The Headmaster

Appearance

The Headmaster is not a complicated looking man, rather elegant in his simplicity. He's always worn practical clothing for the time, from dressing as a noble to a local librarian.

In the smorgasbord of Millennium City, he continues his practical trend. He's lightly armored (As his command over Blood Magic means he can heal extremely quickly) with a fencing blade and ritual dagger on his sides. He wears seemingly opaque glasses and a military jacket.

He has forsaken his cult's mask due to his exile.

Personality

Having led a cult for several generations, it's not surprise that The Headmaster comes off as charismatic. Even with the recent Rivalry with The Matriarch, he remains extremely polite to all of whom he encounters. As an enemy of most who use magic, he remains diplomatic and would rather speak than fight.

Granted, he uses this same charisma to his own ends. He seeks to improve the perception regarding blood magic and anyone else who delves into the forbidden arts - Even if he has to resort to subtle ways that compare to the reasons why everyone is wary of them to begin with.

Another word to describe him would be "Classy". He listens to older music, drinks the most expensive of alcohol, and many of the guests invited to his home often survive the encounter.

He is many things, but "Evil" seems to not be one of them.

Powers and Abilities

The Headmaster's powers are extensive due to living well beyond millenia. He has touched on just about every forbidden magic she has been able to get his hands on. From the dangerous study of Vitae to the madness of Qlipothic energies, he's studied and used it all at some point.
However, his primary focus (As it always has been), is Blood Magic. He is able to manipulate most organic lifeforms and can otherwise use blood to fuel various combative magics. To this end, he usually has some on hand in various containers. His absolute control over blood magic allows him to heal at an almost insane level - to the point of restructuring bones and returning lost limbs.

Weaknesses

Practically the same as The Matriarch's, all for similar reasons. They followed a very similar path in their lifetimes.

He is slightly less fit than his Nemesis, however he knows more martial arts than she does and can sometimes route her in non-magic combat.

Firstly, he has limited range. His primary form of combat is Blood, which relies heavily on line of sight. If he cannot see his enemy, chances are he is not currently using a spell against them.

Secondly, he doesn't have much in the way of technological superiority. His blades are usually simple, though his Ritual Dagger is ornate and specially crafted (But is not used for general combat). He wears light armor at best because of his ability to regenerate rapidly.

Also, while he can use most organic blood as fuel for his magic, he is often tripped up by finding a creature or species whose blood he is unfamiliar with. This is detrimental for general control so instead he attempts to retrieve some blood and flee, for further study so that he may later be able to face the enemy.

He may have the dexterity, endurance (etc) of an Athlete, most of his general body conditioning is not specially superhuman.

The usual strategy of killing someone with rapid healing is decapitation. This does work to a certain extent, however his soul is split across the world, so his soul would simply be recycled after an incalculable amount of time. He tries to avoid this however, as it's not a comfortable process and it would take him out of whatever he's doing, from days to months.

Affiliations

He is currently embroiled in a destructive rivalry with The Matriarch.

To this end, he has conscripted a local Vampire Coven to combat her, chipping away at her defenses while he finds some way to destroy her. Some of his acts can even be described as Terrorism, which puts him in contact with VIPER and a few other villainous organizations. All in hopes of killing The Matriarch and retiring.

History

The Headmaster's name has been lost in time, as it usually does in the cult if one lives long enough.

He was born around the budding of the cult, which would put his birth year roughly in the 700's, maybe 800's or more.

He was born from two wizard's which immediately gave him a leg-up in the magical world and eventually was apprenticed when he was a teenager. His parents died a couple of years apart due to the harsh times they were in.

His Master died when The Headmaster was in his thirties, but his mind craved more information and he did not care the source. This put him in contact with vampires, which taught him some things and they eventually pointed him in the direction of some Blood Mages whom were looking to establish a proper organization, rather than be branded as scattered murderers. This appealed to him, because it sounded like there were like-minded folks who wanted rid of the stigma of dark arts.

