Rhys

Rhys

Titles: Scientist, Former Nightmen Councilman

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Description

Rhys was a slender man whose clothes dangled loosely on him. He had brown hair and a thin brown goatee, described as fitting his face rather nicely, and was noted for a handsome, distinguished appearance. He wore Nightman attire despite being human and spoke the Nightmen language fluently.

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Background

Rhys had once been a slave himself before rising to a seat on the Nightmen city council — the only human ever to hold such a position. In The Blood of Giants, he stated plainly, "I'm the only human among the council." He had long wished to leave the Nightmen city but acknowledged that humans were not permitted to leave, even in his elevated position, and that he had never actually passed through the exit tunnel before the escape. He had been waiting for an opportunity to depart for years, a fact later noted by Oyette.

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Scientific Work

Rhys was responsible for a wide range of Nightmen technological achievements, including the bat-gliders used by Nightmen warriors and the combat potions they employed in battle. He maintained his own estate featuring a circular building with a chimney, and within it a laboratory equipped with pipes, vials, beakers, instruments, gauges, a gas lamp, and a glass container housing a small blue blob creature.

In The Blood of Giants, it was revealed that Rhys conducted experiments in genetics, having recreated ancient creatures from fossilized bones. The Nightmen serum itself was derived from excretions of one such recreated ancient creature, kept in his laboratory. He was haunted by what the Nightmen did with his inventions.

Rhys's most significant personal achievement during the events of The Blood of Giants was developing an enzyme-based concoction capable of breaking down the bonded giant's blood serum in a subject's blood cells, freeing them from both addiction and the psychic influence of the giant. He successfully prepared and administered this treatment for Marina du Willet.

In The Fight for Rislandia, Rhys continued his chemical research in collaboration with Dr. Estrella du Clockhand, working to produce a replicable cure for the Wyranth army's serum withdrawal madness. He reported that over the course of several days he believed he had produced a counter-serum, though it still required further testing. He described this formulation as more potent than what he had given Marina, stating it actively sent the opposite signal and removed addiction rather than merely treating withdrawal. He tested the counter-serum on a captured Wyranth driver, and it successfully calmed the soldier for two to three days. Rhys was credited by General von Monocle as key to the anti-serum effort.

Rhys subsequently proposed a crop-dusting plan to distribute the anti-serum using the Liliana, basing the distribution system on how he had observed the Nightmen manage their farms. He identified a need for a thickening agent to make the anti-serum spread across a greater area, and noted he required a better laboratory than a small room aboard the ship. He was set up in the town hospital at Cliffside Castle by Zaira's father for this purpose. Working with Harkerpal on the anti-serum crop duster device, Rhys praised Harkerpal's engineering design abilities and suggested the two of them could make a good team for creating modern inventions after the war. He also proposed coating cannonballs in anti-serum and dumping the remainder of the barrel as a secondary delivery method.

During the battle, Rhys operated the anti-serum crop-dusting device below decks aboard the Liliana, managing to spray approximately eighty percent of the anti-serum before the ship was struck. He had a theory that the anti-serum could cure Wyranth soldiers of their driving rage entirely.

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Role in The Blood of Giants

In The Blood of Giants, Rhys was introduced to the narrator, Zaira von Monocle, at the Nightmen Arena while attending as a guest in Oyette's box. He expressed sympathy toward Zaira as she witnessed arena combat, telling her she would get used to the savagery over time, and laid a hand on her shoulder in sympathy following the death of Sergeant Darminder Babington. He subsequently walked her back to Oyette's estate.

Rhys had acquired Marina du Willet from a new batch of slaves and employed her as a servant and assistant in his laboratory. He expressed his intention to propose marriage to her and wished to know more about her.

After Oyette approached and threatened Rhys not to speak with Zaira again, Rhys grew nervous and moved the escape plan forward ahead of schedule. He had made the careless mistake of speaking in front of slaves, which accelerated Oyette's suspicions. He lied to a Nightman named Baymet by claiming he was giving slaves a tour, and led the group through the arena facility and dispatch building toward the auxiliary exit.

Rhys carried a large bag containing a vat of serum and the blue blob creature from his laboratory. He used an electrified stick to subdue Nightmen guards during the escape. He piloted the captured Nightmen troop carrier, warning the group to hold on before takeoff. He noted that the craft was designed for Nightmen reflexes, making precise maneuvers difficult for him, and that "Usually, the gliders are pulled out of their compartments before they take flight." He performed a dive maneuver to gain altitude over the arena wall and kept flying forward and upward while Dr. Estrella du Clockhand hung from the wall. During the flight, a Nightman punched through the cockpit window, and Rhys was cut by the resulting glass shards. The transport subsequently crashed; Rhys collapsed and was trapped in sand in the cockpit. He was pulled from the burning transport by James and the narrator, and was noted to be very heavy. He was then seated against the transport frame by Dr. du Clockhand and the narrator to recover. His voice was too weak to be heard when Oyette addressed him in the aftermath.

During the subsequent ground battle, Rhys sheltered with Dr. Estrella du Clockhand and was within the target range of an explosive bag. Two commandos remained behind with Rhys and Dr. du Clockhand after Zaira moved toward the airship.

