Huntsman
Huntsman (a.k.a. Maxwell Rothbauer, Professor Maximilian Alba, the Professor, the Librarian)
If you were to find someone in the know about New Z'hrat's supernatural community and ask them to rank the most terrifying threats the city had to offer, the mild-mannered, well-dressed, silver-haired scholar known only as Huntsman, eldest child of the Blue vampires, would barely make the list, if the person you spoke to even knew about them at all.
However, the Occult Tactical Response Unit of the Sentinels of Thunder has classified them as the only Blue vampire to be given a double-onyx threat level (on a scale from gray - charcoal - black - onyx). This is due to their cunning ability to play all of New Z'hrat like a game of solitaire, and to manipulate law enforcement officers and New Z'hrat's supernatural community alike into stacking the deck in their favor. They aren't often on the offensive, but when they finally make their move, the first- and final- warning of any oncoming danger is the inexplicable smell of smoke that sometimes trails from their body.
Physical Description
General Physical Condition
Huntsman is a tall, slender person who doesn't look nearly as fit and strong as they are.
Facial Features
- Bright blue eyes hint at the fact they're a vampire.
- Their features are human, but sharp and slender.
- Prominent dark circles under their eyes.
Identifying Characteristics
- Waist-length white hair
- A silver ring shaped like a spider
Special abilities
Like all Blue vampires, Huntsman is:
- exceptionally strong and quick. Even when compared to other vampires, Huntsman is considered unnaturally fast.
- able to sense and manipulate other's emotions with innate magic
- a powerful psychic and illusion mage
- difficult to kill, due to near-instantaneous healing
Apparel & Accessories
Huntsman will typically wear a well-tailored vintage suit or long business-casual dress or robes, mainly in navy or black. They have a pair of silver glasses which magically translates other written languages into Common.
Mental characteristics
Personal history
- born Maxwell Rothbauer on a farm outside the city in 1079
- Was accepted into Riverside University's second-ever class, alongside their older sister, Andrea.
- Met and studied under Spider, one of the oldest vampires, and learned mind magic from him.
- After mind magic was outlawed, Andrea was burned at the stake for continuing to study it. Huntsman and Spider barely escaped.
- Huntsman and Spider took revenge on the Riverside University headmaster and staff by burning them alive inside the old library.
- Was turned into a vampire and became the first of Spider's Webweavers in 1109
- Continued their studies, becoming Z'hrat's foremost expert on neuroscience and mind magic, and secretly trained apprentices to help bolster the ranks of the early Weavers.
Gender Identity
Huntsman is what New Z'hratians call "shadegender," an undead person whose gender identity was affected by their death. Huntsman believes that their gender (formerly male) died with their old self, and is now agender.
Sexuality
Huntsman has little interest in sex, and would likely identify as somewhere on the asexual spectrum if they ever stopped to think about it. They have a fairly casual, long-term sexual relationship with Siren, their former apprentice.
Education
They are extremely well-educated, having obtained three master-level university degrees (psychology, 1st District history, and applied mathematics), in addition to their own prominence as a pioneer of the study of mind magic and neuroscience.
Employment
They have been either a scholar or a teacher for most of their life, each job interspersed with several years of "retirement".
Accomplishments & Achievements
- Riverside University, graduating class of 1104, but fled before they could finish their final semester. Maxwell Rothbauer was given an honorary degree a few decades after the fact; Huntsman still wonders whether or not they've technically finished this degree or if it's valid to use on their CV.
- Three master-level university degrees.
- Multiple academic publications in a few different fields.
- Achieved mastery of Z'hratian street martial arts.
Failures & Embarrassments
- Their inability to save their sister.
- Multiple apprentices who died in their care.
- They regret assisting Dr. Bateaux with her genetics research.
Mental Trauma
Their experiences as a child has given them a paralyzing fear of fire.
Intellectual Characteristics
- Extremely intelligent and well-educated.
- Reads nonfiction for fun, and collects newspapers.
- Deeply curious, in particular about the similarities and overlaps between psychology and magic.
- Is gentle and a pacifist, and is unexpectedly good with children.
Morality & Philosophy
They believe that information is power, and knowledge is the key to success.
Social
Contacts & Relations
Huntsman has been known to have a decent working relationship with Major Bellona of the Sentinels and the Church's Prophet of Platinum, but they have few friends and prefer to keep to themself.
Family Ties
Huntsman is a member of the Blue coven that leads the Shadowweavers. Notable "family" members include Guildmaster Spider, Recluse, and Siren.
Religious Views
They strongly believe in the Order of the Scribes' teachings about freedom to learn and study, but their history has made them skeptical and untrusting of the Order, and they don't consider themself a member.
Social Aptitude
Huntsman is an introvert who prefers to be left alone most of the time. However, they're usually quite calm and polite, and they're fairly generous about sharing information, making them easy to talk to.
Hobbies & Pets
Huntsman has a familiar named Hilda who takes the form of a large spider. They speculate that Hilda is a piece of a leyline that took an interest in them. (This seems to suggest, against all current scientific knowledge, that Z'hrat and the leylines are at least somewhat sapient, a theory which they keep to themself.)
Wealth & Financial state
Huntsman is a fairly wealthy individual, thanks to centuries of living far below their (often meager) means. Most of their surplus funds go to buying more books and newspapers for their library, which is the largest private collection in New Z'hrat.
Species
Age
1521 (died at 30)
Life
1079
1109
Circumstances of Death
turned into a vampire
Birthplace
The Frontier (now 5th District)
Place of Death
Guildmaster Spider's den, Manor Hill, 1st District
Children
Current Residence
Subterranean Library, 1st District
Pronouns
they/them
Sex
Male
Gender
Agender
Presentation
Aspects of both masculine and feminine
Eyes
Blue
Hair
White, waist-length
Skin Tone/Pigmentation
Unnaturally pale
Height
6'2"
Weight
200 lb
Belief/Deity
The Oracle of Erudition
Aligned Organization
Other Affiliations
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