Pyrrha Dve

Pyrrha Dve illustrated by deirdresart

Head of Trentham Special Intelligence

> *"Bullets—water—or waiting? [...] Your mother would've picked the bullet."*
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**Pyrrha Dve** *(PIRRA DVAY)* is the cavalier primary to the Third Saint to Serve the King Undying, Gideon the First, Commander of the Second House, Head of Trentham Special Intelligence, and one of the original sixteen disciples to serve the Emperor at Canaan House after the Resurrection.

## **Biography**

### **Life pre-Resurrection**

Prior to the Resurrection, the scientist John Gaius worked with a crew of enigmatically named friends. Given that their initials align with several of the names of those who later became his Saints, a close relationship with “G—“ (likely Gideon), and the similarly gendered pronoun, it appears likely that Pyrrha was the one referred to in his recounted story as “P—“.

”P—“ was involved in law enforcement, which aligns with Pyrrha’s career as a warrior. Gaius referred to her fondly as their “pet cop,” and she ran interference for the team as they eventually ran afoul of the government.

P— was killed in a shootout in the events that led up to The Resurrection.

### **After the Resurrection**

Pyrrha Dve was among the original disciples at Canaan. There, she became one of the first cavaliers and cavalier primary to Gideon.

Granted immortality and protection by the Emperor, Pyrrha and Gideon established the Second House and the Cohort, making Pyrrha the Commander of the Second House and the Head of Trentham Special Intelligence. As the disciples began to delve into the secrets of necromancy, Pyrrha and Gideon developed the theorem of transference (also called winnowing).

Putting together their research, the original disciples discovered the Eightfold Word, or the Lyctoral Mega-theorem. In his ascension, Gideon unintentionally compartmentalized his cavalier, allowing Pyrrha to retain the ability to occasionally gain consciousness. Pyrrha has kept her presence undetectable over the myriad and Gideon is only aware of lost time.

A thousand years before the murder of the Emperor, Gideon the First and Pyrrha Dve dueled with Matthias Nonius, celebrated Ninth House swordsman. Though the details of the duel are unknown, Gideon/Pyrrha and Nonius both walked away with Nonius feeling as though he owes a debt to *"a rival and ally."*

Two years before the birth of Gideon Nav, Unbeknownst to Gideon, Pyrrha as him entered into a relationship with Commander Wake of the Blood of Eden. He didn't know he followed suit. Pyrrha apparently did explain to Wake about who she was in a relationship with.

### **Harrow the Ninth**

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

Harrowhark Nonagesimus stumbles upon the body of Gideon the First she believes being amorously engaged with the corpse of Cytherea the First. Given the absence of an attempted murder from Gideon as well as his refusal to turn around, it is likely that this encounter was actually with Pyrrha, who had gained consciousness and sought out the body currently housing the revenant of Commander Wake, her former lover.

Directly following Augustine's dinner party, Harrow again finds Pyrrha, who she assumes is Gideon—this time stabbed through the heart and dumped into the incinerator. It is unclear exactly when Pyrrha gained consciousness, but she refuses to open her eyes after Harrow pulls their body from the incinerator. She explains Gideon's thanergy void powers to Harrow and clarifies that fresh blood wards applied nightly will keep Harrow safe without divulging the fact that she is not, in fact, Gideon. After a coughing fit, it appears that Gideon regains consciousness and control of their shared body.

#### Thirty Minutes Before the Emperor's Murder

After Gideon the First is killed in battle with Number Seven, Pyrrha comes to consciousness and returns to the Mithraeum. She makes her way to John's chambers, stopping in his foyer long enough to grab the sunglasses from Gideon Nav's face and put them on in order to hide her changed eyes. Inside, the Emperor has tied up the body of Cytherea, now containing the revenant of Commander Wake, and is deep in conversation with Augustine and Mercymorn. Ignoring all of them, Pyrrha walks up to Wake and shoots her in the head, removing the revenant from the corpse. Augustine asks what happened to Number Seven, and Pyrrha confirms that it has fled.

John sits and asks "Gideon" if he was aware that Wake was pregnant. Pyrrha, still masquerading as her necromancer, confirms he was aware and explains, to the horror of everyone, that he thought that it was his child. John continues to insist that using the child of Lyctor to open the Locked Tomb would not work until Augustine and Mercymorn fill him in on Dios apate, major—their plan to steal his genetic material and create a child capable of unpicking his blood wards. John asks if Wake and the baby died on entry, but Gideon Nav walks into the room and announces herself as the child before Pyrrha can answer.

