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Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli (officially 3 May 1469 – 21 June 1527) was an Italian political philosopher, writer, diplomat, musician, playwrite, and civil servant for the Florentine Republic. Today Machiavelli is considered one of the main founders of modern political science. In June of 1498, after the ouster and execution of Girolamo Savonarola, the Great Council elected Machiavelli as Secretary to the Second Chancery of the Republic of Florence. In the Series, he is an immortal Humani under control of the Dark Elder Aten. Dee states in The Magician that Machiavelli is a master of lies, Nereus, the old man of sea, calls him the King Maker in The Necromancer and Aten, his master, a valuable tool on several occasion. Machiavelli also wrote a famous book known as The Prince.
Appearance[]
Machiavelli is a tall man with tanned skin and cold grey eyes. Machiavelli kept his snow-white hair short and had always been clean-shaven, and his tastes tended toward a more elegant style. His black suit and white silk shirt were clearly custom-made, and his deep crimson tie was woven through with threads of pure gold.
Early History[]
Machiavelli was born in Florence in 1469. He was a celebrated philosopher, writer and politician. Before being made immortal by Aten, he had a wife and family. At one point his wife Marietta accused him of losing his humanity, saying he didn't see people as individuals since he didn't treat her well and spent too much time away from home, working. They had been married in 1502, Machiavelli being in his early thirties, and over the next twenty-five years they’d had six children together. Leaving Marietta and the children had been one of the hardest things he has ever done, but he’d looked out for them for the remainder of their lives. He’d also watched them age, sicken and perish: according to Machiavelli himself, this was the dark side of the gift of immortality. When Marietta finally died, he’d attended her funeral in disguise and then visited her grave in the dead of night to pay his last respects and swear an oath that he would always honor his marriage vows and never remarry. He has kept that promise.
Appearances in the series[]
The Magician[]
Machiavelli first appeared at an auction, in which he received a call, from Dr. John Dee, stating Nicholas Flamel and the twins, Sophie and Josh Newman, would be arriving in Paris; consequently he had to leave the auction. He is also the chief of the police of Paris, and head of the DGSE (Direction Générale de la Sécurité Extérieure, or General Board of External Security, the French secret service), he is in the centre of European politics, and is described as "infinitely more dangerous and certainly more cunning than Dr. Dee" by Scathach, the Warrior. He found Flamel at the Basilica de Sacre Coeur, where Machiavelli arrived along with many police forces. He sent a Tulpa after Nicholas, Scathach, Sophie and Josh, but Sophie used her Aura to melt it (surprisingly, before she even learned to use Fire Magic), thus stopping and destroying it. Machiavelli then continued his pursuit for them throughout Paris. However, in the end he failed to catch the twins or retrieve the Codex, and was told to wait until John Dee arrived in Paris. When Dee arrived on the scene they unleashed the Nidhogg - a dragon which was trapped under the roots of Yggdrasil, and was freed when The World Tree was destroyed with Excalibur by the Dee in The Alchemyst - unintentional for all the havoc which was created by the Nidhogg as it rampaged through Paris. Machiavelli freed Dagon from his service to kill Scathach since Dagon held a grudge against the warrior for destroying thousands of Dagon's kinds. Machiavelli then spotted a police officer and asked him to give him his car and map. Then it is revealed that Machiavelli is a bad driver since he only learned to drive three-wheeled cars.
In the end Machiavelli and Dee only achieved to capture Josh Newman and manipulated him to join forces with them by promising him an Awakening of his powers. It is mentioned that John Dee wanted to awaken Josh to bring back the Dark Elders and wipe out the Humani race, but Niccolò had other intentions in mind, which are currently unknown. After Josh has been awakened by Mars Ultor in the Catacombs of Paris, Sophie, Nicholas, Joan, and Saint-Germain arrive and take away Josh.
Machiavelli and Dee tried to stop the twin from escaping to the Cathedral de Notre Dame, however, unsuccessfully since the twin's powers are very strong and underestimate for untrained user.
Powers[]
- In The Sorceress it is said that one of the first things he mastered was the creation and manipulation of a Tulpa, a creature formed from anything malleable and animated by his imagination. This marks him as being a very powerful Magician, considering the fact that even Scathach is impressed by this.
- Even though he lost a fight against Perenelle Flamel, he managed to survive and escape because their battle caused Mt. Etna to erupt. Otherwise, he has no doubt Perenelle would have killed him.
- Polyglottism: One of the many advantages of a long life is having the opportunity to travel the world and learn many languages. Niccolo Machiavelli is fluent in {{{languages known}}}.
- Immortality: Niccolo Machiavelli gained Immortality from his Dark Elder master, and therefore does not age (though he is vulnerable to injury and poison). Unless his master chooses to take his immortality away, Niccolo Machiavelli may live for thousands or millions of years.
Alchemyst
- Transmutation: With preparation, Alchemysts can transform one substance into another. Alchemysts can reshape or restructure atoms and molecules, and can even turn lead into gold.
- Transformation: Alchemysts can alter the configuration of substances on a chemical or physical level. Large objects can be easily moulded into new shapes, or transmogrified into a new allotrope or state of matter.
- Biological manipulation: Alchemysts can tap into the very essence of life, and can manipulate DNA to modify or enhance organic matter.
- Elixir of Life: Through careful research, substances capable of extending the human lifespan may be created. Some recipes - such as the Philosopher's Stone - are only temporary, but permanent elixirs may exist.
- Telekinesis: Many alchemysts can use their control over alchemy to influence objects at a distance.
Magician
- Practitioner of the Magical Arts: The powers wielded by magicians are never clearly distinguished from those of a Sorcerer or from other magic users, but known Magicians are able to create servants such as Golems and Tulpa, and are able to use Scrying.
