Notes on the Homunculi

OOG: What follows is a series of pages pinned to the main board. Though most of it appears to be printed in a printing press, there are some handwritten notes mixed in as well in ink.

Hello everyone.
To those that know who I am, welcome. To others, my name is Ezequiel, and over the past few months I have been trying to piece together the events of what we all now know as the homunculi. These creatures of alchemy have been, for the past few years, a conflict for the citizens of the barony, and as a result, I have decided to gather all of the information I can, in the hopes I can provide to all, a timeline of events which has led us to now. The purpose of this research endeavor is not only to look at what has changed since the first encounter, but also to hope that this information helps up in future encounters, if not possibly help us find a lasting future for all, regardless of origin, and though I know there is a lot to cover, I will admit I doubt I will be able to get everything down, as my own experiences are different from others, and I will not deny, trying to find info was a challenge in it of itself.

Before I must proceed, I would like to thank the assistance of Seneschal Lois Maxwell and Viceory Belegchand Dìnephilin in their research, as the notes provided in the Baronial Library, and the Scholar's Table have proven most valuable in this endeavor, as well as others who were able to help me in this matter, but whom I have chosen not to identify to protect them. Let us begin.

May 1215 – First Contact
Believe it or not, the events that led up to what we have now started not in September of 1215. Rather, it started sometime before that. Earliest reports have it calculated at the time of May, when the Jaxuarian envoys visited the Barony. The report goes as follows.

Sometime during the feast, a goblin army attempted to invade the barony. However, due to lack of available soldiers, the general was unable to muster up enough forces to hold a successful raid. Fortunately for him, an individual known as the “Black Knight” came up to him, and offered to bolster the goblin's forces by relying on a specialized group of sell swords to assist. These were called the homunculi. Born out of experimental alchemy, these white humanoid masses of living matter acted as beings of simple thought and mind, mostly to act out to carry a simple purpose. While they could be made to act as beasts of labor, in this case, theses were created specifically to act as secondary forces and relief troops for the goblin army, as when the primary squad fell, they appeared to support the others in battle. The “Black Knight” itself was a golem who was created to serve the creator of the homunculi, that being the one we now identify as Dr. Alexander Heimdell, the Father of the Homunculi.

Flawed as they were, they expressed unique talents that were not uncommon to the common foe, with abilities such as enhanced strength, knowledge of skill in combat, and even to a few, the capacity to call forth the Weave. However, beyond that they were only assigned, or “programmed” into their minds, to act out whatever was placed in them. With this simple mentality, they would obediently follow their orders without question, as their blank faces and stone cold expressions told me they were nothing more that slaves to their creation; a “flawed” creation as one would put it. About the only other thing that I could state of my encounters with them I discovered was the ability to regenerate their physical bodies to full health, a skill that was only strengthened by how far their development went. Poisons, as it was discovered, was the anathema to their existence. The nature of which I would assume be due to the problem of the poison disrupting, diluting, or even dissolving the delicate method to bring these alchemical creations to life.

After this sortie, interactions between Father and the townsfolk varied, as while there were some skirmishes between the two, none of them were in any way significant. At least that was the case until later that September, when the town received their first encounter with the “true” homunculi.

Sep 1215 - Arrival
Before the baronial feast in September of 1215, an individual by the name of Lawrence Ludvich attempted to usurp the power of the populace. This individual, or for that matter, a child, thought that by exerting his influence through money and aggression, he could “buy” the favor of the town and its members, and therefore be considered a “hero” amongst them. The town rebelled, and needless to say, following that pleasant encounter, the town was able to get through to him. Lawrence soon realized the errors of his way, proclaiming that he would find a way to be one of them the proper way. However, that is not important to this story. What is important is to whom he hired as part of his force.

By chance, he was able to get in contact with Dr. Heimdell, and enlisted the assistance of his homunculi to fight alongside him. However, amongst those that there were several others that expressed greater intelligence than anticipated, to the point of expressing what one would call “free will”. Among them, these specific individuals arrived in the town late Friday evening, and bested said townsfolk in combat, but rather than choosing to fall, they came with another purpose in mind.

