Demesne

A Demesne is a place of power and one of the three essential things for a practitioner to have.

Gaining a Demesne

To gain a place of power the practitioner must stake their claim and then defeat all those who would challenge them over it.<ref>“When you do the ritual, you invite locals to challenge your claim. You’re talking about talking between individual challenges.” - excerpt from Signature 8.7</ref> By defeating all those who challenge them, the domain is the practitioners to do with as they please, but the bigger the location to more challengers. During the ritual they cannot leave and it may take hours to days to complete it.

During the challenge to claim a place of power the uncooperative Spirits and Others are ejected, leaving only cooperative ones.

Most demesnes rituals require legal or de-facto ownership of the location.<ref name=":0">What if it is in a high rise which gets demolished? Would fate prevent the demolishment of the building?
If you have a demesnes you generally want to actually have a claim to the territory. You don't claim a demesnes in an apartment high rise you don't own, because that leaves you without protections and generally fucks you when you get evicted and the spirits go, "Whelp, yeah, sucks, but poof, demesnes disintegrates, bye." Most rituals are just going to require ownership of the place (or for the place to be sufficiently neutral) as a matter of how they're enacted. Outside of the mundane world, if you own the space, have claim to it, and everything else, it's generally pretty darn hard to actually demolish. It's an extension of the practitioner and it's a rare, rare case where you'll actually be able to do substantial damage to the demesnes without also defeating the practitioner who lays claim to it... and once you pick that fight you're fighting a practitioner on their home turf. Explosives aren't liable to work right, fire doesn't kindle, flooding does minimal damage, holes in walls self-repair, yadda yadda, and while you're trying to knock down a building that's resisting the effort, the practitioner gets a heads up and then suddenly appears behind you, having arrived faster than they should've. - Comment by Wildbow on Reddit</ref>

An area that is already a demesnes cannot be claimed by someone else, even if the person who claimed it is deceased.<ref>Once it’s taken, it’s taken, right? You can’t have something for your demesnes if

someone else has already claimed that ground. - excerpt from Breach 3.2</ref><ref name=":5">Can you not have a demesne where a dead person had one?

Not generally. Certain families have different rules & whatnot, so they break from tradition/normal rules, but just for the sake of argument & expansion, having the little convenience comes at a cost. If you're laying claim to the space that's been in your family for a while, then, well, it goes back to the identity thing I brought up above (third bullet point). You're identifying as someone who follows the path & place set forth by family. It might make it harder to be flexible with practice, and it'd impact how Others look at you. You're less a person and more a bloodline with a power & position that's currently resting in a different body than it was 30 years ago. The demesnes itself might be more powerful but less customizable, with each person to take it on being able to make only a few changes to make their mark on it (and less so with each subsequent generation). - Comment by Wildbow on Reddit</ref> (But see Variant Demesnes, below.)

Uses

Others who enjoy a demesne and visit or live there, paying tribute to the owner, is one way to gain power using a demesne.<ref name=":2" />

A demesne can serve as a secure location to store up power without fear of losing it.<ref name=":6" />

Fighting a practitioner within their demesne is immensely difficult.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":7">Laird turned the knob, and found it locked.
He raised a hand, and gestured.
The click of the locks shifting was audible.
“It seems my demesne recognizes me,” Laird said.
[...]
They couldn’t get to Laird and defeat him in time, especially within his own demesne. - excerpt from Judgement 16.2 </ref>

As a practitioner uses their demesne, it will improve as it draws likeminded spirits to it, eventually strengthening the practitioner's magic while they are inside it.<ref name=":2">As she’s made her place her own, Fionna finds that she can use power more readily in the area. She notes, in a matter of fact way, that simply holding a demesne

generates good karma, bettering her position in the world so long as

she tends to the space. The problem, however, remains, she isn’t stronger there than she is in the outside world.
Having driven away spirits in the course of the challenge, our example case finds that the spirits and beings that remain are conciliatory. How, then, does the practitioner build up a power base?
Fionna finds that as she draws and manipulates power in and around the demesne, its power extends into the real world and vice versa. Spirits in alignment with her draw like spirits with them, and on a more complicated level, intelligent beings who visit her demesne and find it to their liking may

contact others.  Word of mouth spreads, for lack of a better term.

