Claim
Claim or right refers to a person or entity's metaphysical ownership of something, with some overlap with Connections. Victories, known as coup, can undermine or strengthen a claim over something by counting coup.<ref name=":0">Bristow: My dear, do you know the meaning of the idea of coup? Or of claim?
You’ll have to round out your education at this school, should you decide to return. Verona, these are concepts that apply to practices that would take. If you wanted to steal a body for yourself, wresting it from its prior occupant, you would want to do this with an eye to the supporting principles of coup and claim, or you would risk wasted effort or wounded karma.
We use coup in the sense of a ‘masterful or superior move’, understand? What you did here, that works fine for counting coup. Getting yourself a
win, an advantage, or an edge. It is through counting coup that one can whittle away the claim of the owner. If it can be dramatic, then there
are forces out there that appreciate that and will give it credit.
Verona: Mess with someone enough and you can possess them easier. Or take their things?
Bristow: Or take their things, yes. Claim, then, is the principle of ownership. Birthright, ritual, or more mundane things like having something for longer give one an established claim. The implement ritual gives a very strong claim. You do know what an implement is?
If one’s claim is strong enough and their power established, then what is lost will be found again. An implement that is cast away will find its way back, as things find their way to Ms. Robertjon.
I’ll tell you now. I’m confident in my claim on my tenants. Contracts are signed. They are part of a bigger arrangement and that arrangement is mine to wield from beginning to end and thereafter.
Verona: Well, that’s creepy, Lawrence. You’re telling me they’re your captives? No matter what I say or do, Sharon here is going to go slinking back to you? She’ll forgive you?
Bristow: She may not forgive me, or even like me. Shellie most certainly will have her reservations. I can manage her. But they will come back. And the will find reasons or reasons will find them, for them to stay in the rooms I’ve assigned, unless you kill them.
Which I don’t believe you will. This is what I do. and it’s what I specialize in and have specialized in since I was ten. Taking and keeping. It used to be things and now it’s people. - transcript of Bonus Material: Outgoing Call </ref><ref name=":1">It’s petty, isn’t it? Counting coup. If you have a claim to something,
it finds its way to you because you have more right to it. In
contested ownership, two or more people have a claim and they play their
game of tug of war. If you count coup against someone, you find those
petty moments, or the subtle ways you can undermine their claim to something, and effectively increase your own claim. Each win a tug in your direction. Even if you simply attack their character, if you score
any wins at all, well… life rewards winners. - excerpt from Cutting Class 6.5</ref>
Claim can be held by, and to, almost anything. It can be held by individuals, groups (although this can be problematic if the group is not united),<ref>“Why do they get counted together?”
“Why indeed? Because groups can claim more easily than individuals can, if those groups are unified, and those three are,” Alexander said, looking like he was having too much fun. - excerpt from Cutting Class 6.5 </ref> even quasi-sentient concepts like The Abyss.<ref>“This demesne goes unclaimed, belonging to none by right or establishment…”
[...]
“The Abyss has a claim to all places left unowned. As agent of the Abyss, I move to expedite this claim,” Rose said.
The Barber’s head snapped up, looking at her.
“Johannes is finished, and with him go all ties that anchor this demesne to this world.” - excerpt from Judgement 16.2 </ref>
Things tend to find their way to the person with the most claim to them.<ref name=":1" /> The strong claim over an Implement causes it to find it's way back to it's owner. Claim over a person will cause them to find reasons to stay with you.<ref name=":0" />
Claim also influences the effectiveness of magic. Claim over one's body is important in resisting possession or similar.<ref>Let’s quickly go over the terms. Coup, claim, ownership, inheritance, all things rooted in possessions. If you took the possession class this
morning, you’ll have heard some of this come up. They matter if you
care about keeping ownership of your body, and these are things you’ll use regularly - excerpt from Cutting Class 6.5</ref><ref name=":0" /> Claim over a bound Other can make it difficult for magic to summon it.<ref name=":2">“If he’s claimed by another, a necromancer or an enemy of yours, Mrs.
Casabien, Eloise will handle that as well. If you’d attended this
afternoon’s class on claim-”
“I didn’t fall asleep until six in the morning. I thought I should sleep if I could and be sharp,” Jessica said. “I slept through it.”
“Not to worry,” Alexander said. “If you’d attended you’d know what I
mean when I say Eloise will use this ritual to make a claim that is
almost certainly stronger than what the person holding onto him is using.” - excerpt from Cutting Class 6.5 </ref> The Demesne ritual generally requires an effective claim to the space it is to be performed in (i.e. owning it.)<ref name=":3">“I was going to ask about the demesne.”
“What about it?”
“Any objections? And do you know of any spaces that are in Kennet, but not already owned?”
“In the modern world, that gets tricky,” Matthew said. “If it’s not the province of the city, it’s often Parks Canada. That’s a hard one. Normally a practitioner gets around it by owning the space they claim.”
“I don’t think we’d want to use our parents’ homes.”