According to accounts at the time, including my own personal interactions with them, these four brothers, identified as Vallius, Ludwig, Bartholomew, and Brutus, were assigned the task of fighting against the town by Dr. Heimdell, and were expected to die that Saturday evening as initially programmed. However, unlike the ones encountered so far, these individuals expressed true intelligence to the point that were it not for their white skin, could pass for human, with different abilities, strengths, and in one case, “biological functions.” (Best not go into that one for sake of brevity.) Commanded by the one they called their Father, and understanding that they were to die that night as their programming was pre-determined, they performed a rather unusual act, and went to the town to know who they were facing with, and in an act of kindness, making friends with the people they were soon to face in battle.

Once the townsfolk found out about this, I could only assume their initial reactions were at first shocking, if not hostile. It was clear that the homunculi brothers had no intention of causing harm, only to act out the way that Father programmed them. So to have them act out this way and be completely subservient to this fatal destiny when they could reject it was something that the town outright refused to have acted upon them. Therefore, a plan was performed in which a full battle was performed that evening. However, it was to be a non-lethal engagement, in which all of the necessary actions of war would be replicated, but casualties were to be kept to a minimum. To do that not only required pre-planning, but also surgical modification done to the brothers themselves. This is in the hopes that they would not only be able to fulfill their intended role, but survive the encounter in the end, and override what was done to them.

On that night, the plan was put into motion as the four brothers, the bulk of the homunculi forces, and another golem constructed by Father, met on the battlefield. The town, having planned everything, was able to best them in combat, and carried out their request. Following the destruction of the second golem, and with their purpose complete, the brothers were restored to full health, and “brought back” to life if it was necessary. No longer under the Father's command, they have simultaneously renounced their allegiance to him, declaring that, as the four would put it, “You are not my father!” to the crumbling golem and its remains. To this, I must thank Captain Jackdaw, Captain of the Winged Victory, as well as Lady Angelica Tartaros of Drega'Mire for this arrangement.

Because of this, it appeared that Dr. Heimdell retreated for the time being, continuing his research in private and waiting to see what comes next. Judging by what I can tell, and the fact that the brothers were able to hold out for so long, it was clear that the doctor had other plans for them and did not deactivate them as intended. It could be that the four were meant to create something else well beyond their originally intended purpose. What it was remained uncertain, or so we were lead to believe at the time.

As for Ludwig himself, he decided to take matters into his own hands having been left to die by his collaborators. Last report I could gather was the burning wreckage of one of his mercantile ships colliding with a mansion off an island near Coast Haven. The Navy reports that the mansion, while of decadent design and fit for one of high stature, held various alchemical implements in its deeper quarters, suggesting that this was probably where the doctor was residing. Unfortunately, no bodies were found following the search, suggesting he escaped.

Winter to Spring 1216
Since that time, a lot of their abilities were starting to become known to the townsfolk. As stated before, some were stronger in nature, while others had abilities in the Weave. And then there were those that wanted to live simple lives, while others were seeking to follow what Father programmed them to. Some townsfolk were cordial in supporting their endeavors, even if their origins were different, and soon, an odd partnership was developed between the town and the rebelled. In exchange, they were able to explore the world outside the doctor's laboratories. In some cases it allowed them a chance to explore other possibilities outside of what was originally intended by Dr. Heimdell. As each individual varied, it would be difficult to determine who sided with which, as even I had trouble sorting out the individuals as well.

To that end, the four brothers decided to create a special place for their kind. Finding refuge among the ruins of an abandoned civilization, they formed a settlement for those homunculi that chose to leave Father. With the help of Lawrence, who funded their start-up operations, it is here in this growing city that a new home could be founded for those willing to start a new life away from the doctor's influence. As of now, he serves as an ally to them, clearly changed in the way he sees things, and how he is among others.

As time passed, Dr. Heimdell decided to slowly make his presence more known. Although considered a hostile threat upon arrival, a tenuous relationship started to emerge between him and the town. To that end, a new set of his creations came over; those who he classifies as the “perfect” homunculi, to interact with the Barony. While these loyal individuals had their own agenda with unique skills of their own, they each had two advantages not found among others. They had the ability to take in other living beings and make parts of them be integrated with their own (think “devour”), and they could also absorb other flawed homunculi to repair heir own bodies. Of these homunculi, there were a few that I felt were significant to me, and so, I list them below.

