Hanged Man

Biodata

Power Progression

Background

Alger was one of the Tarot Club’s first two known members alongside Justice. From the Club’s early gatherings, he provided information on the Aurora Order and pursued news of the pirate general Qilangos, establishing himself as the group’s principal connection to maritime affairs 40 106 194.

Although he presents himself as a pirate who travels the seas, Alger is an outer operative of the Church of Storms, handling work the Church cannot openly conduct. His voyages limit how quickly he receives news from Backlund, but also give him access to pirate markets, assemblies, rare materials, and intelligence networks 373 561.

His Church obligations can take precedence over private arrangements with fellow Tarot Club members. When Klein sought passage to the God War Ruins for his advancement ritual, Alger could not accept because the Church had assigned him to attend the Pirate Assembly and gather intelligence 540.

The Church later urgently recalls him from sea to Bayam to receive a new assignment from the Sea King. Alger returns to the Lord of Storms’ cathedral after receiving the summons two days earlier 862.

Appearance

Above the Gray Fog, Alger appears as a blue-haired man. His Church of Storms clerical clothing has been recognizable enough to worry him that fellow Tarot Club members could infer his background 40 474.

• Blue hair 40
• Often presents himself with a composed, inscrutable bearing 561
• Has worn Church of Storms clergy attire beneath the Gray Fog’s concealment 474
• Appears rugged and reserved to Leonard during the latter’s early assessment of the Tarot Club 836

Personality

Alger is calculating, cautious, and highly attentive to leverage. He routinely studies other members’ reactions, withholds information until he understands a situation, and turns opportunities into practical profit. When Luther offered a large collection of Beyonder Characteristics, Alger immediately proposed commissions, Artisan processing, and a structured distribution arrangement 277 280.

His pragmatism does not prevent concern for others. He strongly urged Derrick to avoid a dangerous City of Silver expedition, though he delivered that advice through manipulation rather than direct honesty. He also offers sharp political analysis, warning Justice that the upper class may unite against an outside threat regardless of internal rivalries 195.

Alger often conceals helpful intentions behind a self-interested explanation. At the Pirate Assembly, he protected Philia from a swindler by falsely claiming that the man had cheated one of his own sailors at an earlier assembly. This gave him a plausible reason to intervene without appearing openly altruistic 561.

He is conscious of his standing within the Tarot Club. Although he wanted to avoid involvement in Luther and World’s dangerous Bayam operation, he restrained his objections because appearing weak might lower their assessment of him 494. His appetite for information likewise persists beneath his advisory role: when Derrick discussed the former Chief’s failed advancement, Alger offered advice in exchange for further details about the mausoleum, a maneuver Audrey recognized 789.

Access to hidden knowledge is itself a source of satisfaction for Alger. After learning of Mr. Fool’s position toward the Blood God, he trembles with excitement at understanding secrets of such importance, enjoying the sensation of secretly controlling the world. Audrey privately regards his fascination with power struggles as unhealthy 919.

Abilities & Skills

Sailor Pathway

Alger is a mid-Sequence Sailor Pathway Beyonder who progressed from Wind-blessed to Ocean Songster 405 706.

• Can wield wind-based Beyonder powers to intimidate and overwhelm weaker opponents 561.
• Possesses extensive practical knowledge of maritime dangers, pirate politics, and sea-borne Beyonder materials 277 373.
• Uses his Church and pirate connections to gather intelligence at events such as the Pirate Assembly 561.
• Can produce a wind blade, which he uses while forcing a fraudulent stallholder to return Philia’s money 561.

Intelligence Analysis

Alger excels at identifying motives, factional interests, and hidden risks.

• Correctly interprets the political consequences of violence against Backlund’s elite 195.
• Recognizes the implications of Kalvetua’s fall and deliberately guides the Tarot Club toward realizing that Mr. Fool has assumed the Sea God’s authority 476.
• Advises Luther to investigate the motive behind a suspected mole rather than only searching for the culprit’s identity 667.
• Interprets the escalating assassination attempts against Duke Negan as evidence of a determined mastermind with a clear objective and increasingly extensive resources, rather than merely ordinary political rivalry 337.
• Helps devise a way for Derrick to draw Colin Iliad’s attention to the residual aura of Ouroboros behind a repeating cycle of fate 336.
• Suspects that Luther’s attack on a military transport ship has a purpose beyond financial gain and plans to identify the vessel through his intelligence channels 753.
• His benefit-centered analytical approach becomes a model Klein explicitly uses when discussing the Evernight Goddess’s possible objectives with Luther 834.
• Explains that Derrick and Lovia represent competing sources of hope for the City of Silver, giving Colin a practical reason to protect Derrick despite his abnormalities 281.
• Warns Derrick about the danger Lovia could pose while his consciousness is attending the Tarot Club, but recognizes that Colin would not permit her to act freely against him 520.
• Distinguishes Lovia’s genuine love for her husband and desire to improve the City of Silver from the distortion of her beliefs under the True Creator’s influence 665.
• Reports wartime Church priorities and the movements of a powerful Aurora Order fleet, maintaining the Club’s access to maritime intelligence 919 962.

