Aristedes

Aristedes (aka Baldy) is a middleweight talented Sorcerer and Fagin-like like leader of a small gang. He first appeared in Ghost Story.

Description
Aristedes is a small but competent sorcerer that dabbles in mind control and kinetomancy to control a small gang of dis-placed youths including Fitz and Zero. Aristedes operated with a cult-leader mindset who used anyone who didn't slavishly follow him as a lieutenant until he could dispose of him.

Appearance
Aristedes is described as thin (practically skeletal) with pasty white skin. He is bald and therefore acquires the nickname "Baldy" by Dresden before he learns his real name. His bald head is completely encircled with tattoos. He might be older because although he is bald, his beard is comprised of patches of gray hair.

Abilities

 * Psychomancy: Mind Control over the gang
 * Kinetomancy: a form unfamiliar to Harry that gives  Aristedes  incredible speed 
 * Head Tattoos: serve as protection and concealment spells from multiple traditions of magical practices.

Controlled kids

 * Fitz
 * Zero

Aristedes hideout
The hideout Aristedes, Fitz and the gang is is inside an abandoned manufacturing facility in an industrial park on the Southside of Chicago. It was a huge two-story building taking up an entire city block. It was filled with neglected equipment, a motorized assembly, cobwebs, empty racks and shelves.

The gang had ragged sleeping bags and their meager personal belongings were in plastic trash bags, all scattered on the floor. They used half-barrels filled with flammable scraps as a heat source. Aristedes was cooking over one that was turned into a make-shift grill—open cans of chili on the floor nearby.

Biography
Around the time of the Red Court's demise, Things on the streets got really, really bad—things, shadows, started to take people. Anyone not protected by someone disappeared. That is how Aristedes collected homeless youth to do his bidding—by offering them protection from the rising number of supernatural threats. He destroyed one such creature in front of Fitz who joined him for protection.

In the series
In Ghost Story, his gang unsuccessfully targets Karrin Murphy's house in a drive-by shooting. This leads Dresden to his hideout. Later, Fitz, Waldo Butters, Daniel Carpenter and Harry's ghost go to rescue Father Forthill from his hide-out. A fight between Aristedes and Butters, Daniel, and Fitz ends up freeing the mind controlled gang members. Forthill lives and is taken away by EMTs.

External references

 * Fagin - Wikipedia
 * Oliver Twist - Wikipedia
 * Charles Dickens - Wikipedia
 * David Perdue's Charles Dickens Page
 * Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens. Search eText, Read Online, Study, Discuss.
 * SparkNotes: Oliver Twist