Echopryme (Protector)
echopryme as usually seen
The Unknowable echopryme is a player character on the Protector Server. He is a Magic Controller with the Mind Control and Kinetics set and also carries the Flight, Fitness, and Psionic Mastery powers. He is a member of the Super Group Silent Asylum and is usually seen logging in and out in the Midnighter Club in front of the Pillar.
Statistics
True Name: Unknown
Primary Offensive Powers: Mesmerize, Dominate, Levitate, Terrify, Mental Blast, Confuse, Mass Confusion, Mass Hypnosis, Total Domination, Telekinesis
Secondary Support Powers: Transfusion, Siphon Power, Repel, Siphon Speed, Increase Density, Transference, Fulcrum Shift, Concealment
Travel Powers: Hover, Fly, Ouroboros Portal, Mission Teleport
Inherent Powers: Containment, Self-Destruct, Health, Stamina, Swift, Mind Over Body
Known Current and Former Affiliations: Silent Asylum, Midnight Club, Arachnos, Vanguard, Menders of Ouroboros (under some debate)
Current Hero Registration Level: 50
Known Enemy Preferences: Arachnos, Rikti Restructurists, Cirle of Thorns, Praetorians
The Legend
He was born in Cap Au Diable in the Rogues Isles and quickly fell into the general tenor of his surroundings by mugging his first senior citizen at age 13. A bad kid who grew up to be a bad adult, the man who would be known as echopryme only avoided major time in the Zig by making sure that he was the one that always talked others into doing his dirty work for him (a sign of his early powers, perhaps). When, at some point, his criminal career started to take a downturn and his family's finances began to suffer, he decided that the only chance he would have to help them survive would be to join the ranks of Arachnos.
When he was first brought before the Arbiters to decide what branch he would join in the organization, the Arbiters informed him of what was at the time a strange decision. He was to be a Widow, the first male to be offered the position. As he stood before the white-armored figure and asked why, he was told that this was by the mandate of the Ghost Widow herself who had seen some destined role in him and that she would be the one to guide him. Obviously, this was a controversial choice among many, but he took to it and excelled in his training. It was only a matter of a few years until he had reached the rank of Fortunata. Moreover, this is when the story takes a strange turn...
It began as an experiment in co-operation inside the leadership of Arachnos. Ghost Widow and Scirocco decided to try to create the kind of soldier that would be a true threat to the growing power of Black Scorpion inside Arachnos, and together they conspired to mix the Fortunata training program with the mystical arcana of the Mu to create what would effectively be a magically enhanced Fortunata. The subject would be a true carrier of the destiny of the organization, and Ghost Widow looked first to her odd pupil, the man who would be named echopryme by the Mu, meaning "the first sound to return from The Unknown." It was obvious that he was to be a part of their great plans against the Circle of Thorns and beyond. The destined pupil was subjected to the rituals of the MU and was forever changed, but not as either Ghost Widow or Scirocco had imagined.
echopryme in Arachnos/Vanguard Containment Armor
He had changed. His mind had been opened to the true possibilities of the fundamental universe and now his petty yearnings for power and glory seemed to be pointless. All of his pride in his position within the Arachnos organization felt as if it was just a scar on his greater being. He was not happy with his villainy and began to think the unthinkable... betray Arachnos. It was only a matter of time before he would do so. No one outside of The Midnight Club knows what the final tipping point was, but what is known is that it happened in Warburg. As the soldiers of Arachnos finalized plans to detonate the Warburg rocket with its nuclear payload on Paragon City, the Fortunata named echopryme had finally had enough and set the troop against itself. As the fighting raged on, he ran for the Freedom Corps liaison and declared his intention to seek asylum within Paragon City. In doing so, he left behind a family that would suffer greatly for his betrayal, including a younger sister, the now-named Savannah Silk.
Finding very few places that were open to the idea of a former Fortunata as a hero, echopryme tried his best at first to hide who he had been from the hero community. He conjured stories of self-inflicted ancient rituals that freed some darker and more arcane part of his soul to power his abilities, and even, at some point, had claimed to be a member of a lost race of magical influence peddlers. It was not until the re-emergence of the Midnight Club and his induction into their organization that he finally made public his checkered past. The Midnight Club did not look upon this as a detriment to their goals, but the hero community began to look at him with some level of skepticism about any story that he offered as his origin. In addition, the situation would grow even more convoluted as well.