Brokerage and Negotiation

Alger functions as a key broker within the Tarot Club’s growing trade network.

• Arranges the sale and Artisan processing of Luther’s Beyonder Characteristics for a commission 280 306.
• Sold a Judge-derived Beyonder Item and used the proceeds to purchase the Wind-blessed formula and Characteristic 405.
• Brokers potion materials and Characteristics for other members, including Fors, Emlyn, and Audrey 277 517 706.
• Negotiates an initial 10% commission for selling Luther’s Characteristics; their Artisan-processing arrangement gives him one-eighth of the profits after Artisan fees are deducted, with finished items offered to Tarot Club members first 280.
• Facilitates an exchange in which Fors pays him while he supplies Derrick with the Solar High Priest formula, with differences in value settled through other Beyonder materials. He also obtains information about the City of Silver’s common monsters and corresponding materials 373.
• Understands the limits of his Artisan contact, confirming that a Sequence 6 Artisan cannot safely process Demigod-level Beyonder materials 477.
• Offers to negotiate for a Sanguine Baron Characteristic for Emlyn, estimating its price at 4,000–5,000 pounds 516.
• Agrees to help sell valuable artifacts taken during Luther’s attack on a military transport ship 753.
• Estimates that suitable Sequence 5 mystical items for Leonard would cost approximately 9,000–12,000 pounds 838.
• Obtains the Hallucinatory Wind Chime Tree fruit Audrey needs for her advancement to Hypnotist 706 762.
• Agrees to search for information about Luther’s Sequence 2 potion formula, for which Luther offers money, Characteristics, secret knowledge, or a favor 877.

His willingness to broker goods is tempered by operational risk. He refuses to handle two large crates of Luther’s valuables because their conspicuous bulk and maritime provenance could allow the authorities to trace the fencing operation back to him 475. He also declines to collect Kircheis’s bounty while he is away sailing, despite Luther’s request 435.

Relationships

• Mr. Fool / Klein Moretti — A founding Tarot Club member who carefully interprets and supports the Fool’s intentions, particularly in revealing the Sea God’s authority 40 476. During the Pirate Assembly catastrophe, Alger prays for help and asks the Fool to notify Temperance that his crew is also endangered 570. Learning that Amon attempted to reach the gathering through Derrick deepens his awe and trust in Mr. Fool, whom he credits with sending an Angel to eliminate Amon’s host 224.
• Luther / Temperance — Initially suspicious of Luther’s apparent Secrets Suppliant aura, Alger becomes his broker and business partner while remaining wary of his overwhelming strength 277 280 405. He supplies coastal defense information for the Bayam raid and receives a share of the Governor’s safe money as compensation 516. He later agrees to assist with selling artifacts from Luther’s military-ship raid while privately questioning its true purpose 753. Alger also agrees to seek clues about Luther’s Sequence 2 potion formula and is subsequently asked to watch for unusual activity as the Churches respond to the Blood God’s preaching 877 919.
• Derrick Berg / Sun — Acts as a harsh, manipulative mentor; Alger tries to protect Derrick from lethal risks in the City of Silver and continues advising him on political survival 195 280. His proposed tactic of exhausting Spirituality and feigning mild loss of control allows Derrick to leave an expedition team, although it results in confinement and interrogation 210. He helps Derrick navigate the repeating fate incident and later uses an offer of advice to obtain information about the former Chief’s mausoleum 336 789. His guidance also encourages Derrick to build friendships and a network of contacts, and helps him adopt a more nuanced understanding of Lovia’s motives 351 665 806.
• Audrey Hall / Justice — Fellow original Tarot Club member. Alger offers her political perspectives, brokers materials, and recognizes her growing perceptiveness 194 195 706. He supplies the Hallucinatory Wind Chime Tree fruit she uses to advance to Sequence 6 Hypnotist 762.
• Klein / World — Maintains a cautious working relationship with World, especially during the Bayam operation; Alger repeatedly fears that Klein and Luther’s plans will create another major disturbance 494 517. World offers him a Characteristic obtained from an elven archer who died after escaping the world inside a book 626. The two also survive an encounter on an island containing a ruined church, which subsequently vanishes 755.
• Cattleya / Hermit — Identifies her as Admiral of Stars and notes her concern for Queen Mystic as a potential vulnerability 473 586. He is alarmed by her ability to scrutinize members through the Gray Fog and asks the Fool to decide how to address the intrusion 474. When her disclosure of Club information to Bernadette is exposed, Alger concludes that their publicly rumored estrangement does not reflect their actual relationship 583.
• Philia — Briefly assists Luther’s inexperienced sailor at the Pirate Assembly, protecting him from a swindler and giving practical advice 561.
• Emlyn White / Moon — Helps him seek advancement resources, offering access to a Sanguine Baron Characteristic and attending the Pirate Assembly partly to obtain a Sequence 6 Apothecary-pathway Characteristic for him 516 517 561.
• Leonard Mitchell / Star — Provides market guidance when the newcomer seeks a mystical item to improve his direct attacks, estimating the cost of suitable Sequence 5 equipment 838.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Early Tarot Club Operations

