Séverin Montagnet-Alarie

**Séverin Montagnet-Alarie** is one of the main characters of *The Gilded Wolves* trilogy by Roshani Chokshi.

## Personality

On the outside, Séverin is a witty and intelligent man whose many foster parents inadvertently taught him how to steal from and deal with the Order. However, Séverin is desperate to prove himself. His ultimate goal is to be recognized as a true patriarch and give everyone in his employment what they wish for. He treats all of his friends like family and has made an equal oath between all of them. However, after Tristan's death, Séverin takes on a more maniacal demeanor. He retreats into the darker parts of himself and craves the power of *The Divine Lyrics* so that he can stay with his friends at L'Eden forever.

## Appearance

Séverin is a half-French, half-Algerian young man and is described as having dark hair and sharp features. However, his complexion can fully pass him on as a Frenchman. He often wears an ouroboros-shaped pin, the symbol of the House Vanth. Before Tristan's death, Séverin always carried a tin of cloves around him.

## Biography

### Pre-Series

Séverin Montagnet-Alarie was born to Lucien Montagnet-Alarie, the former patriarch of House Vanth, and a dark-skinned Algerian woman, Kahina, in November 1870. When he was young, he was raised by his father as the heir of House Vanth, being playmates with Hypnos Leclair from House Nyx. The matriarch of House Kore doted on him, letting him call her "Tante", a show of affection.

When Séverin was seven, his parents died in a fire that erupted in his manor, and Séverin was the only one who survived. Immediately after that, he was given the inheritance test, but the results came out negative, and he was deprived of his patriarch's title and House Vanth was declaired dead.

In his youth, Séverin had a series of seven foster fathers, named after the seven deadly sins - Pride, Greed, Lust, Envy, Gluttony, Wrath, and Sloth. In this foster childhood, he met Tristan Maréchal, who became his brother in "arms if not blood" and whom Séverin vowed to protect.

At some point, Séverin became the owner of the luxury hotel Hotel L'Eden. After meeting L'Enigme at Palais des Rêves, she read his history by touching his possessions, and in turn gave him her secrets. They decided that their goals were the same thing, and thus began working together. Séverin heard of a Jewish girl from Poland who had a special solid affinity in Forging, but was expelled for lighting the laboratory. He went to the prisons to get her, and she became part of his team. Enrique came into his employment after visiting L'Eden's museum gallery, so that he could get into the Ilustrados, which shunned him for his skin color and Filipino heritage. And thus, the team was formed, and they stole objects that once belonged to House Vanth during auctions.

### *The Gilded Wolves*

He is first seen with Enrique Mercado-Lopez, a friend of his, attempting to steal a compass, rumored to possess a treasure map, but in the process, almost gets his hand torn off by the bear in which the compass is stored. However, thanks to Enrique's quick thinking, his arm is freed and they return to L'Eden, where they meet up with the rest of the crew. In the stargazing room, they, along with friends Laila and Zofia Boguska, as well as Séverin's younger brother, Tristan Maréchal, manage to crack the code, opening the compass. However, it turns out that inside isn't a map, but the symbol of the Horus Eye. They figure out looking through the Horus Eye will reveal the location of the West's Babel fragment, and set about planning to find the Eye.

Hypnos Leclair discovers the theft, and uses a blood Forged seal to track Séverin down. Séverin is summoned to the House Nyx estate, Erebus. Hypnos uses Séverin's crew as leverage, forcing Séverin to accept his terms of returning him his title in exchange for stealing the Horus Eye from House Kore. When he returns to L'Eden, Séverin gathers his crew in the stargazing room, and they discuss plans to infiltrate the House Kore country estate to steal the Eye.

Thanks to Laila's ability to read objects, Séverin now knows that the courier of House Kore is going to a party at the Palais des Rêves. Changing into the attire of a Sphinx, Séverin and Tristan, now dressed like an officer, go into the Palais and approach the courier. They interrogate him, taking out the catalogue coin, an object marking him as House Kore's courier, and discover the location of the Horus Eye. However, things spiral out of plan as another Sphinx appears. With a distraction orchestrated by Laila and Hypnos, they manage to get out safely with the information they need.

When the time came, Séverin, disguised as Monsieur Faucher, infiltrates the House Kore with his crew. He attends the ball, squeezing Matriarch Delphine Desrosiers's broken fingers hard before entering. He meets Roux-Joubert, who is under the guise of a kind old man. He meets the eyes of Zofia Boguska, and the plan is set into motion. Hypnos presents the matriarch with a special object of his for safekeeping, and together they move towards the library. Séverin follows from behind, watching the scene unfold. He trips the matriarch, noticing the mud on her shoes and confirms that the library is under the greenhouse.

Séverin and the others gather around in their room for further planning. Laila is going to get the key to the library for them, and Tristan and Enrique are going to close the greenhouse off from the public and sneak into the library with Laila and Zofia from there, while Hypnos and Séverin go through the main entrance with the copy of the key made by Zofia, with the original one returned to the matriarch's office. With all their plans in place, the group disperse.

Séverin waits for Laila outside the matriarch's office, but she does not appear on time. So, Séverin leaves to join in the fun. Laila appears as a nautch dancer and during the dance, throws him the key. Meanwhile, Roux-Joubert sits behind him, watching him.

After acquiring the key, he transfers it to Zofia, who in turn molds it to form a copy. She comments on his lateness, and he replies that the key wasn't delivered as planned. After receiving the key, Hypnos returns the original key and along with Séverin, enters the library with the copy.