It was approximately six months after his "reveal" that a second, older and distinctly different, echopryme began to be spotted. This one wore not the black and red of Arachnos (as the primary echopryme is known to do in most instances), nor the containment armor that had been created and stolen from Arachnos to control his magically augmented psionic powers. The second echopryme wore the tattered and timeworn garb of the Menders of Ouroboros, with the distinct cape and logo of Lord Recluse's organization emblazoned on it. This had led many to believe that this "other" echopryme is the result of the actions of the first, and that really he is a tool of Recluse and Ghost Widow to this day in order to infiltrate and usurp control of both The Midnight Club (and therefore Cimerora) and Ouroboros.
Could this be the case? Well, echopryme refuses to acknowledge the presence of his "future self" and dismisses it all as an urban myth having more to do with mistrust of his past than fact. Nevertheless, the stories of many reliable heroes all say the same thing... there is an echopryme that is clearly tied to the Menders and seems to have goals of its own. Whether or not the younger is aware of this remains speculation. And as for his possible involvement with Arachnos still, it is clearly known that his sister Savannah Silk is an Arachnos recruiter now, and that she is proficient in the kind of technology that would allow her to mend and modify his original stolen containment armor. She is also spotted entering and leaving the Midnight Club herself from time to time.
The True Story (Spoilers for "Issue 14: Architect" Follow)
Yes, he was born in Cap Au Diable. Yes, he joined Arachnos as a means of helping his family. Yes, he was subjected to a ritual where his psionic abilities were magnified. All of this is true. What is not widely known is that none of this took place on our world, but on Praetorian Earth where Arachnos is a force for peace-keeping. It was The Weaver (who has not been usurped by Lord Recluse in this world) that originally devised the plan along with his advisor the White Widow. The two of them realized that our world had amongst it's heroes many who were capable of ending the reign of Tyrant and his damned Praetorians, and that in order to direct the organizations of our world to Upsilon Beta 9-6, they needed an agent. White Widow was aware that no psychic would not be able to read the Arachnos past on him like a book, and so a plan was formulated that he would be imprinted with a false "destiny beacon" and sent to Ghost Widow to induct. He spent his time in our Arachnos studying the differences and planning his "betrayal."
His sister, Savannah Silk, is also from Upsilon Beta 9-6. She is part of the overall plan, nominally, but there have been developments lately that have forced echopyrme and the other members of Praetorian Arachnos to speculate that she has gone rogue. She still maintains the armor that helps to adjust echopryme's magical energies to the vibrational frequencies of this dimension, but seems to be all too frequently interested in her charade in Grandville lately.
The leaders of the Midnight Club is aware of this situation, and as it helps them to open up a positive alliance in Upsilon Beta 9-6, they are playing along with the ruse. echopryme is given all of the support needed and constantly monitored for dimensional flux signs. He operates in secret in the common era, but is open about his goals within Cimerora, which he has strong emotional ties to.
The Past and Future of echopryme? Or the Present?!?!
As for his older counterpart, echopryme is well aware of this but has not met him. He can only assume that this Mender is a manifestation that his mission will continue and that at some point his ties to Ouroboros will become stronger. When asked by those that are aware of his true goals, he will reply that at some point the tensions between the Midnighter's and Ouroboros will ease and that his connection to Cimerora will be the key to healing the rift. Secretly, he only hopes that this is true, but the older echopyrme is not coming forth to either deny or confirm this theory. But as the Mender echopryme has not taken steps to work counter to his goals, he assumes that this is the case.
As an interesting side-note, echopryme has recently joined Vanguard as well. This may seem odd to most in the know, as the Rikti are not an issue (or at least a major threat) on Upsilon Beta 9-6, but there is something about the aliens that both attracts and repels echopryme. Their military nature and mastery of warp travel are familiar to him, however their single-mindedness reminds him of Tyrant and his allies. The fact that the Freedom Phalanx distrusts and speaks out against Vanguard from time to time is just a benefit, as deep down inside echopryme will never trust the Phalanx and never knowingly work for or with them for obvious reasons.
Notes
echopryme was created by Jason W. Duke, a 35 year old comic writer from Hampton, VA. Jason is known for his elaborate plotlines throughout his fictional work and this character is no exception. Jason, when not playing this character, is currently working on a 14 issue comic opus called "DENIAL" which he has described as a "Dear John Letter to the Silver Age." The comic centers on the voyage of discovery of a group of mental patients that find themselves developing super abilities in the real world. Each character is an analogue of a well known DC Comics character, but with the added twist that they are clearly insane and tragically flawed. He has stated that one of his major inspirations for this work was the "4 Minute Mile" whereby Roger Bannister accomplished the feat in 1954 and in 1955 many others had already repeated it. The idea that it was the belief that made it possible to accomplish the goal, and the example of proof that allowed others to follow is a major theme in DENIAL. The comic is set to see print in 2009-2010.