Eden
I considered Eden to be the leader of the group, and it was clear she had her own agenda with interacting with the rebelled. As the first successful creation (at least according to Father) I had a chance encounter with her during a simple patrol earlier during the September feast of 2016, as she thought I was with another group asking questions. She encountered me following this, and I was more than willing to talk to her about things, the more important being my association with the previous group. (I had none.) Judging by her stature and mannerisms, she clearly is confident in her abilities, and sees everything else as inferior to her. Ambitions, and determined to expressed her superiority, it was unclear as to who held power in the group, her or the doctor. Even so, I figured there is more to her than I expected from that time we talked, and if I was able to interact with her more, I would be more than willing to explore but… that is all in the past now.

Lilith
It is difficult to say what Lilith is. Although I only found out about Lilith during September, her origins… affected me, as she was a tortured soul coming about from using bones from the Valley of the Behemoth in her creation process. From the first time I met her, I did not think much about her, as her overall demeanor seemed to be that of a spoiled child. However, when I found out about how she was created, I could not help but relate her to my own personal struggles. From then on, my only concern about her was, plain and simple, that she would stay alive, in the hopes that I could do... well, anything, to help her in her precarious state. Thankfully, I was proven right.

From what I gathered in the notes, the effects of having absorbed the behemoth bones allowed her to be gifted with significant power, but her mind was all over the place. Attempting to try and piece together how her mind worked was…. Well, when you end up staring into a metaphorical void, it really hurts. (How does her mind work? None of what I saw made any sense! Gah. I almost had flashbacks on that one.) Her mannerisms were the result of having been cursed with this aspect, and from the notes gathered beforehand, I could only imagine she is aware of her predicament, and sadden by it.

OOG: There are a few extra drops of ink at the end of the previous sentence.

Abel
I did not have much in the way of interacting with this one, but from what I have been able to gather is the following. His fascination with death, and trying to understand it, has lead to constant concern throughout the Barony. As a “perfect” homunculi, he wanted to know what it was like to die from being killed, and sometimes goes out and enacts it, using his shapeshifting powers to fight alongside flawed homunculi just to see what it is like. Having a reserved personality, he has allowed others do all the decisions while being left to his own devices so that he can continue his exploration, but given his acts of stealth and attempted killing of others, I would not put it past that the town has had to stop him on more than one occasion.

Gilgamesh
I have been unable to find much on in beyond the notes presented to me. However, he being a man of combat, as someone such as I who is not into that sort of thing, there would be little to talk about. Seemingly loyal to the doctor, he has chosen to remain “pure” in terms of absorbing others, seeking to instead learn about combat from all across the world, even to relying on “chronomancy” to learn abilities not of this present time. This has led him with a sense of pride in being a homunculi and being superior to all, with possessing various rare and exotic weaponry, and their respective styles of combat. If one would seek to encounter him, you may find little to discuss, but if one proves oneself against him by engaging in such actions, he may see you as an equal. Though if you turn out to be one that has a fighting style that is unique, expect to fight to the death to prove that he is the greater being in that style.

Belberith
A quiet being of strength and intelligence, his massive size is one that cannot be underestimated, nor can his sense of knowledge, for it is just as equal as the beasts he absorbed. Seeing the path of knowledge, he would be more at ease being a scholar than being a fighter, and from the looks of it, it would not put it past me that Belberith may have had a hand with the initial encounter at September of 1215, or at least acted as an observer for Father. However, he has been known to be an honorable man, and would face you as an equal in battle should it come to it. (Figuratively and literally in terms of holding back his strength against lesser opponents.)

Lazarus
Created using the bones of an angel, this homunculi is the most kindest of the group, probably due to an effect of having the bones as part of the creation process, similar in the way that Lilith was created. However, the results this time were much more favorable, giving him both the abilities of an angel, yet still being a homunculi; an “Artificial Angel” as it were. I have yet to see this personally, but if this is true, I wonder to which of the gods it is associate with, if any.

Gemora and Ineyedia
I place these two as a combined entry because of how they operate. Gemora is the strong type who choses to place restraint when encountering scenarios. Ineyedia is the more outgoing type, willing to explore and even embrace the more... deviant side of things, but needing control when necessary. They are essentially one living being mixed between two bodies, and require each other in order to manage the world around them. It would be interesting to see how these two would fare separately, but since they are part of one being, that would be difficult to execute.

