Bartholomew Q. Hatch


 * '"So long as I draw breath, Dark Magicks shall hold no influence, shall find no asylum, and shall be given no quarter in these United States."


 * -Bartholomew Q. Hatch, The Book of Hatch

Bartholomew Quincy Hatch (commonly known as Bartholomew Q. Hatch or simply Hatch) is an American wizard, educator, duelist, politician, cultist, and founder of the Mark Twain School (formerly the Hatch School). Hatch is widely considered to be one of the most powerful sorcerers of his era, and continues to be regarded as one of the most powerful Gifted of all time.

Early Life
Bartholomew Quincy Hatch was born in either 1775 or 1776 to Cepheus and Carina Hatch in Salamander Falls, Georgia. Like most wizards of his era, Bartholomew was educated at Salem. After being sorted into House Terminer, Hatch quickly became a star pupil and excelled especially in Combat Magic, the Healing Arts, and Alchemy.

Education and Middle Years
Little is known of Hatch's time at Salem. It has been hypothesized that Bartholomew had already begun to acquire followers during these years. His fellow students were drawn to his charismatic style and his condemnation of the "native black magicks" of America.

Rise of Bartholomew and the Cult of Hatch
By the time of the Louisiana Purchase and the incorporation of ALAMMO into the American wizarding school system, Bartholomew's numbers had swollen.

It was shortly after this that Hatch and his followers began calling themselves the Cult of Hatch and their members, Hatchlings. Whispers spread that Hatch had established a great magical fortress, the Hatchery, beneath the Mississippi River.

The Book of Hatch
(see also Book of Hatch)

Over the course of his travels and during the growth of his Cult, Hatch kept a diary - the Book of Hatch. It was into this tome that he poured his cruelty, his malice, and his will to dominate all life. The Book, operating under an Endless Page charm, served to store Hatch's memories, goals, and aspirations - his soul, if you will.

The Hatch School
(see also Mark Twain School)

As his numbers continued to grow, Hatch began to realize the potential of the legions of young witches and wizards at his fingertips, many of them unable to afford an official education at schools like Salem. And so he founded the Hatch School - a riverboat, piloted by the ghost of his squib slave Atticus Peck, that would travel eternally up and down the Mississippi, recruiting young witches and wizards to learn not just how to do magic, but how to hatch into something greater.

Years later, following the demise of its founder, the Hatch School would become the Mark Twain School.

Escalating Tensions
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Civil War and Duel with the Seventh Witch Doctor
The Hatch-ALAMMO conflict came to a head during the American Civil War, when Hatch fought on the side of the Confederates, and ALAMMO supported the Union. In 1863, the Seventh Witch Doctor of ALAMMO challenged Bartholomew Q. Hatch to a one-on-one duel in an attempt to end the bloodshed. The two combatants were so evenly-matched, however, that in the end both Hatch and the Doctor (played by David Tennant) became trapped in their own respective relics - Hatch in his Book, the Witch Doctor in his Totem (a collection of shrunken heads). After the battle, it is rumored that one of his Hatchlings removed the Book to the Hatchery, but this is unconfirmed. No information survives as to the whereabouts of the Book or the Hatchery.

Aftermath of the Duel and the Evolution of the Hatch School
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Rebirth of the Cult of Hatch and the Rite of Resurrection (unconfirmed)
''PLEASE NOTE: The following section is based on rumor and hearsay. The events described herein are presently unfolding, and thus the accuracy of this information is questionable. Regardless, we have endeavored to collect all pertinent information and present it as honestly and as straightforwardly as possible.''

According to whispers, a faction within the Hatch School remained loyal to Bartholomew even after his fall, even after the school he founded forsook his name. The rumors tell of the resurgence of the Cult of Hatch, and of the recent disappearance of its supposed leaders along with dozens of newly-initiated Hatchlings. The story continues that these events indicate that the Book of Hatch has been found, and that Hatch has been freed from his papery prison.

If the veracity of these claims comes close to the persistence with which they are made, then the American wizarding community may have much to fear, indeed.