Sage of Red Faith

Sage of Red Faith
General information
Path	Unknown, involves Blood Shadow
Rank	Sage
Faction	Redmoon Hall
First Appearance	Skysworn
Family
Home	Unknown

Brief

This ancient skeleton doesn’t use his birth name, probably doesn’t even remember it, which is something else he shares with Subject One. The Sage of Red Faith or The Blood Sage is the founder and leader of the Dreadgod cult that follows The Bleeding Phoenix, feeding off the misery and carnage it causes. His cult is named Redmoon Hall. Red Faith is best known for developing techniques for gathering power from Blood Shadows, and for cloning his own Blood Shadow. Before founding the Redmoon Hall cult, he researched Dreadbeasts and spirits.

Descriptions

Psychotic. Obsessed. Intense. Bizarre. Freaky. Frightening. Egregiously unconscionable. Stalker tendencies towards Yerin and Ruby. See Blood Shadow.
The Sage of Red Faith or the Blood Sage is a skinny white scarecrow, because he feeds himself to his clone, his Blood Shadow. He is one of the oldest Sages on Cradle. He’s crafty and sly and obsessively driven. He is without conscience, willing to sacrifice the entire world for his research into Blood Shadows. His speech patterns are guttural although he can express coherent thoughts if he desires (Wintersteel, ch 6)

Red Faith, as seen by Min Shuei, the Winter Sage:
The Blood Sage, founder of the Bleeding Phoenix’s cult, looked as though he had no blood in him at all. His skin was as pure white as his hair, which was so long that it reached down to his bare feet. His black-and-red clothes were tight enough to reveal his skeletal frame, and lines of red paint ran down his cheeks from both eyes like tears. He perched on the windowsill, hunched like a monkey, chewing on his thumbnail and staring at her with unnerving intensity. She felt nothing but disgust for this creature. At some point in the past, he was supposed to have been an accomplished researcher, pioneering investigation into dreadbeasts and the nature of spirits.
(—Wintersteel, ch 6)

His Blood Shadow

The Herald of Redmoon Hall

Red Faith carefully fed and nurtured his Blood Shadow. He used this sustenance as a carrot, to control it. When it was strong enough, it escaped and advanced to Herald. It appropriated the name Redmoon. Then it returned to the Sage. So now Red Faith’s clone is an arrogant sot at Herald rank, and not loyal to the Sage.

The Herald of Redmoon Hall had developed a disastrous ego that fully blinded himself to practicality. For instance, the Herald insisted on being referred to as “Redmoon.” How needlessly confusing.” (Reaper, chapter 6)

The Sage's Blood Shadow is said to be an exact copy of himself, in reverse. The Herald is red where the Sage is white. He’s worth an extra ally in battle. He created this by feeding blood to his Shadow, as well as his own life madra. It has all the same skills as himself, recreated with blood madra. This is said to be the most powerful and most dangerous use of the Blood Shadow, as it is not fully under one's control, but cooperating because of the provided food.

Red Faith to Yerin: “In my youth, I devised a method to fuse with my Blood Shadow instead of my own Remnant to grant me the power of a Herald. When I became a Sage, as I knew I would, I could then ascend to Monarch as easily as slipping on a new robe.” His face contorted like it was being pulled in three different directions. “But the treachery and selfishness of my Shadow knew no bounds. It fled from me until it had become a Herald in its own right, so we could no longer become one. “Hear me, girl: feed your Shadow, but do not trust it. Use this aura for its nourishment that it may become a potent weapon, but your will must remain dominant. And do not fuse with it until you become a Sage. Your will is not developed enough, so the blending will result in an imperfect fusion when your Shadow fights you.” (Wintersteel, ch 18)

The Sage is obsessed with Yerin and her Blood Shadow.

Stalking Yerin

Mine

The Blood Sage ended with, “I have the right to train Yerin Arelius.
She has cultivated her Blood Shadow with a technique I created myself.
She is, in a sense, my disciple.”

-Wintersteel, ch 6

He is fascinated by Yerin and her Blood Shadow Ruby. He insists on training her. He attacked the Winter Sage, Min Shuei, for the right to do so. He is completely obsessive. It wouldn’t be surprising if he tries to kidnap her. Yerin, for her part, wants nothing to do with him.

He took one step closer to Northstrider, hopping from one foot to the other like a bird. “Yerin Arelius has laid the foundation for something extraordinary. This could be a breakthrough, not just in our understanding of the Phoenix and Blood Shadow advancement, but in how we all reach Monarch. We have an opportunity here to revolutionize the sacred arts, and I know you are not the sort of fool to let politics blind you to that chance.” Northstrider nodded once. Then he punched the Blood Sage. (Wintersteel chapter 6)