A rather unique quality of the beings known as Paralogos and Whifflings are their ability to "bond" with humans.
Since Paralogos' innate power comes from human languages, this is not all too surprising. Whifflings seem to have a slightly weaker bond as a result of their being incorporated with humanity in a less direct fashion.
However, it is only as of late that we have been able to determine certain factors in how these bonds arise, both from talking to caretakers and to Paralogos and Whifflings themselves, though the phenomenon is more well understood in Paralogos, and this Chapter mostly discusses that particular relationship, with an addendum to Whiffling Bonds are the end.
We have also come to call Paralogos or Whifflings "Rogue" or "Bonded" in regard to these relationships with caretakers.
As mentioned previously in our research, Paralogos are drawn to libraries since their identities are sustained by natural materials such as paper and ink.
Paralogos arise to their word focus at times due to influences from humans, or come into finding it themselves through other events.
A caretaker's library will generally also have the ability to maintain some aspect of their word focus.
Due to this, the relationship is mutually beneficial; the Paralogos is sustained by books and by closeness to their word focus, the caretaker can benefit from a Paralogos' wisdom and magic skills. Since humanity cannot access such powers, Paralogos lending their strength is key to rebuilding these aspects of the world around them.
Paralogos will also prioritize communicating to their caretaker above all others. They may choose to talk to other people, and of course other Paralogos, but will prioritize their "Librarian." Since the library is the crux of this give and take bond between the Paralogos and their caretaker, this also leads into other concerns, however.
For example-- depending on the specifics of why this Paralogos chose to bond with their caretaker... If they have a genuine friendship over a mere give and take scenario, this bond would be much harder to break down.
When a bonded situation breaks down, it can be for numerous reasons, although it is difficult to cause. A major rift would need to occur, such as the loss of the library (burned down, natural disasters), or another type of abuse to the relationship itself is sustained. The caretaker could also pass away, and thus the bond is severed whether the Paralogos would like it to be or not-- or the two could mutually decide to drift apart.
While a bond is active however, the Paralogos is in some ways limited in their behaviors. Paralogos can wander away from their life with their caretaker and the library, but will be inevitably drawn back to those scenarios. A Paralogos with higher Wisdom and Magic skills may be able to sustain leaving much longer though. Otherwise they must actively fight against the pull. A caretaker that has given their blessing to a Paralogos to wander or travel will not have these same issues, and may even give a Paralogos a book to take with them during the trip.
To actively fight too long against their bond is difficult on a Paralogos' illusory form, and causes them great pain.
The basic idea of a formalized bond may come about with a Paralogos actually asking that of the caretaker. However, it is a gradual process overall.
The bond grows with the Paralogos coming to realize that a given library and home with a caregiver is theirs-- this is their place to belong.
This can only occur to Rogue Paralogos, and cannot happen to an already bonded Paralogos unless the original bond is broken. Paralogos may get along with other caretakers and feel kinship with them though. Rogues are also generally less likely to bond again if they are not Wild Rogues, which will be in the next section.
The Bond that we speak of can be any given sort of relationship as well, something most often like Platonic Love if we are to classify it philosophically. Business partners, close friends, familial relationships, and similar are all reasons a Paralogos and Caretaker can bond.
Paralogos can also share a caretaker-- the bond doesn't appear to weaken with number. Commonly Paralogos think of themselves as siblings with other Paralogos who are bonded to the same person, but this is not always the case. There are all kinds of relationships explored by Paralogos, between one another and between caretakers as well- and this multiplicity of experiences contributes to a rich and vibrant network of individuals.
Most often, the Rogues known as Wild Paralogos are the ones to have a new bond form in Linguan society. Wild Paralogos may still be in the "blank" (tabula rasa) stage, or have come to develop an affinity for a term, before bonding officially. While the term "Rogue" is a catch all, Wild simply refers to those Rogue Paralogos whom have never entered into a bond before.
The initial choice to bond is entirely the choice of the Paralogos, however. It cannot be forced. One wonders if some in Lingua are trying to alter this reality...
The term Rogue is generally a catch all term for both wandering Wild Paralogos and those Paralogos who have had bonds broken with their original libraries and caretakers in some way. This second group of Paralogos have a sort of scars from the experience, although the bond breaking could have been peaceful or even unintentional. The term Wild, as stated above, is alternatively used for Paralogos who have simply never entered a bond before.
Rogue Paralogos who have had this bond broken are still drawn to libraries and Linguan civilization despite their distance. They may choose to build a sort of library themselves, however small, or adopt a forgotten one to help sooth that pull. In these cases, a Paralogos will be able to be self-sustaining.
While the term may seem at first negative, many Rogue Paralogos are seen as peaceful residents on the fringes of Linguan society. In particular, Wild Rogues are seen as neutral or mostly harmless. Wicked Paralogos are the ones individuals worry about. At times, Linguans have confused one group for another, and even in these scenarios there may have been misunderstandings of intent. Rogues do not have the same obsession that Wicked Paralogos do. But Rogues have been blamed for scenarios caused by other Paralogos in the past.
Rogues who are not Wild do make Linguans generally nervous, mainly because of uncontrolled ability- a Paralogos that is bonded to a caretaker will have, in a sense, less will to go against the society. Like, not a control over, but a sense of being in some ways bound to the library and person- and the person knowing if they destroy the library or the bond in some way, it would harm the Paralogos.
While all Rogue Paralogos are those currently not bonded, Wild Paralogos have never felt this relationship. Those Rogues who are not Wild are those who have felt that relationship-- and had to leave it. They may at times be seen as more cynical or driven to their own ends if the bond broke in a painful way. It highly depends on the Paralogos on how they are seen by other Linguans and Paralogos as well.
Wicked Paralogos also seem to have higher incidence of going Rogue, or turning Wicked via the Rogue phenomenon.
It is important to consider how we, as Linguans, treat our dinosaurian friends as a result. Please view the 5th Annex for more information.
As mentioned at the beginning of this Chapter, Whiffling "Bonds" seem to be of in ways a weaker nature than that of Paralogos Caretaker relationships. Whifflings do not need humanity's resources in the same way, after all. While their essence is akin to the origin of where Paralogos came from, they themselves are much more self-sufficient. They are more stable than Paralogos, and come into human society of their own determination.
This has made it common to mostly see Whifflings as Rogues. They are often considered rather neutral in these positions, or even for the most part positive figures. Some Linguans consider it lucky if a Whiffling decides to merely observe or "guard" your place of living, and not interact with you much. This is almost akin to some folkloric tales of leaving out rewards for fae or fairies- except in this case, perhaps leaving a small gift out for a Rogue Whiffling will bring you fortune.
For the lucky few that Whifflings do choose to enter into a more formalized Caretaker-ship with, the Whiffling will be much more communicative with the Caretaker. They'll be less inclined to stay from their Caretaker's home, considering it is also theirs now. Whifflings find themselves drawn, particularly those with humanity-induced scents, to Caretaker's whose professions deal with said scents as well. For this reason, it is more common to see Uncommon and Rare Scented Whifflings as having Caretaker bonds than those of the Common Scent level. Common Scent level Whifflings have the higher chance of being around their scent of focus out in the wilderness, but do encounter a similar problem that Paralogos do when that natural resource is threatened.
This threatening is the main reason why a Whiffling would bond with a Caretaker, but is not the only one. Many Linguans might find sincere friendship in the companionship of these fae-like entities. Their bonds can break down in a similar fashion to Paralogos however, and have similar heartbreaks... but it isn't nearly as painful for Whifflings.