Ignatius Blackward

A man of God and last surviving member of the Ordo Malleus Maleficarum, **Father Ignatius Blackward** traveled the world combating evil. As a result, he was an expert on foreign languages, cabalistic writings, occult rituals, and shamanism. Ignatius has mastered the lost art of staff fighting which he has reluctantly used in several difficult situations.

## History

### The Fire of 1834

Urgently summoned by a parish in Chelsea, Ignatius returned to London. There, he listened to hysterical reports of missing parishioners and "monster" sightings. Some insisted that the events were a result of excavations at the St. Catherine Docks, which burned in the Great Fire of 1666. Later that same evening, a mysterious manuscript appeared on Ignatius’ doorstep. He deciphered the author, Samuel Pepys, the date, 1666, and what appear to be records of "The Brotherhood of Hecate." An entry about an arcane formula for animating lifeless matter alarmed him, so he posted the diary to Dr. Jean Franciscus in New Orleans.

Immediately, the good doctor and his daughter, Nadia, embarked on a voyage across the Atlantic. Once in London, Dr. F. contacted Ignatius, and began inquiries about the Brotherhood of Hecate. One day, Ignatius got a strong urge to visit Jean at his hotel. There, he found the mortally wounded Jean, who gasped, "Murder. Adam Crowley. Brotherhood of..." The diary was missing.

    At the doctor's funeral, a strange man in black robes handed Nadia a note which read "Know about Crowley, Brotherhood of Hecate - HVHJ." An address was written at the bottom of the note. At dusk on October 17th, 1834, Nadia and Ignatius met in the fading light of his church to set about hunting down Adam Crowley, his Brotherhood of Hecate, and the nightmare creatures which roamed the streets. Together they destroyed Crowley's creatures and he fled.

### Founding of the Circle

Following these tragic events, Nadia and Ignatius realised that their adventure was not an isolated case and that the threat of Crowley could perhaps not altogether be dismissed. In the years that followed the London events, the two companions threw themselves into searching all the elements that could help them in their fight against the demented Crowley.

This quest took them to the Four Corners of the World and gradually enabled them to reconstitute the history of a secret war against horrific supernatural entities. Nadia and Ignatius' perseverance attracted the attention of a mysterious group of scholars and occult investigators who called themselves the Watchmen.

They met in 1839 following which, Nadia and Ignatius disappeared for one whole year. When they resurfaced, they were even more determined than ever to devote their existence to the fight against Crowley.

The years that followed were used to multiply contacts, group together all those who were aware of the danger or else whose skills would serve the new Circle. In 1846, the Circle had a headquarters, a place where information was exchanged and experiences shared.

### Legacy

One century after the London events, the threat of Crowley was merely a distant memory and the Circle had evolved. Its objective had lost all meaning and its members were no longer the watchful fighters of the previous century. This allowed Crowley to massacre the Circle, including its founding members Ignatius and Nadia.