Master Payne is head of Master Payne's Circus of Adventure and minorly Sparky self-professed [ evil (or is that good?)] [[Chronology - Volume #|✣ ]] magician. According to the print novel Agatha H and the Clockwork Princess, his rarely-used first name is Hieronymus. He is married to Countess Marie (to whom he often wisely defers as issuer of the last word), a member of the International Brotherhood of Evil Magicians, and protective of his circus family as its pseudo-patriarch. He is responsible and deeply aware of the long-term difficulties of hiding a troupe of minor sparks in Europa. He is a captivating [ ringmaster] [[Chronology - Volume #|✣ ]] in his star-spangled longcoat, and knows how to manipulate an audience with his flashy brand of illusion. He has a superstitious (or perhaps jus