The Twenty-seven Dead Apostle Ancestors

The 27 Dead Apostle Ancestors (死徒二十七祖) are the aristocratic elite of the vampires. In the beginning it was a group composed just by the original Dead Apostles that had their blood sucked by the True Ancestors, but presently most of those either are sealed by the Church or have already been annihilated. Afterwards, their position was taken over by a replacement or, in cases that it was not possible to find one, left empty.

The main reason why the 27 Ancestors as an organization are able to survive despite having its members destroyed over and over is because one of the Ancestors has prophetic powers. After foreseeing the death of one of its kind, said Ancestor sends a message to the Dead Apostle in question to warn him in advance and give him time to prepare an heir. Incidentally, while the qualifications for joining the ranks of the 27 Ancestors are loose enough to accept magi who became vampires through their own magical powers and even blood-sucking creatures other than Dead Apostles, Roa was seen as an heretic who did not deserved the title of Ancestor, even though he was an original one created by the White Princess.

List of the 27 Dead Apostle Ancestors

 * 1) Primate Murder (プライミッツ・マーダー), also known as The White Beast of Gaia is a white dog born with the sole purpose of killing humans. As one of the most powerful beings on Earth, seven Counter Guardians would be required to keep it restrained. It is currently under Altrouge Brunestud's control, and though it is not related to vampires, it counted among the Ancestors due to it having copied its master by drinking the blood of its victims. With this by her side, Altrouge is said to be a monster superior to even Crimson Moon.
 * 2) The Dark Six is the first Dead Apostle. It is currently regenerating and is supposed to bring all Dead Apostles together once it awakens in the Aylesbury Ritual.
 * 3) Brunestud of the Crimson Moon (Type-Moon)
 * 4) Kishua Zelretch Schweinorg (Wizard Marshall Zelretch)
 * 5) ORT (Type-Mercury)
 * 6) Rizo-Waal Strout, also known as Black Knight Strout, is one of the oldest three Dead Apostles and is one of Altrouge Brunestud's bodyguards. He owes his immortality to a time curse and he wields a demonic sword named True Demon Neardark.
 * 7) The Forest of Einnashe, known as the "Disemboweling Sea of Trees", is an eight hundred year-old sentient forest. The attributes of the forest were initially thought to be due to a Reality Marble, but it is actually revealed that the forest matured to the level of a phantasm race by absorbing the blood of a Dead Apostle named Einnashe (アイナッシェ). After being killed by Arcueid and a powerful magus assisting her, they carelessly left Einnashe's body under a tree, which absorbed the Dead Apostle's blood over time and transformed it into a mobile forest capable of engulfing entire towns. Due to the fact that it is the entire forest that has become a living being, and that as a phantasm it has the ability to suppress magic and other abilities, the Church has been unable to kill it. It is said that fruit within the center of the forest can grant immortality harvested from the essence of those killed within the forest, which has caused a number of people to enter the forest and never leave. It is killed by Satsujinki in Talk.
 * 8) Fina-blood Svelten, also nicknamed White Knight Svelten, is a bodyguard of Altrouge Brunestud, together with Rizo-Waal Strout and Primate Murder. He is the captain of a ghost ship, and he possesses a Reality Marble of unknown nature called Parade. He enjoys obtaining blood from young boys. He is on bad terms with fellow Ancestors, Rita Rozay-en and Van-Fem, the latter due to having one of his castles destroyed during a previous battle between the two.
 * 9) Altrouge Brunestud (アルトルージュ・ブリュンスタッド) is the Princess of the Dead Apostles, also know as the Eclipse Princess of Black Blood, born from a mix between a True Ancestor and a Dead Apostle. She is one of the two possible successors of Crimson Moon along with Arcueid, as she can manifest the Millennium Castle. She has the appearances of a fourteen-year-old girl, but she supposedly has a stronger form. She is the leader of one of the two main factions among the Apostles, having given Walachia his powers and having Rizo-Waal Strout, Fina-blood Svelten, and Primate Murder as guardians and servants. She once defeated Arcueid, taking her long hair as a trophy, lost against the first incarnation of Roa, and Merem Solomon believes that mutual destruction would be required to defeat Altrouge and her servants. She is said to have prophetic visions dictating the time of death for Dead Apostles, and also possesses the authority to appoint new Dead Apostle Ancestors.
 * 10) Nrvnqsr Chaos (Nero Chaos)
 * 11) Stanrobe Calhin is a Ancestor who still exists as a ghost after being destroyed by the Church. He still retains his immense destructive power that earned him the nicknames Lord of Predation and City Devourer, and he will continue to exist for at least two hundred years before his existence dissipates completely.
 * 12) TATARI (Night of Wallachia, Zepia Eltnam Oberon)
 * 13) Valery Fernand Vandelstam, better known as Van-Fem, is one of the oldest Dead Apostles, and a Puppet Master, a type of sorcerer which specializes in crafting artificial puppets to do their bidding. He is an oddity among Apostles, as he prefers human life to that of a vampire. He set up a casino boat in Monte Carlo after World War I, earning himself a high social status among humans. He has seven Demon Castles, giant golems that act as castles, though the fifth was destroyed by Fina-blood Svelten. He is on bad terms with both Trhvmn Ortenrosse, whom he considers too old-fashioned, and Altrouge Brunestud, due to Svelten's actions.
 * 14) Rita Rozay-en, known as "The Artist", is a vampire with a liking for artistry. She is the successor of her parent vampire, having inherited their castle, where she takes a nightly blood bath. She is known for her arrogance, and she holds an odd friendship with Sumire; they have sworn to die by each other's hands.