He met the original creators of Gnosis Genealogia (Though it was not called that for some time), but he was not the original leader. He did not become leader for some centuries, but was instrumental to their original systems and rituals. He also gained the title "The Headmaster" due to his reputation with the students. He was friendly, charismatic, and treated everyone fairly. He advanced through the ranks quickly, one that surprisingly did not backfire, for it was not power that he craved. Only knowledge, and only to share that knowledge with others.

Recent History

The Headmaster.png The Headmaster took The Matriarch under his wing, back when she was still known as "Livia". He had been leader of the cult for around a hundred and fifty years before Livia came around. He had suffered through all the political and public issues that still affect the cult today.

He was very kind to Livia, reminding him of himself. She looked at the forbidden arts as another puzzle to uncover, not a means of power and control. He had the same philosophy, which was the reason the cult was so renowned as being "one of the only good ones".

Under his patronage, Livia spent the next century or so within the vast halls of the underground. Her interest in the forbidden arts caught the attention of local Magisters, but The Headmaster was always there to cover her side, in an almost lawyer-like capacity.

When the mid to late 1900's rolled around, the Gnosis cult was undergoing one of its greatest golden ages (There weren't many). Under The Headmaster's patronage, Gnosis Genealogia was a respected mystical organization until a series of two events slingshot them back down into the "Murder Incorporated" type stereotype.

It began with their Patron, a blood God named ¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦. The cult had begun having issues with an unnamed splinter group. It was a powerful student and several of his closest confidants. They began a ritual to exploit it, their initial plans was to tap into its power directly. After a time they decided to attempt to absorb it directly. The head of this group took a large portion of the cult under the guise of an "Experiment", a common term at the time. It was there that their ritual mostly succeeded - just not into the intended target. Instead, Livia was present and she then absorbed the entity, giving her several millenia worth of information.

The Headmaster arrived with several of his top Professors and the student who led this Ritual was executed within minutes. They turned to Livia, and brought her to the highest of magical hierarchy at the time. This was an attempt at diplomacy, a sign of good will that they still bow to the laws.

She was held in a castle for a few weeks while The Headmaster, as usual, continued to be on her side with the higher ups. She defended herself well, showing everyone that she had no plans to meltdown into a power trip that the original group had planned.
Eventually the castle came under attack by enemy necromancers and thanks to the present Blood Mage's aid, repelled the attack.

Livia, having been instrumental in the defense of a few of the world's greatest Magisters, was then rewarded her Mask and title of "The Matriarch". She then began teaching within the cult, as her expertise was near The Headmaster's himself.

The reputation of Blood Mages in general was never better - but this age of respect did not last long.

Several months had past and The Matriarch met with The Headmaster. Between the lines of the conversion, she had deduced that he was behind most of what had happened to her - starting with the Ritual.
It was he, whom arranged his top student to attempt it.
It was he, whom gave necromancers the intel needed to attack.
It was he, whom arranged Livia specifically to be the greatest defense of the attack. He ordered the students present to back off while Livia took the brunt of the necromancer's hostility, coming out on top. Looking like a hero, and improving the reputation of his cult and Blood Mages in general.

He betrayed his top student and betrayed Livia, pushing her up beyond her station.

She did not immediately mention how hurt she was by this, that she should have earned her own way with the Magisters. She continued this by going to the Magisters themselves and informing them of all she had learned. They respected her trust and The Headmaster was made an enemy of all who use magic.

The Matriarch was then promoted by the Magisters to lead Gnosis Genealogia, though their numbers had diminished after the public reveal of The Headmaster's treachery.

He continues to respect The Matriarch and her power, but their methods and philosophy became too different and are now enemies. It is a very polite rivalry, and one that is a bit too evenly matched for The Matriarch's comfort. However they both plan to execute each other, whenever the opportunity presents itself.

Trivia

• A simple reminder that some of the information is pretty much the same because of the fact that he and Livia shared similar paths in life, even down to their philosophy and interests.