Dulcinea Septimus

Dulcinea Septimus illustrated by sanga-manga

**Dulcinea Septimus** *(Dul-sin-AY-a SEPT-i-mus)* is the Heir to the House of the Seventh. Diagnosed with the hereditary Heptanary blood cancer, she has spent much of her life critically ill and in the close care of her family. Duchess Septimus accepted The Emperor's summons with the full knowledge she would most likely not live to see the end of the competition.

## **Biography**

### **Early Life**

Dulcinea had spent nearly all of her life gravely ill, and had been removed to *"high-atmosphere facilities"*  to convalesce multiple times in her life. Throughout her teens, she corresponded with Palamedes Sextus, who used the Sixth House Library to study medicine and create a number of necromantic solutions to raise her quality of life and extend her lifespan.

One year prior to the events of Gideon the Ninth, Palamedes proposed a marriage between them. Dulcinea refused, although (according to Camilla Hect) not for a lack of feelings for him. A number of factors seem to have contributed to this decision, including Imperial rule against necromancers marrying outside of their house, but they are not explicitly named.

### **The Mysterious Study of Doctor Sex**

Dulcinea has a particularly bad flare of her illness and has been sent to Protesilaus' home on a mountain far outside of Cypris to recover. There, her cavalier's children look after her as she rests, bringing her roses and tea (which she does not like). She writes to Palamedes and Camilla, keeping them informed on her progress with the latest treatments Palamedes has devised.

### **Gideon the Ninth**

#### Act I

Dulcinea Septimus answers The Emperor's summons and boards her shuttle with every intention of coming to Canaan House and participating in the Lyctor Trials. Her ship is intercepted by Cytherea the First. As per his cavalier primary duties, Protesilaus Ebdoma immediately engages the Lyctor and is killed.

Dulcinea and Cytherea have a conversation, but Dulcinea refuses to participate in Cytherea's coup, and Cytherea is forced to kill her. Before her death, Dulcinea neglects to mention her complicated and close relationship with Palamedes Sextus and his cavalier, Camilla Hect.

Cytherea proceeds to steal Dulcinea's identity and impersonate her throughout the trials. Dulcinea's true body, is stored safely in Cytherea's rooms.

#### Act III

The body of Dulcinea Septimus, previously stored in Cytherea's rooms, is consigned to the incinerator after the beguiling corpse spell is broken.

### **Harrow the Ninth**

#### Nine Months Before the Emperor's Murder

Dulcinea stands with the other postulants to Canaan House as Teacher hands out one key attached to a key ring to each cavalier.

#### Six Months Before the Emperor's Murder

As part of the autopsy and preparation of Palamedes Sextus and Camilla Hect's bodies, Dulcinea is called upon as the flesh adept in residence to identify their bodies. Stopping first at their rooms to gather a sample of their bacterial thalergy, she joins Fifth and Ninth in the mortuary. She introduces herself to Harrow, who marvels at her medical device (a pulmonary drain designed by Palamedes), and begins taking samples from each of the corpses. Moments later, she identifies the bodies as Sixth House. Magnus Quinn and Harrow posit that the killer was again the Sleeper, and Ortus Nigenad questions what can be done about it. Dulcinea is the first to suggest fighting and her cavalier, Protesilaus, agrees.

Magnus suggests that they gather as many of the remaining postulants to their side as possible and make a stand. Dulcinea warns that she is rather frail, but that has been looking for the opportunity to prove herself. Harrow discounts her abilities, but Dulcinea insists. Abigail Pent takes control of the planning, asking that Dulcinea attempt to win over Silas Octakiseron, Magnus to get Marta Dyas, and Harrowhark to bring the Third House to their side. She suggests they gather in whichever room is least flooded by the rains. Before she leaves, Dulcinea asks Abigail *"Is this how it happens?"* and *"Does it get—better than this? Do you know?"* seemingly aware of her former death.