There is one other homunculi I have not accounted for, but that one is a special case which I will get to further on down. Beyond that, and the research notes left by the doctor following the lab raids in September of 1216, this is as much that can be said when it comes to them. There is a reason for that though. Let's just say all of that changed when the Nulls attacked, and until that cataclysmic event was resolved, there was NO way either side was willing to fight it out when literal annihilation was standing right before us.

June 1216 – A Truce
As around this time, Dr. Heimdell's labs have become unstable with the work being performed, and therefore he needed assistance in having them cleared out. Not only that, but with the oncoming threat of the Nulls, a certain level of exchange with the town was necessary in order for him, and his kind to survive this fated encounter. To that end, in exchange for his cooperation, he requested the Barony to assist him in clearing out his labs. It is to this end I first met the Father, and wished to learned more about the process. The interaction was… interesting to say the least. I admit, he thought I was but a fool who knew nothing about anything and to be honest, he’s not wrong, yes I will admit to that. But… there were other matters that came as a result of that. More to the point, I wanted to know what was his main objective, or reasons for wanting to do all this. While the time was limited, it was a question I left myself with by day's end.

There is however, something I will point out in this encounter. In between the “flawed” homunculi that most have encountered, and the “true” homunculi that were prominent, there lied an intermediary: a “basic” homunculi if you will. These were the ones that could have had the potential to be “true” homunculi, with their improved sense of awareness, and understanding in the world that was independent of any one's command. However, what they lacked was the ability to understand “why” they were here, or the idea of having a purpose, as their development was stunted at some point. The sad thing is, I would not be surprised if the doctor did not have much of these around because of this. Knowing him, the expense of creating a intermediary would not be worth it since it is far too smart to be left to act as a mindless slave, but not smart enough to act on its own.

September 1216 – The Alchemy Raids
The doctor's projects were extensive yes, but not as extensive as what happened during that month in September. Using the remains of those long dead, he attempted to use the same techniques to create the homunculi to revive them, creating a copy of the original person, or “clone” as it is also known as. Though there were some that could not be fully revived due to the process of having been dead so long, those that did could act as if they were still alive before their demise, abet with a specific purpose. When spoken upon through a unique phrase, these individuals were to transform into monstrous homunculi, filled with unbridled aggression towards their targets until they were dispatched. These code words could have been activated at any point, and when word about this got to the townsfolk, they were collectively worried about who was one among them. So a search was performed to find the “sleepers” so that they could undo the work done by the doctor. Fortunately, in the case of their kin, none of their families were harmed in any way. In cooperating with him for not show up to this feast, Dr. Heimdell payed ALL of the clones' families a kings ransom in wealth that would satisfy their needs for at least a generation. Word is that have established new lives beyond the rift because of that.

Meanwhile, back in the city of the homunculi, the brothers agreed that the barony had helped them out so much, and that the doctor was messing with their kind so many times, that it was necessary to fight back against them. Knowing that this decision would create tensions amongst both the town, the city, and Father himself, they took that risk, and decided it was time to attack the doctor's labs, and destroy them.

And while this was going on, the “perfects” decided it was a good time to make their presence more known, both to confront their wayward brothers, and to see themselves what the outside world was like... at least before they all got banned again for messing with their livelihoods.

What ended up happening that month was a grand encounter between the “true” homunculi from the city, the “perfect” homunculi from Father's labs, and the town stuck in the middle, as they had to deal with clearing the laboratories, while dealing with the presence of the “perfects”, whom some were none too eager to eliminate the “true” at a moments notice.

Eventually, all of the “sleepers” were accounted for. The doctor's work against them was extensive and a team of physicians was necessary to remove the programming against them from both a physical and a mental aspect. Sadly, through the power of effective singing during the actual feast, a recall signal was made for all of them to return to the main laboratory and... well, by that point, I would not have been surprised at the possibility of their demise, sadly.

OOC: A few scattered drops of ink are scattered in a haphazard fashion at the end of the sentence.

Once that happened, it was necessary to make one last move against the final lab, which was guarded by one of Father's golems. Because of all the targets involved, this rescue operation was a careful one which relied on minimal casualties from both the clones, the “perfects”, and an assault team that was lead by a team of alchemists. The town explicitly did not want any harm to come to the “perfects”, and chose to minimize conflict as they made their move.

