Wilhelm Ryan

Wilhelm Ryan is the defunct ruler of Heaven's Fence and the first Supreme Tri-Mage in millennia. He was appointed as the governing Mage of Sector 6, alongside eleven other Mages, before slowly defeating and overtaking nearby Sectors, igniting the Mage War, during which he formed the United Red Army and appointing his right-hand man, Mayo Deftinwolf the leader of it. He holds a fierce vendetta against God and strives to be him. He resides at the heart of the Fence in House Atlantic, a giant stronghold in Sector 1, planet one (Omega), in the capital city of Apity Prime.

Appearance
It is unknown how Ryan looked prior to be elevated. As an elevated mage, he has blue skin, white, long hair, and white eyes. His face is disfigured and his hair is kept slicked back, with just two thin strips kept on either side of his face. He is relatively thin but very tall.

Rise to Power
Very little is known of Ryan's life before being appointed governing Mage of Sector VI; how was he born (fully fledged or nurtured) or where. Even his original features are unknown to all but the original eleven governing Mages. Upon his appointment, he underwent the traditional process of uniforming his features with the rest of his governors—grey/blue skin, white hair and eyes, and horned shoulder blades. He briefly met with mage Covent Marth on the mage headquarters of Sinosure. Marth had been the only one of the eleven that voted against Ryan's appointment and disclosed that he had both a gift and a curse: he had the gift of premonition but was cursed that all who heard his visions would doubt them. One such vision Marth had was the Ryan would be the "Harbinger of Doom" for Heaven's Fence. Ryan denies this, of course, but Marth calls him out on it given his growing "Red Army" of followers, which Ryan dismisses as simply fans. He ruled relatively peacefully, but his "army" did continue to grow and become more tangible.

The Mage War
One day, Ryan called a meeting with the other governors where he promptly assassinated Rolander Gurash, the governing mage of Sector 10. This became known as "The Gurash Example," and started the long standing Mage War. After Guresh was killed, Ryan then conquered Sector 11 and killed its governor, Litan Boss.

Overseer of Sector 1, Althaddeus Favor, decided to join forces with Ryan, while eastern overseers of Sector 2 and 3 (Hanthon Jo Seph and Malvas Limbi, respectively) surrendered. It was at this time that Ryan began experimenting on these captured mages and found some fruitful results. As a result, subsequent skirmishes were focused on capturing the governing mages. He achieved this objective with Bran Wilsinger of Sector 5, and Xi Tolendar of Sector 7.

The remaining four sectors (4, 8, 9 & 11) banded together to fight back as a single coalition. This section of the War is known as "The War of the Western Third." These governors were successful in wounding Ryan, which would follow him the rest of his existence, but ultimately recovered. The celebration of this success was short lived as an enraged Ryan renewed efforts to defeat them, capturing Chu Valentar and Beirut Akara of Sectors 8 & 11, while governor Grave Minetoter of 9 vanished. Ryan continued to search for him, fueling rumors that he either somehow escaped The Fence entirely, or killed himself to avoid capture. At this time, Ryan approached Favor again in his stronghold House Atlantic. Specifics of this encounter are still unknown, but Favor disappeared and Ryan made House Atlantic his own. Finally, Marth was the last to oppose him. Though Marth employed a strategy that Ryan could not have escaped under normal circumstances, he was able to "teleport" (he claimed) to do just that. Marth, with his guard down believing he had won, was killed thereafter. His own general, Vielar Crom was captured and persuaded to join Ryan's Red Army as an Admiral.

