Count de Saint-Germain

## Description:

The Count de Saint-Germain, a name which simply translates to the "Count of St. Germaine," is an Immortal rumored to be as old as Jesus; the Count is one of history's greatest and most skilled Alchemists with an intensive understanding of Alchemy, language, history, and culture. The Count de Saint-Germain has been involved in almost all major Magical organizations since his birth and is still alive as of the time of writing.

The Count de Saint-Germain, according to witness accounts, is a Caucasian man of handsome appearance who appears to be around forty-five (45) years of age regardless of the date of his sighting. Being Caucasian, he has normal beige skin, green eyes, and brown salt-and-pepper hair. He stands at around five (5) foot seven (7) inches tall and is estimated to weigh one hundred and thirty (130) pounds. His current age is believed to sit at two thousand one hundred and thirty (2,130) years, having supposedly been born in thirty (30) BCE.

Saint-Germain's intellect is by far his most commonly attributed ability. From his first appearances in the European royal courts in the eighteenth (18th) Century, Saint-Germain was described as remarkably intelligent; he could quote the Bible, famous poets, and Classical works of literature with great ease, played a number of instruments at a master's level (*Note: Records report that the violin was his favorite and preferred instrument*), could paint with a master's stroke, and spoke a wide range of languages including: French, German, Dutch, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, English, Chinese, Latin, Arabic, Ancient Greek, and Sanskrit (*Note: The Count is also known to speak Lemurian fluently*). The Count's skill in Alchemy was known far and wide; he was said to own laboratories and shops in most European cities for his work, appeared to be a man of great wealth despite never having any bank accounts (*Note: Belief of his ability to transmute base metals into gold are considered sufficient reason for this apparent wealth*), rarely ate food in public but was said to subsist on oatmeal, could prescribe powerful anti-aging recipes to his friends and allies, was an expert jeweler and jewelry painter (*Note: Saint-Germain's clothing style has remained consistent over the millennia; his clothes are always studded with jewels and gold*), could fuse diamonds together to form a bigger one and could make pearls grow to unnatural sizes, and was apart of various Magical organizations and several societies. The Count's level of wisdom was also considered above that of a normal person, as he was able to offer insight to even great thinkers like Voltaire and inform the nobility of the courts he visited and advised; his understanding and comprehension of literature and other cultures appeared supernatural to those with whom he conversed, and he never hid or lied about his apparent immortality.

The Count de Saint-Germain's knowledge of technology appears to be as advanced as are any other modern person's; despite being over two thousand (2,000) years old, the Count is known to make use of even advanced technology with great ease, seemingly never lacking in comprehension of devices and machines that would have seemed impossible just a century before. The Count himself is not known to make or use much of this technology outside of his Alchemical works, however.

The Count's primary field of study outside of linguistics, history, art, and anthropology, is Alchemy. The Count's knowledge of Alchemy is said to be encyclopedic, besting even other Immortals in terms of understanding and skill; similarly, the Count is known to be a powerful Wizard with access to Transmutation, Illusion, Evocation, and Conjuration Magic. The Count's Magic abilities are generally tied to the Chromatic tradition or his Alchemy, using color-based Magic drawn from the hundreds of colorful jewels and Magic gems sewn into his clothing. The Count is known to possess at least one (1) Philosopher's Stone, have access to the recipe required to produce Philosopher's Stones and Elixirs of Life.

The Count's family tree is entirely unknown. Original biographers attempting to retrace his lineage failed to do so due to the Count's immortality and frequent name-changes, although he kept the general name/title of Count de Saint-Germain for several centuries despite changing his legal name multiple times.

### Personality:

The Count's goals are entirely unknown. His immortal life means he has all the time in the world to do anything he wants, which has likely led to his wandering nature and flippant, nonchalant attitude. He seems to travel the world offering advice and founding or aiding Magical organizations of various kinds, from The Hunters Grimm to the JPCU or SCP Foundation, and appears to work against more dangerous or "evil" forces.

