Imp (deepling)

Imps are a type of deepling, creations of the Bathybius, the great watery entity that lies at the bottom of the oceans of Dadauar. Unlike infected, the other main type of deepling, imps are not transformed from other creatures, but are literal pieces of the Bathybius, tiny slivers split off from its immense form and given independent existence—or they are split off from deep oozes, aquiform scions of the Bathybius that, more so than deeplings, resemble miniature copies of the Bathybius itself. While the Bathybius and the deep oozes are amorphous puddles, however, imps have definite forms—whatever forms the Bathybius chooses to give them. Some appear human, others like various other animals; it's far from impossible for an imp to have the form of an inanimate object. Some imps have the ability to change their shape, but this is not a power the Bathybius chooses to give most of them.

Etymology

Although the word "imp" is also employed to refer to any petty demon or mischievous child or childlike being, the application of the word to dartic deeplings preceded this usage. Imps, in the deepling sense, got their name from an older and now otherwise obsolete meaning of the word to refer to a small shoot of a tree or another plant, especially one severed to be used as a graft. The intended metaphor was that just as the vegetable imp was cut off from its parent tree to be planted elsewhere, so the deepling imp was cut off from its parent the Bathybius to exist as a separate creature. It was only later that the word began to apply to evil spirits through a similar metaphorical extension as children of the devil, but given the Bathybius's sinister reputation to most people this only made its use for deeplings all the more appropriate.

Behavior

Imps vary widely in abilities and personality. They may all be ultimately pieces of the Bathybius, but the Bathybius is an immense and incredibly complex being, and it can choose just which of its abilities and which aspects of its mind it wishes to invest in a given piece. Thus some imps are big, dumb bruisers, efficient at physical combat but not at much else; others are skilled with spells and have formidable magical powers. Still others might be experts in some particular scholarly endeavor, or creative geniuses who create masterful works of art. With all the minds the Bathybius has absorbed and subsumed, it has no shortage of different talents and capabilities to draw on. Similarly, different imps are apparently created with different shades or fragments of the Bathybius's own enigmatic personality. Some imps are somber and humorless, others cheerful and mischievous. Some are noble and altruistic, others cruel and merciless. The capabilities and behavior of imps vary at least as much as those of humans or most any other folk.

The common conception of imps is that they are servants of the Bathybius. Many, perhaps most, are just that. They are created by the Bathybius for specific missions, and when they are done they may return to their progenitor to be willingly reabsorbed, or they may remain separate and active to be available for future tasks. Not that these imps provide any help in understanding just what the Bathybius's ultimate aims are, even if captured and interrogated or noögnosed—the imps possess only a tiny fraction of the Bathybius's knowledge and intellect, and know no more of its full goals than anyone else.

But by no means do all imps fit this mold. Many imps don't seem to be carrying out the Bathybius's will at all. The imps that do serve the Bathybius do so voluntarily; they are free-willed beings, and if they carry out the Deepmind's will, it is because they choose to, not because it has any real control over them. But not all imps make that choice. There are many independent imps who go about their doings for their own purposes and not for the Deepmind's—though, given the latter's tremendous intellect and capability for subtlety, it's generally far from obvious which they are.

There are even some few imps who choose to openly rebel against their sire and try to fight against the Bathybius's mysterious plan. This fact suggests one of two possibilities: Either the Bathybius is not quite as sapient or as powerful as many believe it to be—it is fallible, and through either miscalculation or a lack of control does sometimes mistakenly create enemies to itself—... or it's far more subtle and devious than it's often given credit for, and even those imps that think they're fighting against it are really serving its purposes in some way that even they aren't aware of...

Creation

Generally, imps are created by the Bathybius itself, as it buds off a bit of its slimy substance, molding it into the desired form before pinching it off and setting it free as a separate being. Since the Bathybius lies deep beneath the ocean, this means that newly created imps, if they are to work the Bathybius's will on land, must first make their way to the surface, either swimming upward or crawling shoreward along the ocean floor. Since deeplings have no need to breathe and do not suffer from the bends or similar conditions that might inflict humans who dive that deep, this is seldom much of a problem for them, and costs them little but time.

There are other potential sources for imps, however, that may not require them to travel so far to where they may be most useful. Deep oozes, similar to the Bathybius itself but much smaller, are also capable of creating imps, although it is generally believed that this represents the Deepmind generating imps through deep oozes, rather than the deep oozes themselves creating them of their own volition. New imps can also be created by a process involving two or more deeplings (imps or infected) combining a part of their substance, but this is a relatively rare occurrence, not least because unless the parent deeplings possess regenerative powers it means a permanent reduction in their mass.

Notable individuals

Even discounting the ephemeral imps that reunite with the Bathybius shortly after their creation, the total number of imps active on Dadauar is uncertain, the more so since so many of them remain hidden or disguised. However, there are certainly tens of thousands of imps at least, if not millions, and a handful have made enough of a mark to become well known. A few of the most famous—or infamous—imps are described below.

Ambassador Conch

For ten years, a deepling calling itself Ambassador Conch has lived in the capital of Trimian, claiming to have been sent from the Bathybius to establish diplomatic relations— and not wanting to risk the Deepmind's wrath, the Trimiani government treat them accordingly.

Baffle

An imp that resembles no known creature, Baffle for some reason supports the resistance to the onirarchs. Though pertaining to no particular cell, he travels around Dadauar doing what he can to help the rebellion.

The Jellyfish

The Jellyfish is an imp the shape and size of a galleon, "crewed" by dozens of smaller deeplings. It sails the seas of Dadauar, sometimes attacking other ships, and sometimes approaching them to offer payment for some requested service.

King Crackle

Ykel, onme of the contentious Ice Realms that make up much of eastern Matuni, is fairly typical for an Ice Realms kingdom... except for the fact that much of its nobility are deeplings, including its monarch, King Crackle.

Ollister Trame

An instructor at Pearl College in Ivinii, Ollister Trame lectures on oceanography and on certain obscure magics. Although it is certainly unusual for a deepling to have such a position, Eléla, ruler of Ivinii, seems to trust the slimy scholar.

Ssosolia

Ssossolia is a powerful imp who serves Haiani, goddess of the ocean. It is generally assumed that the Bathybius created Ssosolia for Haiani to fulfill the terms of some bargain struck with the goddess, but if so the nature of that bargain is a mystery... as is what Haiani may have provided the Bathybius in return.

Uaruaranda

A huge spiderlike imp called Uarauaranda haunts the Macarta Mountains. Occasionally it threatens travelers through the mountains, but at times it has been known to help those lost in the mountains, providing food or shelter.