Skeptic

Skeptic is anyone whose Innocence is stronger then normal, for whatever reason Magic and Others will be badly effected by one's presence.

Creation

An acclimatized or natural Skeptic is a person whose Innocence has been tested but not broken and has emerged stronger for the experience, a analogy could be drawn to immune responses.<ref>The Innocent enjoy protections from Others and practitioners, but Skeptics often turn these protections to weapons.  There are many ways a Skeptic can come about, but these ways can include indoctrination or acclimatization.  The indoctrinated skeptic may be brainwashed or otherwise augmented with doubt as a fundamental facet of who they are.  Some are raised with daily lessons or a worldview and given no room for any other way of thinking, others are given drugs and reshaped, and yet others are starved, torn down to nothing, then rebuilt from the ground up.

The acclimatized take a gentler road.  When Innocents find themselves faced with the practice or with Others, they will instinctively reach for ways to soften the blow.  If there is room for doubt, they often capitalize on that room, then build on that capital.  Excuses are clung to, they question their own memories or accounting of events, and may liberally revise these memories and accountings, until they return to comfortable reality.  With enough repetition, they can form a comfortable bubble around themselves, where anything extraordinary is dismissed. - 4.8 Bonus Material: Dossiers</ref>

Particulars

As said the fundamentals of a Practitioners world crumble in the presence of a skeptic. Karma, Magic and Others will all be effected by their presence.

Scrying will not work on skeptics and can be used to shield someone for such attention.<ref>

Wye:  No.  It bothers me I can’t.  I started to look for other things.  Financial connections, colleagues, people who I know he knows who might have hidden him.  I talked to the three skeptics at Sargent Hall, thinking he might be in their company.

Chase: That wouldn’t explain the lack of a trail between here and there.

- Excerpt from Vanishing Points 8.4</ref>

Hosts and Vessels can have their protections damaged by being in range of skeptics.<ref>“You couldn’t get close?” Verona asked.  “Did the skeptic mess with your hosting stuff?”

Edith’s lips pressed together into a tight line.

Out of the sight of the two in the car, Lucy touched Verona’s wrist, squeezing lightly, while keeping her eyes forward.

“I hope you’re okay,” Lucy said.

“We should be, given time,” Edith answered.  “We’re a bit shaken.  We thought we would overpower them with a show of force, and eat the karma.”

Lucy winced.

Edith picked up her hand, and Lucy could see that the sleeve of her jacket was burned, and the flesh beneath had blisters. - Excerpt from Back Away 5.1</ref>

They may have some issues getting into various Realms.<ref>“Sharon Griggs is out there,” the Cat said.  “She can’t seem to help deal with Daniel unless she comes in here… which I don’t think she can do, because she can’t see here, or if we get Daniel out there.” - [https://palewebserial.wordpress.com/2020/10/17/back-away-5-c/

Excerpt] from Back Away 5.c

</ref>

Effects of Skeptics can overlap though this is seemingly uncommon possibly related to the background and views of a skeptic

Named Skeptics

• Joseph, Blake's Friend (possibly)<ref>There wasn’t much here.  The hair was gone, but the dark crust on the interior wasn’t.
  
  I got my finger thoroughly smudged, then drew a diagram on the top of the coffee table.
  
  “By doing this,” I said, as I drew, “I’m introducing you to this world.  Your mistakes from here on out are mine, in part.  The consequences can be heavy, and I’m not in a position to be able to afford mistakes.”
  
  I wasn’t sure how well this would work.  Glamour fed on belief, and there were a number of disbelievers here.
  
  But I might kill myself if I used blood, and I had no idea how to use the Stonehenge charm that Evan had taken from Duncan.
  
  I moved my hands back.
  
  The coffee table slid a solid two feet, and the diagram disappeared.
  
  “You kicked it,” Joseph said.
  
  “He didn’t,” Goosh said.
  
  “Nope,” Alexis confirmed.  “I watched.”
  
  “Magnets, then,” Joseph said.  “Strings.” - Excerpt from Subordination 6.2</ref>
• Sargent Hall Tenants
  • Sharon Griggs
  • Thea
  • Unidentified Third
• Rieth Library Blind<ref name=":4">

The Rieth Library studies Others, traces them back to origins or realms of origin (Abyss, warrens, spirit world, courts) and maintains contact with several higher-ups. Alabasters, Spirit Kings, Goblin rulers, etc. When they set their sights on a particular Other or Practitioner it's typically for a major reason. They then cite old rules, precedent, deals, and stuff dating back hundreds of years, or otherwise appeal to specific individuals, to obtain permission at the source to have their target dealt with. When successful, which is often, practitioners can be cut off from their practice, or Others weakened and cut off from allies or power sources. Their executioners are 'The Blind', men and women raised from birth to be steeped in doubt and skepticism, while the higher ups are the opposite. The doubt is a blessing that affords The Blind further protections and diminishes every Other and practice in an area. This combines with the Big Karmic O.K. they get from the higher-ups to make them very matter-of-fact, to-the-point Witch Hunters. Their victims typically have their eyes gouged out, eardrums pierced, and hands cut off, before being bound as necessary in power suppressing restraints, if Other or nonhuman enough. - /g4pyrzr/ Wildbow on Witch Hunters</ref> (Indoctrinated)

• Verona?<ref name="V1"/><ref name="V2"/>

Trivia

• Skeptic as a word is used in both Pact and Pale but the distinction between it in its casual usage and the phenomena for Aware is not fully explicated.<ref name="V1">“We have no intention of letting you die,” Miss said.
  
  “Why were my eyes last to open?” Verona asked  “That doesn’t seem right.”
  
  “It’s a good thing, Verona.  Those things that let you hold onto what came before, like skepticism, imagination?  They’re going to be things that make you an excellent practitioner, should you follow through here today.” - Excerpt from Lost for Words 1.1</ref><ref name="V2">“I do believe she is,” Maricica said.  “She dove deep but she resurfaced.  Most who take animal forms don’t learn to speak so quickly.  As Miss suggested before the awakening ritual, skills like a strong imagination make a good skeptic and a good practitioner both.” - Excerpt from Stolen Away 2.3</ref>
• The idea of someone having the ability to dampen or dismiss magic is found throughout fiction.
  • A relevant historical anecdote here would the deteriorated friendship Ehrich Weiss and his friend Conan. Briefly Ehrich would accompany Conan to seances and similar, disproving and exposing all as some variation on scams or confidence trickery. Conan retorted that the answer must be that Ehrich in fact had magical powers that canceled out these others.<ref>This story is can be seen in numerous contexts, selected versions can be found here,[ here], [ here] and [ here].</ref>

References

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