The Bearers of the Eternal Voice are a Legacy that is dedicated to using the subtle arts of persuasion to do the work of the guardians.
Mindset[]
Human history records countless individuals who could alter the fates of nations and the hearts of kings with their words. The ability to lie convincingly and to convince others that the speaker is both truthful and worth listening to is not uncommon among Sleepers; truly great orators, however, who can convince people to change long-held opinions or cause those they speak with to trust their own senses less than the speaker's works are rare indeed. Most people find the more obvious language of violence, threats, and bribes to be easier, as well as exceedingly powerful and effective. However, even the most dire threat or the most tempting bribe only serves to control the subject's actions -- in their hearts, they still know and understand that they are being coerced and may someday learn to resist fear or temptation and disobey the person offering the threats or bribes. Threats of disobedience soon start a vicious cycle, in which the individual who wishes to remain in charge must continually offer ever more extravagant threats or bribes, or sometimes both together, to make certain that their subjects continue to obey them. Realizing the difficulty and the ultimate futility of such endeavors, some would-be rulers seek to find ways to convince their subjects to follow them willingly and to accept the ruler's pronouncements as the ultimate truth.
Whether Sleeper or mage, the path to gaining a listener's trust is similar – the speaker must understand the secret language hidden in every person's unconscious. This language of pupil dilation, posture, stance, vocal tone, and many similar cues is exceedingly subtle and difficult to master, but the rewards are correspondingly great. While mortals who master these methods can become great orators and equally impressively liars, mages who pursue this Legacy can become greater still. Legends speak of a Bearer of the Eternal Voice being found at a murder scene clutching a bloody knife in his hand, but who was released solely based upon his account of the events leading up to his discovery with the knife. Because Whisperers' abilities can also be used against other mages, especially mages less skilled in the Mind Arcanum, Whisperers are a somewhat secretive and insular group. This tendency is further exacerbated by the fact that their ability to manipulate others gives many Whisperers, particularly those who follow the Mastigos Path, a sense that everyone else is nothing more than will-less pawns whom Whisperers can manipulate as they will. This sense of superiority influences many Whisperers' dealings with Sleepers and sometimes carries over to their dealings with other mages.
This same feeling also produces the intrinsic paradox that all Bearers of the Eternal Voice must find some way to come to terms with. Their Legacy is an intensely social one and to use it they must interact with Sleepers, often with large groups of Sleepers. However, Whisperers are also keenly aware they are manipulating the people they talk to, and some Whisperers regularly manipulate their fellow mages. While many Whisperers genuinely like people and simply have no problem lying to individuals they like, most are highly social misanthropes who do not particularly care for or about others.