The King in Red

As the deathless king of Dresediel Lex and CEO of Red King Consolidated, The King in Red is one of the most powerful and influential leaders in the New World. When not referred to by his title, he is simply called "Kopil" although it is unknown whether that is his birth name or one he chose himself. No surname is known. He appears in the novels Two Serpents Rise, Last First Snow, Four Roads Cross and is mentioned at some point in all of them.

**The following page contains spoilers of specific events from the Craft Sequence novels. It is recommended that you read the books first.**

## Early life

Whether he was born in Dresediel Lex or not, Kopil came to reside in the city at some point prior to the God Wars. A photograph of him from this time viewed by Caleb Altemoc depicts him as tall for a Quechal man, at least six feet, and thin with narrow sloping shoulders. The photograph also shows him with his lover, Timas, who would later be sacrificed to the gods of Dresediel Lex. Timas' death inspired a great antipathy towards gods in Kopil and influenced much of his later actions.

## The God Wars

Kopil was one of the chief leaders among craftsmen and women during the God Wars and is best known for his siege and assault of Dresediel Lex. Although the battle began with a peace conference that lasted several days, no progress toward an accord was ever made, and given Kopil's antipathy it is doubtful one was possible.

Kopil led the assault on the deities of Dresediel Lex, impaling most of the pantheon on a tree of lightning to die. He broke the leader of the Quechal gods, Qet Sea-lord, upon his own altar, the same one where Timas had been sacrificed.

## Red King Consolidated

After the liberation of Dresediel Lex, Kopil took up rulership of the city. He formed a concern, Red King Consolidated, to perform the functions previously provided for by grace of the Quechal gods, such as supplying the desert city with rain and water. The corpse of Qet assisted in this function. The RKC offices were established at the former temple of the Quechal gods at 667 Sansilva in Dresediel Lex.

At some point between the liberation of the city and the uprising of Chakall Square, Kopil underwent the ceremony to transcend his body and take the form of an immortal, skeletal deathless king. All Craft practitioners must transcend their physical form at some point as using the Craft causes the body to break down, but Kopil chose to undergo the process earlier after he was diagnosed with lung cancer at the age of 60.

As part of his effort to rebuild Dresediel Lex, Kopil sought the services of Kelethres, Albrecht and Ao to break down the old deities' wards over certain parts of the city, which would not allow new construction. Elayne Kevarian's initial presentation to the court was rejected, after which she urged him to compromise with protesters who were opposed to the destruction of the wards and redevelopment of their neighborhood. After talks broke down, Kopil responded forcefully against the protesters, a tactic he would later express regret over.

After reports that RKC potentially could be surpassed by rival concern Heartstone as the principal supplier of water to the city, Kopil sought to purchase Heartstone and integrate it into his concern. He was briefly incapacitated as this deal turned out to be a trap by Heartstone chairman Alaxic and Malina Kekapania to drive Craftsmen and women from the city.

Following the resolution of this crisis, Kopil became one of the first investors in the Two Serpents Group in an effort to prevent future incidents. His investment chiefly consisted of the rights for usage over the sky of Alt Coloumb, which would later be sought by Tara Abernathy in her attempt to save Kos Everburning and Seril Undying.

1. ↑ Two Serpents Rise, pg. 100