Sadly, while this was both an attempt to destroy the doctor's labs, and a rescue attempt by the townsfolk to save the “sleepers”, the operation was… left with mixed feelings. While Eden, Lilith, and several of the perfects were there, assisting in some manner (if any), the labs destruction resulted in the clones taking the majority of the causalities, with some from the townsfolk taking losses as well. (A powerful witch hunter by the name of Dominic Strong was among them.) One of them did survive though. He is identified as Jack Duo, a clone of Jack Dimms, a former townsman who had held a lot of prominence in the Barony, but only died a few weeks after I came to town, sad as it seems. I mention him since he was one that willing took the risk by holding up the crumbling building so that the rest of the townsfolk were able to escape. The townsfolk say he is still around in the homunculi city, and has made visits from time to time to the Barony, so it looks like he stood to live another day.

As for what was left of the “sleepers”, being that they were partly made of alchemical aspects, they dissolved to their base forms by sunrise, as confirmed by Aldric, a priest of Valos. However, he also notes that he had felt “life” in them as they ascended to the heavens above. Regardless of how one saw it, it was clear that the fact that they were creations in it of themselves and were alive left a lot of feelings amongst others, not to mention a lot of uncertainty as well, both for the future of the homunculi, and against the doctor.

The Winterdark Ball 1216
The Homunculi at the ball. *sigh* With relations between the two now at a state of peace, Baron Victor Stylus was more than open to invite them to the ball. To which they made their appearance. I was able to confirm the safety of Lilith, and expressed my pleasure at seeing her all but well. I wanted to do more work on perhaps helping her with her madness, but, with no way of contacting her, I could only hope for the best.

As for Eden…, *sigh*, that feeling of hers. I wonder if she was intending to use me as a pawn to her game. I would have gladly been receptive to that idea, if only so that I can find out more in general.

December 1216 to May 1217
As time progressed in the Barony, I have discovered through word of mouth that the attitudes of all of the homunculi have changed. It appears that they, having been brought into society, started to adapt to it. No longer being fully under the command of their creator, they started to express activities that were less of a servant, and more of a free person.

One by one, each individual was able to override their initial purpose and become, I guess you could say, more like us. A commoner would label it as being more open to others, and able to blend with the greater of society as a whole. Of those to note, through the use of medicine and treatment, they were able to help Lilith with her problems and regain some sort of her sanity along with it. (And personally, I do wish I was there to help her, but I was away, so sometimes there is nothing you can do about that.) She now currently resides in the homunculi city. Able was finally persuaded to stop his actions, and therefore, stop the incessant threat that he created, much to the relief of the townsfolk. Judging by talks with others, it seems that after learning about himself with the town's help, he “rewrote” his own “programming,” and set off to find a new purpose in life. He also was going to try and find Lazarus, who I hear attacked Dr. Heimdell in retaliation for the actions of last September. He left his side as well. (I could not find his current whereabouts as of this time.)

As for the others, they changed as well. It was know by this time that by interacting with the town, Belberith learned how to use Alchemy, a rule that was explicitly forbidden by Father himself. He too left to join the brothers in the homunculi city. The twins Gemora and Ineyedia have grown fond of the citizens of Travance as well, and also left to the city proper. Only Gilgamesh stated, choosing to remain loyal to Father out of all of this.

However, there was one exception, and that was Eden. It appears that during that time, she had only begun to grow in power and strength, soon learning how to use Alchemy as well. (Be it from Belberith, the town's influence, or of her own volition, I could not determine.) Seemingly hesitant, if not resistant, to her attempts to cohabit with the rest, she appeared to want to grow powerful just for the sake of wanting to dominate others. This becomes more apparent when it was discovered that she, and the rest of the “Perfect” homunculi, are able to learn from their experiences very rapidly just by sight alone, and this ability was one that was being share amongst all of them to the point that what could take years to master are achieved in mere days. Such is probably the rationale behind a direct order by the Grand Council itself in February to prevent any and all training in front of them. A wise decision, but one that I wonder if it would have any consequences regardless.

