The world leaves marks. When hardship presses too long or too hard, characters begin to carry States — lingering conditions that make certain actions more difficult (one -Reroll). When a character acts while under a State and succeeds (in spite of the -Reroll), the effort adds to their Strain. Strain does not vanish on its own. It feeds into either Deprivation or Disjunction, slowly eroding the body or the mind.
The body keeps score. Deprivation is a mounting weight (0-24) that makes recovery from harm increasingly difficult. When a character attempts to heal damage to their Talents, they must roll their Essence higher than their current Deprivation. The higher the number climbs, the harder it becomes to return to full strength.
The mind frays at the edges. Disjunction represents the slow unraveling of mental stability. As Strain feeds into Disjunction, the character begins to experience deterioration that manifests in increasingly severe ways. Specific manifestations are detailed in the Disjunction tables.
The body moves like it is underwater. Every motion requires more effort than it should. Physical tasks grow sluggish and imprecise.
Attention slips away like water through cupped hands. Concentration is fragile, and the mind wanders even when focus is most needed.
Pain is a constant companion. Movement is guarded, and the character favors the injury without meaning to.