“You’d need the permission of your parents, because their right to the space exceeds yours.”
[...]
“A lot depends on what we could get, in the way of property the government doesn’t have a claim to,” Matthew said. - excerpt from Cutting Class 6.6 </ref> Magics that allow one to extend some of your Demesne outward may be dependent on no other claim being present to oppose them.<ref>Forced to deal with the problem, he deals with the ghouls as best as he can, gaining some added protections as he brings the fight closer to his
Demesne, as its Sanctuary extends out for him. This protection only
lasts as long as a greater Self, power, or claim to the area doesn’t override it, and the arrival of the original ghoul does so. - excerpt from Demesnes, quoted in Bonus Material: Demesnes Text</ref><ref>His Demesne makes his movements more fluid and flexible; he has a means of accessing it, and with the right key and the right knock, any door without an active claim on it that isn’t being watched can be an entrypoint to his place of power, or an egress. - excerpt from Demesnes, quoted in Bonus Material: Demesnes Text</ref>
Recieving permission from the owner of a thing can allow one to get around the need for claim.<ref name=":3" />
Even minor, petty victories can help in a contest over ownership,<ref name=":1" /> although the spirits appreciate dramatic shifts.<ref name=":0" /><ref>Yes, when you emerge from hiding or when you want to use what you’ve claimed, that may be the pivotal moment that claim matters. Everything can slip from your grasp at once. The spirits do like their drama. - excerpt from Cutting Class 6.5</ref> Examples of coup can include almost anything - gainsaying, physical violence, verbal jousting, undermining reputation, family, or finances, etc.<ref name=":4">“Tell me, what are some fundamental ways one could count coup?” Alexander asked, holding the slip. “Yes, Tymon?”
“Gainsaying,” Tymon said.
“Good,” Alexander said, pointing the slip of paper at him.
Lucy’s hand went up. Alexander pointed the slip at her.
“Forswearing,” Lucy said.
“That, Ms. Ellingson, is a winner take all situation. But the unwary
can just as easily lose it all,” Alexander said, maintaining a slight
smile. “Be very careful.”
Avery held back from saying ‘drop a demesne on it’. Which would have been really unwise.
As if he was reading her mind, he smiled, a bit lopsided, in a way that almost made a wink, waving the ticket their way.
Like he was saying ‘good, point for staying silent’.
“Punch them in the nose?” Hadley Hennigar called out.
“Do raise your hand, but yes.”
“And punching them in the throat?”
“I’m only going to count the one case of physical violence. Anyone else?”
A hand went up. “You said undercutting them verbally.” “Yes. Verbal attacks as well as physical. Attacks on reputation, finances, family, connections,” Alexander said. - excerpt from Cutting Class 6.5</ref> Tactics such as the Rule of Three or openly declaring your intentions can cause the spirits to pay more attention to your coup, making them more impactful.<ref>“But these things can be subtle. You may be left wondering how much
of a difference it really made. So tell me, how can you secure it, or
better tie them together?”
Hands were going up all over the room, now.
“Rule of three,” Verona said. “Driving it in three times.”
“Good.”
“Declare your intentions.”
“Very good, yes. Swear you’ll get something and the spirits will be watching closer for each punch in the throat, verbal retort, and gainsaying. Each will land with more emphasis. Of course, there’s a risk there." - excerpt from Cutting Class 6.5 </ref> Even a failed attempt at something can be worth more than doing nothing, reminding the spirits of your attempts to claim the thing if nothing else.<ref>Any guesses? Phrase it as a question if you’re not sure, but even a wrong answer is worth some credit. To try and to fail is worth more than not trying at all. If nothing else, it reminds the spirits you exist and you’re relevant. - excerpt from Cutting Class 6.5</ref> The Demesnes ritual centers around establishing a claim against all who might contest it, a claim so strong that even the spirits can only enter your property given your permission,<ref>The ritual places a heavy emphasis on claiming one space, to a degree above and beyond even the influence of common spirits, who must be given
permission to enter. The ritual, explained in some depth in a future
chapter, requires a challenge to establish this claim against all who would take it. - excerpt from Demesnes, quoted in Bonus Material: Demesnes Text</ref> and this claim extends to influencing mundane contests over ownership of the space.<ref name=":4" /><ref>To better allow for these private moments, and to help freeze the escalating rent in an expensive city, she claims her apartment. - excerpt from Demesnes, quoted in Bonus Material: Demesnes Text</ref>
In addition to taking, claim can also be generated by more abstract things like rituals,<ref name=":2" /> inheritance, how long you've owned something, etc.<ref name=":0" /> Legal ownership generates a claim, which means in the modern world most "wild" spaces are claimed by the government.<ref name=":3" /> A familiar has some automatic claim to their master's Demesne.<ref>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. - excerpt from Demesnes, quoted in Interlude 2.x</ref> The Abyss and by extension it's Scourges have claim to all unowned things.<ref name=":0" />
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