Elias Northcrest

If you are looking for Elias Northcrest from the original Thief series you can find it here.

Elias Northcrest
Alias:	The Baron
Age:	78
Occupation:	Baron
Affiliation:	The Watch The Awakened
Status:	Unknown
download	Harland Northcrest - Father (Deceased) Aldous Northcrest - Half Brother (Deceased)
Hair Color:	Grey
Eye Color:	Blue
Height:	5' 7" (1.70 m)
Voice Actor:	Michael Copeman

'There's a power in this earth. An old energy. Primal. To all but the Attuned; it is benign, unseen. Yet it can be channeled - harnessed into productive form. In the past, only small amounts have been controlled - but I, I dreamed bigger! Better!' - Elias Northcrest

Lord Elias Northcrest (commonly reffered as 'The Baron') is a primary antagonist of Thief, a ruthless Baron whom rules The City with an iron fist, bent on achieving his vision of progress at any cost.

Background

Elias was born in NRy764 to Naomi and Harland Northcrest - the ninth Baron of the Northcrest lineage. Throughout his childhood, Elias grew fascinated about the ancient tales of the Primal where at one point he questioned his father about its existence; upon where he was informed about his ancestor's failed attempts to harness the rich energy from the Primal in order to bring evolution throughout The City.

In the spring of 781 Harland Northcrest raped Naomi's handmaid, Elspeth Hucks and 9 months later Aldous Northcrest was born. Due to the rumors at court she was dismissed from service, taking baby Aldous with her. This situation significantly damaged the reputation of House Northcrest mortifying young Elias and leading him to vow to restore honor to the Northcrest name.

In 10,20 NRy808, Elias eventually succeeded his father and thus inherited the title of 'Baron,' becoming the tenth in his generation, having grown to resent his father whom he viewed as a 'tallowed opium fiend' whom preferred pleasure and debauchery over progress and industry. In 8,4 NRy812, Elias was present at his father's deathbed though he felt neither sympathy or remorse for his passing; following his death Elias personally strived to succeed in obtaining the primal energy into creating a golden age for The City.

In NRy814 Elias took influence from his grandfather Samias Northcrest' and thus Elias personally founded a secretive order named 'The Awakened' - an exclusive collective formed of scientists, engineers and philosophers whom was aimed towards one united goal of achieving absolute control over the primal. Elias alongside his co-conspirators spent a considerable period of time deeply researching into the primal where at some point in NRy831 Elias, Bloumont and Cornelius Greaves discovered an ancient tome

Events of Thief

Around 6, 20 NRy841 Elias conducted a ritual at Northcrest Manor involving the gathered Awakened in order to infuse the Primal Stone with Primal energy. During the ceremony Erin fell through the skylight and was herself infused with the Primal. Afterwards the Baron had her taken to Moira to begin experimenting with ways to extract the Primal from her. During the month following Aldous saw his opportunity to wrest control of the City from his brother and threatened to reveal the true cause of the explosion. Angered at his half-brother's betrayal, Elias had Aldous arrested and sent to Moira. He continued to work to remove the Primal from Erin up until the riots when Aldous kidnapped Erin and escaped. His work interrupted, Elias was forced to withdraw and rely on Thief-Taker General Thaddeus Harlan to hunt down Orion, the remaining Awakened and keep him apprised of the ongoing situation.

At the height of the Graven rebellion during month 7 NRy842 the riots resulted in the near destruction of the Baron's Keep and saw the Watch nearly decimated. Elias, apparently fearing the mob advancing across Dayport, barricaded himself in his manor and ordered all valuables removed to preserve his legacy. On 7,8 NRy842 he dismissed all his house staff, leaving only a squad of loyal Watchmen to guard the grounds against the Graven. Not long after Garrett came to confront him about Erin and her fate. Elias, embittered and ready to die, tells Garrett what happened and how they'd both been used and betrayed by Aldous. He corners Garrett in his private elevator and after noticing his eye proclaims: "You're the missing piece. Good luck with my brother's mob."

The last we see of the Baron is through the closing gate of the elevator.

Bio

Elias Northcrest, tenth Baron of his lineage, is a cold and ruthless man. Over 60 years of age, this hardened individual is pushing for an age of progress and industry over all else with a seemingly heartless and single-minded obsession. Unlike his father before him, Elias Northcrest is focused on a singular vision which can be seen in the city all around. With ever-larger and looming structures of cold stone and icy metal, smoke-wreathed factories dark and relentless and huge power-carrying pipes pushing through the streets, the Baron's dream is a dark one for most. The Northcrest family and Elias in particular has strived for years to convince the people that the only way forward is through power you can touch, hold and feel. To this end the worship of the old gods is suppressed and being forced out of society by any means possible. Since the last Golden Age, however, the promise of a bright new future still lies quiet. The Baron appears to have mysteriously withdrawn but his iron grip on The City remains in the hands of his fearful right-hand man, the Thief-Taker General. Even when the Baron was more accessible to those who live within The City he was renowned for his cold and unforgiving mentality. With the gloom rolling inexorably through The City, it would seem that Elias Northcrest still prefers to be work on how his city can grow on the bones of those who live there.

Trivia

• He is the tenth Baron Northcrest and apparently the last of his line with no heirs. Three of the Northcrests banned the worship of the old gods (The Builder, Trickster, etc). He is the first to move past them, having demolished the Chapels throughout the city including Dayport and Stonemarket.
• Thief II mentions a Northcrest Road.