As for the doctor himself, there was speculation that following the events of September, he was rumored to be a homunculi himself, having done the experiments to become one. As it turns out, those rumors would eventually be confirmed sometime during this period, having the designation of experiment #002. How this came about started the month following the alchemy raids.

Starting from October, the alchemist made his appearance much more pronounced, going under his true identity of Alexander Heimdell. He originally showed up with a disguise under him, choosing to protect his identity in case anyone wanted to go after him. However, by this point, he has made a greater effort to protect the town, and was no longer burdened by the mask he wore to protect his identity. Eventually, his identity was discovered by February, which in turn followed the arrival of Yo-Yo. Speaking of which...

The Imperfects – Yo-Yo, Prometheus, and Icarus.
When the raids on the labs were done in September, it was supposed to be a way to rescue those who were affected by the doctor's experiments. While we were successful in that manner, the town did something rather unfortunate. Each lab that was destroyed held an experiment that was sealed because it was according to Father, deemed “imperfect”, but survived the creation process. The town had, because of their reckless actions, unknowingly freed these three to wander and the results were... tenuous to say the least.

The original notes left by Dr. Heimdell explained the nature of the three, and their capabilities, of which I will describe briefly, along with comments from those that met them.

Yo-Yo
A personality that I think bears more with those that have gone mad in a sanatorium than one of the “flawed.” Originally created to be the perfect entertainer, Yo-Yo's creation process suffered a massive failure that to this date the doctor could not solve, and escaped shortly after creation. She doesn't seem to express any issues to others other than that attribute though. I personally have not had contact with her, so it will be difficult to say how far it goes, although I hear that her personality and curiosity with the Barony is quite playful. However, that really depends on how you feel around circus clowns who have a sense of delight towards murder, because I have gotten a LOT of mixed opinions on that one. (That does explain the entertainer part though.)

Prometheus
Like Yo-Yo, I have not encountered Prometheus, so my knowledge is limited. However, what I can say is that his powers are potentially unfathomable, possibly being that of the Gods themselves. The downside is that using his abilities drains him of his own life force, and were he to be pushed to the limit, it would ultimately kill him.

Icarus (a.k.a. Gama or The Beast)
All that can be said from the notes given is that if one were to try and quadruple the creation formula, you would end up with that! So extensive was the result of its creation that all of the “perfects” were needed to contain this one, and now that it was loose, the operation to contain it bears its own entry in this report.

Before I proceed with Icarus, there is one thought that I was able to confirm from discussions with others. In order for him to retain control of all of his creations, including Eden especially, he decided to make the conscious decision to become one of them. Or rather, he experimented on himself in order to place himself as a figurehead of power and leadership, as well as understand the process more properly. Not only would that explain the change in appearance through “his” abilities, but also his own understanding of how each homunculi thinks, and if that were the case, then there is the possibility that he has the ability to regenerate like all the other “perfects.” Given his record of experimentation, I would not put it past him to do so, and given Eden's personality, becoming one could have been one of many methods to control her, and her ambitious nature.

Late May 1217 - The Icarus Effect
When the notes were retrieved from the fallen labs, Icarus was one of the entries mentioned. Icarus came about as the result of an attempt to exceed the limitations of the original creation formula, an attempt that was decried by the doctor as an absolute failure, and a problem to handle. Needless to say, he was right, for the result was something that could only be described as catastrophic. During the past several months, the one called Icarus was let loose from its “prison”, and had absorbed into itself multiple entities of variant strengths, including a beholder and a phoenix to which I find absolutely shocking. (Seriously, how the hell did that happen? It’s odd enough to encounter either of them, but to have it being absorbed is another matter entirely.) While comparisons could be made between the loss of memories and the golem that took them in February, those events were a different matter altogether, as this one had a much longer time to grow.

To that end, the case with Icarus was so extensive that cooperation was all but necessary in controlling it. To do that, it required the resources of both the townsfolk and the other homunculi, including the attempted deployment of the Tarrasque, a ship that was able to ascend to the skies. I had only seen this “skyboat” in action once, and, I would have loved to been able to assist in it, were it functional. (It was not. The amount of time necessary to have it prepared would not have been enough.) On the homunculi side, the Perfects abilities were boosted by the doctor so that they would be able to assist anyone that crafted in their presence, while on the side of Travance, they had the task of creating specialized cannonballs designed to deal catastrophic damage to Icarus, while several teams were deployed to not only manage the spawn coming out of Icarus, but also to contend with the beholder and the phoenix that were entwined with the homunculi mass. Those that were a part of the homunculi city assisted as well on the side of Travance. With this plan in play, it was hopeful that the impact of Icarus would be lessened, and perhaps it would remove all the elements it absorbed so that the threat could be contained, if not eliminated.

