Jaime Synge/Documented Soul-Echoes of Jaime Synge
From Unofficial Handbook of the Virtue Universe
Main Article: Jaime Synge
The Documented Soul-Echoes of Jaime Synge is a player-generated theory of magic and element of an ongoing role-play storyline featuring the aforementioned character. This information is not generally known and should not be used during in-character conversations unless cleared by Synge Cabiri's player, or divulged by the character himself during IC scenes.
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Soul Echoes
Soul Echoes are remnants of the prior life-incarnations of an individual Radiant sorcerer or mystic. These pre-incarnations are retained in the mystic's psyche and soul, and often have bearing on the present mystic's abilities and, occasionally, personality. They are independent psyches and should not be considered "alternate personalities" to the host Radiant. In rare cases, these Echoes can overwhelm the dominant psyche of their host, and may act independent of the host's wishes.
Throughout a their lifetime, typically several times per year, the metaphysical essence of a Radiant mystic is siphoned away by the Earth's ley-energy matrix in order to sustain and perpetuate that matrix. Because this essence is innately tied to the mystic's psyche and soul, it is suffuce with the personality and memories of the subject Radiant. Once absorbed by the Earth's natural magickal and creative matrix, a simulacrum of the Radiant's self is retained within that matrix. The Ember (that is, the kernel of a Radiant's innate magickal self) becomes saturated with this psychic residue at the time it manifests in a human being. Due to the destruction of any record of Radiant History over the centuries, it is not understood why this occurs. However, it does provide a certain continuity between various reincarnations of a Radiant Ember (despite almost complete genetic disparity between the present and prior physical hosts of the Ember).
In most cases, a Radiant mystic cannot directly access their prior life incarnations, although they often have some influence on the present Host's talents and aptitudes. In few cases, a gifted Radiant may access or converse with the plurality of prior incarnations stored within their ember. Rare cases have been rumored in which these Soul Echoes take on an exterior physical or ephemeral form, a phenomenon which has often lead to considerable strife for the mystic. In a curious comparison, most Soul Echoes are conscious of their state within the Radiant mystic: disembodied personalities within a carrier host.
In Radiant with particularly damaged pasts or unstable psyches, these Soul Echoes also include what some Radiant scholars have termed "notional soul echoes". These appear not be to true past-life incarnations, but manifestations of possibilities and alter-egos within the parent psyche. It is not presently clear if these "Notional Soul Echoes" are tied to the Ember, or simply a symptom of a dissociative identity disorder. Indeed, the phenomenon of Soul Echoes in general is highly imitative of DID, causing some burgeoning and established Radiant to be diagnosed with as such and relegated to the care of mental health facilities.
Within Radiant society, the existence of Soul Echoes and their participation in the daily life of the mystic supports an underlying belief that individual consciousness of a Radiant can transcend death, resulting in a kind of figurative immortality.
Documented Soul Echoes
Jaime Synge has demonstrated several of these Soul Echoes. In the wake of the re-ignition of his Ember following an exchange with and tutelage of the Archmage Tarixus, Synge found himself losing control of his Soul Echoes. Due to this loss of control, and the intervention of one of the guardians within the Lair of the Daemon Consortium, many of Synge's Soul Echoes were splintered from his psyche. Only the most powerful were able to take physical form, although most remained ephemeral and mostly harmless.
The Roman
One of the first Soul Echoes which was positively identified by the White Hall and the Forge of Judges, Synge is host to a semi-legendary figure in Radiant mythology known in their lore as "The Roman". Little is known about this figure other than he was an officer and mystic within the Roman Army. His exploits appear to have concerned tracking down, isolating, and then exterminating the folk gods and legendary creatures which were known to protect cities or regions in which the Empire wished to expand. Beyond his arcane talents, he was also apparently an accomplished soldier.
The Roman appeared briefly to a few members of the Daemon Consortium while they were visiting Fort Darwin on Mercy Island. He appeared to be performing some sort of ritual, and claimed he had no animosity toward Synge directly, although was aware of a few who might.
Yin Niu
A figure which was believed to have come from Chinese folklore. Her restless spirit was believed to have been banished by Bhuddist monks in antiquity. She was known for her ghoulish bloodthirst and exceptional miserliness. Yin Niu was sighted briefly within Bloody Bay, but has not been seen since.