#### Four Months Before the Emperor's Murder

At some point following the death of the Sixth House, Dulcinea approaches Silas 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."*

#### The Night Before the Emperor's Murder

Harrow's murder on Mithraeum breaks apart her River "bubble." Dulcinea and the other revenants are pulled through different scenarios—Castle Drearburh, a formal event ballroom, and the Cohort cafeteria—before Abigail pulls her back to Canaan House and she stabilizes. When she wakes, Harrow remembers Gideon Nav and begins to cry. Abigail sends everyone from the room, and Dulcinea and the rest return to X-203, the Lyctor lab of Gideon and Pyrrha Dve. They work on their plan for fighting until writhing organic tentacles begin breaching the walls of Canaan House, and Magnus leaves to fetch Abigail and Harrow.

#### An Amount of Time Before the Emperor's Murder

Magnus, Abigail, and Harrow return shortly after Dulcinea has discovered the last piece of their planning—candles. Abigail explains her theories on the River, the River beyond, and the potential that something has gone wrong with the River, but they have little to do with the current plan. Harrow goes up to talk with Ortus, and Marta, Abigail, Magnus, Dulcinea, and Protesilaus make their final assessments. Judging them ready to begin, Abigail gathers everyone to go enact their plan—the exorcism of the Sleeper.

Harrow, Ortus, Abigail, Magnus, Dulcinea, Protesilaus, and Marta all return to the Facility and the coffin of the Sleeper. Abigail draws a chalk diagram while the rest place candles warded by Harrow. After, Abigail puts counter-wards on the dead—everyone but Harrow. As they work, Dulcinea, seeing Harrow's confusion, explains why she and Protesilaus have stayed to fight: Protesilaus because he is "dorkily noble," and Dulcinea because this is her fight—for her own death, for Palamedes, and for being able to do what she as she pleased which she was never allowed to do in life. They finish the preparations and Abigail pairs them and places them around the candle circle. Abigail pours a libation over the foot of the coffin and begins the summoning. Abigail notes that spirit is tied to two places and that its banishing in the River will not necessarily banish it on the Mithraeum. A panel of the coffin shatters and they see it is empty. The Sleeper emerges from the corridor.

The Sleeper fires on Harrowhark, who blocks with a bone shield and is dragged to safety by Ortus. As she speaks, Harrow realizes it is a woman's voice. Protesilaus engages the Sleeper and knocks her gun out of her hand. Before he can disengage his chain, she handsprings past him and shoots him in the back. She fires twice more, and Protesilaus is still. The Sleeper demands that Harrow turn herself over and begins counting down from ten. Dulcinea breaks cover and the Sleeper easily shoots her in the leg. Magnus makes his move, grabbing the Sleeper and holding her in place. Marta picks up her gun and shoots her three times, but she does not bleed. Marta comes at her with a knife, and the Sleeper kicks out dragging all three of them down. There is a quick dirty fight that ends with Magnus shot and Marta disarmed with a gun in her face.

Protesilaus rears up, having learned that his will not to die again can influence the River world, grabs the Sleeper and wraps the chain around her neck. The Sleeper causes two more guns to appear, shoots Protesilaus again and knocks out Marta. Harrow tosses bone at the Sleeper, but she shoots it out of the air and causes it to go inert. Harrow asks what the Sleeper wants, and she replies that she wants Harrow's death so she can take her body. As the Sleeper reaches one, Ortus begins to recite poetry.

As he declaims from the Noniad, Harrow struggles to cover them with bone shields. The Sleeper pushes her way through Harrow's shields, crumbling them to dust, and shoots Ortus. Harrow pushes the Sleeper back with a wall of bone and sends skeleton constructs after her which are also dissolved. Harrow takes over for Ortus, finishing the lines as Abigail summons. The Sleeper reaches Harrow and fires a shot into her head, but Matthias Nonias solidifies between them. The Sleeper attacks, but Nonias counters with superhuman speed and manages to wound her. As Nonias fights the Sleeper, the postulants begin to regroup. Harrow stabilizes Ortus's wound, and all the pairs watch in awe of the fight. Harrow and Dulcinea make moves to bring their necromancy into play, but Ortus stops them convinced that breaking the rules of his poetry would sink them. Nonias drops his rapier, but manages to catch the Sleepers arm, disarm her, and drive her back into the wall. Protesilaus tosses Nonias his rapier, and he plunges it into the Sleeper's chest.

