Emil Bollenbach, help with life and times for the Mistipedia

[cure]

I have just written up the entry for Emil Bollenback in the Mistipedia:

http://www.fraternityofshadows.com/wiki/Emil_Bollenbach

I am not, however, an expert on his history and deeds, but have done what research I could. I would appreciate if others with knowledge of the matter could contribute to make the entry as useful as possible. Thanx.

Below is what I have written, followed by three notes from Mangrum's timeline:

"Emil Bollenbach is the premier crafter of golems in the Land of Mists. He is also among the maddest of medical researcher in the known world. He is statted as an expert of a level that belies his many accomplishments.

His native language is Darkonese so he is presumably Darkonian. He probably learned Lamordian at a young age and also commands Balok, Mordentish, and Zherisian

Money never seems to never want for money yet he has none of the manners of the nobly born. A fairly wealthy middle class background is conceivable.

Emil was a gifted young medical student studying in Darkon when, in 734 BC, he attended a lecture by the visiting Dr. Rudolph Van Richten on the question of golems. Fascinated, Emil volonteered to help the doctor and divided his time for the next two years between the good fight and his studies. In 736 BC Emil was driven mad when a murderous golem was tracked back to his medical school, one of his professors proved to be its creator, and the golem's head turned out to be that of a close friend who had gone missing. The confrontation between the golem and van Richten in the professor's laboratory touched off an explosion that not only covered the maddened flight of Emil into the night but invited the idea that he had been wholly consumed by it.

The gifted but now insane medical student put his skills to work on a project of utter folly. He would rid the world of golems by building golems, or more precisely, a super-golem. The Dark Powers were impressed and have underwritten his efforts ever since. It is dark desire rewarded, far more than medical talent, that accounts for the results he has been able to produce.

By 738 BC Emil was performing successful cross-species transplantations and fleshcrafting the likes of which would make Easan the Mad proud. He had managed to invent an electrical generator that was a significant advance on Mordenheim's lightning box. And he had built a cadre of flesh golem. His crowning achievement and the completion of his life's work, however, was to be the animation of his super-golem which wanted only for a suitably intelligent brain. That of Rudolph van Richten was chosen and the doctor was duely kidnapped. Fortunately, recent acquaintances of the good doctor intervened, saved his life, and put Bollenback to flight from his base of operations outside of Neufurchtenberg in Lamordia.

Employment was found, at least for a time, with Strahd von Zarovich, culminating in the 750 BC poisoning of Lyssa von Zarovich. A convincingly human seeming golem by the name of Tom was created and pumped full of an alchemical poison for Strahd's wayward grandniece to sample.

By 752 BC Emil had decided on a slightly different approach to the matter of ridding the world of golems. Making his super-golem more intelligent than other golems was less useful than giving it the ability to make the strength of its enemies its own. His super-golem would be a doppelganger golem. Remarkably, he found a band of doppelgangers who were willing to hunt down their own to supply the needed raw materials. Hero's again arrived at the crucial moment and were able to prevail, the doctor fleeing for parts initially unknown.

In 753 BC Emil Bollenbach was lured to Paridon and recruited by Sodo. Indeed, the previous doppelgangers were probably his agents. The darklord offerred the doctor the alchemical, technological and physical resources of Paridon for the construction of the perfect golem in return for its use for one week. Emil agreed and perhaps feeling inspired by his doppelganger allies, needlessly infiltrated the City Guard as its new coroner. He proved to be brilliant, if disconcerting, in the job, setting new standards for the practice of autopsy in Paridon.

When 755 BC arrived it was time for the 14th killing spree of Bloody Jack. The doppelganger golem that Emil was constructing was to be borrowed for one week to play the part of Bloody Jack. Sodo had made security arrangements by this point to assure that Emil was in no position to disagree. In particular he had placed over the mad scientist's heart a timed scarab of death. Adventurers eventually confront Emil with evidence of his involvement in the killing spree and he confesses all, hoping to be brought to, and saved by, his golem. In the decisive moment, he makes use of an obscure talent to switch his mind with that of his creation and battles the adventurers in the body of the golem. It is possible, but not certain, that he escapes with his life, as the bodies of himself and his golem vanish from the morgue."