The Count is considered exceptionally well-mannered and charismatic, able to talk his way into and out of almost any situation with ease. Being Immortal, his patience has grown to staggering levels and he never seems to be in a rush; he never appears stressed or worried about anything regardless of the circumstances. He expresses a very humble attitude most of the time, but is still quick to assert his credibility with others in order to ensure they take his advice; he will gladly perform or demonstrate his many talents and skills for those he meets and is known to love the spotlight.

As previously stated, the Count de Saint-Germain rarely eats or drinks in front of others and travels frequently. While he is described as possessing great wealth and carrying himself as a nobleman of gentlemanly status, he never indulges himself in more base pleasures or expresses any desire for more hedonistic activities.

The Count seems to trust few people despite his overall honesty, and rarely remains in one place for more than a few months or years. He gives advice, offers learning and provides insight, and then takes his leave when the time is appropriate; he does not overstay his welcome and rarely takes compensation for his knowledge or wisdom beyond temporary room and board and directions to his next intended destination. He rarely keeps in touch with those he meets or advises, although some are young or powerful enough to meet him a second or third time when he next visits their region.

## History:

### Earliest Appearances:

The earliest recorded sighting of the Count de Saint-Germain is at the wedding at Cana, during which Jesus turned water to wine at the behest of his mother, Mary. According to sparse discussion of this event by the Count, it was that miracle whuch awoke in him an interest in Alchemy; by the end of that same year, the Count was an Immortal. This information implies that his origins come from pre-modern Europe around thirty (30) BCE.

Records of the Count are rare after his attendance at the wedding at Cana. His next appearance would not be until 325 CE, at which point he was said to have attended the Council of Nicaea. Supposedly, the Count advised and aided the scholars and religious figures at the meeting while they discussed the form of the early Catholic Church.

### Knights Templar:

In 1120 CE, however, the Count returns to the spotlight, this time in Jerusalem, to help inform the founding of the Order of the Knights Templar. The Count was also known to inform the Templars on Alchemy and Magic, offering demonstrations of Jewish and Muslim forms of Magic alongside his own personal abilities to offer advice and training. The Count's involvement with the Church and Templars has led JPCU scholars to believe that the Count was one of the first followers of Jesus Christ after his witness of the miracle at Cana, which drove him to support the Church from the shadows despite his heretical practice of Alchemy.

The Count would remain a member of the Templars until their dissolution in 1312 CE on orders of Pope Clement IV and the Inquisition. The Inquisition attempted to arrest Saint-Germain alongside the other leading members of the Templars under claims of Devil-worship; the Inquisition blamed Saint-Germain for these claims, sighting his practice of Alchemy and Magic as dangerous Witchcraft which had corrupted the Knights Templar over time. Despite the Inquisition's best efforts, however, they were unable to find or catch the Count, a feat not often repeated by others under the Inquisition's watchful eye.

### Founding of Rosicrucianism:

The Count's next appearance comes in the early Fourteenth (14th) Century, when Saint-Germain is credited as being a founding member of Rosicrucianism. Saint-Germain's deep ties to the Catholic Church and Christian faith likely influenced his decision to found the movement on a combination of Christian, Alchemical, and Jewish lore. At the time of his involvement in founding Rosicrucianism, Saint-Germain was living under the name of Christian Rosenkrauz (literally "Rose-cross). After founding the order, he gathered eight (8) members around himself with whom he shared some of his intense Alchemical and spiritual knowledge; after approximately one hundred and six (106) years of living as Rosenkrauz, Saint-Germain faked his own death and left the Order.

Rosicrucianism gained fame in the Seventeenth (17th) Century due to its secrecy and claims of preparations to transform the arts and sciences. By that time, however, the Order had mostly ceased active operations; after three (3) generations of the original eight (8) closest members lived and died with their knowledge, the replacements became less and less dedicated to the cause before eventually dissolving entirely. The Order remained in the pubic consciousness, however, and continued to have posthumous influence on the development of other, later esoteric organizations.

