I think different people would have different reactions to it.
Part of it is how malleable you are. For example, someone with a rigid mentality and who cannot truly accept the primal's influence may be struck dumb, incapable of little more than blind obedience, whereas someone who is open to the idea may be left with more of their higher-order functions intact, as there is less resistance being formed there. The latter individuals are the most dangerous ones, as they will actively push towards helping the primal achieve their goals through whatever means are available to them. The former are little more than shock troopers, there to fill the trenches with bodies.
As for how gradual it is, it seemed to me like the Ifrit cutscene made it clear that the tempering process is basically instantaneous. Either you get tempered or you don't. Not much in-between and not much in the way of an interim period.
There is a potential for conflict with regards to friends and loved ones meeting their tempered former comrades. I have no idea if tempered individuals retain their loyalty to their old friends on any level; it's possible that a tempered individual may be able to 'fight back' against the tempering if faced with the prospect of killing, say, a former lover or their best friend. Maybe. I dnno, it's an idea.
Part of it is how malleable you are. For example, someone with a rigid mentality and who cannot truly accept the primal's influence may be struck dumb, incapable of little more than blind obedience, whereas someone who is open to the idea may be left with more of their higher-order functions intact, as there is less resistance being formed there. The latter individuals are the most dangerous ones, as they will actively push towards helping the primal achieve their goals through whatever means are available to them. The former are little more than shock troopers, there to fill the trenches with bodies.
As for how gradual it is, it seemed to me like the Ifrit cutscene made it clear that the tempering process is basically instantaneous. Either you get tempered or you don't. Not much in-between and not much in the way of an interim period.
There is a potential for conflict with regards to friends and loved ones meeting their tempered former comrades. I have no idea if tempered individuals retain their loyalty to their old friends on any level; it's possible that a tempered individual may be able to 'fight back' against the tempering if faced with the prospect of killing, say, a former lover or their best friend. Maybe. I dnno, it's an idea.
