Bios:
Name: Henrick Cassel, Grandmaster
Age: 74
Gender: Male
Appearance:
Personality: Like the chess grandmaster he once was, Henrick is a man who does not take pointless risks, who plans out every move ahead of time, and is always four steps ahead of the competition. His survival, and his anonymity, have always been paramount, and on the rare occasions anyone has come close he has willingly abandoned even the most elaborate plans to ensure his survival.
Despite his chosen profession, he is not a bad man, and is an advocate of the ends justify the means, although what his final mission may be remains a mystery to all but himself.
Skills: Henrick Cassel is an ex-Chess Grandmaster, fluent in several languages, including Russian, Chinese and German among others. He also has something of a talent for elaborate and complex plans, near impossible for others to interpret before it is too late.
Abilities: One of the reasons for the Grandmaster’s continued freedom is his gift, or curse, depending on whom you ask. Or would ask, if anyone else actually knew. Henrick jealously guards the knowledge of his ability, a rare one indeed in this world of demi-gods. He can see the future. It is not an accurate ability, he cannot control what he see’s and is instead inflicted with visions. Years of experience have allowed him to understand and interpret many of these visions, and they drive many of his own personal machinations, and frequently allow him to escape before threats have even been otherwise perceived.
Equipment:
Brief Backstory: Henrick Cassel was born in Germany shortly after the beginning of World War 2, and at some time during the Russian advance on Berlin he was left orphaned. Though there was little in the way of a system put in place for orphans in the chaos after the war, somehow he survived, and was taken in by a couple who had lost their son to the war. They fled to western Germany, and he was raised as their own. His adoptive father taught him chess, and the young Henrick proved to have a flair for the game, and more than that, was a prodigy.
He became a grandmaster at the then record breaking age of fourteen. Though he continued to play, slowly but surely his career as a chess player declined, more through choice than otherwise, and he moved to America, where he met his wife, Maria, and settled down into a relatively average life, two kids, a car, no dogs, thanks to his allergies. It was only shortly after this time that he realised that his frequent bad dreams were more than that, they were glimpses of the future, confused, shadowy, but stories that would come to pass nonetheless.
It was around this time that his path took a darker turn, obsessed with the idea that the future was not set, so far, he has found no evidence of this. Despite his obsession, he has managed to keep his criminal career and his personal life separate, partially through never getting caught, and is currently living out life as a happily married, retired man with grown children and grandchildren.
He is known of by both the IFJ, and The Secret Council, both as a solo villain, but also occasionally acting on a contractual basis for other villainous organisations, though only when it suits his purposes. He is less well known by the rest of the world, partially because of his talent for embarrassing both of them and escaping unscathed, but also because they are still not sure that he actually exists. Being only a shadowy mastermind behind his plans, and never going out in the field.
It seems that all of his plans are leading up to something, but what it could be no one knows, of course he is very unhappy, though not surprised, at the sudden interest Greenfield has developed on an international scale.