Oyette

Oyette

Oyette was a Nightman councilman and the acknowledged head of the Nightmen council. He was the owner of the narrator Zaira von Monocle and her crew, having acquired them through purchase from Juiyan on the Zenwey continent. Described by those around him as fair but hard, Oyette was nonetheless noted to possess no compassion, and his conduct toward those under his authority reflected a rigid, unyielding disposition.

Description

Oyette bore a scar down his left cheek and wore glasses that appeared perpetually on the verge of slipping from his nose. He also had slight wrinkles on his face, a pointed chin, and dark, scraggly hair. As a Nightman, his skin took on a darker shade of blue when he was angered. He maintained a large residence equipped with kitchens, a storeroom, slave quarters, and a servants' quarters staffed by servants and chefs. His study was filled floor to ceiling with books and furnished with a stone desk; he made use of parchment paper, writing utensils, a gas lamp, and an ink fountain pen.

Role in The Blood of Giants

In The Blood of Giants, Oyette drew last among lots for the new crop of slaves and thereby acquired Zaira von Monocle and her crew from Juiyan. He informed Zaira plainly of her status: "Your old life is for naught. You are mine now." He assigned her to kitchen cleaning duty and did not acknowledge her when passing through the kitchen on his way out.

Oyette ordered the public punishment of Wayde and had previously punished another slave coldly upon Zaira's arrival, demonstrating his willingness to enforce discipline without hesitation. Despite this, he trusted slaves to carry out errands without guards following them.

He attended the Nightmen Arena with eight guests identified as councilmen. He placed no silver bet on the arena match but remarked that it was an easy choice. When Zaira sought permission to visit Rhys's residence, Oyette reluctantly allowed it, instructing her to report back any information she gathered. He was suspicious that Rhys was positioning himself to make a bid for head of the council and was working on a proposal to the council when Zaira visited his study.

When Zaira offered the Giant's Blood Serum as a trade, Oyette responded with threats rather than negotiation. He forbade her from speaking with Rhys or any other councilman without his explicit order, asserting: "If you have such a thing and you are mine, everything you have is therefore mine." He refused to cancel or rearrange the arena match.

On the morning of the group's escape, Oyette confronted Rhys directly, making threats against him and accusing him of orchestrating the slaves' departure: "Councilman Rhys. I knew you were manipulating my slaves into leaving this place." He claimed Rhys had been waiting for his opportunity for years and noted that Oyette himself had been growing more aggressive with the council in the period leading up to these events.

Oyette also confronted the group after a crash in the desert, giving them a fiery glare and motioning to his men to ready their rifles. He spoke to a guard in the Nightmen's language and threatened to kill the group if they could not live in harmony with Nightmen ways. He claimed that the Nightmen treated humans fairly for their work and referred to the human crew collectively as slaves.

Relationships

• Rhys: Oyette regarded Rhys with deep suspicion, believing him to be maneuvering for control of the council and manipulating Oyette's slaves. The two councilmen were in evident political opposition.
• Juiyan: Oyette purchased Zaira and her crew from Juiyan, acquiring them as slaves through this transaction.
• Wayde: Oyette ordered Wayde's public punishment.

Quotes

"Your old life is for naught. You are mine now."

"Oyette is fair, but hard."

"If you have such a thing and you are mine, everything you have is therefore mine."

"Councilman Rhys. I knew you were manipulating my slaves into leaving this place."

In A History of Rislandia

According to A History of Rislandia, Oyette is identified as a councilman among the Nightmen, consistent with his portrayal in the novels. The sourcebook notes that Zaira von Monocle was enslaved to Oyette and worked under him as a kitchen cleaner. No additional biographical detail, origin, or political context beyond these facts is provided for Oyette in the bible.