 * 15) Gransurg Blackmore (Lord of the Black Wing)
 * 16) Trhvmn Ortenrosse (トラフィムオーテンロッゼ), also known as The White Wing Lord, is a four thousand year old Ancestor, who was the first servant of Crimson Moon. He was a magus during the Age of Gods, who made himself into a vampire through his own magecraft. Known as the "King" of the Apostles, he represents the Ancestors and holds the greatest political voice, having proposed the True Ancestor hunt, revering only Crimson Moon as the absolute True Apostle, and ordering Nrvnqsr to kill Arcueid. He is said to possess no unique capabilities, preferring to excel at simply being a vampire as opposed to developing extraneous abilities. He applies the saying "simple is best", and from there, he obtained his current rank amongst the Ancestors. Merem Solomon finds his philosophy to be idiotic, but still acknowledges his influence among the Apostles.
 * 17) Enhance, also known as Knight of Vengeance, is the eighteenth Ancestor, but he is stripped of his rank soon after being appointed. He is actively trying to assassinate all the remaining Dead Apostles for unknown reasons. Relatively young for a vampire, he retains much of his humanity, in both mind and body. This is in stark contrast to the other Ancestors, who become calm and in-tune with their vampiric sides as they age. Though not able to fully utilize his powers, his irascible and brash temperament, along with his swiftness and willpower, turn him into a very dangerous foe. He wields the Demonic Sword, "Avenger", stolen from the former number eighteen, and a Holy Ceremental Artillery Scripture from the Church in the shape of a gun. The sword damages his human right arm when wielded, while the scripture hurts his vampiric left arm when fired. In a possible Tsukihime 2, Enhance plans to assassinate a sleeping Arcueid Brunestud with five companion Apostles, but reveals his true motives by betraying them and forming an unstable alliance with Arcueid's guardian, Satsujinki. He also has some connection to Ciel, who once had given him some "boring knowledge."
 * 18) Merem Solomon (Crown)
 * 19) Sumire, also known as the "Water Bottle" and "Water Demon", is a vampire who lives underwater. She has conquered the traditional vampire weakness of being unable to cross bodies of water, though it has also made her weaker on land. She is very strong, being the only Dead Apostle able to use Marble Phantasm, though she is considered to be inept due to excessive drinking. She is a natural pessimist, but she is capable of enjoying most any activity. She is on good terms with Rita Rozay-en, and they share a pact to kill each other.
 * 20) El Nahat is a vampire that is currently sealed by the Church. His stomach has been turned into a Holy Scripture, Alien Stomach World, which is considered to be a final weapon against Dead Apostles. It is entrusted to the highest ranking members of the Burial Agency. El Nahat is said to have an ability that destroys his enemy along with his own body. He takes several decades to recover, which is why the Church was able to seal him into a prison of mirror by exploiting this weakness.
 * 21) Caubac Alcatraz, also known as "Dead Apostle of the Millenium Lock", is a magician who became a vampire through his magical research. He is an old friend of Zelretch, and his body supposedly resembles a padlock. He created a labyrinth to protect his ideal terminal, the Holy Scripture Triten, but he accidentally became trapped inside. He hasn't emerged for over a centuries, so it is unknown if he has managed to survive that period without drinking blood.
 * Extra: Michael Roa Valdamjong (The Serpent of Akasha)
 * Replacement 10: Louvre is a Dead Apostle who is elevated to the status of Dead Apostle Ancestor ten in order to fill the power void left by Nrvngsr's death. He is a collector of Mystic Codes and Conceptual Weapons, who views such tools as the key to his survival and power. Even before becoming a Dead Apostle Ancestor, he had chosen a pair of successors, who each bore his name. He is decisively killed by Satsujinki in the Prelude to Tsukihime 2.
 * 1) El Nahat is a vampire that is currently sealed by the Church. His stomach has been turned into a Holy Scripture, Alien Stomach World, which is considered to be a final weapon against Dead Apostles. It is entrusted to the highest ranking members of the Burial Agency. El Nahat is said to have an ability that destroys his enemy along with his own body. He takes several decades to recover, which is why the Church was able to seal him into a prison of mirror by exploiting this weakness.
 * 2) Caubac Alcatraz, also known as "Dead Apostle of the Millenium Lock", is a magician who became a vampire through his magical research. He is an old friend of Zelretch, and his body supposedly resembles a padlock. He created a labyrinth to protect his ideal terminal, the Holy Scripture Triten, but he accidentally became trapped inside. He hasn't emerged for over a centuries, so it is unknown if he has managed to survive that period without drinking blood.
 * Extra: Michael Roa Valdamjong (The Serpent of Akasha)
 * Replacement 10: Louvre is a Dead Apostle who is elevated to the status of Dead Apostle Ancestor ten in order to fill the power void left by Nrvngsr's death. He is a collector of Mystic Codes and Conceptual Weapons, who views such tools as the key to his survival and power. Even before becoming a Dead Apostle Ancestor, he had chosen a pair of successors, who each bore his name. He is decisively killed by Satsujinki in the Prelude to Tsukihime 2.
 * Extra: Michael Roa Valdamjong (The Serpent of Akasha)
 * Replacement 10: Louvre is a Dead Apostle who is elevated to the status of Dead Apostle Ancestor ten in order to fill the power void left by Nrvngsr's death. He is a collector of Mystic Codes and Conceptual Weapons, who views such tools as the key to his survival and power. Even before becoming a Dead Apostle Ancestor, he had chosen a pair of successors, who each bore his name. He is decisively killed by Satsujinki in the Prelude to Tsukihime 2.