Kaulder is the titular protagonist of 2015 film, The Last Witch Hunter.
Prior to the events of the film, he was the last Witch Hunter for the Order of the Axe and Cross, the order formed to prevent the rise the witches, and preserve the fragile peace. His role was to hunt and arrest witches who were violating the pact between the hexen and humans, and return them to the Witches Council to be judged, and then usually imprisoned for eternity.
He is immortal, having been cursed with life by the Witch Queen shortly before her presumed death, 800 years ago.
Biography[]
Background and First Battle against the Witch Queen[]
Kaulder lived a pastoral life with his family in England in the High Middle Ages, before the Witch Queen used a powerful curse to release Plague Flies across Europe, including Kaulder's home of England. Both his wife and daughter fell victim to the Black Plague and died. As one of few survivors (30-40% of all people in Britain died during the first Black Death), he was a founding member of the Order of the Axe and Cross, a military order with one goal: kill the Witch Queen.
Sometime into their campaign, the Order uncovers the Witch Queens' coven, set in a massive Plague Tree, with enough Plague Flies to take down the rest of Europe. Upon entering, they are ambushed by hexen warriors and dark magic cast by the Witch Queen. Kaulder is separated from his compatriots as he ventures further into the tree to find the Witch Queen herself. He soon finds and confronts her, and after a battle, he runs the Witch Queen through with his sword, Hexenbane (Witch Slayer). She retaliates by plunging her hand into Kaulders' chest, and, knowing how bitter and cold life will be for him now, curses him with life, transferring her own immortality to him, so that he can never die. She then succumbs to her wounds, while fire rages all around.
| “ | Everyone you love is gone. I've seen it in your eyes. You wish for death | ” |
–The Witch Queen before cursing Kaulder | ||
Sometime later, the remaining members of the Axe and Cross come across Kaulder and the Witch Queen. The 1st Dolan initially thinks that Kaulder had died, given the nature of his wounds, but after a moment he coughs and starts breathing. They correctly deduce that he has been made immortal by the Witch Queen, now presumably dead and impaled on a tree. However, after removing the sword, they find that her heart is still beating. The 1st Dolan immediately tries to kill her by stabbing and burning the heart, but when he does so, Kaulder writhes and screams in pain. As the others urge him to finish the task, he turns away and places the heart in his pocket, and then turns to the others and claims it is done. This secret and lie would be kept by each Dolan to succeed the last, and very few others, especially not Kaulder himself.
Calming the Storm[]
800 years later, in 2015, Kaulder is aboard an Abu Dhabi Air flight, with a storm rapidly approaching. Kaulder is suspicious as to the nature of the storm, and so he performs a basic alchemistry trigger to his window, revealing that rune magic is at play. He then places a flattened staple into a glass of water, and gets up, it acts as a compass, leading him towards the runes. It leads him to a woman, and upon touching her with his ring, it glows, indicating that she is a witch named Bronwyn. After doing away with the passenger sitting beside her, he insists she hand over the runes.
He discovers that she carelessly stored the runes together in her bag (runes must always be stored separately from one another). As the storm around them intensifies, and the turbulence aboard the plane gets worse, Kaulder uses his disenchanting equipment to separate the runes. Upon doing so, the storm immediately dissipates and the plane returns to normal flight. He confiscates the runes, and chastises her for being so reckless, stating that he'd saved her from killing herself and everyone else aboard.
| “ | You're gonna kill me? - Kill you? I'm trying to stop you from killing yourself. |
” |
–Exchange between Kaulder and Brownwyn | ||
36th Dolan's Successor[]
After the rough trip, he met his partner, the 36th Dolan who is retiring and has arranged that the 37th Dolan would be his successor. One day, 37th Dolan told him that 36th Dolan has passed away. After the Axe and Cross hold their service for 36th, 37th becomes initiated as the next Dolan. He tells Kaulder that he remembers him from his childhood since Kaulder killed the witches that killed 37th's parents, and he has been waiting all his life to fight with Kaulder.
Coming Soon!!!