The Black Rainbow
Ryan's complete reign over the Fence began with a parade through Apity Prime during which an intoxicating liquid was dispensed to the attendees. Following this, the next morning revealed a Black Rainbow, a cosmological phenomenon in which light was absorbed, rather than reflected as in a normal rainbow. The arch of which was also imperfect and messy rather than uniformed and in a perfect semi-circle. Ryan was ultimately indifferent about this phenomenon (first believing it to be approval from God, then believing it to be a challenge to him), but many people in the Fence were split: a sign that supported his rule, or a condemnation of his rule. In order to quell some of these fears and rebellions, Ryan appointed Eurocons—human governors that reported only to him. He began investigating the Keywork, setting up various research centers and continuing experiments. After nearly five months, he began to receive reports from all over the Fence of a pair of people attacking these centers and disrupting his operations. His team began tracking down these people, discovering they were IRO-bots ordered by Dr. Leonard Hohenberger. They also learned about Hohenburger's son, Joseph, having died in crossfire between Ryan and Marth, and that the Prise had come to him to manipulate him into creating the IRO-bots that were interfering in his operations. Capturing Hohenburger's wife, Pearl, they coerced the doctor to do two things: give them Beast and Knowledge (they didn't know about Inferno) and complete a virus Ryan had begun to work on. Given no choice, Hohenburger accepted the terms.

When Ryan received the ransom, however, he found out that Hohenburger didn't give it to him as he expected. He put one half of the virus in Beast, and the other half in Knowledge—both deactivated. They were also not able to simply extract the virus from their blood and combine them. Hohenburger gave them all his developmental notes, but would not tell them how to activate the virus without destroying themselves, or the virus itself. Still, Ryan allowed Hohenburger to live. When word came days later that Hohenburger had produced a gun and attempted to kill his general, Deftinwolf, which resulted in his death, he sent his Red Army to Hohenberger's house to see about any other clues regarding the virus' completion, but the team that went didn't come back. While examining the IRO-bots in House Atlantic, the shuttlepod from The Grail Arbor containing the third (unknown to Ryan) IRO-bot created by the late doctor: Inferno. Usually sticking inconspicuously to the skies, Ryan and his army had no clue who he was and why he was there. He used the codeword that had deactivated the pair to reactivate them, and thus a battle began. Knowledge even tried to take control of Ryan's own mind, but they ultimately came to a draw. After a lengthy battle, the three were able to escape with help from the interference of the Prise, and the destruction of House Atlantic. Shortly after this, The Black Rainbow disappeared from the skies of Heaven's Fence.

Battle with Rebel Forces
Of course, Ryan simply rebuilt the stronghold. 20 years after the first fall of the tower, he had finally been able to track down the IRO-bots, or at least the couple of them, who had seemingly been reprogrammed and hidden amongst normal people on Hetricus in Sector 11. Ryan sent Deftinwolf to intercept Beast (now known as Coheed Kilgannon) and convince him to give himself up. They came up with a plausible lie fabricated from some of the truth. Hohenburger was a terrorist who created the Kilgannons to destroy the entirety of The Fence; infecting them with a deadly virus that had evolved in their children to be even more deadly. The adults could have this virus extracted but the children's mutated version could not; once they reached maturity, it would no longer be contained in their bodies, so they needed to be killed. Deftinwolf offers for Kilgannon to do it himself, or have the Red Army do it for them. They part with the understanding that the Kilgannons will do it themselves, but when the Army arrives to pick up the adults, they find that the eldest son, Claudio Kilgannon, never made it home, and thus escaped death.

Ryan then dispatched his Onstantine Priests to clean up any loose ends regarding the incident and had Deftinwolf take the couple to Paris: Earth. While on the transport ship known as the Gloria vel Vessa, the pair woke up and caused mayhem. Deftinwolf seemed to be unable to get the situation under control, so Ryan sent him to prepare the next phase of his plan while ordering Admiral Vielar Crom, whose special ability is to passively absorb external energy which was highly effective against the couple, to take care of them instead. Upon arriving on Paris: Earth, the couple was strapped to gurneys and forced to lock eyes. Ryan, having finally discovered the key to unlocking the virus Hohenburger hid away in the couple's blood streams. Ryan ordered the release of several dragonflies that had been genetically altered to carry a Cache Serum that activates the virus which is ejected by them into Coheed's system. Speaking the keywords, "When eye meets eye... become," the Kilgannons transformed into the Monstar and the White Ruineer. The Monstar manages to suck all the energy out of Star VI and (as the Stars are the Keywork's energy source) cause the Keywork around Sector 12 to become unstable, separating it from Heaven's Fence. Before he can do more damage, the White Ruineer killed him, and then herself.

