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Γ Application
Aug. 4th, 2008 01:07 am[nick / name]: Alms
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gossamerrain
[other characters currently played]: Rudy Cooper :: Dexter ::cold_dry_pieces
[e-mail]: [REDACTED]
[AIM / messenger]: [REDACTED]
[series]: Gene Wolfe’s Book of the Long Sun
[character]: Patera Silk
[character history / background]: The Wikipedia entry on BotLS gives a better summary of his role than I can manage!
Regarding the world from which Silk hails: the Book takes place upon a generational ship called the Whorl, which is divided into an unspecified number of cities, and governed by the ship’s computer, Mainframe. To the people of the Whorl, Mainframe is the home of the gods, and the abode of dead souls. There are nine major gods and goddesses, ruled by Pas, and a number of minor deities; they’re programs in Mainframe based upon the family of the ancient ruler who sent the Whorl out into the universe. The Outsider, on the other hand, is a "real" god, who exists outside the Whorl as well as within it. The people aboard the ship are not really aware of their situation; their Whorl is their world, the Nine are their gods, and by and large no one questions it. By Silk’s time, the Whorl has largely deteriorated; the climate is breaking down, there’s a drought in Viron, and the city’s rightful leadership has been replaced by a power-hungry council known as the Ayuntamiento. The gods have not appeared in the city (via screens, called Sacred Windows, in the manteions,) for many years.
[character abilities]: To quote the author, “[A reader] asked whether Silk had `extraordinary abilities.' To quibble, it depends on what you mean by extraordinary. He has none comparable to Mucor's, although his are much more valuable. He is a born leader, with great energy and intelligence, and superior motor skills.”
In terms of his specific training—as an augur he is adept at sacrificing and butchering animals, as well as fortelling the future from their entrails—though this “art” is mostly guesswork and instinct, rather than any kind of psychic ability. Also, as an augur he’s responsible for maintaining the Sacred Window of his manteion, and is thus more technologically capable than most denizens of the Whorl.
[character personality]: Silk thinks of himself as a simple augur; his only goal is to preserve his Manteion, where he offers sacrifices and prayers to the Nine major gods and goddesses (as well as the many lesser gods) and Palaestra, at which he teaches the children of the quarter. One motivation is personal; he feels responsible for the people of his quarter, a rather poor, rough area of the city of Viron. However, Silk also believes he has been assigned this task by the Outsider—a “minor god” according to the pantheon of the Whorl. He feels the Outsider has enlightened him in order to prepare him for this task.
Silk is a leader, but not a willing politician; he is unwilling to lie, even when his honesty is likely to put him in danger. He is loyal to his city but not particularly interested in ruling it, and he accepts the popular desire to install him as the Caldé mostly to stop the rioting and violence his supporters are causing. He has no desire for power, and doesn’t consider himself extraordinary. Although he believes he has been enlightened by a god, and has witnessed multiple theophanies, Silk remains humble.
He is intelligent but trusting, more inclined to see the good in people than to judge them for their misdeeds. Silk is innocent rather than ignorant.
[point in timeline you're picking your character from]: Right before the end of the second book—leaving Limna for Viron, to become Caldé, but before the final fight scene of the novel.
[journal post]:
[Video Post]
[A rather startled young man in a red tunic flickers into view, fiddling with the controls of his newfound network device. He’s clean-shaven, but his blonde hair is disheveled. Keen blue eyes peer at the camera for a moment before he begins to speak.]
Forgive me for not addressing you with the proper respect—I’m afraid I don’t recognize any of you, nor am I certain where I am, although certainly it is not where I expected to be! My name is Silk—Patera Silk, I should say—of Viron, and…
[Silk pauses, glancing uneasily offscreen, stroking a cheek thoughtfully with his thumb. His gaze returns to the screen.]
I have learned that the gods can use a glass—I presume even one as odd as this!—as easily as a Window… And yet this is unlike any theophany I have ever w— [Pause.] —heard of. Ah...
[Murmuring something under his breath, the man quickly traces a plus sign in the air in front of him.]
Could... someone tell me, is this Mainframe?
