Emil the Arsonist

[Alardem]

The arsonist character always bothered me, because of the timeline issues involved. First off, we know that Wilhelm and his servants worked for Alexander in acquiring prisoners between 1702 and 1704 - afterwards, they were transformed into clumsy monstrosities that presumably kidnapped people in the woods surrounding the castle.

Then we have the Arsonist, who according to the "Remember" supplement in the Amnesia files was the last man arrested by Wilhelm in the 1700s. We get definite confirmation here that 'Emil' was an innocent man, who accidentally set a barn on fire when he fell asleep with the lantern on and inadvertently caused the farmer's death when the man tried to save the animals.

The problem is that the game takes place in 1839, and judging from the flashbacks Daniel is responsible for torturing Emil the Arsonist. It may be possible that Alexander was doing something to extend the life of his prisoners, but if that were the case then wouldn't there be any indication towards that? We have plenty of detail about the process keeping Agrippa alive for all those years, but there isn't any implication that the people Daniel tortured were centuries old or being modified in any way. Also, why are they all dead by the time the game begins - is it because the Shadow's presence necessitates the sacrificing of the prisoners?

There is one dialogue exchange when the arsonist is chosen ("How much more, baron? How much more am I supposed to withstand? Kill me already!") that could hint at Emil having been a prisoner for an insanely long time, but for some reason this feels like a timeline problem. If we're supposed to believe that Alexander was doing to his torture victims the same kind of life-extension rituals that Agrippa suffered, there's no indication that that is the case.