Infaust
by Marco Dalmonte English translation by Gary DaviesPatron of Perfection, Master of Mind and Matter
Level, Alignment, Sphere: 12th (Temporal), LN, Matter
Symbol: the Vitruvian man
Portfolio: perfection, completeness, unity of mind and body, universal harmony (inner and outer)
Worshipped in: communities of mystics and monks in Brun (especially Sind and Thyatis), in Hollow World (Shahjapur), on Patera and in some outer planes
Appearance: a human of perfect size and physique, with pearl grey skin, grey eyes and white hair, completely nude and with a serious and focused expression.
History: PROBABLE THEORY: Johannes Silberstein, known as “Dottor Infaustus” (for his custom of intervening in discussions and in erudite dissertations in order to destroy the thesis’ of others – something he is always successful at), he was during his mortal life a student, alchemist, erudite and Hattian mage, who lived in the metropolitan territory of the Thyatian Empire about the II century AC. Driven by his thirst for knowledge, he devoured the most ancient books of human wisdom, learning all that he could on mundane and arcane science, on the history of the world, the planes and the divine. Soon, armed with this knowledge, he embarked on journeys that took him to the majority of the known lands, and in wild lands until now never visited by civilised eyes. His powers, always increasing, allowed him to visit many planes, meet the inhabitants, learning their secrets. However, Johannes was always a dissatisfied human: in his continued quest for absolute knowledge, he established as the final perfection were elusive and unreachable, as the human mind is unable to take in one gulp the greatest secrets of the cosmos. Johannes was also always extremely uncertain and undecided the great knowledge he brought to long reflection on whatever choice he must take on, to slowly ponder every consequence of such choices – a shortage that in most occasions caused not a few problems, especially when he found himself up against choose to quickly make or to more crazy or determined adversaries. Johannes, ascertained this indomitable of the thought to sudden action, after having meditated at length, arrived to consider the dualism of the mortal world: from one side the mind, ethereal, elusive, infinite and potentially powerful in the imagination (but unable of being realised); from the other the body, crude, anchored to inexpressible needs, short-lived, finite and incapable of break off from land (but also always the only means by which his can be translated into real action). Johannes, deemed that in the solution to this dualism stays the key of perfection, he embarked on further research, that led him to always investigate more before in person the reality of the natural world, animals and of the creatures without great intellect – for understanding the true nature of the body. During this quest he encountered Djaea, who, intrigued by this unusual and complicated quest of inner and outer balance (the microcosm in the macrocosm), direct him to the search of an ancient artefact, the Root of the World, which could finally be at the end of his quest. After many adventures, Johannes found the mysterious artefact, but barely had it in his hand, when he completely lost his memory and found himself reincarnated as a dog. Despite his bewilderment and sudden amnesia, the mind of Johannes has though the knowledge of found in a crude body, unable to host it. The only thing that he remembered was the mysterious artefact, which, he thought had taken his memory, therefore he had to go and retrieve it. Therefore he was put again in search of it, being forced to use every sort of mental stratagems for overcoming the difficulties enforced on him by his new undesired body.
Nevertheless, he succeeded in the task and retrieved the Root of the World, only to once more lose the memory and was reincarnated as a minotaur! Once again he went in search of the artefact and found it, and once again lost his memory and was reincarnated as a djinn. When also finally in this form he retrieved the Root of the World, returned to his original form, rejuvenated, and Djaea appeared to him in all her splendour: he had barely completed his Quest on the Path of the Polymath towards Immortality, experiencing the various levels of complementary of body and mind: the animalistic (the dog), the half–animalistic (the minotaur), the dualism (the human) and the volatility of the body (the djinn). Today having finally understood that a mind and a body are intimately bound, their growth is contemporaneous and the perfection must contemplate the growth of one as much as the other. Strengthened by this new knowledge, Johannes is dedicated to moreover perfecting the proper union between mind and body, founding an order of mystics dedicated to the philosophy of which he himself was made spokesman, that always invokes the greater correspondence between mind and body as the key for understanding the secret of existence and perfecting himself, in order to be at one with the cosmos. When finally Djaea saw fit to return at that moment, called him to herself in the ranks of the Immortals, but Johannes (now that he felt he had attained the total harmony of his mind and body) asked her to first grant his final wish: removing his previous memory, in order that no residue of his mind could no longer undermine his complete unity of thought and action. Djaea, surprised and pleased by this thus profound dedication to the cause of Matter, consented, and Johannes became one of the few Immortals to not remember the conditions of his ascension and his mortal life (even having had one). The only thing he remembered was his academic nickname, "Infaustus", from which he derived his new Immortal name, Infaust – to also signify his pain, ominous loss of that which his belief of having learnt that it is in the face of whom pursues the way of perfection.
Personality: For many Infaust is determined and hasty; in realty few understand how mind and body act as one in him. In fact, Infaust doesn’t think: he just acts, since the action that he accomplishes is nothing other than his will made material. Infaust has few allies, and he doesn’t even have many needs, given that he also doesn’t have any enemies and is generally disinterested in having followers; the only ones that honour his memory are his priests and the mystic followers of his philosophy.
Patron: unknown [presumed: Djaea]
Allies: none
Enemies: none
Alignment of followers: Lawful
Favoured weapon: natural weapons (allowed all mystic weapons)
Clerics’ skills and powers: clerics of Infaust pursue a philosophy of perfection that makes them similar to Mystics. For this they gain the special abilities of the Mystics (and only those) at the same level.
Domains: Matter, Law, Knowledge, Will
Preferred weapon: unarmed blow
Source: IM3