"'We will waste no truth on liars,' said Silas, his voice still colorless but harder now, like water to ice: reminding, not reassuring. 'Nor pledges on the damned."[2]
Silas Octakiseron (Ock-ta-KISS-er-on) is the Heir to the House of the Eighth and the Master Templar of the White Glass. A deeply religious man, he comes to Canaan House intent to study the mysteries of the Resurrection and grow closer to God.
Biography[]
Early Life[]
Little is known about the early life of Silas Octakiseron. Before his birth, the Asht brothers were born to be the best genetic match possible for his soul-siphoning magic. At his birth, he was matched with Colum Asht, his nephew. Both Silas and Colum were raised with the full knowledge of their future position within the House.
Gideon the Ninth[]
Act I[]
Eighth House arrives with the other postulants at Canaan House and disembarks without issue. Colum, his cavalier primary, receives the iron key ring for their House. Silas listens to Teacher explain the task before them but does not participate in the conversation.
Act II[]
The Eighth House interrupts the very end of Gideon Nav's mid-day meal as they enter the dining hall. Silas refuses to eat in the presence of the "shadow cultist", and asks Colum to shoo Gideon. Colum obliges, and Gideon (who was already finished) leaves without protest. After this interaction, Gideon sees little of the Eighth, remarking only that they "flattened themselves to the furthest wall as though she were contagious"[3] whenever they pass her in the halls of Canaan House. They do not enter the basement Facility but do receive their Facility key from Teacher.
Silas attends the Abigail Pent and Magnus Quinn's anniversary dinner party but eats nothing—citing an Eighth House tradition of fasting. He enjoys conversation with Ianthe Tridentarius about the circumstances of her birth and does his best to avoid the Ninth House entirely despite being seated next to Harrowhark Nonagesimus.
Act III[]
After the discovery of Abigail and Magnus's corpses and after the other necromancers have exhausted their efforts, Colum and Silas descend to the basement to attempt to reach the spirits of Fifth House. Colum submits willingly and immediately to being siphoned. The siphoning begins to affect everyone in the room, leaching color from Colum, the object of the siphoning, as well as the lights in the room and other postulants present. Just as it seems as though Silas may have reached Abigail's ghost, Dulcinea Septimus, already weakened by her illness, cries out and falls. At his necromancer's distress, Protesilaus Ebdoma punches Silas who instantly collapses. Colum, mid-siphon, is left grey and unmoving.
Second House brings Teacher to the basement, and he demands that everyone return to the upper levels immediately. Over the next hour, all of the bodies—injured, unconscious, and dead—are brought upstairs. Colum is placed at a table over a smoking bowl of "unidentifiable herbs," and Silas is laid out on the floor to recover. As the postulants discuss who had access to the Facility, Silas reveals that Colum keeps their key and that they were the ones who informed Fifth House of the Facility. He quarrels with Harrow, insinuating that, as the last people in the Facility, Ninth must be responsible for the death of Fifth, but is redirected by a reminder of Protesilaus's attack against him. Dulcinea is quick to schedule a duel between their cavaliers as an apology for the attack. At the end of the conversation, Silas and Teacher pray over Colum's body, simply saying "I bid you return. I bid... I bid..."[4]
Before the duel can take place, Protesilaus is discovered missing and Dulcinea is taken ill. While the other necromancers meet to discuss cremains found in the incinerator, Silas visits Dulcinea's sickbed and asks if he might take her keys for safekeeping. Silas claims that he does this in good faith, feeling responsible for her cavalier's disappearance due to the scheduled duel and that she accepts and hands over her keys willingly. However, when Silas rejoins the other necromancers and informs them of this, they treat him with suspicion and disbelief. Silas shows the group Dulcinea's the two laboratory keys, and Judith Deuteros demands he hands them over to her safekeeping.
Silas refuses, stating that until they know who is responsible for the presumed death of Protesilaus any one of them could be guilty. This proclamation creates a chain of arguments and accusations ending with Judith promising to take responsibility for the situation at Canaan House in the name of the Cohort. Silas asks if she means to challenge him, but Judith challenges the Sixth House to a duel instead. Once the dueling is finished, with Camilla Hect victorious and the reveal of an apparent truce/partnership between Sixth and Ninth, Silas and Colum take their leave, ostensibly to look for Protesilaus. He departs with disparaging remarks for both Palamedes Sextus and Camilla, for siding with the shadow cultists.
