Forneus: Difference between revisions

Forneus was an esteemed Alchemist living in [[Thabes]]<ref>{{cite|In Thabes lived an alchemist named Forneus, much praised for his genius.|Message left in Thabes|Echoes: Shadows of Valentia}}</ref> long ago. After the death of his beloved wife, he became obsessed with raising the dead back to life. He initially conducted his studies with the blessings of the Thabean Senate. Forneus studied the thanatophages, a species of insect,<ref name=deathmask>{{cite| The critical component in the death mask is a particular shelled insect. I have come to call these marvels of nature thanatophages. Placed on a cadaver, thanatophages set down roots and assert control.|Notes left behind by Forneus|Echoes: Shadows of Valentia}}</ref> eventually creating an invention he dubbed a "death mask".<ref name=deathmask></ref> His desire was to create controllable undead as well as a "perfect life form".<ref>{{cite|The first was how to wake the dead and control them as his army. The second was the creation of a singular, perfect being.|Message left by the Thabean Senate|Echoes: Shadows of Valentia}}</ref>

Little of Forneus's personality is explicitly known. Forneus' desire to create a perfect life form and an undead army stemmed from the death of his beloved wife, whose face he modeled the death masks after. He was clearly dedicated to his studies. He also considered his proto-Risen to be adorable pets. It is possible he did not initially intend to defy the Thabean Senate, and went rogue under the control of his [[Grima (character)|violently-inclined creation]].

|jpn-mean=Forneus; as above.