Palamedes Sextus (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
hellonspectacles) wrote2023-03-25 08:06 pm
hellonspectacles) wrote2023-03-25 08:06 pm
Well: Memories Tracker
Cultural Basics
Without having a strong sense of the specifics, Palamedes knows that he grew up in a multi-planetary empire in which necromancy played a significant role. He only has the vaguest sense that necromancy involves harnessing the power of the dead and remembers a handful of related words (constructs, adept, servitor, theorem) without fully being able to define them. Without quite knowing why, he sometimes uses Emperor’s bones! as an exclamation.
Memories
Relationship with Camilla Hect: Remembers the core of his relationship with Camilla Hect, including his deep devotion to her, enough quiet, everyday moments that he knows that they have known each other a long time and have rarely been apart for very long, and the sense that they swore an oath to each other.
Bodily experience: An everyday memory of inhabiting Camilla’s body and looking in the mirror to see her face looking back at him.
Nerd practice: Studying for an exam. It would have seemed Very Important at the time, but in the grand scheme of things, it was a fairly mundane exam.
A clandestine meeting: A meeting with We Suffer to report on the activity of Troia Cell. While emotionally fraught, in the period this meeting occurs, the conversation itself would have been relatively mundane. Would have included:
-Palamedes giving a report on Nona’s progress
-discussions of a prisoner exchange of some kind
-watching a “proof of life” video featuring Juno Zeta
Necromancer math: A significant portion of the lyctorhood theorem.
An invitation from the King Undying: Receiving the letter from the Emperor inviting him to come to Canaan House. The letter reads as follows:
Salutations to the House of the Sixth, and blessings upon the master wardens, keepers of knowledge and our glorious history,
His Celestial Kindliness, the First Reborn, begs this house to honour its love for the Creator, as set in the contract of tenderness made on the day of the Resurrection, and humbly asks for the first fruits of your household, Master Warden of the Library Palamedes Sextus and Warden’s Hand of the Library Camilla Hect.
For in need now are the Emperor's Hands, the most blessed and beloved of the King Undying, the faithful and the everlasting! The Emperor calls now for postulants to the position of Lyctor; heirs to the eight stalwarts who have served these ten thousand years: as many of them now lie waiting for the rivers to rise on the day they wake to their King, those lonely Guard remaining petition for their numbers to be renewed and their Lord above Lords to find eight new liegemen.
To this end we beg the first of your House and their cavalier to kneel in glory and attend the finest study, that of being the Emperor's bones and joints, his fists and gestures.
Eight we hope will meditate and ascend to the Emperor in glory in the temple of the First House, eight new Lyctors joined with their cavalier; and if the Necrolord Highest blesses but does not take, they shall return home in full honor, with trump and timbrel.
God-killing star: As of the end of March, Palamedes remembers his death.
A weenie over Dulcinea Septimus: As of May, Palamedes remembers receiving a letter from Dulcinea and briefly discussing it with Cam (as described in the opening few paragraphs of The Mysterious Study of Dr. Sex)
Imagine a bubble: As of June, Pal remembers that he spent an extended period of time after his death in a "bubble" or pocket universe that he made himself.
I would carry you either way: As of July, Palamedes remembers a conversation with Camilla over cassette, as related in Nona the Ninth, in which they discuss their devotion to one another and the consequences of sharing a body.
Death to wizards: As of September, Pal remembers that during his time on New Rho, necromancers were at risk of being rounded up and burned to death if discovered.
That bitch stole Mercury: As of September, Pal has an official, confirmed memory of the Sixth House "break clause" and that he (in Camilla's body) convinced his House to secede from the Empire.
Bodily experience: An everyday memory of inhabiting Camilla’s body and looking in the mirror to see her face looking back at him.
Nerd practice: Studying for an exam. It would have seemed Very Important at the time, but in the grand scheme of things, it was a fairly mundane exam.
A clandestine meeting: A meeting with We Suffer to report on the activity of Troia Cell. While emotionally fraught, in the period this meeting occurs, the conversation itself would have been relatively mundane. Would have included:
-Palamedes giving a report on Nona’s progress
-discussions of a prisoner exchange of some kind
-watching a “proof of life” video featuring Juno Zeta
Necromancer math: A significant portion of the lyctorhood theorem.
An invitation from the King Undying: Receiving the letter from the Emperor inviting him to come to Canaan House. The letter reads as follows:
Salutations to the House of the Sixth, and blessings upon the master wardens, keepers of knowledge and our glorious history,
His Celestial Kindliness, the First Reborn, begs this house to honour its love for the Creator, as set in the contract of tenderness made on the day of the Resurrection, and humbly asks for the first fruits of your household, Master Warden of the Library Palamedes Sextus and Warden’s Hand of the Library Camilla Hect.