### The Courts of Europe:

Only after his reappearance in the Eighteenth (18th) Century would the question of Saint-Germain's whereabouts be answered. According to him, he had fled Europe altogether after the destruction of the Knights Templar and escaped to the Middle East and Asia. When he returned to Europe in 1742 CE, he claimed to have spent the past five (5) years in Persia advising the Shah; Saint-Germain also claimed to have "mastered the jeweler's craft" during his time there, which JPCU scholars believe is an ironic allusion to his study of foreign forms of Chromatic Magic.

The Count's time in Europe is the most well-documented period of his life, mostly because it was the period in which the Count did not hide his immortality. In the 1740's he advised King Louis XV of France and conducted secret missions for him in England. When he returned in 1760 he took a similar role in the Netherlands where he met Giacomo Casanova. In 1762 he traveled to Russia and, despite his personal habit of pacifism and nonconfrontational attitudes, helped devise the conspiracy which placed Catherine the Great on the throne; following the conspiracy, he successfully advised the commander of the Imperial Russian army during their war against Turkey. In 1774 he returned to France under Louis VXI and Marie Antoinette's rule where he warned them of the coming Revolution but failed to convince them. His next appearance comes in 1779 in Hamburg, Germany, where he befriended Prince Charles of Hesse-Cassel; he lived as a guest of the Prince for five (5) years before local legal records pronounce the Count de Saint-Germain as deceased on February 27th, 1784.

### An Exaggerated Death:

The reasoning behind the Count's legal death is not known. Many JPCU scholars predict he faked his own death as a way of assuming a new identity with which he founded the Freemasons. Using Rosicrucian lore that remained popular since the group's founding, Saint-Germain aided in the founding of the Freemasons and remained an active member for many years.

Just one (1) year after his supposed death, in 1785, Saint-Germain reappeared in Germany as a guest of Anton Mesmer, supposedly giving Mesmer the basic principles of hypnotism (Note: JPCU scholars theorize that hypnotism was originally a combination of early psychological principles and slight Enchantment Magic principles). In the same year, Freemason documents list Saint-Germain as their elected representative at a convention.

In 1789, Saint-Germain returned to France shortly after their Revolution, where he observed the chaos he correctly predicted and supposedly spoke with Comtesse d'Adhemar, giving her another prediction for the immediate future. According to the Comtesse's writings in 1821, she saw him attend the beheading of Marie Antoinette, the day following the execution of the Duke d'Enghien in 1815, and on the eve of the murder of Duke de Berry; her final encounter with the Count came in 1820.

### Modern Appearances:

The Count's more recent appearances start after 1821, at which point he took on yet another identity to remain hidden, including the name of Major Fraser, who supposedly disappeared in the mid-1800's without a trace.

Between 1880 and 1900, the Theosophical Society claimed that Saint-Germain was not only still alive but also a member of their organization; a genuine photo taken of famed mystic Helena Blavatsky and Saint-Germain supposedly exists within the Society's records. In 1897, the French singer Emma Calve dedicated an autographed portrait of herself to Saint-Germain.

The Count's most recent appearance came in 1972, when a Frenchman claimed to be the immortal Alchemist. The man supposedly transformed lead into gold on national television (Note: SCP censors prevented the tape from airing; JPCU records possess a copy of the tape for future reference) to prove his credibility; the man, named Richard Chanfray, supposedly committed suicide in 1983. The Count de Saint-Germain then, expectedly, took on a new identity and continues to conduct his work.

### Encounters with Lemurians:

According to several witnesses and writers, Saint-Germain was also one of the first people to discover evidence of the ancient civilizations on Lemuria. The Count is known to possess extensive knowledge pertaining to the language and culture of the ancient culture, which leads JPCU scholars to claim that Saint-Germain may have actually encountered the culture or its people during his worldly travels. The JPCU has been unable to contact Saint-Germain to receive confirmation of these claims, however.