Ordeal
As noted on our page about Personas, not everyone has the natural potential to awaken, nor do they have the help of a supernatural entity such as a Guide. So how does one awaken, then?
That individual must undergo a spiritual journey of hardship, which begins when they enter a supernatural space. Depending upon the nature of that supernatural space, a person's Shadow might externalize from their psyche and form to challenge them. When this happens, the Shadow inevitably reflects some aspect of that realm.
While the most well known form of this are the 'I'll Face Myself' sequences in Persona 4, Persona 4 as a theme is not available for application at this time. Once it is, more information will be posted regarding this type of Ordeal.
Currently, the most common Ordeals available for awakening are Kingdoms from Persona 5: Tactica and Foraines from Persona: Wild Hunt. For more on this, please see our files on Kingdoms and Foraines.
Far more rarely, Rumors may cause powerful guides such as Nyarlathotep to manifest other versions of you within Sumaru City. This too can serve as an Ordeal by facing the 'worst possible version' of yourself. For this, the person in question and the people championing them must resist the pull to the Abyss as well as actions that would empower Nyarlathotep, namely the three poisons of Buddhism. Those three poisons are delusion (ignorance), attachment (desire), and aversion (hatred). Failure to do are likely to result in immediate, and permanent, cognitive death.
It should be noted: awakening within the Metaverse is not considered an Ordeal. It is instead an awakening via the Potential created by possessing the Will of Rebellion. Even Futaba Sakura, who actually speaks to her Shadow during her awakening, is not altogether that different from the awakening of the other Phantoms. Her Shadow merely shares how Futaba was wronged to facilitate that awakening, understanding that she is already ready to awaken.
OOC Note
- Awakening via Ordeal is not more prestigious than by a Guide or with the Potential, nor is it lesser. Choose the narrative that is most appropriate to your character. Understand that choosing an Ordeal might mean delaying supernatural agency on the grid for a significant amount of time.