According to the lore, Yin Niu was a sorceress to a figurehead warlord in rural China some centuries before the rise of the Roman Empire. Her arcane energies and command of both spirits and local mythical creatures made her a formidable force to be reckoned with. Folk tales, most of which are lost to the modern age, suggest that Niu was equated with a vampire figure, demon bride, witch queen, or other superlative interpretations prior to her death. However, with the rise of Bhuddist missionaries and mystics, her power waned and was eventually snuffed out. Cultural anthropologists suggest that the myth was a metaphor for the spiritual movement away from traditional animist movements.
Curiously, in what fragments continue to exist, Niu records a dream in which she travels through the "Many Worlds in One" - perhaps prefiguring the concept of multiple parallel universes or dimensions. The scrap of verse was used as inspiration for many Romantic and Decadent poets and authors of the nineteenth century, where Niu figures as a seductive but deadly muse to those who court her.
Ereban
Presumed to be a "Notional Soul Echo", as the figure was remarkably similar to Synge in certain aspects, but was most definitely derived from some kind of demon stock. Based on his behavior, this may have been a supposition of what Synge could have been had he become subject to infernal corruption and conscripted as some kind of thrall-variant. Ereban appeared to the guardians of the Daemon Consortium, and after some brief confrontation, was defeated. It is not known whether the creature remains active or has been discorporated.
Based on interviews with those who interacted with the creature, it did not precisely claim to be a formal thrall. Indeed, based on its behavior, it would appear that the creature assumed a station superior to other thralls, perhaps as some kind of task master or officer of such daemons. Unlike other thralls, Ereban did not appear to function as a guardian, spy, or assassin - but had significantly more overtly offensive abilities. During its brief manifestation, Ereban managed to subdue one of the thralls and was purportedly torturing it using some kind of empathic attack - abilities which Synge is certainly not capable of exercising.
Unlike traditional thralls, Ereban did not have one, single link to a patron being - but several of them which were intertwined. It is unknown how this would occur in a normal daemon or to whom it would link. However, there did appear to be some similarity evident between Ereban's connection & that allegedly held by Ghost Widow to Arachnos as an idea and institution. Should the creature reappear, further investigation of this phenomenon would be worth pursuing.
Jaime Dust
Main Article: Jaime Dust
Potentially the most dangerous of all of Synge's Soul Echoes, and most definitely a "notional" Soul Echo. However, Dust has acquired a significant degree of autonomy and appears to be working actively towards the destruction of his parent incarnation. The origins of this notional being are not well understood, although Dust himself has taunted that he is "a dirty little secret" that Synge has not wanted to confront directly.
Dust has been sighted by several members of the Daemon Consortium, as well as certain other minor inhabitants of the Rogue Isles. More so than these other Soul Echo counterparts, Dust appears to share many of Synge's metaphysical talents - although Dust's traditional "super powered" abilities appear to differ considerably from Synge's. At this time, neither Arachnos nor any law-enforcement agency has made a distinction between Synge and Dust.
Unconfirmed Soul Echoes
During the period in which these Soul Echoes were documented to have manifested, many other episodes of unusual arcane activity was recorded. Two of these are of particular interest, detailed below:
Najla Al-Daha
Due to massive influx of prisoners liberated from the Ziggursky Prison in Fall of 2007, Arachnos security operatives underwent an extensive review of Fort Darwin video surveillance of new arrivals. This was mostly intended to weed out potential saboteurs and spies, but also to allow Arachnos Seers to divine the most likely of the "Destined Ones" for Lord Recluse.
During this review, one of the Seers believed that a simple background detail - a very large bird trifling with a daemon - required further analysis. Clarifying, resolving, and eventually scrying on the detail, a Arachnos seer was able to determine a single detail, the word: "al-Daha" (An arabic phrase which roughly translates to "the invisible"). Psychoimagery from the session was able to discern an overlaid soulform with the animal (see frame). Based on this, Arachnos nick-named the figure "Najla", a name which refers to the figure's striking, piercing gaze.
The significance of this discovery has not yet been determined and the project has been de-prioritized out of mainstream research at this time.
Child of Synge
Rumors had it that a young teenager appeared in the streets of Croatoa claiming to have some mystical abilities consistent with a burgeoning Radiant. Although the child had little knowledge of her origins, the child (who was variably reported as either male or female) claimed to be the child of Jaime Synge. The child disappeared from Paragon City Child Protective Services after only two days, rendering any further questioning impossible.