Herein lies the heart of the demesne dilemma. The greater the claim, the greater the power that is reaped. But an area where there are no beings to challenge the practitioner will

have few beings of any import occupying or neighboring it, almost

strictly by definition. It proves useless to the practitioner. Worse, it is stagnant, refusing to grow, for one needs power to gain power, and

such spaces have no inherent power to start with.

It is a canvas to be painted, but nothing more.
She settles into her new role as ruler of this demesne. As she forms contacts with Others, the demesne becomes a meeting place and even

a home to some beings, who give her tribute in turn, by way of power,

gifts, or service. - excerpt from Demesnes Chapter Nine, quoted in Interlude 4 </ref> This could also allow them to order the spirits around like a powerful cosmic being.<ref>Mann turned, saw a long rug in the hallway, and stepped aside, gesturing. It moved, sliding into the kitchen. A bridge over blood and

maggots.

A simple trick, but not an easy one. To simply order

spirits about required a longstanding relationship with those spirits,

or something similar. One could do it readily in a demesne they owned, building a familiarity with the spirits there, but to do it anywhere meant that one had to be recognizable anywhere. The equivalent of being a household name or brand among humans. - excerpt from Interlude 15 </ref>

Owning and maintaining a demesne naturally improves one's karma.<ref name=":2" />

Some powerful practitioners find that they can draw on their continual connection to their place of power to access it from remote locations, using something like a certain key in any lock, an outline in chalk, or using the blood of an enemy.<ref>Some find that they can draw on their continual connection to their place of power to access it from remote locations. This typically requires a fair amount of power, and may be rooted in certain rules or restrictions. One might use a key in any appropriate lock to access their demesne, for example. Others might draw a door in chalk, or step through a pool of blood left around a slain enemy. - excerpt from Demesnes Chapter Nine, quoted in Interlude 4</ref>

Reality Warping

Inside of a demesne the practitioner is 'a step below a god' as the domain is a reflection and an extension of the self, a safe place that they can do nearly anything in. They can alter or break the laws of physics, magic, potentially even logic.<ref>The draoidh briefly

laments the mess caused by the blood in her demesne, pools of sanguine

humor and warm trickles from the roof. As she cleans, she discovers that she can remove the mess while retaining the blood. A small contradiction, but possible nonetheless.With testing, she finds she can alter the other rules of her surroundings. Even a small demesne can be larger inside than it was on the outside. Laws of gravity, physics, rules of magic and more can be bent or broken entirely.
Any rule can theoretically be broken within the demesne. Should every rule be broken? No. Everything in moderation.
Stories abound of practitioners who never left their demesnes. A place that is entirely theirs, where they are a step below a god, and a place where they are safe. - excerpt from Demesnes Chapter Nine, quoted in Interlude 4</ref> The practitioner can alter the it's appearance and materials, internal dimensions,<ref name=":1">When Fionna does return to her place of power, she finds herself disappointed. There is little doubt this is her place of power, but the effect is minor at best. The spirits and entities that have not been driven away by the challenge are few in number, and she finds herself less powerful in her domain than she is elsewhere.
After the monumental investment in time and effort, and the debts incurred, initial reactions can be devastating.
This, in itself, can be damaging, because one’s mood and ideas can influence the demesne, and the demesne at this point in time is in a fledgling state.
Fionna is more or less

at ease, thanks in large part to the time she took to herself. She

focuses on the details. She sees how the very air in her demesne cooperates. It tastes cleaner, it does not bar her movement, but buoys her. The ground accommodates her footfalls. She tries to manipulate the environment, by combinations of touch, word, and will, and finds it easy. The aesthetics are the easiest part of it to change, and she takes her time altering her surroundings.
Fionna makes wall and floor into flesh, the place of power becoming a womb of sorts. All things in her place of power are moist, and the ticking of a clock becomes the dull, distant thud of a heart. Veins on every surface throb

in time with the sound.  - excerpt from Demesnes Chapter Nine, quoted in Interlude 4

