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Ib, Pib, and Pob are three imps in the service of [[The Tyrant Philosophers/Quellery|Quellery]], an invigilator who directs tactical operations during siege warfare. They function as expendable assets: small, fast creatures sent ahead of the main engagement to provoke defenders into revealing their positions, thereby converting static targets into active ones for the artillery that follows. Their deployment is a calculated trade - the loss of three imps is deemed cheaper than a prolonged, under-supplied bombardment.

The trio appears only during the siege sequence, where [[The Tyrant Philosophers/Aspel|Aspel]]'s engines prove mismatched to the task at hand. To cover the operational gap while Aspel recalculates targeting, Quellery sends Ib, Pib, and Pob carrying sigil-marked cloth up toward the walls, where they are cut down by defenders' snipers. A replacement imp, Flob, is introduced for subsequent engagements, though the text does not confirm whether Flob will fare better than the original three. Their brief arc - deployment, death, substitution - illustrates the utilitarian logic governing the invigilator's siege staff, where imps are munitions spent to buy time.

== The Group ==
=== Composition ===
The body comprises three imps - Ib, Pib, and Pob - who serve as a named tactical unit under Quellery's command. All three are killed in a single engagement, and the roster is immediately replenished with a single replacement, Flob, for subsequent operations. The text presents the unit as interchangeable at the individual level: Flob is introduced with the explicit framing of a slot to be filled, not a person to be mourned. No rank, internal hierarchy, or division of labour among the three is specified; they are described only as acting together on Quellery's orders.

=== Purpose & Method ===
The imps exist to draw the attention of defenders atop besieged walls, making themselves visible targets while carrying sigil-marked cloth. The purpose is diversionary: by provoking the defenders to fire, they convert hidden positions into exposed ones, granting the artillery crews a window to correct and sustain their bombardment. The method is direct exposure - the imps run into the line of fire rather than operating under cover, accepting near-certain death as the cost of a few seconds of enemy attention. - ch 12

=== Standing ===
Ib, Pib, and Pob answer to Quellery, who sends them. Their operational role is subordinate to and coordinated with [[The Tyrant Philosophers/Aspel|Aspel]]'s siege engines: the imps are deployed specifically because Aspel's equipment, designed for street-clearing rather than sustained bombardment, cannot yet deliver effective fire. The imps thus stand below the engines in the tactical hierarchy - they are the stopgap while the machinery finds its range. No independent authority, grievance, or bargaining position is granted to them; they are ordered into lethal action and replaced when they die. - ch 12

== History ==
=== Pretenders to the Throne Of God ===
In this book, Ib, Pib, and Pob are imps in the service of [[The Tyrant Philosophers/Quellery|Quellery]], deployed as tactical distractions during siege operations. When the first artillery exchange begins, [[The Tyrant Philosophers/Aspel|Aspel]]'s engines prove unsuited to the task, having been designed for street-clearing rather than sustained bombardment; to cover the resulting gap while Aspel recalculates targeting, Quellery sends the three imps carrying sigil-marked cloth to draw the attention of defenders atop the walls - ch 12. They are killed by snipers during this operation - ch 12. A replacement imp, Flob, is introduced for subsequent engagements, though the text leaves unresolved whether Flob will survive what follows - ch 12.

== Relationships ==
* '''[[The Tyrant Philosophers/Quellery|Quellery]]''' - Master and commanding officer. Quellery decides to deploy the imps, selects their task, and authorises their replacement. The relationship is purely directive: Quellery sends, the imps go. - ch 12
* '''[[The Tyrant Philosophers/Aspel|Aspel]]''' - Indirect operational counterpart. The imps' mission exists because Aspel's engines are failing to cover the engagement; their sacrifice buys the time Aspel needs to recalibrate targeting. There is no direct interaction between Aspel and the imps described. - ch 12
* '''[[The Tyrant Philosophers/Flob|Flob]]''' - Successor. Introduced as a replacement imp for subsequent engagements after the deaths of Ib, Pib, and Pob. The text frames Flob as fulfilling the same function, with no indication of distinct personality or agency. - ch 12

== Tags ==
#imps · #conjurer-servants · #bound

[[Category:The Tyrant Philosophers/Groups]]

The Tyrant Philosophers/Ib, Pib, and Pob - Revision history

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