Act IV[]
Prior to the murders of Isaac Tettares and Jeannemary Chatur, Silas converses with the revenant of Sister Glaurica, learning much of the truth of the Ninth House Genocide and salient information about Gideon's mother. When he and Colum pass a grieving Gideon in the halls, Silas uncharacteristically strikes up a conversation with her. He claims that he has knowledge of Ninth House crimes and refers to Gideon as "a victim of the Ninth House."[5] Despite her rude behavior and dismissive attitude, he invites her to take tea in their room. She storms off without answering, but Colum guesses that she will come. Following an argument with Harrow, Colum is proved correct.
Gideon arrives at their rooms, and Colum greets and disarms her. He fetches Silas, and brushes and styles his hair with Silas and Gideon speak. Silas explains, in vague terms, what he has learned from Sister Glaurica, but Gideon does not believe his claims. He attempts to sway her, but at the close of the conversation, she remains confused and unconvinced. Before Gideon leaves, Silas asks for her keys and meets her refusal with a formal challenge. He threatens her and refuses her her weapons. At this point Colum steps in, refusing to cooperate and stating that he has given Gideon his word that she would not be harmed. Silas is furious, insisting that the Ninth House is a corrupt House that needs to be purged, but Colum remains unmoved. The argument quickly grows personal, and Colum ends up nearly shouting at his necromancer. In Silas's stunned silence, Colum takes his opportunity to shepherd Gideon out of their rooms and return her weapons to her.
Gideon discovers Protesilaus's detached head and the remaining necromancer/cavalier teams are called to regroup in Dulcinea's sick rooms. As Dulcinea explains Protesilaus's situation, Silas takes immediate offense to Dulcinea's "unholy" use of the beguiling corpse. Countering, Dulcinea claims that soul-siphoning is equally, if not more, heretical than her beguiling corpse. Angry, Silas goes to leave, but Colum pauses to ask who or what was found in the furnace if not Protesilaus. Harrow tries to claim carrion rights over the bodies, starting a second argument over ethics and necromancy. At his breaking point, Silas pronounces that he will keep a guard of the morgue to ensure none of the bodies are desecrated. He and Colum exit, bringing Protesilaus's head with them.
While Silas is in the morgue, Coronabeth and Ianthe Tridentarius, along with their cavalier Naberius Tern, break into the morgue and defile the corpse of Abigail Pent, stealing a key that had been hidden inside of her. Outnumbered, Eighth is unable to stop them, but waits in the hall outside of Dulcinea's—presumably to wait for backup. Sixth and Ninth to return after the Duel at the Communications Room between Teacher and Second House, and Silas reports what has happened. Palamedes quickly realizes which door the Tridentarii now have access to, and Sixth, Ninth, and Eighth set out for the final Lyctor study.
Inside, they find Ianthe sitting proud and bloody, Naberius murdered, and Coronabeth cowering under the tables. Ianthe confesses to murdering Naberius as soon as they enter the laboratory, and Colum draws on her. Silas interrogates Ianthe, eventually discovering the terrible secret to becoming a Lyctor lies in the death of one's cavalier. Colum closes his eyes and stands perfectly still, seemingly accepting his fate, but Silas balks and refuses to undergo the process of becoming a Lyctor. He tells Colum that he will "forgive" him for "assuming he [Silas] would have been prey to this temptation."[6] Instead, he sets Colum to fight the new Lyctor, Ianthe.
They fight viciously, Ianthe flexing her new Lyctoral power and Colum pressing his advantage anytime she is incapacitated by her physical strength or Naberius's attempts to fight the bond. It is no competition—Ianthe's necromancy quickly overtakes Colum's skill and Silas reneges on his promise. Though he does not attempt to become a Lyctor, Silas ignores Colum's pleas to not siphon him here and forces him to obey. He forces Colum under, taking huge amounts of energy to fight Ianthe. Colum manages one more slash at Ianthe's back before he is overcome. Everything human in Colum drops away, his eyes turning completely black moving "like there were six people inside him, and none of those six people had ever been inside a human being before."[6] Lights and slithering things are visible under his skin. Silas makes an aborted attempted to recall Colum, but the creature inside of him kills Silas.