For in need now are the Emperor's Hands, the most blessed and beloved of the King Undying, the faithful and the everlasting! The Emperor calls now for postulants to the position of Lyctor; heirs to the eight stalwarts who have served these ten thousand years: as many of them now lie waiting for the rivers to rise on the day they wake to their King, those lonely Guard remaining petition for their numbers to be renewed and their Lord above Lords to find eight new liegemen.
To this end we beg the first of your House and their cavalier to kneel in glory and attend the finest study, that of being the Emperor's bones and joints, his fists and gestures.
Eight we hope will meditate and ascend to the Emperor in glory in the temple of the First House, eight new Lyctors joined with their cavalier; and if the Necrolord Highest blesses but does not take, they shall return home in full honor, with trump and timbrel.
God-killing star: As of the end of March, Palamedes remembers his death.
A weenie over Dulcinea Septimus: As of May, Palamedes remembers receiving a letter from Dulcinea and briefly discussing it with Cam (as described in the opening few paragraphs of The Mysterious Study of Dr. Sex)
Imagine a bubble: As of June, Pal remembers that he spent an extended period of time after his death in a "bubble" or pocket universe that he made himself.
I would carry you either way: As of July, Palamedes remembers a conversation with Camilla over cassette, as related in Nona the Ninth, in which they discuss their devotion to one another and the consequences of sharing a body.
Death to wizards: As of September, Pal remembers that during his time on New Rho, necromancers were at risk of being rounded up and burned to death if discovered.
That bitch stole Mercury: As of September, Pal has an official, confirmed memory of the Sixth House "break clause" and that he (in Camilla's body) convinced his House to secede from the Empire.
Remembered skills
Necromantic medicine: As of August '23, Palamedes remembers his in-depth knowledge of human anatomy.
Soul Magic: As of January '24, Pal remembers the theorems and techniques of advanced soul magic, including how to pin revenants to an object, how to occupy another body with your own soul, and soul siphoning.
Soul Magic: As of January '24, Pal remembers the theorems and techniques of advanced soul magic, including how to pin revenants to an object, how to occupy another body with your own soul, and soul siphoning.
Learned skills
In May '23, Palamedes began to experiment with his necromatic powers and slowly advanced his skills. He has now gained canon-level mastery of soul magic via memory points. In additional, he has taught himself or otherwise figured out the following:
General theory: Pal understands that being in the presence of death, decay, or injury makes his powers work better. He can also sense when death has occurred in particular locations--the more recently it has happened, the stronger the sense.
Psychometry: He can read the age of many objects by touching them and can generally figure out of a person came into contact with the object at some time in the past. The more recently someone came in contact with it, the easier it is for him to "read" their presence. It is also easier to figure out if they left more organic material behind (ie., if they bled on the object)
Bone morphology: He is figuring old hold to mold, manipulate, and change the shape of bones. By summer 2024, he can confidently create skeleton constructs out of small pieces of bone and program them to do basic tasks, but can't do anything fancy.
Necromatic medicine: Pal can touch a person and "see" what their insides look like. As of summer 2024, he is pretty good at diagnosing illness and injury, and he can treat most serious but non-lethal wounds.
Thanergenic fields: Pal has figured out how to create force fields that can be seriously painful--or even deadly--to cross. They work by stripping back cells from the skin. When used in a non-lethal way, anyone or anything crossing it will feel like they have an all-over sunburn. Thanergenic fields require his active, continual focus.
Blood wards: Pal has learned to create basic blood wards that can stop people or ghosts from entering or exiting certain areas. They are easier to destroy than thanergenic fields--anything that completely breaks down the blood on a cellular level will do it (ie., industrial-strength disinfectant)--but don't require the same active focus.
General theory: Pal understands that being in the presence of death, decay, or injury makes his powers work better. He can also sense when death has occurred in particular locations--the more recently it has happened, the stronger the sense.
Psychometry: He can read the age of many objects by touching them and can generally figure out of a person came into contact with the object at some time in the past. The more recently someone came in contact with it, the easier it is for him to "read" their presence. It is also easier to figure out if they left more organic material behind (ie., if they bled on the object)
Bone morphology: He is figuring old hold to mold, manipulate, and change the shape of bones. By summer 2024, he can confidently create skeleton constructs out of small pieces of bone and program them to do basic tasks, but can't do anything fancy.
Necromatic medicine: Pal can touch a person and "see" what their insides look like. As of summer 2024, he is pretty good at diagnosing illness and injury, and he can treat most serious but non-lethal wounds.
Thanergenic fields: Pal has figured out how to create force fields that can be seriously painful--or even deadly--to cross. They work by stripping back cells from the skin. When used in a non-lethal way, anyone or anything crossing it will feel like they have an all-over sunburn. Thanergenic fields require his active, continual focus.
Blood wards: Pal has learned to create basic blood wards that can stop people or ghosts from entering or exiting certain areas. They are easier to destroy than thanergenic fields--anything that completely breaks down the blood on a cellular level will do it (ie., industrial-strength disinfectant)--but don't require the same active focus.
