Arimech the Mad
From Changeling Venue
Contents |
Overview
Arimech the Scholar. Arimech the Scientist. Arimech the Vivisectionist. Arimech the Torturer. Arimech the Mad.
Since before the first primitive humans looked up at the sky and wondered how the universe actually works, the Fae known as Arimech was applying its own deluded brand of science to the universe, dedicating its eternal existence to an insane and ultimately futile attempt to codify the ever-changing laws and logic-defying physics of Arcadia.
Since time immemorial, the creature has sought to understand the universe and all beings within it on a level which few other Fae care to acknowledge. Through the twisted corridors of Arimech’s mind, ideas and theories travel in a never-ending, self-destructive dance, ever adding to the body of maddening knowledge which is this particular member of the Gentry’s Great Work. Arimech’s goal is not to conquer and enslave, nor to spend eternity indulging in fleshly vices. Arimech simply wishes to understand, and if understanding the universe means taking apart everything in it piece by piece, then so be it.
Arimech dedicates most of its time to experimentation, the raw materials for which are its primary motivation for interacting with the worlds outside of Faerie. Vivisection of live subjects, taking them apart and rebuilding them piece-by-piece into a more useful (or simply intellectually-stimulating) form is what brings Arimech the greatest enjoyment. It has twisted, dismantled and utterly destroyed countless specimens throughout the ages, yet the Fae scholar continues to seek the true understanding of lesser beings which has so far eluded it. Arimech has also developed a curious interest in earthly technology, and recent experiments have involved the physical melding of subjects with stolen pieces of mortal invention.
Ultimately, Arimech’s folly is his own nature. Arcadia does not follow rules or boundaries as the mortal world does, and the creature’s attempts to infer the nature of its home realm from observations thereof is an exercise in lunacy. Ultimately Arimech is also a creature devoid of any true creativity or imagination. Its diabolical works of experimentation are nothing more than linear extrapolations of the behaviours which it has observed in lesser races. Ultimately, Arimech is a creature who would attempt top appreciate a painting by reducing it back to paint. This consistent defiance of its own goals has driven Arimech to the precipice of utter chaos, and the great scholar of the Fae is considered hopelessly insane even by its own peers.
The Black University
Within Arcadia, of course, reality bends to the desire of its Fae Lords, and Arimech’s scholarly inclinations have taken physical form in the vast fortress of ebon granite from which this Keeper rules over his domain. The Black University is a building seemingly without end. New rooms and passageways appear at its master’s whim, and older or unused areas fall into disrepair as Arimech forgets what they were there for. The most important areas of the University, at least in the eyes of its Keeper, are the dank, horrific laboratories and the vast and ancient library of knowledge. Maintenance of these parts is what most of Arimech’s Changeling slaves find themselves tasked with, and the precise routine of procedures which are required to keep the laboratory running and the library ordered ensures that those Changelings can look forward to an eternity of mind-shattering tedium.
Appearance
In its home domain, Arimech appears as a withered, corpse-white face surrounded by black robes which almost seem to exist in mockery of the attire of Victorian scholars. The creature has tended in recent centuries to carry some small piece of mortal machinery, such as a pocket watch, with it wherever it goes. On earth, Arimech is seldom coherent enough to maintain a physical form. It will occasionally appear as a rather tattered gentleman in out-of-date clothing, and the creature’s insanity means that anyone meeting it for the first time will be unable to escape the aura of malice which Arimech projects.
Attitude Towards Changelings
Arimech’s attitude to its slaves varies between insatiable curiosity as to their physical and mental nature, and a complete lack of awareness of their individual existence. Arimech is aware that the University has a considerable staff of Changelings slaving away for the good of science and scholarship, but it seldom cares to remember them individually. This would make it relatively easy for said Changelings to attempt to escape, were it not for the maddening layout of the University’s labyrinthine corridors, or the monstrous results of failed experiments which make their lairs in the dark recesses of the place, happily devouring anything weaker than they.
So far, the one Changeling who has escaped the University with any memories of his time there is Professor Henry Slogar, though other survivors of Arimech’s grand delusion may be scattered across the world.