Harrow the Ninth[]
Nine Months Before the Emperor's Murder[]
Silas stands with the other postulants to Canaan House as Teacher hands out one key attached to a key ring to each cavalier. It is unclear if Colum Asht is present in this Canaan House, either as a revenant himself or as an imagined ghost (such as Judith Deuteros and Camilla Hect). It is implied that as a skilled spirit adept Silas discovers the reality of the Bubble Canaan House, but it is unclear how long it takes him to realize that they are in the River.
Four Months Before the Emperor's Murder[]
At some point following the death of Camilla Hect and Palamedes Sextus, Dulcinea Septimus approaches Silas, on behalf of Abigail Pent, about joining with the other postulants to combat the Sleeper. It is unknown what his response is, only that he declined to join them and that he "was horrid."[7]
Silas follows the "ghost" of Coronabeth Tridentarius—that cannot be Coronabeth as she is alive and well—to the edge of the docking terrace. He is notably disheveled from his usual appearance; his usual braid is "torn to wisps and ribbons," and “his clothes were smudged ... a few of his buttons were not done up.”[8] He curses her, saying "may all the blood of your blood suffer even a fraction of what I have suffered,"[8] and pushes her over the edge. Having overheard, Harrowhark Nonagesimus calls out to him and challenges him to stand for his crimes. He refuses to fight her, instead, he mutters cryptically about Harrow's accusation and his ability to defend himself. She challenges him again, and he says "Is this how it happens, then?"[8] and jumps off the balcony. Harrow sees a "gush of watery blood"[8] and he is gone.
Appearance and Personality[]
Gideon first describes Silas as thus:
"One of the pair was a wan, knife-faced kid dressed in antiseptic whites and chain mail you could cut with a fork, it was so delicate. He was draped in it even down to a kilt, which was strange: necromancers didn't normally wear that type of armour, and he was definitely the necromancer. He had a necromancer build. Pale silk fluttered from his slim shoulders. He gave the impression of being the guy fun sought out for death. He was prim and ascetic-looking..." [9]
In personality, Silas is exceptionally severe. He often takes his religious responsibility to extremes and adopts a true "holier-than-thou" attitude. As soon as things begin to go wrong at Canaan House, he attempts to take control of the group with an excessively domineering tone of leadership. This immediately fails as he is in no way popular with his peers. Many of the other necromancers are uncomfortable with the way he orders around Colum, and see it as an abuse of his power. Though only three years older than Isaac Tettares, he tends to come across as more mature and independent.
Relationships[]
Colum Asht[]
"He has come back to me through stranger ghosts. He has never once let his body become corrupted, and he never shall." [4]
Silas Octakiseron has a rather childish belief in his nephew-cavalier. In the same way that some children believe their parents are superheroes, Silas has come to think of his cavalier as infallibly strong and obedient. Over the years, Silas's devotion to his nephew has melted away in the face of the surety of a righteous teen heir. He does not appear to push Colum out of cruelty or malice, but the false belief that they have nothing to fear. He does not even seem to notice as his behavior in Canaan House begins to degrade their relationship.
Harrowhark Nonagesimus[]
"You must be aware that I would never suffer a shadow cultist in an Eighth sanctuary unless I thought it was of huge moral utility."[2]
Silas's hatred of the Harrowhark Nonagesimus is not particularly personal—he does not actually know her at all. Instead, his hatred stems from his religion. Like many in the Dominican System, Silas Octakiseron believes that the Ninth House was never intended to exist beyond Anastasia's original construction of the Locked Tomb. To Silas, the very existence of Ninth House is heretical and Harrow, as the Scion of the House is deplorable. What he learns from Sister Glaurica only adds to what, in his eyes, are her many sins.
References[]
- ↑ tazmuir, Tumblr.com.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Gideon the Ninth," Act IV, Ch. 28
- ↑ "Gideon the Ninth," Act II, Ch. 12
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Gideon the Ninth," Act III, Ch. 18
- ↑ "Gideon the Ninth," Act IV, Ch. 26
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Gideon the Ninth," Act IV, Ch. 34
- ↑ "Harrow the Ninth," Act III, Ch. 28
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 "Harrow the Ninth," Act III, Ch. 26
- ↑ "Gideon the Ninth," Act II, Ch. 10