A Fetich Soul, or simply Fetich, is the first and most vital Third Circle soul of a Primordial.
Overview[]
Like the Defining Soul of a Third Circle demon, but far more so, a Fetich defines the nature of its overself and anchors the Primordial's legend. The Fetich Soul's nature is the essential, core truth of their Primordial, the center of its legend. Fetich Souls are also more powerful, and more favored, than other demons and devas of the Third Circle. Though Fetich demons can be summoned and banished by Solar Circle Sorcery like other Third Circle demons, they are unusually potent and terrifying beings.
Fetich Death[]
During the Primordial War, the Exalted achieved what had before been impossible and unthinkable: utterly, permanently destroying the immortal souls of the Primordials. Thus, they learned the consequences: if any one of a Primordial's Third Circle souls is permanently killed by the Exalted, that part of its legend and personality is gone forever. But if a Primordial loses its Fetich, the Primordial itself suffers a kind of death: it becomes temporarily incapacitated as its legend and fundamental nature are completely rewritten - usually for the worse. When a new Fetich Soul forms, a completely new Primordial arises from the ruins of the old.
The opening blow of the Primordial War was the assassination of the White Ram in Yu-Shan by a Lunar infiltrator. This deva was the First and Fetich Soul of the Lidless Eye That Sees, and with its loss the Lidless Eye was driven into a coma and drastically changed - transformed into Sacheverell, the Abhorrent Prophet Unimagined. Later during the War, A Solar Exalt slew Lilike, the Fetich Soul of Adrián, the River of All Torments. Adrian was utterly transformed into Adorjan, the Silent Wind.
At the end of the Primordial War, some of the surrendering Primordials were changed by the ritual execution of their Fetich Souls, to reshape them into beings who are defined by their imprisonment inside Malfeas. The new Fetich Souls of those Yozis have never known anything but imprisonment and exile in Hell.
Version Differences[]
Manual of Exalted Power: Infernals, claims that every single Yozi was subjected to Fetich Death. However, other books consistently say that only some Yozis suffered this fate, and that many Yozis retain the name and essential nature they possessed as free Primordials.
Known Fetich Souls[]
Living[]
- Ligier, the Green Sun, First and Fetich Soul of Malfeas, the Demon City
- The Core, the Mind of the Great Maker, First and Fetich Soul of Autochthon
- Daendels, the Unfettered Heart, First and Fetich Soul of Oramus, the Dragon Beyond the World
- Kagami, the City of Mirrors, First and Fetich Soul of Szoreny, the Silver Forest
Slain[]
- Inari, the Heart of Thorns, a Fetich Deva who sided with the Exalted and sacrificed itself
- Lilike, First and Fetich Soul of Adrián, the River of All Torments
- Ruvelia, First and Fetich Soul of Theion, the Holy Tyrant. Theion was unique in possessing two Fetich Souls, with Ligier as his Second and Fetich Soul. Ruvelia's execution transformed Theion into Malfeas, even though Ligier was spared.
- White Ram, the Guardian of Yu-Shan, First and Fetich Soul of the Lidless Eye That Sees
- ?, Fetich Soul of He Who Bleeds the Unknown World, who became Elloge, the Sphere of Speech
Rumored[]
- Gnosis is sometimes speculated to be the Fetich Soul of Gaia, the Emerald Mother.