Brand Master Profile

*'''Name:''' Darien Brand (for now. True name unknown.)
*'''Age:''' 32
*'''Sex:''' Male
*'''Servant:''' Aeneas the True
*'''Appearance:''' [[http://safebooru.org//images/942/a7a39c7d1ea852fb90ad9386fefdc62cffb87227.jpg?948191 "Oh, don't worry, ma'am. Just my little pets, you'll be surprised what they can do. Sign here, please."]]
*'''Brief Background:''' He sells things. Magical things. A Heretic Mage on the run from the Mage's Association for completely violating the laws of secrecy, Darien first incurred the Clock Tower's ire about twelve years ago, when he was linked to the mysterious resurfacing of various valuable Mystic Codes, each in the hands of a Mage that had conveniently lost their own. He eluded their grasp by instantly changing his identity and going underground, where he has remained since. He never studied under the Association, instead developing his talents separately till he was able to work as a one-man black market, making secret and completely illegal deals between Mage and non-Mage alike. His specialty is 'fair trade' - he takes a certain valuable item no longer needed by someone for a small fee, switches it with someone else's valuable item for a small fee, and then takes an even larger fee for complete secrecy. In extreme cases, he swaps magical items for obscene amounts of money - even completely mundane people are fair game. If they get eliminated afterwards, well, they should have been more careful.  Most people only hear of him when they need him. How he's managed to survive being assassinated by the Church or the Association for this long is a mystery.
*'''Personality Blurb:''' A bit of a ladies' man, suave, mysterious and cool despite the fact that he almost always has someone trying to kill him. He's always out to make a profit, and revels in his wealth with satisfaction. He's actually quite a affable guy on the outside, but the instant he sees an opportunity to grab some cash, he'll do it, morals be damned. He isn't a swindler, however -  he always gives people their money's worth, and only sells people what they need. At least, that's how he sees it. The reality is very different. Even when blackmailing the socks of a client, he is completely calm and perfectly charming, using his Mystic Eyes of Whisper to casually suggest various reasons why they should follow his orders. He can be completely ruthless, however, as his goals are entirely selfish. He has no problem with letting others take the fall for his misdeeds, and while he has a reputation to uphold, he always makes his promises with fingers crossed. Often uses Contracts as binding agreements, then finds some deliberate loophole to get away scot-free. Naturally, he also revels in modern technology, being a Heretic Mage anyway. Why he happens to be in the Grail War is another mystery.
*'''Skills/Abilities:'''
**''Origin: Snake''
***Fittingly, this Origin is an apt description of both his personality and Magecraft. He has gained an almost uncanny empathy with snakes, always having his two pet vipers coiled somewhere around him at some point. This extends to his body, which he has made completely immune to poison as an extension of his specialist Magecraft.
**''Mystic Eyes of Whisper:''
*** He bought them, of course. Having had his ocular Magic Circuits altered in an extremely expensive procedure, he then killed the person who performed the operation so he wouldn't get given away. And took his money back. These Eyes allow him to make simple suggestions with speech and eye contact, and he has little problem with keeping them on permanently. The Whispers are extremely subtle, more so than other Mystic Eyes - however, they can be dispelled through clearing the Magic Circuits with prana. Non-Mages have only their willpower to rely on.
**''Venom Synthesis:''
***It is unknown what his true family lineage or Crest is. However, he has somehow managed to turn his own body into a toxins factory through a combination of self-modification, alchemy, his Elemental Affinity of Water and his Origin, letting him synthesise the venom of any snake on the planet. This venom, once produced, can be secreted through any pore and in any fluid - sweat, blood and tears included. He can deliver them directly into the target's bloodstream with a light brush of the hand or coat objects with them, turning even the most boring objects into deadly weapons. Naturally, he is completely immune to these toxins. However, this is subject to two limitations - magical healing is sufficient to cure it (mostly), as is the appropriate mundane antivenin. Hospitals will have no problem with the more common ones; exotic poisons take longer to produce and are thus rarer. As he is still a modern Mage, he possesses limited hand-to-hand combat ability. This mostly revolves around touching the opponent as soon as possible. He is little match for most people in direct combat, however - his way involves subtlety.  And cheating.
*'''Equipment/Stuff:''' Lots of money. All the stuff that comes with having lots of money.
*'''Location:''' An extremely lavish apartment penthouse in the center of town.  By lavish, I mean very lavish. Close to all the shops, too.