Deduced information
Cast list: Via his memories, Palamedes recognizes the following names, but doesn’t know who they are:
Commander We Suffer and Suffer
Our Lady of the Passion ("Pash")
Crown Him with Many Crowns
Archivist Juno Zeta
Camilla Hect
Nona
Dulcinea Septimus
Abigail Pent
Gideon
Various names for the Emperor, including the King Undying, the Emperor Highest, the Necrolord, and His Celestial Kindliness.
The Warden’s Hand: Palamedes has deduced that the person he misses terribly is Camilla Hect, his cavalier and Hand. He has also come to understand that he inhabited her body at some point for some reason.
Palamedes loved Nona: Pal has figured out that he and Nona were close, and that he and Camilla were looking after her and trying to help her in some way. Over time, he has begun to suspect that there was something strange and significant about her.
What happened on Lumuria: Though he doesn't remember experiencing it, he has watched the memory of Aim telling Nona and her friends about the biological destruction of the planet Lumuria, and has learned that necromancers were feared.
Crimes against God: Since arriving in Wellstone, Palamedes has slowly gained a variety of memories related to his defiance of the Emperor. He is now confident that he and John Gaius were on opposite sides of an epic war and believes that his cause against the Empire is righteous.
Chief Nerd of Nerd House: Based on his memories of studying, the invitation, and his own insatiable curiosity, Pal has figured out that he was a very important academic of some kind. He also continues to have an eidetic memory.
Heptanary: Based on his memory of the letter from Dulcinea and his dance with her at the Cycle 2 hoedown, Pal has the sense that he cared about Dulcie deeply, maybe even loved her, and that she was very ill.
Sometimes a family is: While he doesn't remember it directly, he has seen a memory of breakfast time in the apartment he shared with Nona, Cam, and Pyrrha, as depicted in the early chapters of Nona the Ninth.
Reverend Daughter: Pal has now seen Harrow in multiple memories and has noted her vague resemblance to Nona. Kiriona has also told him that Nona eventually inhabited Harrow's body, though not why or how.
Space station life: Pal has now seen bits and pieces of the Sixth House orbital station in multiple memories and has a general sense of what it looked like.
There goes gravity: Pal strongly suspects that someone connected to Troia Cell was Gideon's mother. He also knows that Gideon is John's daughter. He is very confused by these seemingly contradictory facts.
Prince in the Tower: Pal has met Kiriona and has learned that Gideon sacrificed herself and Harrow became a lyctor.
Commander We Suffer and Suffer
Our Lady of the Passion ("Pash")
Crown Him with Many Crowns
Archivist Juno Zeta
Camilla Hect
Nona
Dulcinea Septimus
Abigail Pent
Gideon
Various names for the Emperor, including the King Undying, the Emperor Highest, the Necrolord, and His Celestial Kindliness.
The Warden’s Hand: Palamedes has deduced that the person he misses terribly is Camilla Hect, his cavalier and Hand. He has also come to understand that he inhabited her body at some point for some reason.
Palamedes loved Nona: Pal has figured out that he and Nona were close, and that he and Camilla were looking after her and trying to help her in some way. Over time, he has begun to suspect that there was something strange and significant about her.
What happened on Lumuria: Though he doesn't remember experiencing it, he has watched the memory of Aim telling Nona and her friends about the biological destruction of the planet Lumuria, and has learned that necromancers were feared.
Crimes against God: Since arriving in Wellstone, Palamedes has slowly gained a variety of memories related to his defiance of the Emperor. He is now confident that he and John Gaius were on opposite sides of an epic war and believes that his cause against the Empire is righteous.
Chief Nerd of Nerd House: Based on his memories of studying, the invitation, and his own insatiable curiosity, Pal has figured out that he was a very important academic of some kind. He also continues to have an eidetic memory.
Heptanary: Based on his memory of the letter from Dulcinea and his dance with her at the Cycle 2 hoedown, Pal has the sense that he cared about Dulcie deeply, maybe even loved her, and that she was very ill.
Sometimes a family is: While he doesn't remember it directly, he has seen a memory of breakfast time in the apartment he shared with Nona, Cam, and Pyrrha, as depicted in the early chapters of Nona the Ninth.
Reverend Daughter: Pal has now seen Harrow in multiple memories and has noted her vague resemblance to Nona. Kiriona has also told him that Nona eventually inhabited Harrow's body, though not why or how.
Space station life: Pal has now seen bits and pieces of the Sixth House orbital station in multiple memories and has a general sense of what it looked like.
There goes gravity: Pal strongly suspects that someone connected to Troia Cell was Gideon's mother. He also knows that Gideon is John's daughter. He is very confused by these seemingly contradictory facts.
Prince in the Tower: Pal has met Kiriona and has learned that Gideon sacrificed herself and Harrow became a lyctor.