Varatsin Duke

The Varatsin Duke is the lord of the Reproach, a cursed district within the Anchorage, and the last surviving scion of the Varatsins, a family of Armiger lineage. When the other Armiger houses unseated the Varatsins, the curse they left behind manifested as the Reproach itself: an endless court of undead, possessed, and uniformed wraiths perpetually dancing to unheard music. The Duke's court and his dancing constitute the curse; he is both its master and its engine. He appears to those who enter his territory as an elegant Armiger in fantastical court costume, wearing a diadem identified in Blackmane's record books as a lost treasure, but his true form is a composite puppet of rats, bones, and osseous struts, with a face of writhing fur and small eyes.

His significance to City of Last Chances is twofold. In the near term, he is one of the territorial powers of the Anchorage, referenced alongside the Pals and the city as competing authorities over contested ground. In the longer arc, he is the last thread of an Armiger lineage bound by an old symbolic marriage to the Wood-a covenant that entitles him to a place within it but which the Wood itself refuses to honour. When the Indwellers arrive to collect reparations under the old covenant, they summon the Duke, deny him entry, and order him back to his cell. He refuses. His knights shift defiantly behind him. The text notes that "the old Varatsin won't let it rest," leaving his machinations open for whatever threat to the city may come next.

His arc within the single book is one of exposure and defiance. First encountered by Ruslav, Lemya, and Hellgram as a seductive courtier luring victims into a dance that means dissolution, he is cut in half by Hellgram, reforms, and watches the three escape. Later, reduced to a pile of rats and a rat-gnawed wooden mask, he is reconstituted in Fleance's empty body by Langrice, only to be summoned by the Indwellers, denied, and sent away. He does not accept the sending.

Character

Appearance

To Ruslav, trapped inside the Reproach's illusion, the Duke appears in full finery amid a court of dancing figures moving to unheard music, evoking the old nobility who "trafficked with things beyond the Wood" and could never be stopped dancing - ch 18. He wears a diadem identifiable from Blackmane's record books as a lost treasure - ch 18. When Ruslav fires the pirated word and the glamour flickers, the Duke is revealed for what he truly is: a composite puppet of rats, bones, and osseous struts, with a face full of writhing fur and small eyes - ch 18. A wound inflicted by Ruslav heals almost immediately as additional rats flow in to fill the gap - ch 18. When Hellgram cuts him in half, the Duke reforms from bones, earth, and branches, drawing a gem-hilted enchanted sword - ch 18. As Ruslav, Lemya, and Hellgram flee, the Duke is visible enthroned behind them with a phantom knight mounted with lance and heraldry; Ruslav perceives him as "the gleaming knight, and the monster was the whole dark landscape in every direction he looked" - ch 18. After the Indwellers refuse him, the Duke disintegrates into rats that bury a piece of dead wood and scatter, leaving behind a wooden mask-a caricature of a human face chewed into shape by the Duke's rat-bodies - ch 47. Langrice fits this rat-gnawed mask to the empty body formerly occupied by Fleance, and the Duke reconstitutes within it - ch 47.

Personality

The Duke is courtly, seductive, and theatrical, greeting intruders with formal address and incorporating them into the Reproach's fantasy of a functioning aristocratic household - ch 18. He attempts to lure Ruslav into stepping forward to dance, a compulsion toward dissolution that Ruslav nearly surrenders to before Lemya physically pulls him back - ch 18. The Duke cannot touch or entrance Hellgram, who is "Something that neither would nor could belong to the Reproach," and the Duke's attempt to banish him fails when Hellgram cuts him in half - ch 18. When the Indwellers order him to return to his cell, he refuses, and his knights shift defiantly behind him - ch 47. The text characterises him as a figure who "won't let it rest," indicating a stubbornness that outlasts any single defeat - ch 47.

Beliefs & Motivations

The Duke is bound to an old symbolic marriage between the Varatsin line and the Wood; this covenant entitles him to a place within the Wood, but he may not simply enter it by right - ch 47. His court and his dancing are not a performance but the substance of the curse itself - the Reproach exists because the Varatsin line exists - ch 47. He treats the Reproach as a sovereign court, addressing visitors as lord and lady and incorporating them into its rituals - ch 18. He refuses to accept the Indwellers' authority to send him back to his cell, choosing defiance over obedience even when defeated for now - ch 47.

History

City of Last Chances

Into the Reproach (ch 17-18)

The Varatsin Duke is the lord of the cursed district known as the Reproach, and within its borders he manifests as an elegant Armiger-shaped figure clad in fantastical court costume, wearing a diadem identifiable from Blackmane's record books as a lost treasure - ch 18. To Ruslav, trapped inside the Reproach's illusion, the Duke appears in full finery amid a court of dancing figures moving to unheard music, evoking the old nobility who "trafficked with things beyond the Wood" and could never be stopped dancing - ch 18. When Ruslav fires the pirated word, the glamour flickers and the Duke is revealed for what he truly is: a composite puppet of rats, bones, and osseous struts, with a face full of writhing fur and small eyes - ch 18. The wound Ruslav inflicts heals almost immediately as additional rats flow in to fill the gap - ch 18.