Utilizing the deployment of the specialized cannonballs, the extraction method for both the beholder and the phoenix, and the planned effort among all parties that involved minimizing the creature while contending to the spawn that it released to the raid party, the assault was successful, and Icarus was finally contained. However, there were problems. While the massive homunculi was brought back to a simple form as it were, out of all things Eden attacked the doctor directly, and absorbed most of his brain, directly into herself. Following this, she fled elsewhere and out of the battlefield along with Gilgamesh, who now sees her as the “Alpha Homunculi” on account Dr. Heimdell held that spot previously. Apart from the incapacitated state of the doctor, no further evidence could be found following the battle, although based on what is now known, in what could only be described as a betrayal of allegiances, Eden has done something extensive to the point that she is now considered a threat to the entire Barony.

As it stands right now, I do not know where Eden is, or what her final goal is, if any. As for the others, general consensus has led me to believe that most of them may have retreated to the city of the homunculi, at least for those that have not sided with her. With Eden using her powers to absorb the doctor, performing this act and reaching this level of power has made her a threat, and I could only imagine she could very well ascend to become a Goddess in her own right. Additionally, with the possibility that Eden could attempt an invasion of Travance, I fear that something may happen that could ultimately doom everyone. As for Dr. Heimdell, all reports say that he has been “removed” from the conflict, and of what little part was retrieved left him in a... difficult state of living, only recalling what Eden was doing, and what he (or she) has become. I'd rather not go into it any further.

Dr. Heimdell's Ultimate Goal.
Throughout this endeavor, I have been trying to find out what was the doctor's true mission in creating the homunculi, as it is this scholar's opinion that there is no way anyone would want to create something and be a God just so that they would want to destroy the world all on its own. The power to create life; living breathing flesh, is something that is a gift. When I first saw them two years ago, I was fascinated by what they were able to do, and over time, I started to see just what they are. I know this is hard for those that are not familiar with the concepts of life like I am but I thought that for someone to have this ability, there had to truly be an ulterior motive to do this. As it turns out, after digging through all of the wreckage, the notes, and everything that was left in his labs, his quarters, and even a rumor or two, ...there is.

Dated around the time of the extended feast and the raid on Icarus, there was a report written by the Seneschal, Dr. Lois Maxwell, that says her initial thoughts. It states that Dr. Heimdell created the homunculi so that he could destroy all of Arwyn by forcing what the scholars call an “extinction level” event, but from the looks of it, he was probably being too haughty for his own good to truly tell us why. At least that was the case. However, following the events of the Icarus incident, it turns out that he no longer wanted that, and that his opinions have changed, given that his original objective was on a scale that could only be rivaled by the heavens themselves.

This is going to be hard to explain, as it took more than a few nights just to sort the whole mess I gathered, but I will try as best as I can to make sense of it. Imagine of all of the things that you could do in one day that could have an impact in your life and others. Imagine what you could do to make a person's life better, or worse for them. Then imagine having the ability to do all of those actions, and seeing what comes up out of it. For example, if you were to make food for yourself, it seems insignificant, and only affect yourself. But if you had to make food for an entire army that helps their morale in battle, or to focus on yourself so that you could survive the night not being hungry, then it becomes a lot more significant. The same could also be said for stealing the food, or even poisoning it so that they would suffer as a result. Regardless, at the end of the day, once that choice and action is made, that choice is set in stone for that day, sealing all other possibilities. Now imagine having the ability to make profound changes so that you can perform and affect ALL of those possibilities at that exact moment, and deal with all of those consequences at once. That was the goal of Dr. Alexander Heimdell. (If you are confused, trust me. I am still having a “wonderful” time understanding it. Feel free to ask away if you have trouble getting any of this should you find me.)

