Alienist Llandras

"If you have come to pay your respects, I'm afraid I can no longer allow visitations. My wards have become too unpredictable for unfamiliar company. Truth told, they struggle to find comfort in the routine now as well."

Is this place some sort of house of healing? "This is the Asylum Sanctorium. A sanctuary for the troubled Saints of old to convalesce, but their hopes of recovery have long past. I simply provide what comfort I can and keep them from harming themselves or others. That too may be beyond me soon."

How so? "The madness that erodes their minds seems to grant frightening power to their mechanical bodies. I can no longer keep them calm and stable, nor do I have the power to overcome them, should they escape this sanctum. I pray Seht will grant an answer."

I'm willing to help. What do you need done? "It is no longer a matter of if the Saints will lose control, only a matter of when. The threat they pose is too great a risk. The black soul gems powering their bodies must be removed, by any means necessary."

Who are these Saints you watch over? "Three beloved contemporaries of Seht: Saint Olms, Saint Llothis, and Saint Felms. My people hold our ancestors very dear. We seek their wisdom and their blessings in all things, the Saints most of all. Through them, we better understand our gods."

Won't it anger the Temple if I harm these Saints? "You have nothing to fear in that regard. Outside the Clockwork City, these Saints are believed to have long since passed and when Sotha Sil entrusted us with their care he knew the experiment would have to end eventually."

How did the Saints come to inhabit machines? "There were no people closer to the living gods as the Saints, but those mortal connections would inevitably drift away with the current of time. Sotha Sil pondered this and designed his confidants a kind of immortality. Thus the experiment began."

What went wrong? "The Tinkerer mastered life and death, binding the souls of the Saints into pristine black soul gems and creating machines that could harness their power. The experiment seemed a success, but while body and soul remained whole, the mind fractured."

Any advice on how best to subdue them? "Saint Olm's [sic] [Do not change this to Olms's. This misspelled word is how it appears in-game.] Righteous Chassis allows him to beckon other animunculi to his aid. Unless you believe you can overtake all three Saints at once, you may wish to isolate and deal with Felms and Llothis first. They are presently roaming the upper atrium."

What will happen to the saints when their soul gems are removed? "What is the fate of any being bound to a soul gem? In a sense, their lives will end, but the quality of their existence is such that ending it is a mercy. I will care for the Saints, in whatever form they take, until Sotha Sil bids me otherwise."

Can they be freed? "Only the Father of Mysteries can answer that. I have no doubts that Sotha Sil will do everything in his power to see the Saints mended. Until that time comes, trust that I will ensure their safety."

"Such sounds of pain, anger, and suffering. I'm glad that they have finally fallen silent."

It should be safe to remove the Saints' soul gems. "You have done a great service today. For me, for the Saints, for the Three. This place can become a place of healing once again. There is a long road ahead, but take this with my gratitude."

"The Asylum Sanctorium will remain closed for the time being, until I've safely secured the Saints' soul gems. I may open it to mortal patients again, now that I no longer need fear for their safety."

You had other patients in the past? "Before the Saints fell so deeply into their madness, my predecessors tended to the mortal minds of Clockwork City's denizens. Those who had trouble adjusting to this unique realm, or who's work exposed them to things beyond their comprehension."

That happens often? "It is not unusual, no. Those used to dwelling in more vibrant places are most often afflicted with crippling melancholy, but everyone settles in differently. My fellow apostles are most at risk peering too deeply into reality for their own good."

How long has it been since Sotha Sil visited here? "Not since I inherited my duties. He walked among the Saints for a day, in peace, as if nothing had changed between them. Perhaps nothing had. It felt like a moment out of time. He will return, I'm certain, but the concerns of a god are many."

Why were the Saints created to be so dangerous? "They were powerful heroes in their time. They were always meant for grander things. To grant them everlasting life in unremarkable bodies would have done them a great disservice."

And after they proved unstable? "To meddle further was to risk doing even greater damage. It was always the hope that the Saints might one day recover, or at least achieve lasting stability. Altering the experiment was intended to be a last resort."