Alger supplies information on the Aurora Order, tracks Qilangos, and becomes the Club’s principal maritime contact. He also advises Derrick on avoiding Elder Lovia’s expedition, prioritizing the boy’s survival over straightforward honesty 40 106 195.

Derrick follows Alger’s advice to exhaust his Spirituality and pretend to show mild signs of losing control. The tactic removes him from the exploration team but leads to his imprisonment, where he encounters the elderly survivor of an expedition involving Amon 210.

When Derrick subsequently reports that members of Lovia’s returning expedition have changed in personality, Alger immediately identifies the changes as corruption by the True Creator. The revelation that Amon tried to infiltrate the gathering through Derrick also strengthens Alger’s faith in Mr. Fool’s protection 224.

Temperance’s Arrival and the Trade Network

When Temperance joins the Tarot Club, Alger suspects that Luther may be a Rose Bishop loyal to the True Creator and conceals his own Wind-blessed formula search until he can judge the newcomer 277. After Luther reveals a vast stockpile of Characteristics taken from an Aurora Order stronghold, Alger becomes his broker, arranging sales and Artisan commissions 279 280 306.

Alger also reports the disappearance of native populations from maritime islands. Luther connects the news to human trafficking and asks him to watch for further clues 308. During another gathering, Alger helps translate Luther’s explanation of a fate cycle into a practical plan for Derrick to alert his Chief and remove the influence of Ouroboros’s residual aura 336.

The Judge-derived item becomes a significant part of their business arrangement. Alger presents the completed black gavel, explaining its Prohibitions, punishments, intimidating presence, and tendency to make its holder cold and inhumanly rule-bound. After Audrey declines to buy it, Luther instructs Alger to find another buyer and return 3,500 pounds, allowing him to keep any excess 372.

Advancement to Wind-blessed

Alger sells the Judge-derived item for enough money to secure the Wind-blessed formula and Characteristic from Luther. Luther transfers the main ingredient through a ritual, and Alger later completes his Sequence 6 advancement 405 410 434.

Their agreed price for the formula and Characteristic is 8,000 pounds 405. The transferred Characteristic originates from a Wind-blessed soul previously Grazed by Mr. A 410. By the later Bayam aftermath, Alger has not yet completely digested his Wind-blessed potion and is consequently less pressed to obtain immediate advancement funds 517.

Bayam Operation and Its Aftermath

World recommends Alger as an adviser when he and Luther plan an operation involving the Governor’s Mansion in Bayam. Alger’s knowledge of the Church of Storms and local conditions is valuable because the city contains two known Sequence 4 Demigods and the Sequence 3 Sea King Jahn Kottman 493 494.

His intelligence comes partly from a Church assignment to monitor MI9 in Bayam. In the course of that work, he obtains military deployment maps, internal passwords, personnel movements, and other information. He gives these materials to Luther and asks to be notified before the operation so he can make his own preparations 495.

Alger provides a coastal defense map and passwords that help the operation proceed. During the resulting unrest, he arranges to contain local resistance activity, reasoning that this can earn Church rewards, prevent futile deaths among the Sea God’s believers, and keep him away from a direct encounter with the Blood Bishop 500 516.

Luther later pays him a substantial share of the money taken from the Governor’s safe as compensation for his assistance 516. Despite benefiting from the raid, Alger remains alarmed by the scale of the confrontation and Jahn Kottman’s subsequent fury. He requests a private conversation with World and impatiently asks when he intends to leave Bayam 517.

Maritime Affairs and the Pirate Assembly

Alger helps arrange a ship for Luther through Mr. Fool’s intermediary role, while taking a 300-pound commission for the service 425. He personally seeks a sailing ship capable of carrying approximately ten people at a secluded fishery in Bayam. The purchased vessel is subsequently transported through the Gray Fog to Luther and Anderson at the God War Ruins 426 427. At the Pirate Assembly, he gathers intelligence for the Church of Storms, encounters Luther’s sailor Philia, and becomes alarmed by Agalito’s unprecedented personal appearance 561. After the Assembly’s catastrophe, he conceals details of Temperance’s involvement while reporting the King of Immortality’s death and the rise of a new King of Blood 586.