Sector 12 was the base of the Rebellion and its leader, Mariah Antillarea, against Ryan, so even though he probably would've been happy to cause more damage, he was satisfied with even just this outcome. Antillarea's head was even presented to Ryan as a trophy. Next, Ryan had to stamp out the last loose end: Kilgannon's son. Though Ryan didn't believe in prophecies or even God, really, many of his followers, like Deftinwolf, constantly referred to the Ghansgraad to take cautionary measures against those who would try to overthrow him. One such prophecy is regarding "The Crowing" who they determined must be Claudio Kilgannon, who has gone into hiding and can't be found. They put out a wanted notice for him throughout the Fence, and he sent Onstantine Priests to track him down.

Trial
Ryan continued to pursue the traces of the rebellion and devise a way to both bring the Prise back, and sacrifice them for energy. He received word that it's new leader, Inferno, was on Donar and sent his army to engage him. He successfully escaped Ryan with the help of the Prise. He was able to track him down and meet him outside the Fence on Silent Earth 3. There, Ryan engaged the rebels in battle personally, and with the help of the Prise, he was captured. He is made to stand trial, also headed by Inferno with representatives from the Fence, including the 12 Eurocons, on board a floating sanctuary called the Agosti Securum. The trial lasted for two days, before Inferno called for a vote of the 78 representatives. All but one agreed that Ryan was guilty and sentenced him to death. His sarcophagus was guarded but after just a few hours, a blinding light filled the room, blinding the guards. When the light subsided, Ryan's body was gone. He was transferred to House Atlantic and revived (his mind was transferred to a body double), after which he broadcasted a message of complete and total devastation against all those who doubted his status as a God—notably the planet of Shylos X, which was considered a garbage planet (a planet where garbage was literally disposed of) which in turn bred all manner of crime, debauchery, and general immorality. It is also where Ryan had been farming the species known as Stars to add fuel to the Keywork. Now this camp was to be completely eradicated.

Shortly after making this announcement, The Crowing eradicated the soldiers in the camp and met up with the rebels now at the gates of House Atlantic to once again attempt to kill Ryan. Ryan had integrated the remains of Veilar Crom to the structure of House Atlantic, making the stronghold a massive extension of his consciousness loyal to only Ryan. The Crowing had also met with The Vishual, another piece of the prophecy in which The Crowing will be usher by The Vishual, and can even alter the world around her. Even with these factors, Ryan's army vastly outnumbers the rebellion force, so they retreat. Crom can see this and relays it to Ryan who orders him to send a huge blast of energy their way, which Claudio, using his immense powers, to blow the blast back on Crom and Ryan's army. This is the second time House Atlantic is destroyed.

Downfall
With Crom integrated into House Atlantic, it did not stay destroyed for long, and was rebuilt with Crom still present just a few days after it's destruction. Ryan expressed boredom with Heaven's Fence's worlds at this point and expresses the doubt that he has no equals. He confessed to Deftinwolf that he wanted to literally "break free of the chains of mortality." Additionally, he would "vaccinate" everyone against "this disease of rebellion in the afterlife." Deftinwolf suggested using the flies again for this, which Ryan agreed to. Ryan's head scientist created the Aeonstar Serum which instilled instant rigor mortis. Since the dragonflies cannot tell one human from another, Ryan ordered the doctor to create a counter serum for his men that keeps the Aeonstar at bay, but will allow it to ultimately be successful; essentially allowing Ryan to decide when his men will die, not if. The science team also created a container that captured the victim's soul. In the initial demonstration, the soul took on a monstrous form that presumably follows only Ryan's command.

