Crux

An illustration of Crux by @toshdoesart

> *"'You talk so loudly for* chattel, *Nav,' said the marshal. 'You chatter so much for a debt. I hate you, and yet you are my wares and inventory.'"*
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**Crux** is the Seneschal and former Marshal of The Ninth House. He is a staunch traditionalist and supporter of The Ninth House and Harrowhark Nonagesimus, and refuses to tolerate any perceived disloyalty. Crux is promoted to Seneschal upon Harrow's departure to First House.

## **Biography**

### **Early Life**

Crux, as Marshal, has been made aware that Priamhark and Pelleamena died years ago and that Harrowhark is the true leader of the Ninth House.

When she was young, Crux took much of the responsibility of raising Harrow. He would tell Harrow about her parents life before her birth, aid her in her necromantic education, and ensure she would eat. In the aftermath of the opening of the Locked Tomb and the death of her parents, he helped her sort out what was real and what were hallucinations. In return, she used her necromancy to repair his aging body.

### **Gideon the Ninth**

#### Act I

Alerted by her tracking bracelet, Crux is the first person on the scene when Gideon Nav makes her eighty-seventh escape attempt. He chastises her harshly for her disobedience, and attacks her once (with his fists), but refuses to draw his weapon. Disgusted, he leaves to find the proper authorities. Crux returns minutes later with the Reverend Daughter Harrowhark and Aiglamene. Crux is scandalized when Harrow offers Gideon a duel, but is pleased to call the duel in Harrow's favor.

After the duel, Crux delights in dragging Gideon to the muster call, kicking her in the head when she makes one last attempt at escape, and leaving her heaped on a pew. He takes his seat in a chevet, and listens to Harrow share the summons from The Emperor—a call for all the Heirs of The Nine Houses and their cavaliers to come to First House. As Ortus Nigenad, the cavalier primary, and his mother, Sister Glaurica, attempt to evade the Emperor's summons, Crux loudly abuses them for their cowardice before being silenced by Harrow's prayer.

At Harrow's request, he escorts Glaurica and Ortus from the church. He takes them to the shuttle that Gideon had called, allowing them to escape. Harrow has bribed the pilot and instructed them to return in 24 hours so that Ortus and and Glaurica can be publicly shamed and, Ortus stripped of his title. Instead, Crux plants explosives on the shuttle, killing Sister Glaurica and Ortus for their disloyalty.

Weeks later, as Harrow and Gideon, the new cavalier primary, prepare for their journey to First House, Crux is noted to be fulfilling some secretive duty deep in the bowels of Ninth House, down near the labyrinthine catacombs and the Locked Tomb. He works with an army of skeleton servants, but Gideon does not learn what his task is, or if it is completed. Before she departs for First House, Harrow promotes Crux to the position of Seneschal.

## **Appearance and Personality**

Gideon describes Crux thusly:

> *"Crux might have been very nearly dead, but he was built like gristle with what seemed like thirty knuckles to each fist. He was old but he was goddamn ghastly. [...] She looked up at the scarecrow towering before her and he stared back, one-eyed, horrible, baleful. The antiquated armour seemed to be rotting right off his body. Even though the livid, over-stretch skin on his skull look in danger of peeling right off, he gave the impression that he simply wouldn't care."*
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Crux is the pinnacle of Ninth House. Rotting and rigid, he absolutely devoted to his religion and his House. Any disobedience or disloyalty is treated as treason and punished swiftly. He regards those in his power as chattel, and expects perfect compliance. His only tenderness comes out in the care and keeping of the House's Reverend Daughter, Harrowhark Nonagesimus.

## Powers & Abilities

* **Physical Strength:** Though old, Crux is "built like gristle" and capable of inflicting great pain.
* **Swordsman:** As Marshal, Crux possesses a thorough knowledge of and training in a variety of weapons.

## Possessions

* **Armor:** Crux's armor is old and rotting.
* **Crux's Knife & Sheath:** Crux's knife is a "thin slice of blade" held in a moldy over-the-shoulder sheath.

## **Relationships**

### Gideon Nav

> *"One day I'll flay you for disrespect. One day we will use your parts for paper. One day the sisters of the Locked Tomb will brush the oss with your bristles. One day your obedient bones will dust all places you disdain, and make the stones there shine with your fat. There is a muster, Nav, and I command you now to go."*
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Crux openly despises Gideon. As an indentured servant, she falls under his command and her frequent attempts at escape reflect poorly on his ability to manage his chattel. She infuriates him, and he punishes her harshly for it. Gideon's disrespect and open antagonism of Harrowhark is unforgivable.

### Harrowhark Nonagesimus

> *"She knew when she finally laid her nursemaid in his niche, it would be the death of the only other person invested in her sanity."*
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As Heir to the Ninth, Harrowhark has been born with Crux's unwavering loyalty. He treats her with every inch the respect her position deserves and does not tolerate any disrespect towards her. It is clear that much of his hatred for Gideon stems from the insubordinate way she interacts with Harrow.

## **Trivia**

* Crux, as a name, is in reference to "cross."

## **References**

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Gideon the Ninth," Act I, Ch. 1
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Gideon the Ninth," Act I, Ch. 1
3. ↑ "Harrow the Ninth," Act I, Ch. 3
4. ↑ "Gideon the Ninth," A Little Explanation of Naming Systems