The Cliffs of Insanity

“More than ready,” Orphaeus replied with a conviction that surprised even himself.for what we are and take measure to end our lives. And there’s nothing worse than an angry mob out for blood.”

“You’ve surmised the situation surprisingly well,” Cadmus muttered. “And what conclusion have you drawn?”( Read more... )

He eventually settled in the catacombs beneath Rome, setting up a magnificent laboratory filled with everything an alchemist could dream of having. The largest chamber of his laboratory was the holding cell where the Apostate kept animals and humans in captivity. His library was the next largest room and here the Apostate would jot down the results of his various cruel experiments. Besides his extensive Book of Shadows, the Apostate’s library was filled with arcane and alchemical manuscripts and scrolls. From these precious tomes did the Apostate glean even more occult knowledge. He studied these diligently and applied his own sciences to the arcana found in his library, thus making the Apostate deadly and dangerous. He was a rogue agent without constraint.

The Khemeth Tarmi sent out warnings to all the other Colleges and Tarmian strongholds across the Earth.  The whole of the Tarmian race became aware of the Apostate. They created magickal charms of protection around themselves and the tribes of humanity that effectively barred the Apostate’s influence.

But the Tarmi’s magick wasn’t without flaws and, after many years of seclusion, working the dread alchemies within his hidden Roman stronghold, the Apostate was able to influence humanity in opposition to the strongest Magus to graduate from the Tarmian academies. The days of Yeshua were filled with breathtaking acts of magick and heartbreak, as the Apostate rose in power both in Rome and in Israel. He influenced the people to rise up against the Tarmian way and offer up as sacrifice to a veiled and vicious god, the Magus Yeshua. It was the Apostate who exacted the killing wound on Yeshua. He licked his blade clean of Yeshua’s blood and ripped the wreath of thorns from the broken Magus’ brow, returning to Rome with it so that he could work the damning spell that would sunder the Tarmi from Humanity until perhaps the end of time. 
 

After this work of science and magick, folk from around the empire of Khemeth flocked to Telhumethiel’s laboratory so that he could help them see better. He made only a few pairs of spectacles before moving on to other studies. But the people kept coming in droves, begging Telhumethiel to help them in their various afflictions.

Telhumethiel heard them and decided to focus on the medical sciences of alchemy. He studied the blood primarily, at first only taking a few drops from willing test subjects. 

But eventually that was not enough for Telhumethiel. He began capturing some of the wild beasts that lived in the vicinity of Khemeth, caging them and running various, taking tests great amounts of their blood. When they died, Telhumethiel buried them in a small chamber within his laboratory, for he knew the Tarmian teachers would not condone his work. They taught never to harm or kill, but Telhumethiel had done both in the name of his alchemical explorations.

After some time and many animal deaths, Telhumethiel produced some medicines to help the humans who constantly clamoured for his genius to heal them. He swelled with pride when they celebrated his name in the streets of Khemeth. And he felt he could do much more if he graduated his test subjects.

It was then that Telhumethiel began to take humans into his laboratory. He picked them out from the throng waiting to be healed and he took pints of their blood, studying the various aberrations therein. His reasoning was that he could do so much more good if his subjects were of the same species as the crowds waiting at his door to be healed.

But Telhumethiel was not torturing humans and creating new medicines and healing methods out of a desire to heal; he was breaking the Tarmian laws in order to better glorify himself. And he began to enjoy administering punishments to his test subjects who cried too loudly or begged to often. Eventually, his subject would finally escape the alchemist’s lab by dying and Telhumethiel the broken person in his secret chamber of death, and bring in new test subjects.

Telhumethiel’s primary teacher, Fer’Jinn, visited his student unexpectedly and saw the bound humans, battered and bloody, begging for release. He released the humans and, as they ran from the lab, Fer’Jinn admonished Telhumethiel for his crimes, telling him that his practices were wholly intolerable and that he would be banished from the school. 

“Not if they don’t know about it,” said Telhumethiel, and he used his advanced knowledge of alchemy to capture and bind Fer’Jinn. It was at this time that the promising young student performed deliberate acts of horror upon Fer’Jinn’s body. He took some of the Tarma’s blood, studying this sacred fluid with great fervour, learning the secrets of this sacred race.

After three days of agony, Fer’Jinn finally escaped the laboratory in Telhumethiel’s absence, running as fast as he could to the college palace. He told of Telhumethiel’s crimes and the high council of Khemeth bade Telhumethiel to come before them. 

Standing before the high council, Telhumethiel was cast out of the College of Khemeth and denied entry to any other Tarmian school. 

“This matters not to me, Telhumethiel said to them. “I have seen the sacred blood and made note of its song. I’ve seen and mapped every tiny nuance of human blood. I know everything there is to know about any of you and I can use that to heal or to punish. If you won’t allow me to continue my studies here, then punishment is the only answer. How dare you try to wield power over me? Some day you will know the power I possess. I can make disease as easily as I can heal it. What will your little lap dogs think when the Tarmi are defenseless against me? If it’s the last thing I do, I shall sunder the Tarmi and humanity. They will bow to me, the humans and utter curses at you. What will you do then?”

“You speak such things with pride and hatred in your heart,” Fer’Jinn said. “You are banished from this realm. Banished and called Apostate.”