Nictus Sharpe

"'A smile is deceptive, I have found. Some are real... and some are false. Sometimes, it is hard to tell the difference.' - Nictus Sharpe, The Plight of Steel, Chapter 42"Nictus Sharpe is a nobleman, first introduced in the first chapter of The Plight of Steel as a member on the council of Virion Vendyros. In the Velerin flashback chapters, he is also featured as a teenager - prince of Velerin and rightful heir to its throne.

Biography
In his childhood years, Nictus Sharpe grew up as prince of Velerin, heir to its throne. After the usurping of the kingdom's throne by the warlord, Dymon the Black, Nictus was instructed by his father to send summons to Elyssia and Jaymes Delerosa of Heathyard, urging them to come to Velerin, where they could be manipulated into assassinating the warlord and returning the crown to the beleaguered Sharpe family.

After his father and mother were killed by Dymon, Nictus traveled to Riverfall, where he grew into an adult and joined the council of Virion Vendyros. For many years, he sat as a trusted adviser and councilman, aiding Virion in his rule of the kingdom, though rarely showing himself outside of the council room or the keep, for the story of his childhood and assumption of his death followed him wherever he went. He was still the rightful heir to the throne of Velerin, though his cousin Kelyssa Valinor was to inherit the crown, being the only presumed living member of either the Sharpe or Valinor families.

In the Plight of Steel, Nictus is seen aiding Cassara Vendyros, the newly coronated queen, in unraveling the corruption within her family and council. After urging her to confront her father, she is banished by him - an incident she blames on Nictus, for she grows wise to his manipulation of her. Nictus, his task in Riverfall now done, travels to Nightfall at the end of the novel, leaving the kingdom he inhabited since he was a teenager.

Nictus is known to the people of Riverfall as being troublesome and scheming, able to charm people into doing his bidding for him. Because he was assumed to be killed by Dymon the Black, those who first meet him are confused more often than not, suspecting some form of trickery. Very little is known about him, aside from what is told in stories, for he keeps to himself most of the time, only appearing when he has some task to complete. His demeanor is calm and an air of intelligence surrounds him, so much so that is seems as if he knows things others do not. In The Point of Chaos, upon meeting Alluin Lathlirel and Fayea Sylfayren, the viscount and his bodyguard in Nightfall, the two elves cower away from Nictus, though they had never met him.

Appearance
His bright, orange eyes are detailed heavily in The Plight of Steel, for they stand out among the rest of his features. Many wonder about the nature of this feature, as aside from men of Shemerith, whose eyes are yellow, humans can not be born with strangely colored eyes unless gifted with the power of a Reverie. "'He is... not like the other children. His eyes... there is something about him... they say he is touched by the divine.' - Severina Sharpe, The Plight of Steel, Chapter 14"It is suggested in The Point of Chaos, that he may have been born in Shemerith, and that he may be a bastard child, which would explain the strange coloring of his eyes. Whether this is true is not revealed.

Silver highlights are streaked throughout his hair - an odd detail when noted that he is no older than thirty. For most of his appearances, he is seen wearing elegant doublets of satin and silk, along with an elven half-cape draped over his one shoulder - something worn only by royalty among the Faynin elves, who believe the runes they have patterned into the cloth provide healing and protective charms. At his belt, he wears a small dagger with a twisted metal handle, a blue jewel set into the pommel. He carries no other weapons, for his words are sufficient enough.

Name Origin
The name Nictus is not a common one among the people of Velerin, and its origin is unknown. Sharpe, in the Ancient Tongue, translates to Wise. Along with the Valinor family, the Sharpes are one of the oldest houses still alive in the Known World. Traditionally, they only marry with Valinors, which has intermixed the two families and their rights to any kingdoms and lands they own. That is why Velerin may be ruled by a Sharpe or a Valinor, unless the kingdom is taken by another royal family, in which case, both ancient houses would lose their claim to the throne.