as the Nierite's took Vrain away from the VO it is assumed the VO took the Citadel Away from the Nierites. Whatever's still in there is nasty stuff. People who go there don't return. Leonydas valVirdan may be trapped there (aka the Sword of the Heavens). A special mission went there in the last campaign looking for Leo. They got captured and imprisoned with a valinor ... The Reluctance of Hurrian. Which they persuaded to sacrifice itself to nuke the Citadel and release the Wrath of Hurrian (which has certain after effects felt in Almeric at he moment). You'd think that would leave a smoking crater ... but it's still impossible to go there and come back so something is left and it's still nasty.

(Edit: given the prophesies there is a good chance PCs will need to go there).

Some time after that infamous 'suicide mission' my roommates and I were able to go to a mini-con in the Atlanta area. While there Derrell Weaver ran us through a mod of his. Completely unofficial, I suspect never to be canon. But it gave us a sense of what the people on the mission went through. As I recall it was sort of a Dreamtime experience. It was a scary freaky cool ride. IF that's whats there you DON'T want to go there. You've been warned.

. . . You know you're only making my Primary want to do it even more, right?

You may get your wish.



I think one interpretation of the above is as a reference to Leonydas. If true I expect an expedition to the Silent Citadel. (Of course Leo was also supposed to wear one of the Keys of Man around his throat like a pendant, Anyone who wants to get at the Throne of Man will need ALL the Keys).

Another snippet of Prophesy in this years hard points from Origins may back that up this view. Or not - that's the problem with prophesy. Often it only makes sense as it recedes in the rear view mirror.

There was an expedition into the Citadel of Silence years ago. Didn't end well for our (7?) characters. Hell, the Elorii didn't live long enough to make it inside.