[/VIDEO]
[third person / log sample]:
His beads and his gammadion were tucked into a pocket of the new red tunic Crane had bought him; Hyacinth's needler, still too damp to fire, was slipped into his waistband. And that, of course, was all there was; everything else had been lost to the water or to Councillor Lemur's searching hands. Silk was accustomed to not owning much-- augurs had little need of possessions, and he'd sold much of what he'd once owned to buy sacrifices for the failing manteion-- but the loss stung a little just the same. His pen-case, for one thing... Such things as we keep with us are like old friends, he thought, adjusting his shirt, All the more valuable when they are few. The monetary loss was negligible; nothing he owned was worth much, and there was more at stake here anyway. Half a week ago, the thought of all the cards he'd gained and lost would have made his head spin-- both because it was rare for him to have any money, and because he owed so much to Blood to ransom his Manteion. Now, though...
The gods themselves, it seemed, were intent upon making him Caldé. Years of silence from the Sacred Windows of Viron had been broken by theophany after theophany-- not just for him, not just for the faithful, but for the very guardsmen sent to arrest him! He should feel honored, he knew, but it was difficult not to feel flustered. The Ayuntamiento must go-- at the least, new Councillors, ones who can be trusted to look after Viron rather than themselves, must be appointed. But it's merely the whim of a goddess to put me forth as their replacement... Silk regarded himself critically in the mirror, running a finger along his cheek. It was not his place to doubt the honor, but he wondered whether he was up to the task of restoring the Caldéship.
All he had wanted was the safety of his Manteion-- the assurance that the run-down buildings on Sun Street would not be razed. He didn't even aspire to see them rebuilt, as the Chapter seemed to think appropriate. His quarter was not a prosperous one, but surely its people were as deserving as any other citizens; and if the Palaestra were shut down, what would become of the children, with no one to teach them? The Outsider had asked him to save the Manteion; had he meant Silk to save Viron as well? Certainly becoming Caldé would allow him to accomplish the god's task, but it certainly wasn't how he'd expected things to go.
The Guardsmen-- his Guardsmen, and Doctor Crane-- were waiting for him. Running a hand futilely through his hair, Silk began the prayers he'd meant to say, before becoming distracted by his own thoughts. It was Hieraxday; he hoped, fervently, that this wasn't an omen.
Still murmuring his prayers, he headed outside, to where the men waited with the donkey's they'd rented to take them back to Viron. His city.
High Hierax, be not angry with me, who have always honored you. Death is yours...
[personal LJ name]:
gossamerrain[other characters currently played]: Rudy Cooper :: Dexter ::
cold_dry_pieces[e-mail]: [REDACTED]
[AIM / messenger]: [REDACTED]
[series]: Gene Wolfe’s Book of the Long Sun
[character]: Patera Silk
[character history / background]: The Wikipedia entry on BotLS gives a better summary of his role than I can manage!
Regarding the world from which Silk hails: the Book takes place upon a generational ship called the Whorl, which is divided into an unspecified number of cities, and governed by the ship’s computer, Mainframe. To the people of the Whorl, Mainframe is the home of the gods, and the abode of dead souls. There are nine major gods and goddesses, ruled by Pas, and a number of minor deities; they’re programs in Mainframe based upon the family of the ancient ruler who sent the Whorl out into the universe. The Outsider, on the other hand, is a "real" god, who exists outside the Whorl as well as within it. The people aboard the ship are not really aware of their situation; their Whorl is their world, the Nine are their gods, and by and large no one questions it. By Silk’s time, the Whorl has largely deteriorated; the climate is breaking down, there’s a drought in Viron, and the city’s rightful leadership has been replaced by a power-hungry council known as the Ayuntamiento. The gods have not appeared in the city (via screens, called Sacred Windows, in the manteions,) for many years.
[character abilities]: To quote the author, “[A reader] asked whether Silk had `extraordinary abilities.' To quibble, it depends on what you mean by extraordinary. He has none comparable to Mucor's, although his are much more valuable. He is a born leader, with great energy and intelligence, and superior motor skills.”
In terms of his specific training—as an augur he is adept at sacrificing and butchering animals, as well as fortelling the future from their entrails—though this “art” is mostly guesswork and instinct, rather than any kind of psychic ability. Also, as an augur he’s responsible for maintaining the Sacred Window of his manteion, and is thus more technologically capable than most denizens of the Whorl.
