Henrik Meister, usually just called Mr. Meister, is the head of the Chicago Wardens and the Chief Taxonomer.
Background[]
Mr. Meister leads the Chicago Wardens as their Chief Taxonomer, though he has been acting as a taxonomer before the title existed. He has studied Tanu, and their history, for his entire life and has been active in the war for several decades at least. Along with Mrs. Hapsteade, he recruits new members. He is originally German, and while his real name is Henrik, others generally use Henry instead.
Some of his knowledge was passed down to him, and some he has gleaned from studying ancient manuscripts; the exact sources for most of his information is unknown.
He has been keeping tabs on Isabel for some time.
Mr. Meister wears the polymath's ring, and thus is bonded to multiple instruments. One is the Mai'tan oraculum; another is a red vest made almost entirely of pockets.
He seems to live in the Warren. He also keeps a doba in the Great Burrow, which acts as his office.
Personality[]
Mr. Meister is completely devoted to fighting the Riven, and places winning the war above all other goals. Thus, he is eager to welcome new Wardens throughout the series, as well as to recruit more Keepers. He is fastidious and devoted to collecting Tanu, and despite having multiple rooms completely full of them in the Warren, sometimes thinks he doesn't collect nearly enough.
In his work as a taxonomer, he does not give Tanu names. He views himself as a "historian, researcher, collector, appraiser, curator, steward", and while he considers his title of Chief Taxonomer to be inaccurate and exaggerated, he does describe himself as "the expert".
He is eccentric and mysterious, but generally warm and friendly, respectful of his fellow Keepers. His cheerful demeanor comes across as innocent, encouraging, and kind, and he doesn't push his allies' boundaries. Rather than order others around or plead with them to comply, he acts as an ally and warns others of the dangers they might face without his aid. In conversation, he uses copious gestures, and often lapses into long silences while trying to find the best way to explain something. Despite his generally positive demeanor and distinct priorities, he can occasionally be sarcastic.
While he claims to always be truthful, he often lies by omission and obscures the truth when he considers it necessary. He maintains these boundaries firmly and apparently without guilt.
He is described by Mrs. Hapsteade as a teacher, though not "in the way [Horace] might be imagining". He doesn't like to teach explicitly, but does guide younger Keepers to his intended conclusions.
Mr. Meister swears by Hiraethel.
Description[]
Mr. Meister has pale, weathered skin which is described as knobby, wrinkled, cold and dry to the touch. His fingers are knobby and bony. He has wild white hair and gray eyes, with bushy eyebrows; his voice has a faint German accent.
He wears thick, round glasses with curved arms, the left lens of which is his instrument, the Mai'tan oraculum. He seems to be terribly farsighted, and describes his eyes as "not what they could be"; both lenses greatly magnify the size of his bright, tiny eyes.
Instruments[]
Mai'tan oraculum[]
Red vest[]
Master key[]
Loud weapon[]
Mr. Meister has a unique weapon which may be one of his Tan'ji. The weapon makes a loud crack sound and releases a blast of wind when used.
Relationships[]
Dorothy Hapsteade[]
Mr. Meister admires Mrs. Hapsteade, referring to her as "formidable" and "efficient" and complimenting her work at the House of Answers.
Ingrid[]
For unknown reasons, Mr. Meister still has faith in Ingrid, and still even considers her a Warden well into the first book.
History[]
After Horace visited the House of Answers for the first time, Mr. Meister examined his writing in the guestbook and was intrigued by his possible talent. The second time he visited, Mr. Meister was there to meet him. He encouraged the boy to explore the warehouse and discover something suited to his aptitudes; then he left using a passkey. Soon afterward, he returned to find that Horace had bonded the Fel'Daera; he gave Horace a powerful leestone and some parting advice.
Shortly after the Fall of the House of Answers, Mrs. Hapsteade told Mr. Meister about Chloe's heroism and her passage through the dumin. The next day, Mrs. Hapsteade led Horace and Chloe into the Warren to meet with Mr. Meister. Now that they were through the Find, he explained the properties and nature of their instruments, encouraging Horace to use the box rationally and sharing the nature of his own instrument as well. He asked them to join the Wardens, and explained their purpose by recounting a simplified history of the War of Sundering. Despite his harsh warnings about the threat posed by Raka, Chloe lied continuously, understating just how much danger she and her family were in. Mr. Meister set up a meeting with them the following night in Horace's toolshed.
Trivia[]
- "Meister" is the German word for "master", so Mr. Meister's name may be some sort of rhyming pun. However, "Meister" is also the German equivalent of Maestro, the title for the conductor of an orchestra or musical ensemble. This ties in to many other musical metaphors throughout the series.
- When Horace first notices the backjack's compass, it is pointing directly at Mr. Meister, despite the properties of his vest apparently being such that its contents are still physically located in his office's compartments. It's possible that Mr. Meister is keeping the backjack in a different, non-Tanu pocket, or that its compartment is located directly behind him, but it's also possible that the properties of the vest are causing the compass to malfunction.
- Mr. Meister hasn't played any video games.
- He describes his glasses as "ordinary, for the most part", then separately explains the properties of the Mai'tan oraculum, in such a way that suggests there may be something more to the frames themselves.
- In The Box and the Dragonfly, Mr. Meister says he doesn't know what the Riven are. Why the Altari would not have explained this to him, or why he would lie in this context, is unknown.
- He didn't expect Raka to be able to track the Fel'Daera from the other end of the breach.
- At the end of The Box and the Dragonfly, Chapter 21, Mr. Meister mentions that there are questions he still wants answered. The nature of his questions, and where he looks for these answers, are completely unknown.
Gallery[]