Before the Assembly, Alger gives Klein its date and location but declines to transport him to the God War Ruins because of his Church assignment 540. His attendance also serves the practical goal of finding a Sequence 6 Apothecary-pathway Characteristic for Emlyn 561.

When the Assembly becomes a disaster, Alger reports the betrayal of the Admiral of Blood and the King of Immortality, as well as the descent of Suah, in a prayer to Mr. Fool. He specifically warns that Temperance’s fleet is present without its captain and asks the Fool to inform Luther that his crew is in danger. The warning reaches Luther as Anderson also activates his emergency talisman 570.

Alger’s later account of the catastrophe includes Suah’s severe injuries, but he deliberately leaves the battle’s details vague because Temperance’s powerful trump card was involved 586.

Later Tarot Club Adviser

After advancing to Ocean Songster, Alger continues brokering materials for the Club and provides Luther with an investigative framework for examining a suspected mole’s motive, purpose, and potential gain from murder 706 667.

His advice follows an initial misunderstanding in which members believe Luther is suggesting that the Tarot Club itself contains a mole. Alger first suspects that Hermit may have again mishandled sensitive information, then participates in the discussion after Luther clarifies that he means another organization 666 667.

Alger also continues reporting significant maritime developments, including Gehrman Sparrow’s public killing of Admiral of Blood Senor 628.

Before his advancement, World offers Alger a Characteristic left by an elven archer who had been trapped within a book world. The archer and World’s other companions escaped, but died immediately afterward because their lifespans had already been exhausted 626.

Alger’s mentorship of Derrick extends beyond immediate survival. After Luther explains that Lovia’s husband willingly sacrificed himself to help her advance and protect the City of Silver, Alger cautions Derrick against treating her motives as wholly false: genuine love and a desire to save the city can coexist with beliefs twisted by the True Creator 665. He also urges Derrick to make more friends, advice Derrick continues trying to follow while practicing his Notary abilities 806.

At the gathering where Audrey notices signs of his Ocean Songster advancement, Alger announces that he has a lead on the Hallucinatory Wind Chime Tree fruit she needs. Audrey later obtains the fruit from him and uses it to advance to Hypnotist 706 762.

Vanished Island and Military Spoils

Following Luther’s raid on a military transport ship, Alger agrees to seek buyers for its valuable artifacts. Privately, he plans to investigate which ship was attacked because he doubts that Luther acted merely to obtain money 753.

Alger and World later describe their experience on an island containing a ruined church and a mural. A long sigh emanates from deeper within the site, and the island vanishes without warning after their escape. Alger tells Luther that they might have disappeared with it had they reacted more slowly 755.

During the original encounter, World grabs Alger’s arm and immediately uses Travel to take them off the island after the sigh sounds 731. The mural subsequently becomes central to the Club’s discussion of the Kings of Angels’ betrayal and devouring of the Creator. Luther suspects that Adam had been inside the ruined church, while Klein warns the members not to recall the painting 755.

The Former Chief’s Mausoleum and Star’s Equipment

When Derrick reports that the City of Silver’s former Chief has apparently failed his advancement and lost control, Alger asks what the city intends to do. Derrick explains that the Council will probably open the mausoleum, eliminate the former Chief, and recover his precious Sequence 3 Characteristic. Alger offers further advice in return for more information, using Derrick’s trust to learn additional details about the tomb 789.

At a later gathering, the newly joined Star seeks a powerful mystical item to strengthen his direct attacks. Alger supplies a market estimate of 9,000–12,000 pounds for suitable Sequence 5 items before Temperance offers equipment taken from MI9 personnel 838.

Return to Bayam and Wartime Intelligence

While sailing, Alger receives an urgent Church message ordering him back to Bayam for a new assignment. Two days later, he arrives at the Lord of Storms’ cathedral, where a priest confirms that the Sea King has summoned other personnel as well 862.

At a subsequent Tarot Club gathering, Alger agrees to seek clues about the Sequence 2 potion formula Luther needs. Luther offers several forms of payment, including money, Beyonder Characteristics, secret knowledge, and a favor 877.

When Luther confirms that he personally ordered his followers to preach the Blood God’s name, Mr. Fool states that the Blood God and the True Creator are opposed. Alger and the other members interpret this as tacit permission for Luther’s faith. In the discussion of official responses, Alger reports that the Church of Storms is focused on the Feysac fleet, while Xio supplies information about MI9’s investigation. Luther asks Alger, Xio, and Leonard to watch for unusual activity and contact him 919.

Later, amid reports of collective sacrifices among the True Creator’s worshippers, Alger describes an Aurora Order fleet bearing blood-red emblems. It has routed Loen and Feysac ships before sailing east toward dangerous waters. Luther suspects that its destination is the True Creator’s sanctuary in the Forsaken Land of the Gods and asks Derrick whether its members have appeared at the Giant King’s Court 962.