Anyway, to get back to expanding on the Seneschal's report, before all of this started, the doctor was able to gain the ability to travel through time by accidentally creating a time machine. Willing to make a change in the world, he set out to become a hero, helping those throughout the history of Arawyn. However, in his journeys, he discovered he failed in one of his attempts. Trying to see what it was, he discovered something that, to this date, still had an effect on him, and that was the fact that he could not save everyone...

Every time he traveled to a point in time, and tried to fix it, he saw another chain of events in which it did not succeed. Think of it as another series of events that could have happened but didn't; an “alternate timeline” if you will. To make a comparison, it would be what would happen if the Barony of Travance not only failed in stopping the demons Xualla or Balfurous from taking over Arawyn, but without the protections of Miranda and Fiona, the living aspects of both positive and negative energies, to protect this world, the Nulls would have wiped them, and everything else from existence. As history shows, that did not happen, but imagine if it did, and someone had the ability to see that possibility, witness it, and change it.

To get back on topic, the doctor saw that, and wanted to see if he could be Gaia for a day by creating the homunculi. That didn't work, because while he was able to create life and duplicate himself as the savior of those timelines, it still created those alternate paths in which he did not succeed. So therefore, there was only one solution to the problem, and that was to destroy the main timeline.

His theory was that, because this timeline was able to avert disaster from happening, it had I guess you could call “protections” to safeguard against threats similar to the ones that were used to fight against Xualla, Balfurous, and the Nulls. (or so I am assuming. Dealing with this knowledge is a first for me. I will not lie.) If this timeline was destroyed, that “energy” if you will would be transferred to all of the other timelines (of which there was a LOT of them.), and in some way protect them in the way he could not previously. While he was certain it would work, all of his calculations had one location that was holding him back from doing so, and that was the Barony of Travance.

In all of his calculations, he saw Travance as the focal point that could stop him in his attempt to make a difference. However, rather than try to wipe it out, he chose instead to test us by living among us, and using his homunculi creations to see how we fair in all circumstances. I could only imagine it was to determine if it was worth it to deal with this rather drastic action, but maybe, to be honest, it was to make sure it would work on ALL possibilities, including those he could not. All of this testing, and these battles with his own creations, and beyond, was so he could be sure it was the right decision, and he would finally make an impact big enough to be worth it. I guess in the end, after seeing what we could do, and what happened to him, he probably had a change of heart.

So in the end, all of what he did was to make sure his efforts in changing the world would be felt, not just on our own path, but in ALL possible paths, in a scale that even I could never imagine. And after finding out this information after scouring along through old records of the ruins, the libraries both in the labs and in the baronial library, and even asking the common folk, I kinda don't blame him for wanting to do all of this. When you have been given the tools to change the destiny of others, you can do a lot with it, but when you realize that even with that power, you cannot save everyone, even throughout all of time itself, it can be heartrending if you are not prepared to deal with that circumstance. And now here we are, with a threat that may yet be unknown, with an uncertain future amongst us all. Such is the difficulty I have when processing this, but well... I guess we can only do what we can and try for the best.

-

And for that, this is where my research ends, and the extent of ALL that I have found. What you do with this info is up to you, so I leave you to decide what happens now. I am open to talk to others about it should they seek me out, but beyond that, all I ask at this point is to finish what I started... finish the story... and end this tale. End it the way you want for it to end. And for that I wish you all the best, and thank you for reading to the end.

Sincerely,

Ezequiel Cantor

OOC: You see one last piece of parchment attached to the bottom.
One last thing before I depart. I have been reluctant to talk about this, as I know that she would most likely be reading this, but at this point in this battle, I have already gone too far not to include this, and that is this... I think Eden has been weakened, and there is a way to stop her.

In order to prevent her from getting all of his powers, the doctor poisoned his body and erased his memories so that the knowledge of time travel was forgotten. Because she absorbed a part of him, it would stand to reason that she now has this poison inside of her, and may in fact be weakening her system. This ultimately means that she can be stopped, but with her advanced physical body and who knows how many beings she has absorbed, how far, and if she was able to find a cure to it, I do not know. In fact, she may be in a state where it may be possible to be immune to it. Even so, it is still a possibility worth getting into.

Since I have exposed this information to all, I know what it means now for me personally. I have accepted that risk now, and more than likely there are some in town that know this as well. If it is not public knowledge now, it sure is by this point, so I am willing to accept what comes, be it good or bad.