Imix
Lord of Hellfire, the Eternal Flame, the All-Consuming Fire. NE archomental of the consuming power of fire (He/Him)
Pantheon: Elemental
Symbol: A red diamond
Realm: Fire / Burning Ridges / The Temple of Ultimate Consumption
Known Proxies: Asgeroth (proxy pit fiend baatezu [he/him] / LE)
Imix, the Prince of Fire’s Hunger
Imix (EYE-mix) embodies the purely consuming aspect of the element of fire. He seeks nothing less than the scouring of all opposition from the Plane of Fire, and the demonstration of fire’s power to cause unchecked devastation. As an efreeti who’s had the misfortune of crossing paths with Imix, I can assure you, dear reader, that his grandeur is matched only by his malevolence, and only exceeded by his arrogance. This so-called “Lord of Hellfire”, a title that he has graciously awarded himself—yes cutter, in the same way a mephit would—is nothing but a destructive blight, driven by insatiable hunger for power, and wrapped up in boundless ego. He’s an ancient creature for sure, one of the first primordials to emerge from the chaos at the beginning. You think he’d know better by now.
Imix usually manifests as a towering pillar of red flame—how imaginative of him—standing three times the height of a mortal human, yet apparently weighing a mere six pounds. Indeed, his form is truly as insubstantial as his personality. Less frequently, he has been known to adopt the form of a giant flaming bull. In either form though, his body crackles and hisses with such intensity that the radiating waves of heat he emits will incinerate anything nearby. Be warned though that he is prone to lash out with flaming tendrils, which he can use to strike enemies in a fight, to manipulate (fire resistant) objects, or more commonly, to reprimand his inferiors. He wears a crown of white-hot flames, but it’s his eyes that create the most intense heat, when he looks at you, you can feel your skin blistering. The berk is vain to a fault, and complimenting his appearance is a sure-fire way to catch his attention, for a short span of time at least. Do not mention his stench, however—the pungent pong of sulfur hangs heavy around him—for even hinting at this malodour will earn you a one-way trip to the dead-book.
Imix is a being of barely-contained fury, prone to outbursts of anger and jealousy. His smouldering resentment can flare up into a blazing inferno in the blink of an eye whenever his plans are thwarted. This vainglorious pyromancer is as much a slave to his own temper as he is a master of the flames that serve him. Imix prefers to channel his mendacious creativity into schemes aimed at bringing ruin to his many rivals, although his plots tend to be driven by a haughty overconfidence that blinds him to potential pitfalls. Despite his—alleged—tactical brilliance, his impatience and frustration when plans do not unfold as expected lead him to rush headlong into battles, leaving destruction in his wake. While his strength and rage are a major threat to the stability of the Plane of Fire, his enemies are in a sense lucky that the many flaws in the character of Imix serve to limit the impact he has thus far had on the plane. Although Zaaman Rul may disagree with this, as recently that poor sod has borne the brunt of the wrath…
Goals, Allies and Enemies
Imix’s ultimate—and predictable—goal seems to be to dominate the Elemental Plane of Fire as its supreme ruler, enslaving all of the blazing races beneath his flaming fist. This is a problem for every creature of Fire, for sure, but the repercussions of his victory would be felt far beyond our plane. For ultimately, Imix also seeks to twist the purpose of fire itself towards destruction, which would have devastating ramifications for the Prime Material Plane. If Imix could control Fire, it would mean flames would always burn food rather than cooking it, the glow from candles would blind rather than light the way, and hearths would destroy homes rather than warming them. He would see the Prime burn just to stoke his own ego.
Amongst the denizens of Fire, Imix has few allies, only rivals and slaves. Zaaman Rul, the Prince of Purification, is his most vocal critic, although even his voice has recently been muted after his defeat in the Battle of Burnt Dreams. Chant goes Rul barely escaped with his life, despite the interference of outsiders. Imix is currently planning a self-aggrandizing monument to commemorate this triumph, though the details remain dark. You can bet it will be something flashy and tasteless. While we are on the subject though, it would be remis of me not to repeat the rumour I’ve heard that Imix may be the bastard father of Zaamal Rul (and yes cutter, I definitely mean it that way around). What a disappointment each must be for the other.
As for Kossuth, who knows what he thinks, if indeed he thinks of Imix at all. One can only hope that Old Father Flame is aware of the the machinations of Imix and either has some kind of plan he’s not sharing, or does not feel threatened by him at all. The Firelord seems more concerned with opposition to Elemental Water generally, than intra-pyric politics on Fire itself.
Imix’s alliances are as fleeting as they are opportunistic. In the past he has made pacts with powerful beings like Garyx and Surtr, draconic and giantish gods of flame and destruction respectively. The Lord of Magma Chilimba and the Great Khan of the Dao have also been known to side with Imix, although they trust him little. His greatest servant is Asgeroth, a pit fiend who serves as a kind of proxy and, according to the chant, is trying to set Imix up with the exiled archdevil Moloch. Asgeroth left the Nine Hells seeking greater opportunities than were available in the Glorious Baatezu Army—what the Dark Lord Asmodeus thinks of this kind of stag-turning isn’t known, although there’s every possibility Asgeroth is a double agent tasked with keeping an eye on the Inner Planes. Asgeroth’s main task, according to Imix however, is to complete the destruction of Zaaman Rul.
Outside the Great Conflagration, the main rival of Imix is Olhydra, the Tsunami Princess. Their eternal conflict consumes much of his attention, and drains most of his resources, much to the relief of the rest of the plane of Fire. Persistent whispers claim that the two used to be lovers, although how that’s even possible I cannot imagine. Their obsession with one another though, that takes some explaining otherwise. Far be it from me to spread unfounded rumours…
The darkest chant of all whispers that despite being a primordial, Imix himself has a master. A mysterious force known only as the Elder Elemental Eye has been linked to Imix on more than one occasion. This entity appears to be outside of Time and Space—perhaps trapped in the Far Realm?—, and is possibly trying to break through. For reasons only known to the arrogance of the Hellfire Lord, Imix has seen fit to ally himself with this suspicious force.
The realm of Imix is a colossal inverted obsidian pyramid that hangs over a pool of lava in a volcanic caldera. You couldn’t find a more cliché place if you tried, and I’d argue that perfectly sums up the imagination of Imix. He calls it the Temple of Ultimate Consumption, and it also serves as a base for the Cult of Eternal Flame, which is little more than a thinly veiled gang of pyromancer thugs.
— Tadj-al-Saltaneh Tiznaa bint-Saatadeh al-Mamaalek
Canonical Sources:
- Dragon Magazine #347 p30,32-34,39,41; #353 p45,47,50
- Inner Planes [2e] p46,49,55-56
- Planescape Monstrous Compendium III [2e] p8,16-18 (stats),21,93
- Monster Manual IV [3e] p7,12; Monster Manual V [3e] p52-53
- On Hallowed Ground [2e] p53
Other Sources: Jon Winter-Holt; History of Imix in the Lore; AuldDragon’s Blog. Canonwatch: The Elder Elemental Eye is an aspect of Tharizdun, although neither the narrator nor Imix is aware of this connection. See the Temple of Elemental Evil adventures for more details on this.