Once completed, they outfitted their flies with the serum and released them, starting with the City of Kalline. After a successful infestation and deployment, they were deciding which city to move to when they detected some "air garbage." This turned out to be nearly all of the force of the Narrows, which they immediately deployed Jackhammers against. Cloaked, and initially undetectable, was the Grail Arbor containing The Crowing. Ryan decided to meet him, rather than retreat. He had an entourage of a dozen or so Red Army Soldiers and Crom who was hooked up to a new, mobile cybernetic set of legs. He presented Kilgannon with a riddle: "Tell me, Crowing... Should all good boys die with God at their side?" Kilgannon quickly dismissed this to announce he was there to end this war. Ryan bated him, saying he was glad he was there to surrender and calling Ambellina his pet angel. He again alluded to suppose his Godliness and his larger, greater plan, mentioning it involves The Afterlife. When Kilgannon responded with confusion, Ryan taunted him further, saying: "Don't tell me The Crowing isn't familiar with what happens after death! The purgatory your parents are no doubt floating in even as we speak?" Then Ryan made it clear that his dragonflies would force people to go to this Afterlife rather than waiting for death. Kilgannon made it clear that he will defeat him; not for everyone, not because of some prophecy, but for his family. He then raised an army of dead to fight against Ryan's little guard, from which a battle ensued.

It was in the middle of this battle that Ambellina was nearly spirited away via a door. Ryan did not notice this incident, but did notice when Kilgannon and his cousin, Chase followed in a door of their own, telling his men to retreat and claimed he was "now the millstone of another." In other words, someone else's problem. After safely back at House Atlantic, Ryan nonchalantly discussed his victory, until he was interrupted by a loud explosion, and sent his men to investigate. In the meantime, his dragonflies continued to spread throughout the Fence, turning innocent people into horrid monsters.

Powers & Abilities
As a mage, it is believed that Ryan has inherent magical abilities, but it is relatively unclear how they manifest in him. He has also been seen utilizing scientific experts to achieve certain feats, so the extent of his "magical" abilities are even more muddled.

Ryan is able to teleport, but requires mental fortitude in order to do so. He may be able to be incorporeal or alter his physical form in some way. He has a strong mind, able to prevent being mind controlled. He seemed able to manipulate energy blasts, brushing them aside. He seems to be able to mentally manipulate others, even to the point of literal brainwashing.

After his initial death, his body was teleported to House Atlantic where his chief scientist preserved his consciousness and transferred it to another mage's body. He staged this event as him being immortal and/or able to revive himself, even though it was completely out of his ability. If anything, he has been shown, through and through, to have a superior mind which allows him to make connections quick, and amplifies an abilities he may have that requires mental fortitude.

Mayo Deftinwolf
"" Deftinwolf is a cyborg made solely for Ryan's use. Ryan appointed him the General of his United Red Army. He is, perhaps, the only being Ryan would not completely destroy for insolence.

Vielar Crom
"" Once his greatest enemy's right hand man, Ryan spared him and offered him a position as the Admiral of his United Red Army. It is unknown exactly why Crom switched sides as he was adamant he would not, but he shows unquestionable loyalty to Ryan.

Eurocons
After becoming Supreme Tri-Mage of the entire Fence, Ryan established pseudo governors for the various Sectors, as the original mages had once been called the Council of the Eurocons. These people were considered "opportunists" and were more like overseers than governors; their only job is to make sure Ryan's will is carried out. Ryan views them as completely beneath them and has shown to be willing to remove them if they seem to defy him.

Gallery
To be added...

Trivia

 * In a Reddit AMA post, Sanchez joked that Ryan would be played by Blaze James (the band's manager) in a live action adaptation.
 * Ryan is named after the manager of a pet store Sanchez worked at while growing the band. The manager had specifically requested he be his villain.