The Place Between

The Place Between is a special location in.

Description
Exact details about The Place Between have not been found at this time, but it appears to be some form of a subconscious ether realm in a permanent state of near twilight. The player finds themselves standing upon a rocky, diamond-shaped surface suspended in the air above a sea of rolling clouds as an eclipse begins. Ahead of the player is a large boulder atop a ledge, and behind is a barren tree.

The Place Between is filled with various structures: stacks of stones (placed symmetrically across from each other along the width of the surface), six gold or bronze metal bowls that surround the large disk at the base of the boulder. The surface is seemingly covered in sand and poorly maintained. The purpose of The Place Between is not currently known.

There is a time limit while in The Place Between. Players have until the annular eclipse reaches Totality. When totality is reached, the player will lose consciousness and awake back at the Portal. If the player has the eclipse in view while they return back to the mission, shining gold halos of light will appear as after images as the player falls into unconsciousness. The portal will be closed and inaccessible for the player for the remaining part of the mission; teammates in the mission are able to still use and access The Place Between even if another player has traveled through the portal.

If players quit or leave the mission before the mission is completed, they will not receive any rewards and the 10 Ciphers will not be refunded. Players who complete the mission will see a Reward Crate back in The Hideout containing the reward.

Accessing The Place Between
The Place Between can be accessed via a Portal (commonly referred to as the "Sun Dial" or "Gate"). Portals require the player to have 10 Cursed Ciphers to access.

The portal itself appears to be made of stone and is a combination of a large main disk and lid. The main surface of the stone lid holds carvings of a sun and the metal dial seems to hold carvings of a moon. When the dial is unlocked by possessing enough Ciphers, the metal disk slides off the lid onto the main body of the portal resembling the effect of an eclipse. Surrounding the dial are diamond shaped carvings that are black with shimmering blues and purples. The location of the portal will change between missions and can appear on the surface or in the Maze.

When the portal is closed due to players not having enough ciphers, it will simply appear closed and a whistling sound can be heard coming from it; text saying "not enough ciphers X/10" will be shown when approached, where x is the individual player's current cipher count. When a player has enough ciphers the gate will be partially opened, a celestial space will be visible and space sounds are heard. The player can approach the portal and enter by using 10 ciphers, which will be removed from them upon usage. They will then be transported to The Place Between, and anyone who was watching a player at the time of the entrance will temporarily black out so they cannot see transportation occur.

Only one person can access The Place Between at a time, and the portal will appear closed for the period in which someone is present within.

The Altar
At the top of the cliff in The Place Between is a boulder. The side of the boulder facing the eclipse is white and obscures the carved symbols (some of which are visible at the top). A large gold copper disk sits at the foot of the boulder. When the player steps onto the disk and faces the boulder, their shadow on the boulder will wave. The player will have time to perform three gestures of Old Tongue. Once a player completes these three gestures, the eclipse will speed up to completion and the player is sent back out of The Place Between.

Performing gestures on the altar allows players to collect rewards. These rewards come in the form of Celestial Clothes (see below) and God Rocks. Normal gestures have yet to produce rewards. The starry appearance of the galaxy clothing is a trick of the mind, in the same way that Lucids' faces are obscured. THEE-I-DARE hopes that the club will one day be able to see through what SPEAK-AS-ONE conceals.

Testing Old Tongue
Players can test Old Tongue combinations in The Place Between for the chance to collect rewards. Players must complete the mission successfully to claim the reward. If testing a combination, there are several sounds that can be heard and several visual cues to be seen:
 * A "ding" will be heard after performing each gesture in a correct order. If no "ding" is heard, the gesture combination is not correct to produce a reward.
 * If the first two gestures performed are not accepted, the shadow will stand in place and a 'lock' sound will be heard.
 * If a gesture combination is not correct, the shadow will perform the Exasperation gesture and no rewards are earned after the third gesture is performed.
 * If the gestures combination is correct, a sound is heard and the shadow will perform the Cheer gesture. "Secret Unlocked" will appear on the screen to indicate a reward earned.

Before the Game
The Place Between is a dream of an ancient memory, when the Voices were born and first spoke to humans. The Sun meeting the Moon, the eclipse, is a holy time from their beginning. The location is a memory of a holy site upon a mountain, that was lost to warring once THEE-I-DARE and the other Voices were born. SPEAK-AS-ONE claims the site as theirs because in their view, they are the only Voice that matters. Of The Place Between, Grandmother says, "somewhere in that memory... deep down, is whatever came before the sleeping god".

In-Game
The Voices can reside there only briefly, save for THE-MEASURE-CUTS, who can stay there for a longer period of time. THEE-I-DARE initially was unable to enter the Place Between due to his weakness, but he has slowly grew in strength enough to be able to see it in its entirety. After a short time, when the sun meets the moon, their hosts wake up. THE-MEASURE-CUTS has said that he believes it is possible to anchor yourself to the Place Between for a longer period of time using the Voice Masks, by giving yourself "presence" there and tricking the dream that you belong.

THE-MEASURE-CUTS wonders if he can stop time in the Place Between using the Old Tongue.

THE-MEASURE-CUTS has spent time in The Place Between in an attempt to "OBSERVE, THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN... ONE SUCH AS YOURSELF, AND THE OLDER FARE". The Place Between, according to THE-MEASURE-CUTS, is not a blackout, but a "DREAM STATE THAT CAN BE... MANIPULATED TO AN EXTENT". However, manipulating this dream state comes at the cost of "BEING THROWN OUT." THE-MEASURE-CUTS hopes to share his knowledge of Old Tongue with his fellow Voices, but this requires his fellow Voices being able to stay in The Place Between (which is not currently possible). However, he is making progress teaching the others. THEE-I-DARE believes it involves a mnemonic before bed that helps his Hosts regain control in the dream.

When a follower is in The Place Between, they are lost to THEE-I-DARE. He describes it as boundless place, which some of the Voices are able to stabilize. Upon entering The Place Between, individual dreams form for each person, and THE-MEASURE-CUTS' trick is to merge the dreams into one. With regard to the dreamlike nature, The Place Between and Saturation Control are very similar.

THEE-I-DARE says that THE-MEASURE-CUTS isn’t stuck in the Place Between, but rather that he prefers to be there. THE-MEASURE-CUTS initially went to the Place Between because he felt bias and sentiment for club members, which made him recoil. Being in the Place Between helps him avoid those emotions. THE-MEASURE-CUTS is also preparing the Place Between for the Pact meeting. THEE-I-DARE does wonder if Wayka will listen in, but is fine with that if she is doing so with the intention of hurting SPEAK-AS-ONE.

Portal Locations
For a list of all known locations where the portal to The Place Between can be found during missions.

Gesture Combinations
The list of Old Tongue gesture combinations that grant rewards when performed in The Place Between. See Rewards for the gallery showing all rewards.

Old Combinations
These combinations were once valid but no longer reward an item:

Rewards
The gallery of possible rewards from performing correct gesture combinations.

Trivia

 * The tree in The Place Between is identical to the tree seen in the Old Growth campsite.
 * The combination dubbed CLAIM-FROM-YOU used to give no reward, despite it saying a secret was unlocked when used in the Place Between. As of November 20th, 2020, the combination now rewards a DANCE-FOR-US Voice Mask.