</ref> prevent weapons or explosives from working, repair what is damaged, move around at superhuman speeds,<ref name=":0" /> unlock locks,<ref name=":7" /> reshape the landscape,<ref>The Barber’s dark gaze didn’t break, as he faced me down, the energy crackling and spitting out to fill the ‘v’ shaped gap between the two halves of the dragon’s head.
A pillar rose out of the middle of the rooftop, just behind him.
Control over his demesne.
[...]
The railing rose, the space between the top of the railing and the floor of the roof grew thicker, with curls of metal and stone filling in

to become a wall.

Ringing the tower, sealing everything in.
Turning this into an oven.
Four enemies to fight. Demon, gatekeeper, dragon, and the tower itself. - excerpt from Judgement 16.10 </ref> alter the flow of time,<ref name=":8" /> etc.

The air, ground, even the passage of time automatically, subtly accomodate them.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":8">When Fionna leaves her domain, she finds more time than expected has passed.
This is a typical thing. Intentionally or instinctively, a practitioner often manipulates time within their realm. When they leave, however, time hurries to catch up with them. The end result is often not intuitive, and can lead to some confusion. Adapting to this eventuality is a part of learning to use one’s place of power. - excerpt from Demesnes Chapter Nine, quoted in Interlude 4 </ref>

As one can determine the rules within their realm, they can use the place as a form of esoteric moneychanger, changing one kind of power for another, including that of positive Karma.<ref name=":6">Whilst outside of her place of power, Fionna finds the connection to the location remains strong, wherever she is. She can deposit power there and rest assured it is untouched. She can also use the location to transmute power, turning personal power into karmic assets, draw from one kind of power to better influence a connection.
As one can determine the rules within their realm, they can use the place as a form of esoteric moneychanger, changing one kind of power for another. - excerpt from Demesnes Chapter Nine, quoted in Interlude 4 </ref>

Limits

A demesne's flexibility can also be a drawback. Unwanted influences can creep in from the practitioner's mood,<ref name=":1" /> familiar, or sources of power. The usual solution is to focus and restrain these influences to just one part of the demesne.<ref name=":3">The area is very easy to influence, and this

can prove problematic, if one has other power sources in play.  The

biggest and most obvious issue is when the familiar enters the picture.

As an extension of the practitioner, they have a claim to some of the

place of power. If the practitioner and familiar are in accord, the issue is a minor one. If they are not, it can be a source of friction that compromises the demesne. In any event, the familiar’s nature, background, mentality and power will affect the demesne.
In other cases, the practitioner may be drawing personal power from another source. To use a metaphor, this may

add a dollop of color to the paintbrush, leaving streaks on the demesne
as the practitioner paints.  If they draw power from death and decay,

they might find these elements alter the surroundings.
A typical solution is to focus this power.
If the familiar cannot be reconciled with, the practitioner can focus this other power into an area. The familiar can be given a dedicated space, so that their power does not bleed throughout the remainder of the demesne. These hypothetical powers of death and decay could be focused into a single ornament or object decorating the area. - excerpt from Demesnes Chapter Nine, quoted in Interlude 4 </ref>

Familiars have a claim to the demesne as they are a part of the practitioner.<ref name=":3" />

A practitioner in their demesne still requires outside connections and Others for power. Without them, they will find their magic and self weakening and potentially fade into nothing.<ref name=":4">Stories abound of practitioners who never left their demesnes. A place that is entirely theirs, where they are a step below a god, and a place where they are safe. The issue arises when the practitioner loses their connection to the outside world. With

nothing tying them to people or things, they stagnate, growing weaker,

and as they grow weaker, so does the place of power.
The effect is a cyclical one, prompting some

desperate practitioners to devote more time and attention to rescuing

their domain, failing to see the problem at the root of the issue. In other cases, the practitioner is so attached to their demesne that they become a part of it. When it fades from the world, so do they. When the practitioner’s demise coincides with that of their place of power, the end result is typically a ghost, and/or a location saturated with power. - excerpt from Demesnes Chapter Nine, quoted in Interlude 4 </ref><ref name=":2" />

