Cursed Ciphers

Cursed Ciphers are special items found in missions that apply curses to players.

Description
Cursed Ciphers are CHORUS Communities tablets found throughout Redacre and The Maze containing curses applied to the player who picks up the tablet. The curses applied remain for the duration of the mission. Hosts who are Level 9 or above will begin seeing Cursed Ciphers in lobbies. There can be between one and four ciphers per mission. Each cipher picked up will apply a curse to the player for the remainder of the mission. Players can pick up multiple Cursed Ciphers and have combinations of curses. Players who pick up a duplicate curse will intensify the effects of the curse. For example, if a player picks up a second "Paper Angels" curse, even more Shape-like figures will appear.

HUNT-THE-STRONG is responsible for The Hunger curse and SPEAK-AS-ONE is responsible for The Call and Paper Angels, according to THEE-I-DARE. It is unknown who the Gorgon curse belongs to, but IN-HER-TEETH has taken an interest in utilizing it for her own purposes. HUNT-THE-STRONG and Unknown Caller have applied No More Shadows to players in various Player Interactions. The Unknown Caller has shown to be able to apply all five curses.

THEE-I-DARE considers the Cursed Ciphers to be "tiny daggers of meaning" in the Old Tongue and hopes they hold the key to bind HUNT-THE-STRONG with his oldest name.

Rewards
At the end of the mission, all ciphers collected by players whom completed the mission are counted. All party members are then awarded that amount of ciphers, as well as 2 Old Tongue gestures. The Old Tongue gestures granted to players can then be used in The Place Between (see Gesture Combinations).

Players are able to earn a Halo from picking up Cursed Ciphers. If a group picks up four unique ciphers with no duplicate curses, party members will each be awarded a Halo.

Curse Types
There are 5 curses with unique features and effects that are applied when picking up a Cursed Cipher. These curses have also been applied remotely during a Player Interaction with a Voice or character.

Curse Effects
Each curse imposes various effects on players. Curses impose difficulties but can also grant some helpful perks.

The Call
 * The loud screech of the call lures enemies from a large radius away, sometimes beneficial for mission objectives or distracting enemies.

The Gorgon
 * The effect of Gorgon has a limited distance; enemies far away will not exhibit the Gorgon effect but is helpful for locating enemies in a nearby radius.
 * Only enemies in sight will be affected by Gorgon. Enemies behind walls/doors will not be affected until seen.
 * Stalkers glow under the effects of the Gorgon curse as well but the blinding glow can make it difficult to capture them.

The Hunger
 * Players running the Unstoppable power can use the damage effect to trigger the power, but it is less convenient than No More Shadows given the implications of tackling enemies (sinful).
 * After biting an enemy, the player gets 10 seconds of unlimited stamina, as if they consumed an Energy Bar, followed by 10 seconds of normal gameplay before returning to the Hunger state.
 * Players running higher levels of the Takedown power can have an easier time grabbing enemies with Advanced Grappling.

No More Shadows
 * Players running the Unstoppable power can use the damage effects to trigger the power without needing a constant supply of bandages.
 * Walking and running speeds are increased while in light.

Paper Angels
 * A harmless effect if players are not the Shape's target, but can lead to uncertainty in the Shape's location.

Trivia

 * The Shape illusions are slower than the real Shape and move in a more stilted fashion. They also don't make noise; the 'stomping' of the Shape chasing you is still distinct. Sometimes the illusions will also be in an unreachable spot, whether that be in the air or in a wall.