Matters of intent and feelings and motivation are only introduced into “the conversation” via open your brain. I mean that’s why there are rules at all, yeah?

I don’t explain a damned thing. It doesn’t “look” like anything in the fiction in my game. But the tone most definitely changes, practically speaking, because the maelstrom’s interests are different than my interests (hence the thesis of this whole post).

It’s a ritual. Rituals have power.