Pyrrha watches quietly as the Emperor, Mercymorn, and Augustine discuss everything they have discovered: that John has always lied about Alecto's death, that John and Alecto underwent the Lyctoral process and perfected it before any of his disciples were resurrected, and that none of the cavaliers needed to die. Ianthe decides to join them in the room, but says nothing. Mercymorn and Augustine continue to press for details, knowledge, and possible regret, but Pyrrha, recently surfaced from a myriad of existing only in Gideon's brain, simply stays quiet.

Mercymorn promises that she will forgive John if he will do one thing: look her in the eyes and tell her he loved Cristabel, her cavalier. As he does so, physically embracing her, she reaches inside of him and rends him into dust with her necromancy. Mercymorn and Augustine explain to Harrow and Ianthe that with the Emperor dead, the Nine Houses and Dominicus will die within three hours and that there is no hope of saving their inhabitants. Mercymorn expresses the desire to commit suicide, but Augustine refuses her, saying that they have to go after the remaining Resurrection Beasts, sue for peace with Blood of Eden, and find a place for the remaining inhabitants of the Empire. Augustine asks "Gideon" if he will make any move against them and Pyrrha begins to tell them who she is, but barely has a chance to begin before the Emperor reconstructs his body and explodes Mercymorn, killing her.

John asks each of his Lyctors if they will be loyal to him. Pyrrha and Ianthe answer in the affirmative and are spared. Gideon Nav is spared punishment for her negative due to the extenuating circumstances of being his daughter and being in Harrow's body, but tossed across the room and bound by his necromancy. Augustine answers in the negative, but before John can kill him, Augustine drops the Mithraeum into the deepest layer of the River. Pyrrha, lacking a Lyctor's ability to survive the River, grabs Gideon Nav and hauls her back into the halls of the Mithraeum.

They watch through the plex window as Augustine and John battle while sinking into the River, followed at a distance by Ianthe. Gideon Nav asks if "Gideon" is going to do something, and Pyrrha reveals herself to be his cavalier. She tells Gideon Nav how Gideon the First died fighting Number Seven with Matthias Nonius, Ortus Nigenad, Protesilaus Ebdoma, and Marta Dyas (though she does not know their names). They watch as Augustine pushes The Emperor toward the stoma and gets caught up in the tongues that emerge from the void. As they fight, the Mithraeum slips into the current and begins to be dragged down to the stoma as well.

Gideon breaks a plex window with her sword, sweeping Pyrrha and herself out into the River. They watch as Ianthe darts down and frees the Emperor, dooming Augustine to the stoma and whatever lies beyond, as the weight of the River begins to crush their half-Lyctoral bodies.

## **Appearance and Personality**

> *"I don't care that she was ten years my senior, Pyrrha Dve was hotter than the very fires of Hell."*
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The actual appearance of Pyrrha Dve is unknown, but she is unanimously regarded as *"the hottest cavalier," "an absolute bombshell,"* and *"a stone cold fox."*

## **Relationships**

### Gideon the First

> *"We compartmentalized from the Eightfold Word, just like you and your girl—though I'm an accident, and he took more from me than got taken from you."*
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Pyrrha's relationship with her necromancer has been complicated by a myriad of being trapped in a corner of his brain. Though she was once close enough with him to die for his ascension, she now frequently disagrees with his choices. From starting her own affair with Commander Wake to telling Harrowhark how to protect herself against the two of them to attempting to kill her, she's separated somewhat from his will. Due to her emotional state upon becoming the sole owner of Gideon's body, it is unclear how she has taken his death.

### Matthias Nonius

> *"He fought it alone for hours, [...] then with some rag-tag cavalry led by that mad sweetheart Matthias."*
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Little is known about Pyrrha and Matthias Nonius's relationship aside from the fact that they met in battle over a thousand years ago and parted on good enough terms to do battle together once more. It is clear that Pyrrha holds some amount of affection for him, but to what degree is unknown.

### Wake

> *"She was the most dangerous woman I'd ever met who wasn't me, [...] You're right though. She was a real dick."*
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Alongside Gideon the First, Pyrrha Dve engaged in a relationship with Commander Wake. The details of this relationship are largely unknown; however, after her work with the Dios apate, major plot, Gideon finally has to assassinate Wake. They are confused by Wake taking the baby with her. In the end, Pyrrha rescues Wake from being trapped in Cytherea's corpse and interrogated by the Emperor by shooting Cytherea in the head.

## **References**

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Harrow the Ninth," Act V, Ch. 52
2. ↑ "Harrow the Ninth," Act V, Ch. 49
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Harrow the Ninth," Act III, Ch. 30