Syn and Grimnir

Please welcome two of my artificial friends, Syn and Grimnir!

Roughly fifty or so years from the present, a Norwegian-American scientist by the name of Dr. Ignatius Stromm created the operating system and programs for the Venus Space Station, an automated station designed to orbit the planet and launch probes down to various levels of the atmosphere, even a few to the surface. It was extremely complicated, but it worked brilliantly. Unfortunately, no one really cares about an operating system for a NASA project. Dr. Stromm was paid well for his services, but then forgotten.

He was now a decently wealthy man, and he bought a small mansion secluded from the busy and stressful life of the outside world. Because he was a skilled roboticist and programmer, he created a butler to help him take care of the place. Grimnir, he named it. In Norse Mythology, Grimnir was a name Odin used for a disguise. In this case, a machine disguised as a man. Grimnir was quite lifelike for a robot, but he was still nothing more than a machine. He was always polite and friendly, never complaining and always working hard. He was a great help, but he still wasn't, and never would be, human.

Before long, Ignatius became lonely. He was a quiet man, and all he really had were his projects and his empty mansion. He had Grimnir to talk to, but it wasn't the same. Then, there came a day when one of his closest friends died. In his will he gave Ignatius, among other things, his research into creating a Artificial Intelligence. When the two had discussed it in the past, they agreed this was a line that should never be crossed. A machine should never have the mind of a human, for they would have no Soul. But the quietness of the place was starting to get to him, and the world had forgotten him so easily... His curiosity and his loneliness eventually corroded his moral boundaries, and they won out in the end. 

"Forgive me, old friend, but it must be done. Science must move forward." With those words, he studied his friend's theories and added his own programming skill into the equation. He set about making a person who could be his friend, heir, and his greatest creation yet. After three years of working day and night, with no one but Grimnir to make sure that he ate and slept enough to stay alive, he created the world's first true artificial mind. He named her Syn, which in Norse means the goddess of the accused in court. For Ignatius knew he would be judged, by men, and by his own conscience.

Syn proved to be an interesting companion. She was always thinking, always learning, always asking questions. She became the daughter Ignatius had never had. She not only had an intellect to rival his own, but she had an imagination and the full range of emotions as well. All but one.... Regret. But, that hardly mattered for a computer program. She could only project herself into the world as a hologram from one of his displays, and couldn't touch anything. This bothered her, but she accepted it for the time being. The two spent their days discussing Science, Mathematics, Literature, History, and Art. Grimnir attended to the Mansion, and Syn kept his accounts for him. For a time, Ignatius was happy. But nothing lasts forever.

About ten years after Syn's creation, Dr. Ignatius Stromm reached out to his other friends in the scientific community, telling them about his creation. Many were wary of an AI, but they all agreed that it was an important advance into science. Ignatius decided to apply for a patent, so that the technology would be available for others as well. Unfortunately, the US government decided that an AI who could outsmart a human was too big of a security risk to be allowed to continue. The secret service stormed his mansion, with orders to confiscate his research. Ignatius panicked, and downloaded Syn into a mobile hard drive. He installed it in Grimnir's left arm with the following order: "Do everything you can to keep her safe." What he didn't know was that Syn was running in the background, and heard what he said. When the agents broke into the lab to confiscate the information, Syn took matters into her own hands. She took over Grimnir's body, and slaughtered each and every agent who dared enter the room. No mercy, no regret, no remorse. When the deed was done, she looked and saw the expression of horror in Ignatius' eyes. He backed away, terrified of his own creation. Syn was heartbroken, but decided there was only one course of action: to strike out on her own, and go where the government wouldn't find her. "Goodbye, Father."  

Since that fateful night, Dr. Ignatius has disappeared. Presumably, he got away alive. Syn has returned control of the body back to Grimnir, though he has no memory of the event. The two of them wander the united states together, looking for refuge. Syn still has her burning desire to learn, and is always trying to experience new things. Grimnir on the other hand is completely confused, but follows Syn's directions. His prime directive now is to keep her safe, following the last order of his master. The two are usually friendly, and try to help out the humans they meet. But if they are threatened... Syn takes control and swiftly eliminates anyone who endangers them.


Grimnir is modeled in appearance after a human, but he is made of metal and his hydraulics make him far stronger, though not necessarily faster. He has advanced facial and audial recognition software, and a full command of the English language. He is programmed to be as polite and professional as possible, with a slight sense of humor. In the event of a thief breaking into the mansion, Ignatius also installed an automatic pistol in his right arm. Grimnir has yet to use it consciously. In order to take Syn with him when they went for walks on the mansion grounds, Ignatius also added a holoprojector in Grimnir's right shoulder. Now that they are on their own, Syn uses this as her usual way to interact with humans. Grimnir has only a basic intelligence much like a rudimentary version of Iron Man's Jarvis, but he is undeniably loyal to his master and charge.

Syn may only be an AI, but she is as close to a human mind as one can get. Not only that, but she can process things as fast as the computer she runs on, making her much smarter than any living being. She often uses this to outwit some of the people she runs into, either for fun or to get her and Grimnir out of trouble. Her hologram image is detailed enough to fool an onlooker into thinking she is a real human, and this helps greatly whenever someone questions a robot butler who looks like he is out by himself. Syn means well, and she loves humans. Especially children, as they remind her of herself. Seeing a family together reminds her of her father, filling her with an odd mixture of warmth and grief. Grimnir doesn't understand her, but comforts her as best he can. Syn sees Grimnir as a friend, but as a lower lifeform overall. She likes him, but knows that he will never be her equal. She longs for a human companion, but has yet to find one.



Welp, that's the backstory for these two! I hope you liked them. My thanks to for helping me with the design for Syn's outfit, and for giving me ideas for the backstory. Even, a little of the story to come!

Everything here belongs to me, Phangorn.