The Third Priest

The Third Priest
Alias	By Gideon Nav: Salt-and-Pepper Plait The Salt-and-Pepper Priest
Biography
Age	10,000 (Approx.) Very Old (Appearance)
House	First
Affiliation
Allegiance	The Emperor First House
Status
Status	Dead
Physical Description
Gender	Unknown
General Build	Long salt-and-pepper hair (braided), with a frail, aging body.

The Third Priest is one of two additional priests who oversee the care of Canaan House with Teacher. Though they are never named, they dutifully attends the Postulants to Canaan House.

Biography

Early Life

Little is known about the early life of The Third Priest. It can be assumed that they were likely an ordinary inhabitant of the First House, before being brought into the experiments of the original eight disciples of The Emperor. It is not known precisely how they were transformed, but they are certainly part of Sixth House Lyctor team, Cassiopeia and Nigella Shodash's experiments.

Based on a binder full of photographs of ordinary peoples' faces, including one of Teacher, and the inscription "FIVE HUNDRED INTO FIFTY. IT IS FINISHED!" , it is assumed that Cassiopeia and Nigella methodically sorted through options of First House inhabitants before consolidating many souls into few: the skeleton constructs that serve the house, The Second and Third Priests, and most egregiously: Teacher.

Gideon the Ninth

Act I

As the Postulants to Canaan House arrive, The Second and Third Priests join Teacher and the skeleton constructs in docking and welcoming their visitors.  The Third Priest welcomes Coronabeth Tridentarius, Ianthe Tridentarius, and Naberius Tern. They are distressed that Third House refuses to select which of their necromancers will compete—insisting on working as a trio—but Teacher waves away their concerns as "a trouble confined to them."

Inside the House, the priests sit together at the lip of the Atrium fountain holding cups of tea in their hands. The Third Priest leads the group in the prayer of the first eight Houses, and Teacher invites the Ninth to recite the intercession of The Locked Tomb. Harrow's prayer delight The Third Priest. The Second and Third Priest sit quietly as Teacher hands out the key rings to each cavalier and explains their task.

Appearance and Personality

Gideon Nav describes the third priest as:

"...the third was of mild face and sported a long salt-and-pepper plait. They might have been a woman and might have been a man and might have been neither. All three wore the same clothes, which gave them the look of white birds on rainbow leashes, but somehow Teacher was the only one of the three who seemed real."

The Third Priest has a nervous, but kind personality. They seems to genuinely care for the Postulants and want the best for them. The Third Priest is differential to Teacher, but slightly more likely to press their concerns than The Second Priest.

Possessions

• Golden Circlet and Belt: The Third Priest wears a golden circlet around their head as well as a shimmering gold belt with "a multitude of jewel colours in intricate patterns and shapes" embroidered on it.