Laurentius

*The rats are dangerous but disorganized... The Inquisition, however... they'll seek the boy tirelessly...*[src]
Laurentius warns Amicia of the threat of the Inquisition

**Laurentius** was a doctor and alchemist that worked with Béatrice de Rune.

## History

### Background and Early Life

Laurentius is an accomplished French alchemist and at some point mentored Béatrice de Rune, teaching her in his art. When Hugo de Rune was born, the two worked together to do their best to cure the Prima Macula in the child's blood, or at least to slow it down. As such, he became a trusted family friend, and when the Inquisition decided to capture Hugo it was to him that the de Rune siblings were directed to seek guidance and treatment for Hugo.

He owned a substantially large farm and a big house in the French countryside with an adjacent barn, underneath which was a laboratory full of alchemy equipment.

At some point, either due to his advanced age or his failing health, he took on Lucas as his apprentice so his work could be continued.

### Death

Amicia de Rune and Hugo meet Clervie in the infected village, who says she may have spotted Laurentius at the hospice, helping the monks treat the sick. At the church, Father Thomas recognizes Laurentius' name and offers to help guide the children. After escaping angry villagers, the Inquisition, and hordes of ravenous plague rats, Amicia and Hugo finally found the farm, only to find their enemy already there and piles of slaughtered pigs, which the Inquisition hoped would help contain the rats to a single area.

Making their way into the farmhouse, they found Laurentius bedridden with the Bite, likely having caught it in the village. He was being tended to by Lucas, who warned the two away but the old alchemist recognized Hugo immediately. He bade them and Lucas use his lab to craft tools to aid them like Ignifer, a powder that ignites dying embers into a roaring flame to drive away rats.

Lucas led the de Runes to his lab under the barn, but before they could return to his master a rat swarm burrowed into the house and accidentally knocked a vat of distilled alcohol onto an open flame, causing a massive explosion and setting the whole house on fire. Laurentius perished in the flames, leaving Lucas devastated by the loss of his mentor but he agreed to come with them to treat and hopefully cure Hugo.

It was his teachings to Lucas that would enable the boy to later finish an elixir that would ease Hugo's suffering, and his understanding of alchemy would allow him to craft even more tools to help defend against rats and even the Inquisition.

### Penance

Laurentius would also appear as an illusion in Amicia's fevered dreams, this time on his feet and able to walk, although still stooped from old age. He guides her on through his front door, urging her onwards to protect her brother.

## Physical Appearance

Laurentius is an old man of advanced age with white hair, a beard, mustache, wrinkles all over his face. His left cheek bears several festering boils as a result of the Bite running through his body. He wears simple, dirty clothes and a cloth cap over his head.

## Personality

Little is seen of Laurentius, but he is generally regarded as wise and kind. He was spotted in the infected village before Amicia and Hugo arrived, trying to help the sick regardless of the threat of catching the disease, which he did. He also tirelessly worked to treat Hugo, not to control the Prima Macula but to defeat it instead and free Hugo from his suffering.

## Relationships

### Béatrice de Rune

The two worked well together and formed a mutual trust, as Béatrice entrusted the old man entirely with Hugo's well-being while he served as the boy's doctor.

### Lucas

Laurentius taught the boy everything he could, and Lucas became devoted to him, protecting and treating him as best as he could while the old man's health steadily declined.