Rhys smiled wryly at the "For steam and country" rallying cry. He considered himself resigned to leaving with Zaira's crew. Following the escape, he was observed standing at the midship port railing hand in hand with Marina du Willet during the ocean voyage. He brought his scientific knowledge and the giant's blood cure back to Rislandia with the crew.

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Role in The Fight for Rislandia

In The Fight for Rislandia, Rhys was described as "a strange scientist from the Zenwey continent" who had given up his entire life as a powerful Nightmen councilman to live in Rislandia for Marina du Willet. He was sought by Dr. Estrella du Clockhand and Marina both for safety reasons and to conclude research begun aboard the airship. Marina did not initially know where to find him in the city. He eventually arrived at the warehouse with Dr. du Clockhand and Marina, carrying large bags of scientific equipment.

Rhys embraced Marina and whispered in her ear before departing on the mission. He was part of the mission party sent to ambush Wyranth forces, and he tested the counter-serum on a captured Wyranth driver during this operation. He dropped the syringe when the Wyranth soldier grabbed him during the encounter. He also stopped the mine serum machine's assembly line by twisting a knob. He worked with Harkerpal on the anti-serum device after the airship arrived, drawing on his experience with advanced equipment from the Nightmen city.

Rhys secured a quantity of giant's blood, though less than had been hoped. He was set up in the hospital at Cliffside Castle by Zaira's father to continue his laboratory work. During the climactic battle, he operated the anti-serum crop-dusting device below decks. The ship was struck by enemy fire, blowing a hole through the back; Rhys survived the explosion but was shaken and suffered possible hearing damage, with his ears ringing and difficulty hearing that left him reading lips. He was noted to have seen the violence of the Nightmen city previously. After the crash, Rhys returned to Cliffside Castle to rest and recover, and was observed caring for Zaira's ferret Toby during this period. He was described as innovative by Marina and was praised by General von Monocle for his contributions to the anti-serum effort.

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Role in The Iron Wedding

In The Iron Wedding, Rhys was identified as Marina du Willet's romantic partner. When Marina departed on her mission, Rhys was left behind. Marina acknowledged the inherent dangers of her life and her relationship with him, stating: "Rhys will wait for me or he won't. He understands the risks of being with me."

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Personality

Rhys was brilliant, pragmatic, and haunted by his past and by the uses to which the Nightmen put his inventions. He was sympathetic toward slaves and outsiders despite his privileged position. His relationship with Marina du Willet provided both of them with a path toward redemption; he was noted to have given up his entire former life for her sake. He was described as resigned rather than enthusiastic about his departure from the Nightmen city, though he had long desired it. Marina described him as innovative, and Dr. Estrella du Clockhand noted his talent with chemistry. He suggested that he and Harkerpal could make a good team for creating modern inventions after the war.

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Relationships

• Zaira von Monocle: Rhys was sympathetic to Zaira from their first meeting at the arena and worked with her crew to plan and execute the escape from the Nightmen city. Zaira hoped his chemistry expertise could help find a cure for Wyranth serum addictions at a larger scale.
• Oyette: Rhys operated within Oyette's sphere of power as a councilman and guest. Oyette later threatened him and accused him of manipulating slaves into leaving.
• Harkerpal: In The Fight for Rislandia, Rhys worked with Harkerpal to design and build the anti-serum crop-dusting device. He praised Harkerpal's engineering abilities and suggested the two could form a productive partnership for future inventions.

In A History of Rislandia

A History of Rislandia treats Rhys as a notable historical figure, listing him among key professionals and scientists whose work shaped the conflict between Rislandia and the Wyranth Empire. The sourcebook describes him as a "human who had risen from slave to councilman through scientific genius" among the Nightmen, consistent with the novels, and credits him with the invention of several signature Nightmen technologies, including bat-gliders, combat potions, and explosive bags.

Vitality Ether and the Cure

According to A History of Rislandia, the substance treated in the novels as "giant's blood serum" is referred to in the sourcebook as Vitality Ether. The sourcebook credits Rhys with both developing the Vitality Ether addiction cure and describes his method as an enzyme treatment that breaks down bonded serum in blood cells — consistent with the novels' account of his treatment of Marina du Willet. The giant's blood serum itself was a Wyranth creation; Rhys developed only the cure for its effects.

Classification as a Wyranth Professional

The sourcebook lists Rhys as an example of a key professional in the Wyranth professional class, which is not a categorisation found in the novels, where Rhys is associated exclusively with the Nightmen and subsequently with Rislandia. Whether this reflects a historical reclassification, a Wyranth claim on his work, or an error in the in-universe scholarly text is not clarified.

Quoted in the Text

The sourcebook presents Rhys as the author of research notes quoted directly in Chapter 14 of A History of Rislandia, lending him a degree of in-universe scholarly authority. One quotation is attributed to him: "The line between technology and magic has always been thin." This positions him not merely as a subject of history but as a primary source within the in-universe historiographical tradition.

Alliance with Rislandia

The sourcebook characterises Rhys as "now allied with Rislandia" and notes that he helped the Liliana crew escape Nightmen enslavement, consistent with the novels. His romantic relationship with Marina du Willet is acknowledged, as is his intention to propose to her.