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Subordinate Big Bad - Season 2 The mysterious Vampire-Lord known only as Prinz Brandt was sired by a rather unremarkable and unknown Vampire in Sicily sometime in 1532. The newborn undead embraced the dark side of his nature, taking to it like a fish to water. Once he learned all his sire could teach him, Brandt unceremoniously dispatched his unsuspecting master. Brandt then began to travel far and wide across the civilized world, learning more from the other Vampires he came across during his wanderings, and usually showing his gratitude by leaving his hosts as piles of dust. Sometime in 1600, Brandt journeyed to Transylvania to meet Count Dracula. Dracula took the younger Vampire under his wing (no pun intended) and taught the eager, promising Brandt a few of his tricks. Afterwards, Brandt, true to form, made an attempt to slay Dracula, and failed miserably, finding that the cunning Count had not revealed the full measure of his powers. Brandt was forced to flee from his enraged benefactor, and he kept himself largely hidden for several years afterwards. Later, in 1645, Brandt paid a visit to the lair of the Order of Aurelius, seeking to learn from the Master. There he found that his reputation for killing his benefactors had preceded him, and he found himself at the mercy of the Master's acolytes, most notably the hulking Luke. However, the Master saw some promise in the treacherous Brandt, and agreed to share some select pieces of knowledge and prophecy with him. After learning all the Master was willing to share, Brandt was allowed to leave the Order unmolested. 80 years later, Brandt journeyed to Ruhigestadt, Bavaria, having been drawn to the Hellmouth there. Shortly after his arrival, he took up residence in the Castle Ruhiges Schloss, and systematically dusted every Vampire already in residence. Then, he picked out a handful of humans and turned them into Vampires, making these few his trusted aides. For the next 278 years, Brandt dwelled there in his castle, biding his time, learning more about the Vampiric condition, and learning how to tap into the energies of the resident Hellmouth for his own use. When the Sunnydale Hellmouth collapsed, Brandt knew about it almost immediately, since the collapse caused his own backyard Hellmouth to become slightly more active. Reasoning that great changes were coming, Brandt found himself unsurprised when the infamous Vampire seer, Drusilla, came calling, and asked Brandt to join her small band of powerful Vampires on their quest to uncover and awaken Varnae, the ancient Vampire-King. Sensing an opportunity to gain even more knowledge and power, Brandt accepted her offer immediately, and used his own resources to quicken the pace of their quest. While Brandt has outwardly pledged his devotion to the Order, in truth he has his own agenda and his own goals to pursue. Since he seems to fancy the idea of becoming the Lord of all Vampires, it would seem that many members of the Order do not figure into his plans, and he will likely attempt to kill them at the most advantageous opportunity.
He believes that knowledge is indeed power, and thus is always hungry for still more knowledge. This has also led him to study mystical means to boost his powers, and to that end he has learned how to tap into the energies of the Ruhigestadt Hellmouth. The vampires he sires have been shown to have different powers and abilities than the normal vampire strain. It is likely that Brandt has plans to supplant the curent Vampiric race with those of his own unique bloodline.
Brandt has a great deal of occult knowledge, and can shape-shift in a fashion similar to Dracula's own abilities. He can change his form into that of a Panther, a Raven, or choking wisps of black smoke. Worse still, Brandt has tapped into the energies of the Ruhigestadt Hellmouth, and altered his own Vampiric essence. It has been revealed that the Vampires of his bloodline can fly with surprising speed, display a more subtle Vampiric face, have the ability to mezmerize their foes, and do not die instantly when staked. It can be safely assumed that Brandt himself possesses all of these abilities, and probably to a greater degree. While Brandt is evidently a formidable fighter, the Master and Dracula both seemed to have his number at the time of their encounters. Brandt, however, has outlived the former, and had years to prepare for another encounter with the latter. He won't be easily defeated.
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Last Revised: 2007-1-11