Judith Deuteros

> *"'[The community] needs someone who can take command, end this, and send everyone back in one piece. Will you consider working with me?"*
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**Judith Deuteros** *(DEW-ter-oss)* is the Heir to the House of the Second and a Captain in the Cohort. Raised in the most military of all houses, she regarded it as her responsibility to maintain the law of the Cohort amongst the Lyctoral candidates.

## **Biography**

### **Early Life**

Judith Deuteros joined the Junior Cohort Territorials at eleven years old and was commissioned to Second Lieutenant at fourteen. At fifteen, she was attached to the shuttle *Emperor's Dominion,* and at twenty she was promoted to First Lieutenant and attached to *Rigor.* Two years later, she was promoted to Captain and returned to Trentham for further training (officer and necromantic) with Marta Dyas as her cavalier primary.

Upon receiving a summons from the Emperor, Judith assembled an intelligence report on the various scions and their cavaliers. She notes that she is interested in acquiring the first intelligence from First House in three hundred years.

### **Gideon the Ninth**

#### Act I

Second House arrives with the others to Canaan House and disembarks without issue. Marta Dyas receives the iron key ring for their House. Judith listens to Teacher explain the task but does not participate in the conversation.

#### Act II

Judith's movements in the early days of Canaan House are almost entirely unknown. Though neither she nor Marta discovered the Facility and the necromantic puzzles therein, she is seldom seen by other parties around the House—except occasionally at meals.

Judith Deuteros attends Abigail Pent and Magnus Quinn's anniversary dinner party and appears to have a conversation about her military history with an unknown party.

#### Act III

Judith and Marta descend to the Facility for the first time to participate in the attempt to raise Abigail and Magnus, but Gideon does not remark on in what way. At some point, they excuse themselves and fetch Teacher, who quickly demands that everyone return upstairs. It takes nearly an hour for all the people (and bodies) to be hoisted up the Facility ladder, sorted out, and given tea. Once everyone has gathered, Judith is quick to attempt to seize control of the situation. She argues that they must call in the Cohort to handle the murder investigation, a claim that Teacher fiercely opposes (citing the sacred rule forbidding off-planet communication from Canaan House).

Teacher also calls into question Judith's assessment of the incident as a "murder," claiming that *"murder is done by the living"* and that he has informed everyone with a key that the Facility is *"the most dangerous place in the system."*  Stubbornly, Judith insists on calling the Cohort, so Coronabeth Tridentarius stands up to her, coaxing her to remember that most of the people in the room have grown up together. The issue is dropped, and the Second House remains silent except to accept Palamedes Sextus' invitation to join him as he conducts an investigation of the bodies.

The next day, Judith and Marta are drinking coffee when Coronabeth attempts to secure a hatch key from Teacher. Second stays out of the conversation until Palamedes offers to escort Corona down himself. Judith questions his motives, as he has said the Lyctor puzzle cannot be solves communally, but he claims this offer is harmless. Coronabeth blatantly bribes Palamedes with money, knowledge, or connections if he will help her get the same keys Ianthe has, and insults the Second's wealth when Judith protests. Palamedes reveals there is only one key for each room and only one or two keys left to be claimed.

Coronabeth insists that this means the teams are destined to work together. However, Teacher re-iterates his sermon from the first night in Canaan House-- *"What I mean is, there is no law. [...] I have given you your rule, and there are no others. Some things may take you swiftly down the road to Lyctorhood. Some things may make the row harder to plough."*  Judith and Marta are horrified and uncomprehending at the fact both Imperial law and natural law hold no ground here. The two head for the cold-larder-turned-mortuary to search the bodies of Abigail and Magnus for any keys they might have earned before their death. As they leave empty handed, they bump into Palamedes and quarrel when he refuses to join them in their attempts to bring order to Canaan House. The quarrel nearly comes to a duel, but Judith calls Marta off and the two leave.

After Dulcinea Septimus is found collapsed on the garden terrace and Protesilaus has gone missing, all of the guests are counted and brought to see the ashes from in the incinerator. Teacher explains he has organized a search of the house, and asks the guests to check their own rooms. Judith suggests that Protesilaus was killed for his laboratory keys, but Silas Octakiseron returns with the Seventh House keys-- confirming that none of the laboratory keys were taken. As she does not trust the keys were given willingly, Judith demands that Silas hand them over to her safekeeping as a representative from the Cohort. Silas refuses, and Judith announces her intent to take on the responsibility of ending this chaos. Surprisingly, she does not challenge Silas, but rather Palamedes and Camilla.

