Cynus Wolfenbüttel
Cynus Wolfenbüttel was a Terran Xenologist, who is considered to the grandfather of the science of Xenology.[1]
History
He was born into a wealthy merchant family, only a few miles away from the Imperial Palace. When Cynus was 15, however, his entire family was killed by the Dark Eldar when they attacked his father's trade fleet just off the Artamis Sector's borders. Afterwards, Cynus devoted himself to learning all he could about his family's killers, and then, after several years, he broadened his research to cover Xenos in general. He later wrote his magnum opus, the Xenographia Universalis, which in many ways still sets the standard by which other Xenological works must be measured by. However the Xenographia was labeled a heretical text by the Imperium for many years, due to some of Cynus' more eccentric ideas. Among them was that his research had led Cynus to believe that the seeds of Mankind had been propagated by a long-extinct Xenos species. He claimed that as a result of this, Humans were in effect descend from these Xenos. Because Cynus had done such great work, discerning the history of the Aeldari schisms and their subsequent wanderings, the High Lords gave him several chances to recant his views. He was also ordered to edit the Xenographia and remove his theory from its pages. Cynus refused to do either, however, and was sentenced to death as a result.[1]
Mere days before his execution was to be carried out, though, Cynus vanished. A search was conducted to find him and fragments of Cynus' hair and teeth were later discovered near an exotic-looking machine in a laboratory in the undercroft of his manse. The device was covered in cartouches and glphys and was shaped like a rusty, upright coffin. The machine was seized by the Ordo Xenos and one of Cynus' servants was interviewed about the device. The servant was only able to tell them, though, that it was a Xenos relic, Cynus had obtained. A few days later, the servant vanished too, and the matter was not referred to again. Sometime after his disappearance, the Xenographia Universalis was edited to remove Cynus' heretical ideas from its pages.[1]
Notes
Cynus shares the same last name as his fellow Xenologist Xylo Wolfenbüttel, though, it is not known if they are related.[1]
Sources
- 1: Liber Xenologis, pgs. 136-137 - A Brief History of Xenology