* * * Mangrum's Timeline * * *

734 Emil Bollenbach, a young medical student, attends a lecture by Dr. Van Richten on the topic of golems, and volunteers to aid the good doctor. [CotN:C pg. 49]

736 Dr. Van Richten & Emil Bollenbach track down the murderous creator of a flesh golem; the horrors Emil witnesses drive him mad. Although Emil is thought to have died in the fiery destruction of the golem creator’s lab, he survives, dedicated to the insane goal of creating a “super-golem” to destroy all Created. [CotN:C pp. 49-50]

738 Emil Bollenbach creates his first “super-golem,” but fortunately his attempt to tranplant Dr. Van Richten’s brain into his creation is thwarted by adventurers. Emil escapes death, but keeps a low profile for more than a decade. (Chilling Tales: “The Surgeon’s Blade”) [CotN:C pg. 50; CT pg. 32 places this adventure 8 years after Emil’s disappearance (i.e., 746), but the dating used in CotN:C fits VR’s chronology better.]

[Manofevil]

Fix this:

Money never seems to never want for money yet ......

[Brandi]

Some sentences I rewrote and put under the quoted sections; single-word corrections are in the quoted sections, in red.

Emil Bollenbach is the premier crafter of golems in the Land of Mists. He is also among the maddest of medical researcher in the known world. He is statted as an expert of a level that reflects his many accomplishments.

Emil Bollenbach is the premier crafter of golems in the Land of Mists-- and among the maddest of medical researchers in the known world. For game purposes, treat him as an expert of a level that belies his many accomplishments.

["belies" means "to show falsely", as in "His good manners belied his complete indifference to human suffering."]

His native language is Darkonese so he is presumably Darkonian. He probably learned Lamordian at a young age and also commands Balok, Mordentish, and Zherisian

Presumed to be of Darkonian upbringing, he speaks Darkonese as a native, and is also fluent in Lamordian, Balok, Mordentish, and Zherisian.

Money never seems to never want for money yet he has none of the manners of the nobly born. A fairly wealthy middle class background is conceivable.

He never seems to want for money, but his speech and manners suggest a middle-class rather than a noble background.

In 736 BC Emil was driven mad when a murderous golem was tracked back to his medical school, one of his professors proved to be its creator, and the golem's head turned out to be that of a close friend who had gone missing. The confrontation between the golem and van Richten in the professor's laboratory touched off an explosion that not only covered the maddened flight of Emil into the night but invited the idea that he had been wholly consumed by it.

In 736 BC Emil was driven mad when a murderous golem was tracked back to his medical school. To his horror, one of his professors proved to be its creator-- and the golem's head turned out to be that of a close friend who had gone missing. The confrontation between the golem and van Richten in the professor's laboratory touched off an explosion that appeared to have destroyed young Emil, but served instead to cover his flight into the night.

And he had built a cadre of flesh golems.

That of Rudolph van Richten was chosen and the doctor was duly kidnapped.

Fortunately, recent acquaintances of the good doctor intervened, saved his life, and put Bollenbach to flight from his base of operations outside of Neufurchtenberg in Lamordia.

A convincingly human-seeming golem <strike>by the name of Tom</strike> was created and pumped full of an alchemical poison for Strahd's wayward grandniece to sample.

[Unless an entry is created for the victim in "The Turning Day" the name really isn't important. And why don't we have a strikethrough tag on this board?]

His new super-golem would be a doppelganger golem.

Heroes again arrived at the crucial moment and were able to prevail, the doctor fleeing for parts <strike>initially</strike> unknown.

In 753 BC <strike>Emil</strike> Bollenbach was lured to Paridon and recruited by Sodo.

Indeed, the previous doppelgangers were probably his agents.

(It is quite likely that Bollenbach's previous doppelganger allies were in fact Sodo's agents.) [Parentheses are part of the new sentence.]

Emil agreed and perhaps feeling inspired by his doppelganger allies, needlessly infiltrated the City Guard as its new coroner.

