TV-Series
Description
August Ruthven is a powerful and influential vampire lord who holds a seat in the Vampire Senate of Altus, serving directly under Queen Faustina. He is widely recognized in vampire society as a hero who helped broker the peace that ended the long and brutal war between humans and vampires. His public persona is that of a refined, cheerful, and conscientious aristocrat, but this masks a cold, calculating, and ruthlessly pragmatic strategist who prioritizes his own hidden goals above all else.
Centuries ago, during the war, Ruthven was a genuinely idealistic scholar and teacher who advocated for coexistence between humans and vampires. He cultivated cross-species partnerships and worked alongside the noble Chloé d’Apchier on the World Formula Alteration Device. He mentored several students, including a couple named Éric and Louise, who would later adopt the orphaned girl Jeanne. However, his idealism was shattered when Éric and Louise betrayed him and other vampire officials to human forces during a peace negotiation. The resulting massacre cost Ruthven his right eye, and his students were executed for their treachery. This traumatic event fundamentally cracked his psyche, transforming him from a visionary peacemaker into a cynic who abandoned diplomacy for manipulation and control.
Following his disfigurement, Ruthven's motivations shifted toward securing power to prevent such vulnerability from ever happening again. He consolidated his authority by being adopted into the noble Oriflamme dynasty, becoming the guardian and adoptive uncle of the young Grand Duke Luca Oriflamme. This position gave him proximity to Queen Faustina and a seat in the Senate. Using this newfound political leverage, he successfully negotiated the treaty of 1702 that ended the war, which forced vampires to relocate to the pocket dimension of Altus and banned human vampire-hunting. Despite this public achievement, his true goals remain enigmatic. He secretly became the head of the clandestine organization Charlatan, enabling the spread of Malnomen curses, collaborating with the disgraced scientist Doctor Moreau on unethical curse-bearer experiments, and orchestrating political assassinations, such as the attack on Luca during Marquis Machina's bal masqué.
Ruthven's relationships are defined by a blend of calculated manipulation and sporadic, ambiguous paternalism. He publicly protects and mentors Luca, but privately thwarts attempts to cure the boy's curse-bearer brother and uses him as a political puppet. His dynamic with Jeanne is particularly complex; as the daughter of his executed former students, he keeps her as his personal Bourreau enforcer, deploying her as a tool while occasionally showing her gestures of care, like shielding her with his coat. His former friendship with Chloé d'Apchier ended bitterly when he attempted to curse her to seize her family's research, revealing his willingness to sacrifice any ally for his aims. He also harbors a deep rivalry with the Shapeless One, the enigmatic mentor of Noé Archiviste, whom he views as a monstrous rival. In an effort to weaponize Noé against his teacher, Ruthven used a blood curse to force the young vampire into an unbreakable oath of absolute obedience for a future command.
Ruthven is an exceptionally tall and imposing figure with pale skin, long, messy crimson hair often tied back, and unsettling yellow-tinged eyes. He permanently conceals his lost right eye beneath a large black eyepatch. His refined wardrobe typically consists of formal long coats, cravats, and gloves, projecting an image of aristocratic authority. As a vampire, he possesses superhuman strength and durability, but his most notable ability is the power to summon and control destructive black flames. He is also proficient in using curses and other vampiric magic, as demonstrated when he mentally coerced Noé into a blood oath. His character draws inspiration from Lord Ruthven, the aristocratic vampire from John Polidori's 1819 novel The Vampyre, a foundational work of vampire fiction.
Centuries ago, during the war, Ruthven was a genuinely idealistic scholar and teacher who advocated for coexistence between humans and vampires. He cultivated cross-species partnerships and worked alongside the noble Chloé d’Apchier on the World Formula Alteration Device. He mentored several students, including a couple named Éric and Louise, who would later adopt the orphaned girl Jeanne. However, his idealism was shattered when Éric and Louise betrayed him and other vampire officials to human forces during a peace negotiation. The resulting massacre cost Ruthven his right eye, and his students were executed for their treachery. This traumatic event fundamentally cracked his psyche, transforming him from a visionary peacemaker into a cynic who abandoned diplomacy for manipulation and control.
Following his disfigurement, Ruthven's motivations shifted toward securing power to prevent such vulnerability from ever happening again. He consolidated his authority by being adopted into the noble Oriflamme dynasty, becoming the guardian and adoptive uncle of the young Grand Duke Luca Oriflamme. This position gave him proximity to Queen Faustina and a seat in the Senate. Using this newfound political leverage, he successfully negotiated the treaty of 1702 that ended the war, which forced vampires to relocate to the pocket dimension of Altus and banned human vampire-hunting. Despite this public achievement, his true goals remain enigmatic. He secretly became the head of the clandestine organization Charlatan, enabling the spread of Malnomen curses, collaborating with the disgraced scientist Doctor Moreau on unethical curse-bearer experiments, and orchestrating political assassinations, such as the attack on Luca during Marquis Machina's bal masqué.
Ruthven's relationships are defined by a blend of calculated manipulation and sporadic, ambiguous paternalism. He publicly protects and mentors Luca, but privately thwarts attempts to cure the boy's curse-bearer brother and uses him as a political puppet. His dynamic with Jeanne is particularly complex; as the daughter of his executed former students, he keeps her as his personal Bourreau enforcer, deploying her as a tool while occasionally showing her gestures of care, like shielding her with his coat. His former friendship with Chloé d'Apchier ended bitterly when he attempted to curse her to seize her family's research, revealing his willingness to sacrifice any ally for his aims. He also harbors a deep rivalry with the Shapeless One, the enigmatic mentor of Noé Archiviste, whom he views as a monstrous rival. In an effort to weaponize Noé against his teacher, Ruthven used a blood curse to force the young vampire into an unbreakable oath of absolute obedience for a future command.
Ruthven is an exceptionally tall and imposing figure with pale skin, long, messy crimson hair often tied back, and unsettling yellow-tinged eyes. He permanently conceals his lost right eye beneath a large black eyepatch. His refined wardrobe typically consists of formal long coats, cravats, and gloves, projecting an image of aristocratic authority. As a vampire, he possesses superhuman strength and durability, but his most notable ability is the power to summon and control destructive black flames. He is also proficient in using curses and other vampiric magic, as demonstrated when he mentally coerced Noé into a blood oath. His character draws inspiration from Lord Ruthven, the aristocratic vampire from John Polidori's 1819 novel The Vampyre, a foundational work of vampire fiction.