Investigating 36th Dolan's Supposed Death and Message[]
Battle in the Chloe's Bar[]
Discovering the Truth[]
Interrogating Danique and The Queen's Resurrection[]
Defeating the Queen for the Second Time[]
Aftermath[]
Personality and traits[]
Prior to losing his family, Kaulder had a joyful life, and a positive demeanour. As seen in his memories, his relationship with his wife and daughter were strong and loving, and the life they led was jovial. Upon losing both to the black plague at the hands of the Witch Queen, he became cold, cynical, and bitter. When confronting the Witch Queen for the last time, she states that he wishes for death, to which he responds "today, we both die".
Following his first death and resurrection by the Witch Queen, Kaulder has improved his outlook somewhat, but remains a cold and cynical person. He does not form close bonds with others, presumably because they will eventually die, while he will live forever. While his continued distrust of witches is noticeable (it is implied he believes them unworthy of the power they wield), he no longer despises them as he once did. Eight centuries of interaction with witches of all stripes has allowed him to understand the dichotomy of good and evil present in all communities, including among the hexen.
Powers[]
- Immortality - Shortly before her presumed death, the Witch Queen uttered the phrase "I curse you with life. To never know peace. To walk the Earth alone for all eternity. You will never die". In this moment, she transferred her own immortality to Kaulder, cursing him to never die, no matter any injury he might suffer. The powerful magic that preserves his life is only effective so long as the Witch Queens' heart beats.
- Regeneration - As a side effect of his immortality, Kaulder almost instantly regenerates and heals wounded tissue. This is displayed at various points throughout the movie (when Eliac stabs him in the hand, when he breaks his hand in several places to escape a handcuff, etc.). This power is particularly useful in combat, as wounds he sustains will heal very quickly, and he will not tire, while anyone he is fighting will.
Abilities[]
- Expert Combatant/Marksman - Due to a centuries-long lifespan, Kaulder has developed highly-attuned combat abilities. As a result, he is able to defeat powerful magical creatures, such as Sentinels, and even the Witch Queen. He has highly-developed skills in dagger- and sword-throwing, hand-to-hand combat, swordfighting, firearm combat, and using magical runes and disenchantment equipment.
- Expert in Recognising Magic - As a result of his position as Witch Hunter and his long lifespan, Kaulder likely knows more about magic than any other human living. He is highly sensitive to the subtle traces left behind by elemental and dark magic, and is proficient in the knowledge of the alchemistry behind elemental magic. This allows him to expose hidden magic, and trace/track magic back to its source.
- Expert in Runology, Alchemistry, Potions, and Elemental Magic - Secondary to his ability to recognise magic, Kaulder also retains a large volume of knowledge about the magical world, due to his constant exposure to magic. This knowledge includes knowledge of ancient runes, potions, elemental magic, and dark magic. This knowledge allows him to use certain magical forces to his benefit in combat, and diffuse accidental situations, such as the runes featured at the beginning of the film.
Weapons and Tools[]
- Hexenbane: While Kaulder himself never named his blade, as he puts it, his enemies came to call it Hexenbane (Witch Slayer). Near the base of the blade, where it meets the tang and the crossguard, there is an indentation in the blade where oil can be poured from a resevoir in the hilt. This oil is used to ignite the blade. Because of this unique design, it is likely this sword was forged specifically for hunting and killing witches.
- Magical Tools, Disenchantment, and Runeology Kit: Kaulder possesses an extensive collection of magical tools, for disenchantment, handling and dissecting runes, and revealing the presence of magic, as well as runes. All these items have variously been seized from witches along the years, and many are of extraordinary power. While Kaulder cannot wield magic himself, his knowledge of magic is as extensive as any hexen coven, and he uses this to his advantage regularly.
- Kaulder's Ring: The signet ring Kaulder wears on his left hand appears to have magical properties. The inscriptions (in the shape of the Axe and Cross) on it's top glow in the presence of hexen, or powerful magic. It is also the key to accessing the secure room in Kaulder's Apartment, where he stores his weapons and tools, and after the events of the film, the heart of the Witch Queen. While it is unknown if another way to open the door exists, it is highly unlikely.
