Anarcrothe the Alchemist
Anarcrothe the Alchemist - a member of the Circle of Nine - appeared in Blood Omen. He was the Guardian of the Pillar of States, implying that his skill was in manipulating the state of matter, changing it from one form into another.
Anarcrothe was 'a tinkerer'. He experimented with his powers by dabbling in the arcane and mysterious art of alchemy, messing around with chemicals, machinery and more, despite his limited understanding of what he was actually doing. One of his more ambitious alchemical trials had failed long before, leaving the left side of his face scarred and ruined from the accident. He hid his disfigurement - 'an unsightly writhing tangle' of skin and bone - beneath the hood of his imperial purple robes.[1]
In Blood Omen, Kain visited Dark Eden, having been directed there by Mortanius and Ariel. Kain found the area populated with mutants. Humans, plants and native animals had been twisted into vicious parodies of nature. Three of the Guardians - deranged from Nupraptor's mental assault on them thirty years earlier - had worked together to create this: Anarcrothe, Bane and DeJoule. Anarcrothe's quasi-scientific experiments had been mixed with the powers of Nature and Energy wielded by the other two.[2,3]
When Kain confronted the triad inside Dark Eden's tower, Anarcrothe decided not to fight. He summoned Malek to destroy the vampire, and then he vanished leaving the others behind.[2]
Kain continued on his quest. He returned to the Pillars of Nosgoth after beheading Moebius. There he found Anarcrothe arguing with Mortanius. Staying out of sight, Kain listened to their exchange of words, and learned that Mortanius was the individual behind his murder as well as his resurrection.[4]
Anarcrothe was angry that Mortanius had betrayed the Circle by sending Kain after them. The Alchemist viewed his powers as his alone, and believed his life was more important than the health of the Pillars and the land. He threatened Mortanius, demanding a renewal of loyalty to his fellow Guardians. But Mortanius remained steadfast. Absorbing Anarcrothe's attack with ease, he turned his own magic on the Alchemist, killing him as Kain looked on with interest. The Necromancer impaled Anarcrothe through the chest with a lightning-like attack, slammed him against a pillar and then summoned ghosts to break the Alchemist's back.[4]
Further Observations
Defiance allows us to view Anarcrothe's stand with us ultimatum in a different light. His use of the word 'us' was strange, seeing as the only remaining Guardians at that point were himself, Mortanius and Kain (overlooking Moebius' resurrection by the Elder God, revealed in Defiance). A little while after Soul Reaver 2 was released, the official explanation was that Anarcrothe meant 'the Circle as an entity - but there's a deeper meaning, too, which hasn't been revealed'.[4,5]
Now Defiance has shown that some of the Circle were serving the Hylden (who they knew as Hash'ak'gik) - and that Mortanius was trying to rebel against them by creating Kain to be the Vampire champion and the Scion of Balance - Anarcrothe's 'us' could mean him and the Hylden. Although this is plausible, we have no proof that Anarcrothe was personally allied with them at all, so it remains inconclusive.[4,6,7]
The correct spelling of the Alchemist's name is open to debate. 'Anacrothe' is a popular variation used in Prima's Official Blood Omen Strategy Guide and the Blood Omen Game Manual. However, this website has opted to remain consistent with the Silicon Knights Blood Omen FAQ, and the script extract shown on the Blood Omen: Early Character Names page 
at The Lost Worlds.[8,9,10]
At some point during the development of Blood Omen, Anarcrothe was going to be named 'Nauzhinger'.[10]
References
- The 'Character Biographies' page of the Silicon Knights Blood Omen FAQ
- Blood Omen Dialogue: Dark Eden at Nosgothic Realm
- [BO1] Ariel to Kain (referring to Malek): "Does your patience with the Sarafan grow thin, vampire? Dogs come only when their masters call. I believe some members of the Circle have banished themselves north. Perhaps Dark Eden is the snare you seek."
- Blood Omen Dialogue: The "Grand Finale" at Nosgothic Realm
- Warp's answers from Amy at the Eidos Forums
- The first Defiance Q&A page at The Lost Worlds
- [DEF] Mortanius to Raziel: "I created the champion foretold by my masters, who is destined to be your destroyer. The Scion of Balance will save Nosgoth - the Pillars will return to Vampire guardianship as intended, and your race will be cast down forever."
- Blood Omen: Prima's Official Strategy Guide (ISBN 0761503633)
- The Blood Omen Game Manual
- The Blood Omen: Early Character Names page at The Lost Worlds
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