The Duke greets Ruslav with - "Sir Ruslav of the Gutter come gallant to court." - ch 18. He attempts to seduce Ruslav into stepping forward to dance, luring him toward dissolution; Ruslav nearly surrenders to the compulsion, thinking "To dance would be a grand end to the evening," before Lemya physically pulls him back - ch 18. The Duke addresses Ruslav and Nasely as - "My lord, my lady, you grace us with your presence." - incorporating them into the court's fantasy of a functioning aristocratic household - ch 18.

Hellgram enters the Reproach wearing a helm and point-nosed mask and demands his wife; the Duke attempts to "banish" him, but Hellgram cuts the Duke in half - ch 18. The Duke cannot touch or entrance Hellgram, because Hellgram is "Something that neither would nor could belong to the Reproach" - ch 18. The Duke reforms from bones, earth, and branches, drawing a gem-hilted enchanted sword, but the confrontation ends with the Duke retiring to his rat-throne as the three escapees flee - ch 18. As they stumble out of the tower, the court reasserts itself behind them: the Duke enthroned, a phantom knight mounted with lance and heraldry - ch 18. The narrator describes the Duke in terms of Ruslav's perception: "He was the gleaming knight, and the monster was the whole dark landscape in every direction he looked." - ch 18.

The Last Calm Night (ch 32-36)

The Duke is referenced only once in this stretch, and only in passing. When Langrice describes the political geography of the Anchorage's neighbourhood, she lists the Duke alongside the Pals and the city as competing territorial authorities: "You know how it is. Always has been. You know this is nobody's turf, here. Not the Pals', not the Duke's, not the city's." - ch 36.

The Reproach Breaks Free (ch 45-49)

The Varatsin Duke is the last scion of the Varatsins, a family of Armiger lineage whose curse, unleashed when the other Armiger houses unseated them, manifests as the Reproach itself: an endless dancing court of undead, possessed, and uniformed wraiths led by the Duke, whose court and whose dancing constitute the curse - ch 47. There exists an old symbolic marriage between the Varatsin line and the Wood; the Duke is bound to this covenant and may not simply enter it by right - ch 47.

When the Indwellers arrive at the Anchorage under the old covenant to collect reparations, they summon the Duke outside. He kneels and begs entry to the Wood; an Indweller refuses, throwing a piece of dead wood at his feet - ch 47. The Duke disintegrates into rats, which bury the wood and scatter in two directions - some into the Wood, some toward the city - leaving behind a wooden mask, a caricature of a human face chewed into shape by the Duke's rat-bodies - ch 47. Langrice fits this rat-gnawed mask to the empty body formerly occupied by Fleance, and the Duke reconstitutes within it - ch 47. The Indwellers point him away, ordering him to return to his cell; the Duke refuses, and his knights shift defiantly behind him - ch 47. He is then described as "defeated for now," following the bronze standard northward as Lemya and Shantrov Sirovar carry it through the ranks of the ghosts - ch 47. The text notes that "the old Varatsin won't let it rest," leaving the Duke's future machinations unresolved - ch 47.

Relationships

• Ruslav - The Duke greets Ruslav with formal, sardonic court address and attempts to seduce him into a dance that would mean dissolution; Ruslav nearly succumbs before Lemya pulls him back - ch 18.
• Lemya - The Duke addresses Lemya as "my lady," incorporating her into the court's fantasy; she is the one who physically breaks Ruslav's trance and pulls him away - ch 18.
• Hellgram - The Duke cannot touch or entrance Hellgram, who is outside the Reproach's domain; Hellgram cuts the Duke in half in response to the Duke's attempt to banish him - ch 18.
• Nasely - The Duke addresses Nasely as "my lady" alongside Ruslav, folding her into the court's theatrical courtesy - ch 18.
• Langrice - Langrice lists the Duke among the competing territorial authorities of the Anchorage's neighbourhood - ch 36. Later, Langrice fits the rat-gnawed wooden mask to Fleance's empty body, enabling the Duke's reconstitution - ch 47.
• Fleance - The Duke reconstitutes within Fleance's empty body after Langrice places the rat-chewed mask upon it - ch 47.
• The Wood - An old symbolic marriage binds the Varatsin line to the Wood; the Duke kneels and begs entry when summoned, but an Indweller refuses, throwing a piece of dead wood at his feet - ch 47.
• The Indwellers - The Indwellers summon the Duke outside the Anchorage, deny his petition, order him back to his cell, and point him away; he refuses and his knights shift defiantly behind him - ch 47.

Notable Quotes

"Sir Ruslav of the Gutter come gallant to court." - Varatsin Duke, City of Last Chances, ch 18

"My lord, my lady, you grace us with your presence." - Varatsin Duke, City of Last Chances, ch 18

"He was the gleaming knight, and the monster was the whole dark landscape in every direction he looked." - Ruslav's perception of the Duke, City of Last Chances, ch 18

"You know how it is. Always has been. You know this is nobody's turf, here. Not the Pals', not the Duke's, not the city's." - Langrice, City of Last Chances, ch 36

Tags

1. rats-composite · #cursed · #last-scion · #armiger