JN-53702's page

When he found me, he asked me my name. And at the word, others sprang unbidden to my mind. [Name: a designation to distinguish individuals from one another; usually thought of as unique signifier, though one can be shared by different individuals.] With those words, symbols flashed before me, widely varied in number and form. Some neatly carved, others dark ink deposited on paper, still others stamped into metal. Which one did they want? Which one was mine?

"JN-53702," I replied, giving the symbols I somehow knew were the first, etched onto a close-fitting metal tube I somehow knew was my birthplace. "Ahaneith. Einar Karlsdotter. Iovita Fabricius. Akinyi Katlego. Myrrine Aspasia." More and more symbols flashed unbidden before my mind's eye, and I called each out as I went, trying to keep up - until the last disappeared, and I saw the human once again.

I learned that day that humans usually have only two or three such designations, preferring one for common use, and the custom in this culture is for said designations to avoid numbers. Mine became Jeyne, from the J and N of the first name I recalled. The human man who found me was designated Khonnir Baine. Upon finding me, he took me in; later a human girl called Val joined our family. [The term "family" ordinarily refers to multiple individuals with a shared genetic history, although it can also be used to refer to two or more persons legally bonded to one another for purposes of guardianship, inheritance, or other factors, or more figuratively to refer to a group of people bonded by long-standing emotional ties.]

The place Khonnir discovered me was the nation called Numeria, near the city called Starfall. [Starfall: a reference to the historical Rain of Stars, in which several spacegoing vessels fell from the sky and landed in Numeria. This event is widely identified as the source of androids on Golarion, as well as much other advanced technology.] Val came from Starfall, but her family was killed by violence in that city. [Family is used here in the sense of shared genetics.] After Khonnir found and adopted Val, we relocated to another place in Numeria, the town called Torch. [Torch: a length of material flammable for at least part of its length; the flammable material at one end is lit to provide light for vision while the other end is held.] The name is figurative, a metaphor for the fire on top of the hill, as fire sits atop torches. This fire is used by the town as a forge for the metals they harvest from the fallen spacecraft nearby.

I elect not to work at the forge atop the hill; as I am in part composed of the metals worked with there, avoiding the flame seems the most prudent option. Instead, I have worked with Khonnir in his inn, called the Foundry Tavern, since our arrival and its creation. Working at the Foundry Tavern allows me ample opportunity to observe humans and learn more about them; Khonnir and Val teach me of humans as well, and also what they know about my own kind, commonly called androids. According to Khonnir, androids were first built on another world, and brought to Golarion during the Rain of Stars for which Val's home is named. The body of an android never deteriorates, but the living soul within leaves its body in an event mimicking human death, and the nanites within regenerate the body so it may play host to a new spirit. [This is a direct counterpoint to the concept of reincarnation, present in several human traditions, in which one soul inhabits several different bodies.]

He says it is unusual that I retain memories of the souls formerly inhabiting my body - most androids have no recollection of such things. The past memories are not so troublesome as they once were, though. When I was first taken in by Khonnir, I had difficulty understanding which thoughts and memories were my own and which belonged to my past, and many other humans found my intimate knowledge of and seeming mental presence in different times, together with what they would consider a childlike countenance in a body that appears mature, unsettling. But now these past memories are less forceful; able to be accessed in times of need, but rarely coming forth completely unbidden.

Indeed, they frequently prove useful to me now, since I have learned greater control over them. Val says many priests use symbols significant in the mythology of their faith to call upon spirits connected to that faith for aid. I thus carry several of my own, symbols that I have formerly seen in my mind's eye. [The ankh: a cross topped by a pointed oval; sacred in ancient Osirian culture. This symbol later evolved into the angelic figure sacred to Sarenrae - the parallels can be seen in the figure's outstretched arms and wings encircled above head. The open hand: sacred to Irori, meant to symbolize seeking perfection of the body. The runed mask of bronze: sacred to Brigh...]

And one other; this not a religious symbol per se, but another piece of my history nonetheless. Khonnir recently began exploring the caves below Torch - the flame atop the hill has gone out, which has proven most disruptive, and he sought to understand why. I asked to accompany him, as my abilities could prove useful were a difficult situation to arise. He refused, however, citing the potential danger of his explorations and waving aside my point, that the danger is why I offer to accompany him. Recently, he returned with an unusual find, a deactivated automaton that he now keeps stored in his basement awaiting further study. The automaton held a small device, no bigger than my palm, which Khonnir offered to me; "in consolation for missing the trip", he said. He fails to understand that I do not require consolation, but the device holds a certain familiarity for me. It now rests on a cord around my neck with my other symbols.

[Scanning. Item identification complete. Item is an electronic lock pick, or "e-pick" in slang terms. Used to disable electronic locks. E-picks are graded by quality; the brown grip indicates that this is a low-end, inexpensive model. Requires electric power source to function.]

Perhaps certain memories will be drawn to the symbols. Using the pieces does lend an unusual sense of certainty to me, although it is possible I experience the so-called "placebo effect". [Placebo effect: a well-documented phenomenon where conviction is more important than true efficacy in determining the usefulness of a certain activity.] It also seems that people find me less inscrutable when they see me carry symbols of faith. Khonnir and Val say they create a point of commonality between myself and others, and that faith makes me seem more "human". I am trying to understand what he means. I am human in seeming, but shall never be human in true being; this is incontrovertible fact.

Khonnir has been absent several days now; he made another incursion into the tunnels, and has not returned. Val is deep in the state humans call "worry", an emotion felt when a person or object of great personal value is in an unknown, potentially harmful situation. Worry seems an impractical state, as it interferes with daily function and distracts from current events. Val has even closed the Foundry Tavern down temporarily, instead offering the inn's rooms free of charge as a resting place to persons willing to enter the tunnels and seek Khonnir. If anyone steps forward, I would like to join them and discover what has happened to Khonnir, so that he and Val may return to their ordinary activities. Regularity in life is preferable to humans over disruption; this is a sentiment I share as well. I shall begin asking others at the Foundry Tavern tonight.

Jeyne's appearance is unusual, even for an android - she appears as an amalgam of several different appearances. Her hair contains strands of many shades, from blonde to black to pink. Her skin is mottled with several different tones, bioelectric circuitry running beneath, and the irises of her eyes are a kaleidoscope of colors. In contrast to her appearance, her clothes are understated and utterly forgettable, almost acting as camouflage to allow her to blend in somewhat. She wears a twine cord around her neck with several widely varied holy symbol charms hanging from it, from an ancient Osirian ankh to Brigh's runed mask to Aroden's winged eye. Recently, another item has joined the strange collection - a nondescript item just smaller than a deck of cards, with a brown grip and a small electronic lens at one corner.

Like many other androids, Jeyne's personality seems off-putting to many; a complete lack of emotion makes her seem cold and remote. But in her own way, Jeyne is extremely caring and dedicated, especially to her family and close companions - she simply views this devotion in terms of reasoned logic rather than emotional ties, and in terms of matter-of-fact duty, almost programming, rather than impulsive desire. This actually makes her a remarkably good tavern server, since, after all, she is there to perform her job. Why would she waste time when she has things that need doing?

When she was younger, she was often overcome by strange tics, where for a few moments she would speak in another voice entirely, and her mannerisms would change completely with her voice. It's as if, just like her body, her mind was a mishmash of several different people. These strange fits are extremely rare now, though, and those who take the time to get familiar with her describe her as shy and retiring, but clever and fascinating to converse with.