Iren

Sketch of Iren drawn by Josiah Bancroft

### Occupation

Finn Goll's bodyguard, Crew Member of the Stone Cloud, Crew Member of the State of the Art

## Appearances

### Appears in

Senlin Ascends, Arm of the Sphinx, The Hod King, The Fall of Babel

## Background

Iren was born and raised in the ringdom of New Babel, where she didn't have didn't have friends or family to rely on. At some point, she gained employment as Finn Goll's bodyguard.

## Appearances

### Senlin Ascends

Iren chases Senlin from the Port of Goll into New Babel, she catches him in a crumb house where she takes him to Finn Goll who hires him as postmaster. Senlin, who often reads letters belonging to his employees since they cannot read, offers to help teach Iren how to read in exchange for fighting lessons.

Finn Goll learns about this exchange and has Iren beat Senlin as punishment. Later, Iren forces Senlin to visit Finn Goll, thinking that Goll will kill him, he asks her to join a crew that he's assembling. She says that she likes him but rejects the offer.

Iren is involved in the fight on the port later that night, and is knocked out by Commissioner Pound's henchman the Red Hand. However, she then escapes the port with Senlin, Adam, Voleta, and Edith aboard the Stone Cloud.

### Arm of the Sphinx

The crew goes to the Windsock, a hanging port to sell the rum and spend at the markets. Adam isn’t allowed to stay with the ship due to his previous duplicity. He talks with Iren at a pub about how he wants to regain Senlin’s trust. Voleta returns with a pet squirrel Squit that she stole from a cage. It’s owner follows her into the pub and Iren throws him off the port, causing them to be banned from the Windsock.

After a chase with the Ararat leaves their ship in desperate need of repair, Iren helps Adam find replacement parts in the Silk Gardens. They're attacked by spider eaters, and Iren is shocked to find how much her strength has failed her.

As the crew goes to the Sphinx for help, Iren notices that Voleta has been sneaking out to see the Sphinx every night. She agrees to keep it a secret for her. When Voleta points out that Edith and Adam are missing, Iren acts unbothered, though she later lashes out on Edith upon her return.

Iren requests to meet with the Sphinx and asks what's wrong with her and if he can fix it, to which he explains that she's going through menopause, but she should also start fighting with her heart more.

### The Hod King

Voleta and Iren enter Pelphia posing as the Sphinx's niece and her maid to help find and rescue Senlin's wife Marya. They're taken in by a family called the de Clarkes, and Iren forms a bond with the governess of Xenia de Clarke, Ann Gaucher.

Iren is disappointed in Voleta's antics as she publicly fights with the de Clarke, runs around rooftops at night, and uses the King's nephew, Prince Frances, to get closer to Marya, despite Ann warning them that he's dangerous. Iren and Ann talk about their past and bond over the stress of caring for Voleta and Xenia, and Ann kisses Iren.

At Marya's performance, Iren is tricked by Francis and his friend Reggie, who lock her in a closet so Francis can be alone with Voleta. Ann finds Iren and helps her escape, and Iren uses the Sphinx's moth to locate Voleta, whose been shot by Prince Francis. She stabs him with a coat rack and runs back with Voleta to The State of the Art, only to see it fall from the sky.

The ship returns to fire onto the port, and Iren stomps General Eingengrau to death. Iren boards the ship with Voleta, who has been dead for 15 minutes. Upon Iren's insistence, Reddleman works to revive her with the medium. Iren and Ann wait by Voleta's side until she wakes up.

### The Fall of Babel

Iren works alongside Edith to collect the Sphinx's paintings in each ringdom. She feels uneasy around Voleta, whose been acting different ever since being brought back to life. They go to the ringdom Oyodin, a ringdom filled with gambling and nudists to retrieve their painting, but when they arrive they find a hod running off with it.

Their next stop is a ringdom called the Cistern, which serves as the Tower’s filtration system. Iren and Voleta go to retrieve the painting while Edith goes to address the citizens on behalf of the Sphinx. Iren and Voleta talk about how their relationship has strained since Voleta came back to life. Iren admits her guilt that she couldn’t save her and asks Voleta if she’s sorry that she was brought back to life. Voleta says that it’s not her fault that she was killed and she’s glad to be alive, and that she’s going to be more careful now. They're ambushed by Marat's half mechanical spider and half female human corpse named Delyth. Delyth cuts off Voleta’s hand before she’s chased off and Iren reattaches the limb with the help of the Sphinx’s medium. Edith, Iren and Voleta return to the ship, and they take aboard the citizens injured by the Hod King. Iren later finds and consoles Ann who became overwhelmed after tending to all their wounded and dying guests. *T*

*The State of the Art* enters Cicilia, the ringdom below the Sphinx’s lair, to find that the citizens are evacuating the ringdom due to the electricity going out. Edith, Iren, Voleta and Reddleman travel to where Reddleman suspects the Hod King will be and are attacked by the Sphinx’s creatures.

After the destruction of the Hod King, the crew crew goes up to Nebos to enter the Sphinx’s lair from above, where they rescue Adam and Runa from execution. Iren and Adam catch up and both talk about their new romantic partners. Edith, Iren, Voleta, and Reddleman then head to the Sphinx’s lair. Voleta goes off to find Senlin. Edith, Iren, and Reddleman go on to find the Sphinx, who it turns out had died some time ago – Edith and Iren carry her to a final resting place. Iren says that she was an awful boss, but that she taught her to become motivated by love instead of fear and anger.

Following their victory over Marat, Senlin, Edith, Iren and Voleta return to Nebos to find the entire ringdom shaking and Edith orders everyone back on the ship. Edith, Iren, Ann, Byron, Tarrou, and Goll exit Nebos on *The State of the Art* and see the ringdom of Nebos disappear.

Though offered retirement from Edith, Iren refuses and stays aboard the State of the Art with Ann.