> *"This is where the tendon meets the bone. This--key hoarding--cannot continue. I told you before that the Second House would take responsibility if nobody else had the stomach for it. That begins now."*
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Camilla proves to be a much more formidable opponent than anticipated, fighting with a vicious speed and skill. She dislocates Marta's arm, and slams her to the table forcing Judith to call mercy. Camilla wins the duel, although she does not walk away unscathed-- Marta has stabbed her in the forearm. Palamedes demands (and receives) Judith's hatch key for the victory. Naberius, prodded by Ianthe, takes this opportunity to challenge Camilla himself, but Ninth and Fourth come to Camilla's defense and the challenge is withdrawn. Angry and suspicious of each other, Second, Third, and Eighth go their separate ways.

#### Act IV

The remaining postulants gather in Dulcinea's sick room. With Protesilaus' decapitated head in hand, Palamedes proposes that Protesilaus has been dead since before he arrived on First and has been reanimated by flesh magic called the beguiling corpse-- which Dulcinea confirms. Judith stays quiet until Silas seeks to *"mete out the justice of the tome"* for *"performing a necromantic act of transgression."*  She points out that Dulcinea is already confined to her room and dying, and thus no danger to them. Judith also prevents Harrow from claiming carrion rights, insisting any inspection of the bones must be done in the morgue, and requests that they are given permission to contact Seventh House and inform them of the state of their scion. She and Marta leave together when they are denied off-planet communication.

Judith and Marta locate a communication room in the priests wing of Canaan House and attempt to send an SOS when they are intercepted by Teacher. Proving to be much more powerful than he appeared, he blocks their efforts to restrain him. Marta attempts disabling force, and Teacher destroys her eye. Judith and Marta work together to fatally wound Teacher, but Marta dies in the process. Judith sustains grave injuries, but is successful in contacting The Emperor himself. Sixth and Ninth find her there, and she recounts her story. Palamedes informs her that he cannot save her, and she asks to be left where she is with a sword. She is nowhere to be found after the final battle with Cytherea and the arrival of God.

### **Harrow the Ninth**

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

Following the Battle of Canaan House, and against her will, Judith Deuteros is taken in by the Blood of Eden with Camilla Hect and Coronabeth Tridentarius. The three of them successfully make it off of the First House without drawing the notice of the Emperor or Cohort and are pronounced dead to their Houses.

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

Judith, Camilla, and Coronabeth track Harrowhark Nonagesimus to an isolated, uninhabited planet where she is completing a mission for the Emperor. Coronabeth watches over Judith while Camilla seeks out Harrow's assistance to locate the revenant of Palamedes Sextus. Camilla returns a while later with an unconscious Harrow and shares whatever explanation Harrow has offered in her letter about her amnesia with Judith and Coronabeth.

When Harrow wakes, she sees Coronabeth and Judith and, after reading two letters (1, 2) to herself, necromantically seals their jaws shut. Seizing her only opportunity to rebel against the Blood of Eden, Judith attempts to warn Harrow of a traitor amongst the Emperor's inner circle. Curious, Harrow unlocks their jaws, however, Coronabeth covers Judith's mouth and drags her back into the shuttle before she can get out more than a few words. Judith attempts to communicate with Cohort hand signals, but Harrow does not know them.

## **Appearance and Personality**

Gideon describes Judith as thus:

> *"Now they sat ramrod-straight and resplendent in their Second-styled Cohort uniforms, all scarlet and white. They both affected the same tightly braided hairstyle and abundance of gilt braid, and also the same serious-business expression. They were only distinct because one wore a rapier and the other quite a lot of pips at her collar."*
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Judith has a rather snobbish personality. Raised in the heart of the Cohort, she believes her rank and credentials afford her a level of respect and command without having to prove herself or gain her peers trust. Her way of thinking is impossibly pragmatic and structured, and she has difficulty accepting any limits to the Cohort's reach or power. She is not intentionally off-putting or rude, but her automatic assumption of her own importance puts off many of the other Houses.

## **Relationships**

### Marta Dyas

In her Cohort Intelligence Files, Judith describes Marta as:

> *"The basis of my representation is made upon Lieutenant Dyas' skills as well as my birth, the equation being the sum of our two parts."*
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It is clear that the two women have a strong and loyal bond. They are professional and formal, but it is clear they have an implicit trust that goes beyond the bounds of her service. Judith has been served by Marta for the last five years, and she is plainly satisfied with their partnership. While others question Judith's logic and right to leadership, Marta never shows the slightest doubt.

## **Trivia**

* Judith is named for the widow who beheads Holofernes in the Book of Judith. Muir also mentions the Book of Deuteronomy being "a very didactic text."

## **References**

1. ↑  tazmuir, Tumblr.com.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Gideon the Ninth," Act III, Ch. 21
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Gideon the Ninth," Act III, Ch. 18
4. ↑ "Gideon the Ninth," Act III, Ch. 23
5. ↑ "Gideon the Ninth," Act IV, Ch. 30
6. ↑ "Gideon the Ninth," Cohort Intelligence Files
7. ↑ "Gideon the Ninth," A Little Explanation of Naming Systems