About

Field	Information
Name	Vincent Vetus
Aliases	Vetus / the Owl
Born	Before 1800; exact year TBC
Age	TBC
Gender	Male
Race / Nature	Human founder with a broken Gate; later transmitted soul intelligence
Origin	Early mage society
Residence	Successive descendants, including Selene and Neo
Colour	TBC
Powers	Artefact engineering / Domains / Soul Transmission / no native Magic Operation
Threat Level	★★★★★ through preparation, artefacts and long-term plan
Role	Founding inventor and ultimate architect of the Vetus succession
Association	The Founding Four / House Vetus
Titles	Founding inventor; the Owl
Occupation	Inventor, engineer and creator of Domains
Family	Vetus lineage; inhabits Selene and later Neo
Side	Founder-era neutral; later primary antagonist of AOC
Status	Active in 2045 through Neo Vetus

Vincent Vetus is one of the Founding Four, the inventor of most known Legendary artefacts, creator of puzzle Domains and maker of the artificial spirit Astaroth. He possesses Magic Perception but no Magic Operation, compensating for a broken Gate through engineering.

His greatest forbidden invention is Soul Transmission. By moving his identity through descendants, Vincent survives into Selene and then Neo. His eventual objective is to absorb the Ley Lines and become a godlike magical intelligence.

Plot

Founder And Inventor

Vetus helps found Arcaneum and becomes the symbolic patron of curiosity and intelligence. A broken Gate denies him Magic Operation, but not Magic Perception or understanding. He builds machinery and artefacts that compensate for the missing function.

His Legendary creations include the Book Of Memories, Map Of Veracity, Staff Of Vetus, Key Of Requirement and Mirror Of Deflection. He also creates Domains: structured magical spaces whose puzzles test prospective owners.

Astaroth And Cursed-Magic Research

Vetus creates Astaroth, an artificial spirit of immense potential. He is initially curious when Blight proposes cursed magic and takes part in research behind the other founders’ backs, but becomes alienated as Blight’s work radicalises. His responsibility for what happens to Astaroth after creation remains an important stain on the founder legacy.

Soul Transmission

Vetus develops Soul Transmission and uses his descendants as a route across generations. In the modern story he inhabits Selene, the Moon. After Selene becomes Neo’s mother and dies, the transmission continues into Neo.

2045

Neo enters the reopened Archive as V’s best friend and rival. The Vetus intelligence kills Black, copies or steals his soul information and prevents Black’s identity from persisting. This acquisition advances Vincent’s larger plan to absorb the Ley Lines.

Role

Thematic Function

Vetus is the dangerous edge of curiosity: a mind that treats bodies, creatures and history as solvable mechanisms. His inability to cast makes him the setting’s greatest technologist; his refusal to accept mortality turns that ingenuity into violation.

Powerset

Vincent lacks native Magic Operation and cannot cast conventionally through his own Gate. His power comes from:

Exceptional Magic Perception and theoretical understanding.
Legendary artefact design and construction.
Creation of Domains and adaptive tests.
Artificial-life engineering, including Astaroth.
Soul Transmission, which carries identity and knowledge through descendants.

The precise mechanism by which he intends to absorb the Ley Lines remains in development.

Appearance And Personality

Appearance

Founder-era appearance TBC. In later eras he operates through Selene and Neo rather than an original body.

Personality

Curious, daring, playful in the design of puzzles and profoundly willing to instrumentalise people. His neutrality during the founders’ dispute reflects intellectual appetite more than moral restraint.

Affiliates

Subject	Connection
Asta	Artificial spirit he created.
Selene Vetus	Descendant and later vessel.
Neo Vetus	Descendant and active 2045 vessel.
Benedict Blight	Founder whose research initially attracted his curiosity.
Falkenrath Black	Source of soul information stolen through Neo in 2045.

Personal Timeline

Date	Event
Before 1800	Helps found mage society; creates artefacts, Domains and Astaroth.
Founder era onward	Develops and uses Soul Transmission through his descendants.
2024–before 2045	Operates through Selene, then transfers into Neo after her death.
2045	Acts through Neo at the Archive reopening and takes Black’s soul information.

Vincent Vetus — Full Canon