[character personality]: Silk thinks of himself as a simple augur; his only goal is to preserve his Manteion, where he offers sacrifices and prayers to the Nine major gods and goddesses (as well as the many lesser gods) and Palaestra, at which he teaches the children of the quarter. One motivation is personal; he feels responsible for the people of his quarter, a rather poor, rough area of the city of Viron. However, Silk also believes he has been assigned this task by the Outsider—a “minor god” according to the pantheon of the Whorl. He feels the Outsider has enlightened him in order to prepare him for this task.
Silk is a leader, but not a willing politician; he is unwilling to lie, even when his honesty is likely to put him in danger. He is loyal to his city but not particularly interested in ruling it, and he accepts the popular desire to install him as the Caldé mostly to stop the rioting and violence his supporters are causing. He has no desire for power, and doesn’t consider himself extraordinary. Although he believes he has been enlightened by a god, and has witnessed multiple theophanies, Silk remains humble.
He is intelligent but trusting, more inclined to see the good in people than to judge them for their misdeeds. Silk is innocent rather than ignorant.
[point in timeline you're picking your character from]: Right before the end of the second book—leaving Limna for Viron, to become Caldé, but before the final fight scene of the novel.
[journal post]:
[Video Post]
[A rather startled young man in a red tunic flickers into view, fiddling with the controls of his newfound network device. He’s clean-shaven, but his blonde hair is disheveled. Keen blue eyes peer at the camera for a moment before he begins to speak.]
Forgive me for not addressing you with the proper respect—I’m afraid I don’t recognize any of you, nor am I certain where I am, although certainly it is not where I expected to be! My name is Silk—Patera Silk, I should say—of Viron, and…
[Silk pauses, glancing uneasily offscreen, stroking a cheek thoughtfully with his thumb. His gaze returns to the screen.]
I have learned that the gods can use a glass—I presume even one as odd as this!—as easily as a Window… And yet this is unlike any theophany I have ever w— [Pause.] —heard of. Ah...
[Murmuring something under his breath, the man quickly traces a plus sign in the air in front of him.]
Could... someone tell me, is this Mainframe?
[/VIDEO]
[third person / log sample]:
His beads and his gammadion were tucked into a pocket of the new red tunic Crane had bought him; Hyacinth's needler, still too damp to fire, was slipped into his waistband. And that, of course, was all there was; everything else had been lost to the water or to Councillor Lemur's searching hands. Silk was accustomed to not owning much-- augurs had little need of possessions, and he'd sold much of what he'd once owned to buy sacrifices for the failing manteion-- but the loss stung a little just the same. His pen-case, for one thing... Such things as we keep with us are like old friends, he thought, adjusting his shirt, All the more valuable when they are few. The monetary loss was negligible; nothing he owned was worth much, and there was more at stake here anyway. Half a week ago, the thought of all the cards he'd gained and lost would have made his head spin-- both because it was rare for him to have any money, and because he owed so much to Blood to ransom his Manteion. Now, though...
The gods themselves, it seemed, were intent upon making him Caldé. Years of silence from the Sacred Windows of Viron had been broken by theophany after theophany-- not just for him, not just for the faithful, but for the very guardsmen sent to arrest him! He should feel honored, he knew, but it was difficult not to feel flustered. The Ayuntamiento must go-- at the least, new Councillors, ones who can be trusted to look after Viron rather than themselves, must be appointed. But it's merely the whim of a goddess to put me forth as their replacement... Silk regarded himself critically in the mirror, running a finger along his cheek. It was not his place to doubt the honor, but he wondered whether he was up to the task of restoring the Caldéship.
All he had wanted was the safety of his Manteion-- the assurance that the run-down buildings on Sun Street would not be razed. He didn't even aspire to see them rebuilt, as the Chapter seemed to think appropriate. His quarter was not a prosperous one, but surely its people were as deserving as any other citizens; and if the Palaestra were shut down, what would become of the children, with no one to teach them? The Outsider had asked him to save the Manteion; had he meant Silk to save Viron as well? Certainly becoming Caldé would allow him to accomplish the god's task, but it certainly wasn't how he'd expected things to go.
The Guardsmen-- his Guardsmen, and Doctor Crane-- were waiting for him. Running a hand futilely through his hair, Silk began the prayers he'd meant to say, before becoming distracted by his own thoughts. It was Hieraxday; he hoped, fervently, that this wasn't an omen.
Still murmuring his prayers, he headed outside, to where the men waited with the donkey's they'd rented to take them back to Viron. His city.
High Hierax, be not angry with me, who have always honored you. Death is yours...
