War King

The sixteenth incarnation of the Master became known as the War King, and the Lord President of the Time Lords during the War.

Rise to power
Before the War, the War King was captured and interrogated by agents of the enemy. He escaped, but the torture deeply affected him and made him realise how he cared for his people. The War King concluded that he would help them in any way he could. Common rumours said he took advantage of this opportunity to gain immunity for his past crimes and power over the Homeworld.

The War King arrived on the Homeworld, told the Great Housess what he had witnessed, and vowed to help the Great Houses in any way they wished, but the current President refused to accept the enemy's existence and their threat to the Homeworld, going so far as to warn that if the War King were to ever return, he would be arrested for his earlier crimes against the Great Houses.

The War King's actions on the Homeworld had caused some Great Houses to investigate the existence of the enemy and their threat to the Homeworld. The Great Houses discovered the enemy was a credible threat and had the power to destroy them. Some Great Houses took this further and suggested that the War King be pardoned of his crimes to become part of a future war effort.

The War King saw this banishment as a mere setback and began to devise ways for the Great Houses to combat the enemy. He spent over forty years creating plans for new weapons and devices. With the plans he had created, the War King returned to the Homeworld in his timeship and was captured by the House Military. He admitted to all of his offences and asked for an emergency meeting of the High Council to propose his plans. During the emergency session, the Great Houses accepted that the War King had told the truth and concluded that Gallifrey would need a new leader with military experience. The War King was the obvious candidate, and the Great Houses wiped all records of his past and made him War King of the Nine Homeworlds. (PROSE: The Book of the War)

As War King
Two years after coming to power, the War King negotiated a pact with Compassion, creating a "second front" for the War. One evening when the War King was at a banquet, Compassion materialised in the room, looking for "answers". After a lengthy conversation, Compassion told the War King that when "House Lucia" emerged, the true threat to Gallifrey would be revealed. (PROSE: The Book of the War)

The War King sent Homunculette to investigate the Elder Things. (PROSE: The Taking of Planet 5)

The War King later understood the true motive of Lolita, a sentient timeship, who had evolved from an old model timeship. (PROSE: Toy Story) Lolita planned to rewrite the Spiral Politic to suit her own ends. As a last resort, he allied with the last members of Faction Paradox against Lolita. The War King's alliances failed and Lolita consumed him. (AUDIO: Words from Nine Divinities)

Rescued by the Doctor
The Master was rescued by an incarnation for the Doctor, his consciousness transferred to an android body.

He later noted that he was less than happy with this arrangement, saying that it was "an offer I was foolish enough to accept". He also said that he "was of aid to the Doctor during the events that damaged him". This implies that the Doctor helped create him. His android body was limited to functioning within the Doctor's TARDIS. Therefore he could not leave it and, in effect, he had become the Doctor's companion. (NOTVALID: Scream of the Shalka)

The Master was later connected to the TARDIS' telepathic circuits by the Doctor in order to destroy a psychic vampire by feeding it with the Master's pure evil memories and personality. (NOTVALID: The Feast of the Stone)

Appearance
The War King had many scars from the days when he was a criminal in the eyes of the Great Houses. After gaining office, the War King decided to keep the scars to illustrate his suitability for the role. (PROSE: The Book of the War) He had a long, wispy white beard and wrinkled skin that was "parchment-thin". He wore traditional Gallifreyan robes, albeit black instead of their usual colour. (PROSE: The Taking of Planet 5)