Bartholomew

Bartholomew is a skull-headed Hero of the Sect of Hedon who appears to engineer the Church's attack on Daneel Anivron. The later account from the Head of the Order reveals that his Church alignment was an authorized infiltration, though his actions still expose Daneel and others to far greater harm than intended. (Chapters 726–759)

Biography

A covert operation nearly becomes treason

Born in an Axelorian graveyard and abused by his father, Bartholomew grows fascinated with bones and death. A Sect of Hedon emissary finds him at fifteen, and he schemes his way through the sect, discovers a body-centered Champion Path, and later secures elevation to Hero through the Willstone when no stronger candidate is available. In the present, he distracts the Head and coordinates resentful Heroes so the Mad Doctor can test and torture Daneel. Bartholomew believes the operation will earn Church trust and accepts future backlash as the price of advancement. (Chapters 726–728)

Rayen lures Bartholomew into an underground trap and attacks inside a darkness domain. Daneel's plan leaves Bartholomew alive but severely injured, allowing the High Council to present the incident as a warning against treason and use his information to capture the real Church infiltrator. The public account calls Bartholomew a Church ally, but the Head later tells Daneel that Bartholomew acted on his orders to enter the Church as an Angarian spy and apologizes for trusting him. His latest confirmed status is alive after near-fatal injuries; the chapters do not show his recovery or trial. (Chapters 728–733 and 758–759)

Appearance and personality

Bartholomew has a skull in place of an ordinary head, with light glowing more intensely in its eye sockets when he exerts power. Before surrendering his face to his Path, he had a mousy appearance, sunken nose, and unusually large lips; he also wore collected bones around his neck. He is morbid, solitary, ambitious, manipulative, and willing to endure pain for a long-term goal. (Chapters 727–728)

Abilities and power

Bartholomew is a Hero-level Mage whose Path and special constitution focus on bodily power and durability. He can cast formations rapidly, map movement through elementary particles when deprived of sight, create clones, and withstand attacks that would kill many Heroes. His skull-headed transformation embodies the Path he recognized at Champion. Durability is not invulnerability: Rayen's domain removes vision, camouflage defeats Bartholomew's particle mapping, and the combined ambush leaves him comatose with only a slim risk of death. (Chapters 727–731)

His Hero status comes through the Willstone rather than a naturally completed breakthrough. The process still requires a viable candidate and can fail, but Bartholomew manipulates timing so he is selected when Angaria's Hero count is dangerously low. This gives him Hero power without placing his Path among the absolute top tier, a distinction reflected in his dependence on preparation and formations against other Heroes. (Chapter 727)

Relationships

• Head of the Order: The Head authorizes Bartholomew to penetrate the Church, then admits that trusting him caused Daneel unacceptable harm. The public cover treats Bartholomew as a traitor even though the underlying mission was sanctioned. (Chapters 726–733 and 758–759)
• Daneel Anivron: Bartholomew enables the Mad Doctor's assault and expects the king to be broken. Daneel responds by arranging the trap that nearly kills him and later learns that the operation was nominally meant to serve Angaria. (Chapters 726–733 and 758–759)
• Rayen: Rayen deceives Bartholomew, traps him in the darkness domain, and becomes the immediate instrument of Daneel's revenge. (Chapters 727–729)

Items

• Willstone: The Angarian mechanism used to grant Bartholomew Hero power when the continent needs another Hero and he has manipulated himself into being the available candidate. (Chapter 727)
• Display and formation trinkets: Bartholomew monitors the Mad Doctor's attack and controls the formations that isolate the Head, but no unique named personal Artefact is established. (Chapters 726–728)