The Sorceress[]
Machiavelli and Dee are waiting for a call from their displeased Elder masters. After much debate, both of their masters granted them second chances. Machiavelli is given the job of capturing Perenelle and releasing the monsters on the island of Alcatraz. It is reveal that Machiavelli have a secret office with bombproof casing and secured with palm and voice print technology. The room was a perfect soundproof cube. He disguised his travel as a commercial flight to go to San Francisco in the l’Espace Affaires—Business Class, in contrast to Dee who merely uses private jets.
Machiavelli's master knows that he have a secret database and asked Machiavelli to track down the reason why the twins went to London and eventually finds out that they are supposed to be trained by Gilgamesh. Billy the Kid is sent by his own master to aid Machiavelli. He fails to capture Perenelle, and she takes Machiavelli and the Kid's boat, leaving them stranded on the island.
The Necromancer[]
Both Machiavelli and Billy are trapped on Alcatraz. After they are able to escape (by using Black Hawk's speed boat) they are taken to Billy's master Queztalcoatl, also known as Kukulkan. Quetzalcoatl decide to spare Machiavelli's life since he owes Aten, Machiavelli's master, a debt for saving his life. Machiavelli is surprises to hear that his master is described as the gentlest and kindness Elder by Quetzalcoatl and that, in fact, Elders are also able to show positive emotions.
The Warlock[]
Machiavelli gets a guilty conscience due to being questioned by Billy, and decides to work against his master, Aten. Both Machiavelli and Billy break their oaths, thus becoming Waerloga. They explain this to Dee, but in the end are knocked unconscious by Virginia Dare, so that Dee can release the monsters of Alcatraz.
The Enchantress[]
By the time Machiavelli and Billy wake up after being knocked out by the effects of Dare's flute, they are confronted by Mars, Hel, and Odin. Machiavelli and Billy explain that they no longer serve their masters, and the three Elders realized that they could need all the help they can get. They team up, and continue defending themselves from the numerous monsters within the prison of Alcatraz.
Personality[]
The first time we meet Niccolo Machiavelli is in The Magician. In this book, he's shown as an equally powerful magician to Dr. John Dee. Additionally, he is often referred to as being 'the most dangerous man in Europe and even Nicholas Flamel claims him to be infinitely more of a threat than Dee is, because of the fact that he is a master manipulator and can control his emotions easily.
He keeps a lot of information about the Elders, Next Generation and immortal Humani on a confidential database, but Dee knows about the existence of this database, with information that is shown to be quite extensive. For example, when Aten requires information about those living in London, he is easily able to find out which inhabitant of London has knowledge of the elemental magics and the likeliness that they would help Flamel to train the twins.
Even though he is said to loathe Nicholas Flamel and his wife, Perenelle, we learn he has great respect for them, especially because of the fact that they escaped Dee more times than he can count. This often amuses him. Next to the respect he has, he is also said to be extremely afraid of Perenelle, because he once fought against her and lost.
He appears to be more human than Dee, having once remarked that the price of his immortality was my service, but never my soul, when referring to differences between him and Dee, and he once said to Dee during encountering Niddhog that Dee had forgot about human feelings, but he hasn't. In addition to this, in the end of the series he saves many people in San Francisco what causes him to come close to spontaneously combusting, especially by using too much of his energy to save his friend Billy the Kid.
Allies[]
- Dagon: Dagon has been a loyal servant to Machiavelli for centuries, "close to four hundred years" to be exact. He had nursed Dagon back to health and thus Dagon has given him his services in payment. Machiavelli dismissed Dagon from his duties after Dagon pleaded to him to let him chase Scathach and avenge his people, the Fish Folk. He regards Dagon as an old friend, but Dagon is not seen again after the battle with Scathach.
- Dr. John Dee: Machiavelli always despised him for his reckless methods when trying to capture Nicholas Flamel, and his lack of humanity. However, Machiavelli formed an alliance with the Magician since he thought a powerful ally could help him in the future.
- Billy the Kid: Though Machiavelli first believed him to be thoughtless and dangerously reckless, during their time on Alcatraz, Machiavelli and Billy seemed to bond, and even become allies and good friends. It is thanks to Billy that Machiavelli has a change of heart, realizing that during his long life, he's been only surviving, not living. Machiavelli then tries desperately to revive the fallen Billy, and in the end, respects him.
- Aten: Machiavelli's master who gave him immortality at the beginning of 16th century who forced him to fake his death to conceal his immortality from his family. The last time Machiavelli has spoken to his master is more than a century and a half ago before Aten called him again in The Magician to give Dee full support.
Enemies[]
- Nicholas Flamel: When Machiavelli joined the Dark Elders, he was branded as an enemy of Flamel. Despite this, Machiavelli respects Nicholas greatly.
- Perenelle Flamel: Machiavelli fears Perenelle, because she defeated him before with relative ease. He escaped with his life because their battle caused Mt. Etna to erupt. Despite his fear of her, he admires Perenelle as much as her husband. Near the end of The Enchantress, the hostility between the two decreases. In The Sorceress, Perenelle describes Machiavelli as "A brilliant mind, cunning and ruthless" .
- Scathach: Machiavelli and Scatty have been enemies for many, presumably hundreds of years. They've met about 6 times, most recently at The Battle of Stalingrad in 1942. Machiavelli respects her for her incredible skills.
Trivia[]
- Machiavelli's aura smells like rattlesnakes. Rattlesnakes smell like snakes (musky and reptilian) and cucumbers.
- Michael Scott has confirmed that Machiavelli is the titular character of The Warlock.