Manipulating time in the demesne, even subconsciously, causes lost time on returning to the outside world in order to balance it out.<ref>When Fionna leaves her domain, she finds more time than expected has passed.
This is a typical thing. Intentionally or instinctively, a practitioner often manipulates time within their realm. When they leave, however, time hurries to catch up with them. The end result is often not intuitive, and can lead to some confusion. Adapting to this eventuality is a part of learning to use one’s place of

power. - excerpt from Demesnes Chapter Nine, quoted in Interlude 4

</ref>

Destruction

In the event that a practitioner becomes too attached to their demesne and ignores the outside world they may become a part of it and die when it fades away, resulting in a ghost, and/or a location saturated with power. Otherwise they fade into Limbo.<ref name=":4" /><ref>People aren’t the only things that come to this place to be worn away.

Many a Demesne or forgotten god have fallen through the cracks, nothing
to tie them to the world above. [...]  A demesnes with no tie to the world may fall through the cracks just as
any person might.  Some say this is how this place learns and adapts to
the times. [...] I would venture a guess, fellow practitioner, that it was a demesne

once, and it was attached to some vital process of our reality. Through

this vital process, it came to devour other demesnes and objects, and

it swelled in size. It connected to other such areas, and formed the backbone for what might otherwise have been the original void.- excerpt from Null 9.3</ref>

Physically destroying a demesne is generally nigh impossible, since the owner has so much control. However it might be possible if they were foolish enough to claim one in a property they don't control (such as an apartment in a building they don't own.)<ref name=":0" />

If a person was legally evicted from their demesnes it would disintegrate.<ref name=":0" />

Becoming Forsworn causes your Demesne to collapse.

Variant Demesnes

Mobile, underwater, or flying demesnes are all possible; but rare, and generally foolhardy. They are likely to be severely weakened or flawed as a result of violating tradition, and may not technically be considered "demesnes" by some.<ref name="Reddit2">They are, but keep in mind the power of tradition and culture, especially with the big things & the personally defining things. You can get a face tattoo and you know, you ~could~ get virtually any job or position, you could date people just fine, meet the parents, start your own business, whatever... But it's going to be a lot harder than if you didn't have a giant rooster on one side of your face.
...That is, unless you live in a country & place where face tattoos are commonplace.
Ditto if you live out of a car & are known to be that guy who has no plans of ever getting a house, to just paint a picture demesnes-wise. - Comment by Wildbow on Reddit</ref><ref>Can you have an underwater demesne? What about one floating in the air, with no structure?
Generally we're solid beings who occupy solid spaces, not spaces of air or water or energy. You could dress it up as one of those, which is probably going to be easier to set up and more comfortable.
As to other options, well, ~yeah~ you could. But if you've noticed the trend outlined above, very often the cost is going to outpace the benefits. And I gotta ask - why would you even want to? You want a place that's convenient to get into. Even if you have practice that lets you swim or fly up to some door in the sky... that's basically you setting yourself up to pay a toll every time you want to go home.

- Comment by Wildbow on Reddit</ref>

Crooked Hat had a Demesne that overlapped with the Abyss.<ref>“I can barely read your handwriting. Crooked Hat… he deals with your kind.”
“Yeah.”
“His Demesne overlaps with a section of the Abyss. He’s trying to learn to manipulate the Abyss to his own ends. The elder Duchamps thought it was enough of a prospect that we could, how to phrase it, metaphorically buy stock in the venture?” - excerpt from Execution 13.5 </ref>

Some families are able to pass on a demesne to their descendents. Such a demesne is much less flexible, with a very limited ability to change it, and tends to mark the owner as a representative of their family rather than an individual.<ref name=":5" />

Notable Demesnses

Trivia

References