They meet Enrique, Zofia, and Laila in the library below the greenhouse, and are met with thousands of Horus Eyes. Each searching a shelf, they split up in search of the real Horus Eye. Then Enrique pulls a book from the wall, triggering the Forged weapon, and thus a guardian leaps out to meet them. Séverin notices the somno and wants to activate it himself, but Laila does it instead, getting knocked out in the process. Séverin is horrified that Laila won't wake up, but she does, much to his relief. They leave with the Horus Eye, and Séverin is buzzing with anticipation because his dreams of returning House Vanth to its former glory are finally to come true.

When they reach the top of the staircase and into the greenhouse, Séverin is prepared to tell his brother of the good news, but is instead met by a Tristan slumped with a Phobus Helmet on his head. Roux-Joubert is there, and he tells the group that Zofia was the key to finding them. He asks Séverin for the Babel Ring of House Nyx in three days' time in exchange for Tristan, and takes the Horus Eye from him. Séverin has no choice but to agree to the terms. Roux-Joubert also reveals another piece of information: the Eye does not show the location of the Babel Fragment.

Upon returning to L'Eden, the group discuss about their plans. Séverin decides that he won't give up the Ring of House Nyx to Roux-Joubert. Instead, he wants to play the cards to his own advantage, calling Hypnos to L'Eden and telling him of the exchange after the latter left them. Hypnos is disoriented but agrees to act as Séverin's bait. Using the honeybee worn on Roux-Joubert, they crack the code, deducing that he is from the Fallen House.

Séverin, Enrique, and Hypnos work on the bone clock of the Fallen House in Séverin's collection, hoping to crack the code and find out about the Fallen House meeting place. Hours pass and finally Séverin opens the clockface, revealing a riddle. Using the riddle, they position the hands of the clock at 2:06 exactly at midnight, and the meeting place is revealed to be in the Paris catacombs.

Séverin and Laila venture into the catacombs from the main entrance. It isn't long before they find the meeting place of the Fallen House. It looks abandoned, but Tristan is in there with a Phobus Helmet on his head. Séverin and Laila don mirror powder and Séverin goes to untie Tristan, but it is a trap. A Phobus Helmet is used on Séverin and he falls into unconsciousness.

When Séverin comes to, he is tied to a chair. Roux-Joubert stands before him. He slices his arm and golden ichor flows. Roux-Joubert then lifts the blood to Séverin's face, momentarily turning him into an angel then devil. He shows Séverin the Tezcat door leading to the museum exhibition, the figures of Enrique, Zofia, and Hypnos talking and laughing. Roux-Joubert activates the Babel Fragment Then Laila comes forth with a "farewell" kiss, passing one of Tristan's inventions into Séverin's mouth. Séverin temporarily blinds Roux-Joubert and breaks free, with Tristan killing his accomplice in the process. The hologram on the Tezcat door shatters, but the members of the Fallen House cannot get in. Séverin realizes that the Horus Eye can deactivate the Fragment, and reaches for it. But Roux-Joubert uses the blood of his fallen comrade to rip open the Tezcat door, letting in the others. Zofia comes out, showing Séverin where to put the Eye, and so do the others. But they are now cornered by Fallen House members. Hypnos almost gives up his own Ring, but the Sphinxes come in time, and they succeed in defeating the Fallen House.

Séverin and the others are going to the party held at the Palais des Rêves. He is sitting in a carriage next to Tristan when Tristan informs him that the matriarch of House Kore had a letter for him. It isn't until they are inside the Palais that Séverin opens the letter and sees that Roux-Joubert excaped. Roux-Joubert appears at the party and uses the blade-rimmed hat of his comrade to attack Tristan. Séverin thinks he's attacking Laila, so Tristan is hit and dies in Séverin's arms. It breaks Séverin.

When Matriarch Delphine Desrosiers of House Kore and Patriarch Hypnos Leclair of House Nyx come to again initiate the inheritance test on him, he no longer wants it. Séverin breaks Laila's heart when she kisses him by saying she isn't real. They do not speak for months until on Séverin's nineteenth birthday, Laila comes to strike a deal with him to become his mistress during Winter Conclave.

## Relationships

### Romantic

#### Laila

Laila and Séverin have a one night stand at some point in time before the events of The Gilded Wolves. They decide never to speak of it again. However, they both still harbour feelings for each other long after. They have a falling out at the end of The Gilded Wolves when Séverin asks her how he could possibly love something that isn't even real (refering to Laila being Forged). In The Silvered Serpents, the two pretend to court each other and grow closer, but once again, that trust is severed at the end of the novel when Séverin pretends to kill Zofia and Enrique and leaves Laila to die. In the events of the Bronzed Beasts, the two are seperated until they meet while looking for masquerade ball masks. Séverin realizes he loves her, but Laila is still full of disdain for him and tells herself that she will never forgive him. When the group finally reaches the divine temple, things do not go as expected and Laila becomes a goddess who will watch over the temple, ensuring that she will live past her 19th birthday. Séverin and Laila say goodbye and Séverin returns to France where he waits for Laila to return. Finally, after 100 years, Séverin enters L'Eden to hear Laila's voice say "Hello, Majnun"

### Familial

#### Tristan Maréchal (adoptive brother)

Tristan and Séverin had seven fathers. Foster fathers and guardians, all of whom had been fringe members of the Order of Babel. After the death of his parents, Séverin was sent to live with Wrath. Tristan was a bastard son of Wrath and from the very beginning Séverin saw Tristan as his own younger brother and made a promise to protect him.

### Friends

#### Zofia Boguska

After Zofia causes an accident at her school, Séverin offers her a job at his hotel to work as a chemist. The two develop a close relationship over time, where Séverin fondly refers to her as "Phoenix" and Zofia expresses her relief that Séverin returned home alive after pursuing a dangerous acquisition.