Bollenbach agreed, beginning his work in Paridon under the cover identity of Thomas Cream, the City's new coroner.

[There is nothing in the Shadow of the Knife adventure that suggests Emil did that on a whim. I'm figuring it was a very deliberate set up to give him access to materials and a high enough rank to avoid certain pesky questioning.]

When 755 BC arrived it was time for the 14th killing spree of Bloody Jack.

As 755 BC arrived Paridon braced itself for the 14th killing spree of Bloody Jack.

[I assume there will be a linked entry for Bloody Jack? If not, I'd add some text to explain who he is, such as "the most feared serial killer in the realm."]

The doppelganger golem that Emil was constructing was to be borrowed for one week to play the part of Bloody Jack.

Bollenbach's construct was meant to stand in for Bloody Jack.

Sodo had made security arrangements by this point to assure that Emil was in no position to disagree--in particular, he had placed over the mad scientist's heart a timed scarab of death.

[Is there a style guide that indicates magic items should be italicized?]

The last thing I would do, unless you're concerned that it'll give potential players too much information, is add a description of Bollenbach that maybe mentions his tics and verbal quirks.

(Also, I hope this breakdown wasn't too harsh! I'm not a copy editor by trade but I have worked on various people's projects over the years, and would be happy to work on things like QtR submissions and the like, if anyone wants to make arrangements for me to see them.)

[cure]

Excellent editing is never a problem. I put the matariel tomorrow quickly with the idea that it would evolve with input from here, so it was (I confess) never carefully edited in the first place.

As to the whim of becoming coroner, perhaps the matter should be broached in other terms. For it does pose a puzzle. Sodo offered the Bollanbach the alchemical, technological, and material resources, in those terms, of Paridon. (And recall that dread doppelgangers are practiced alchemists (at least on FoS reading of the domain)). It is difficult to see what being coroner adds to that aside the risk of exposure. There is no golem related knowledge to be gained. There is no material to be gained (it a doppelganger golem after all). And if Bollanbach were safetly locked away in a cellar with doppelganger guardians, there would be no intelligence to be gained either. It could, conceivably and at the limit, be useful for Sodo to have an infilitator who is not a doppelganger. So if it is not whimisical and if it is not Sodo's idea, the two other possibilities that stick out are sheer ego or a desire to get out from under Sodo's thumbs.

[Gonzoron of the FoS]

Copy editing is always welcome at Mistipedia, Brandi... join us, won't you?

[Rotipher of the FoS]

It is difficult to see what being coroner adds to that aside the risk of exposure. There is no golem related knowledge to be gained. There is no material to be gained (it a doppelganger golem after all).

Bollenbach's work in Paridon is referenced in one of the chapters of the VRF:Doppelgangers. It establishes that he used bits of a greater doppelganger (a Mist-import that was hunted down and killed by Sodo's dopps) to enhance his creation, in order to give it the ability to absorb the skills of its victims. Having access to human remains could've been useful in testing this new ability, or he might initially have tried to do the same thing using a mix of human and dopp parts in the same body.

In any case, having someone on their side (either doppelganger or quisling) in the coroner's office is standard practice for the dread dopps. They have to "play dead" from time to time as part of their M.O., and won't want any other witnesses when they wake up at the morgue. Most likely, "Thomas Cream" was given the job so readily because the dopp who'd previously had that niche retired, and recommended him for it!

As for why Sodo went along with it, rather than keep Bollenbach locked away in a cellar somewhere, remember that Emil was a volunteer rather than a prisoner. He had to be allowed a certain measure of freedom to win his cooperation at all, and letting him walk free isn't that big a risk, because he's hardly a credible witness: anything he might babble about a "constantly-shapechanging doppelganger king" wouldn't be believed, even if he did survive long enough to spill the beans to a non-dopp.

Sodo also probably didn't want to risk Bollenbach -- or even his mind-reading golem -- learning more about his employers than was necessary for the task at hand, so kept the man at arm's length. Finally, most doppelgangers regard themselves as very refined, superior beings, and share humans' aesthetics: keeping chopped-up dead bodies around his own hideouts may simply have struck the Grandmaster as too icky and/or gauche.