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Index · 1 message · 30 Jun 2008

Possession in the New Sun books?

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Dave Tallman30 Jun 2008, 08:18as archived
Possession in the New Sun books?
In the BotLS, people and animals are frequently "possessed" by the gods. The technology to do this existed in Typhon's time. In the BotNS, there are hints that the something similar could be happening. In Claw XXIV: "Not only your Universal Mind, but many lesser powers wear our humanity like a cloak when they will, sometimes only as concerns two or three of us. We who are worn are seldom aware that, seeming ourselves to ourselves, we are yet Demiurge, Paraclete, or Fiend to another." Typhon himself seems to have such a power in his domain. He makes Sev see places that are impossible to view from the eye of his mountain statue in Sword XXVI. "Fool," he said. "You see through my eyes." Sev senses that even a temporary loyalty oath will give Typhon permanent control: "It is the truth that binds men." Miles is a clear case of possession, though in this case the old host mind is gone. Jonas must have used Heirogrammate-level technology to do this after he used the mirrors to get back to the Ship. My question is this: can we find other places where characters might be "possessed" by the Heirogrammates or other high-tech beings? Cases where the possessed people are still "seeming ourselves to ourselves"? This could be used to explain sticky plot points where certain actions or words have to be forced (like Sev's sword stroke during his elevation ceremony). I'd like to use it sparingly, since overuse would make everyone a puppet.

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