Archaeus

Archaeus
Name	Archaeus
Status	Alive (trapped)
Classif.	Demon
Appearances
Debut	Relationship Status: Complicated, Part One
Last seen	A Tale of Two Families, Part Five

“Smell that. Slayer blood. Nothing quite like it in the world, is there?”

―Archaeus

Archaeus, his name meaning "the old one," was a demon lord whose essence was present in the Master's bloodline.

Biography

Bloodline

After Maloker became the Old One creator of the first vampire, these creatures were made when part of a demon's essence entered their body and animated them. Archaeus was a demon lord who developed his own bloodline of vampires, as he was considered cunning, given to strategy and planning.

Archaeus' bloodline eventually reached the siring of the Master and subsequent vampires, such as the notorious Darla, Angel, Drusilla, and Spike. As such, they retained some portion of Archaeus' essence in themselves, allowing him to influence that part of him within them.

San Francisco

Archaeus emerged from his hell following the restoration of magic and began hunting in San Francisco, causing Spike to experience dreams of his murders. Through Willow's magic, Buffy was able to track Archaeus by astral projecting into Spike's dreamspace and following the link between him and the killer.

Alerted by the danger and his invulnerability, Spike contacted Angel, who had also experienced similar dreams. Archaeus tried to open a portal in San Francisco, but this effort was prevented by the Scooby Gang. With the destruction of the Restless Door, Archaeus vanished.

Magic Town

Meanwhile, Drusilla also experienced these dreams manifested by Archaeus, happy to be reunited and working with her ancestor. Faith Lehane and Winifred Burkle defeated her first vampire army that Drusilla made for Archaeus in London, until the demon returned to join Drusilla. His new plan implied to use Magic Town and the magic leader Nadira Kureishi for some purpose, Drusilla kidnapped the young Slayer and presented her to the old demon. He tried to make a deal with her, because of her aptitude with the magic, he proposed that she'd always be the leader of Magic Town and be his lieutenant. Nadira refused and tried to kill him, but she was unsuccessful. The demon locked her in a prison and decided to use her as bait for Angel.

Although his attempt to trap Angel failed, Archaeus set up a more elaborate plan by providing an ancient artifact as a body to focus and contain the spirit of Magic Town. He subsequently presented himself as a reasonable figure open to dialogue, but Angel and his allies attacked Archaeus to stop the entity from going with him. The demon then revealed the army Drusilla had formed with assorted vampires, intending to reinforce his "good intentions" with a show of strength.

Archaeus' battle was undermined when Angel's own allies gathered to help him. The sight of Angel's friends coming despite the danger, while Archaeus's "family" withdrew when faced with a threat, was something that helped the Magic Town's spirit recognize which of the two parties was genuinely motivated by good intentions. Once most of Archaeus's minions had been dealt with, the spirit sealed Archaeus in the statue — where he would be trapped for a thousand years.

Powers and abilities

Archaeus uses his power to control Angel.

Magic

Though he claimed that his power was inferior to Willow's, Archaeus possessed the following magic skills:

• Hypnosis
• Dreamspace invasion
• Force field creation
• Energy projection

Physiology

Archaeus also possessed an enhanced constitution with the following characteristics:

• Strength — A blow from Archaeus was able to smash concrete floor.
• Long spines along his back that could impale his enemies and sharp claws that could cut skin.

Gallery

Behind the scenes

• In alchemy, archaeus (Ancient Greek for "original, ancient") is a term used to refer to the vital principle or force responsible for alchemical reactions within living bodies, and hence for the growth and continuation of life.
• In reference to Archaeus' first introduction in Relationship Status: Complicated, Part One, Christos Gage clarified: "When Giles said Archaeus 'sired' the Master, it didn't mean like a vampire sires. It means Archaeus' essence entered the Master. Also I meant to say that when certain powerful demons intentionally enter a newly created vampire their 'bloodline' continues. A demon might do this to create an army of loyal servants or whatever. This is the exception, not the rule, in vampire creation." The confusion was rectified in the publishing of the trade paperback Love Dares You, in which the original quote: "Archaeus sired him, directly." was replaced by: "He'd determined it was Archaeus' essence that animated him."

Appearances

Canonical

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 10
New Rules, Part 1 Absent	New Rules, Part 2 Absent	New Rules, Part 3 Absent	New Rules, Part 4 Absent	New Rules, Part 5 Absent	I Wish, Part 1 Absent	I Wish, Part 2 Absent	Return to Sunnydale, Part 1 Absent	Return to Sunnydale, Part 2 Absent	Day Off (or Harmony in My Head) Absent
Love Dares You, Part 1 Absent	Love Dares You, Part 2 Absent	Love Dares You, Part 3 Absent	Relationship Status: Complicated, Part 1 Appears	Relationship Status: Complicated, Part 2 Appears	Old Demons, Part 1 Mention	Old Demons, Part 2 Appears	Old Demons, Part 3 Appears	Freaky Giles Day Absent	Triggers Absent
In Pieces on the Ground, Part 1 Absent	In Pieces on the Ground, Part 2 Absent	In Pieces on the Ground, Part 3 Absent	In Pieces on the Ground, Part 4 Absent	In Pieces on the Ground, Part 5 Absent	Own It, Part 1 Absent	Own It, Part 2 Absent	Own It, Part 3 Absent	Own It, Part 4 Absent	Own It, Part 5 Absent
"Where Are They Now?" Absent

Other

Buffy the Vampire Slayer novels

• Bloody Fool for Love (Only mentioned)