They all regroup, Protesilaus in awe of Matthias and Ortus in awe of Abigail's ability to summon him. Abigail cannot figure out how she was able to summon him purely through Ortus's art. Harrow tells Nonias she has to other enemies here, and Abigail confirms the invasive soul is gone. As she speaks, the "bubble" begins to rumble, falling apart as the scenario has concluded and in response to whatever is happening above. Matthias Nonias shares his desire to go help the Lyctors battle the Resurrection Beast and Protesilaus, Ortus, and Marta decide to join him. Harrow release Matthias, and Abigail sends the four of them to aid Gideon the First. Harrow asks Abigail what will happen to her now, and Abigail gently explains that she can risk the River or she can return to her body—likely finally absorbing and destroying Gideon's soul. Abigail and Magnus attempt to convince her to return to her body and honor Gideon's sacrifice, and Harrow unwillingly agrees to live. They leave, re-entering the River.

#### Half an Hour Ago

Dulcinea stays behind informs Harrow that she has a sense that Harrow's body is not being puppeted or possessed by a revenant or fragment. She explains that she doesn't know what it means and has never seen it before, but she couldn't leave Harrow with only part of the truth. As Canaan House collapses, Dulcinea slips back into the River.

## **Appearance and Personality**

Dulcinea is described as:

> *"...in the chair was what appeared to be a dead body, holding a little lacy umbrella of her own to keep off the drips. It was gowned appropriately in spindrift white skirts, and inappropriately in a little crocheted scarf of piling white wool. [...] The ghost holding the umbrella had her pale, sugar-brown hair cropped short, its curls gathered into a cap of silky ringlets. There was a gracile delicacy to her—a starved, wasted, childlike mien—[...] A fine length of tubing emerged from her nose and was discreetly taped into the collar of her dress."*
>
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Contrary to her appearance, Dulcinea has a robust personality. Intelligent, charming, and personable, she does not fall prey to the same histrionic decorum as many of the other necromantic scions. Her House's penchant to towards "the perfect death" has given her an isolated, boring, and death-centric childhood, and Dulcinea makes up for that loss any time she is able to be out, doing this independently (or mostly, with the aide of Protesilaus), and finally being allowed to live her life. To Harrow, she seems childish or naive, but behind her stubborn adventurousness is a stable and wise woman.

## **Relationships**

### Palamedes Sextus

> *"My feelings were intense, but for God's sake, of course I understood. I was an infant. And yet I was shown endless tact and sympathy. My feelings were always taken as deadly serious, and I was treated as someone who knew what he was talking about."*
>
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In their youth, Dulcinea and Palamedes were pen pals and friends. They often collaborated on medical necromancy for the treatment of her condition, a major motivation for his studies. Though Dulcinea's responses would be addressed to "[her] Dearest Pals," including Camilla in her friendly communications, it was obvious to all involved that Palamedes feelings went far beyond simple friendship. While overall she seems to dismiss or avoid his advances, likely on the grounds of her own life expectancy and each of their positions, the relationship is obviously important to her- while her own house treats her as a wilting flower, she is allowed to express her drier and more profane self to her Sixth friends.

### Protesilaus Ebdoma

Dulcinea speaks of Protesilaus in the tone of an older family friend. He and his family clearly feel protective of her, and have hosted her in their family home at least once as she convalesced. She describes his poetry-quoting noble warrior side as 'dorky', indulgently.

## **Trivia**

* Dulcinea was named for the persona assigned to the prostitute Aldonza in Don Quixote. Muir describes her as *"a case of a woman you want to exist, but who really doesn't."*

## **References**

1. ↑  tazmuir, Tumblr.com.
2. ↑ "Gideon the Ninth," Cohort Intelligence Files
3. ↑ "Gideon the Ninth," Act IV, Ch. 35
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Harrow the Ninth," Act II, Ch. 21
5. ↑ "Harrow the Ninth," Act III, Ch. 28
6. ↑ "Gideon the Ninth," Act IV, Ch. 35
7. ↑ "Gideon the Ninth," A Little Explanation of Naming Systems