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Death begets death begets death.
Golden Son, Ch. 29

Lorn au Arcos is probably the most notorious warrior in the Society. During his more than 100 years of life, he experienced many battles and was awarded by the previous Sovereign the title of Rage Knight

His skills are unmatched and even with his old age, he is still feared as the most dangerous fighter in the system. After seeing all his sons die in a variety of battles, he retired with his personal fleet to the remote moon of Europa with the rest of his house.

Appearance[]

Lorn appeared as a grizzled man with grey hair and a beard. He was not exceptionally tall for a Gold (being shorter than Darrow) but was broad and tough-looking. He was known for his thick hands marred with scars and wrinkles on which he wore the signet ring of an Olympic Knight.

Personality[]

Though he was seen to be more liberal than other Golds, Darrow still thinks he is stalwart and subject to the thinking of olden times. This is demonstrated in his behavior towards Tactus, emulating typical Gold brutality by killing him after he had surrendered. However, he began to express regret, showing that he is capable of changing. He was also wise and judicious, removing himself from Gold society as he correctly saw its decay into decadence and bloodshed.

Lorn is also something of a philosopher. He is quoted multiple times by Golds and applied his philosophy to the Willow Way, turning himself and his students into monstrous warriors. His persona is emulated by Darrow (his final student) who is saddened that he could not be more like his teacher. Nevertheless, his effect on Darrow is so profound that his student remembers his teachings even after his demise.

Abilities[]

He was a highly renowned fighter and tactician, using his own fighting style known as the Willow Way. Showcasing Lorn's ability to observe his enemies, it uses principles taken from his years of combat for maximum effectiveness. Utilizing aggressive tactics different from typical Gold fighting styles, it has the practitioner rapidly attack limbs and move in a circle to confuse opponents. It is so revered among warriors in the Society that many would pay exorbitant fees for a single lesson. Adrius au Augustus, with his immense wealth, is even unsure if he can afford lessons for Darrow under Lorn. He is also an excellent teacher, having trained deadly warriors such as Aja and Darrow.

Background[]

Born to House Arcos, Lorn's family had some martial background as he described his father as a tough man who lived in an era where eight Iron Rains fell. Lorn made for himself through his martial prowess, eventually ascending to the post of Rage Knight. He also gained the nickname of "Stoneside" due to one occasion where he ate a rock on a bet with a Gray.

As time passed, Lorn eventually had a large family where many of his sons were claimed by war and eventually left the position of Rage Knight to retire to Europa with his remaining kin. Despite this, he is still referred to as the Rage Knight and has garnered fame as a warrior-philosopher as he is quoted by many Golds.

Involvement[]

Becoming the Rage Knight[]

  • Early 670's PCE

Lorn au Arcos is appointed by Sovereign Octavia au Lune to the post of Rage Knight.

  • 676 PCE

House Cylus is massacred and removed from records, Nero au Augustus takes place as ArchGovernor of Mars with the support of Octavia and two Olympic Knights, including Lorn au Arcos.

  • 708 PCE

Lorn au Arcos trains Aja au Grimmus in the Willow Way. Aja would be his last student until 30 years later.

The Last Student of Arcos[]

  • 737 PCE

As one of the Drafters for House Mars for the Martian Institute, Lorn selects Darrow O'Lykos as the first member of House Mars, and is the 10th to be picked out of 1000 students.

  • 738 PCE

Lorn gifts Darrow the knifeRing given to him by Dancer through Fitchner au Barca. Days after Darrow wins the Institute, he agrees to train Darrow in the Willow Way every morning for the next three years.

Isolation on Europa[]

  • 740 PCE

Shortly before Darrow leaves for the Academy in November 740 PCE, Lorn moves his family to Europa, where they settled on the island of Harmonia in early 741, after which he announces his retirement from his position as Rage Knight.[1]

Martian Civil War[]

  • 742 PCE

At the beginning of the Martian Civil War, Lorn attempted to remain neutral and keep his family out of the conflict altogether. This changed when Darrow came to visit him on Europa in mid-February 742 and attempted to persuade him to side with House Augustus. Shortly before Darrow's arrival Aja and Tactus came with a squad of Praetorians in an attempt to ambush him.

To protect his family, Lorn hid his daughters-in-law and grandchildren when his visitors arrived. Lorn attempts to help Darrow escape while a House Bellona fleet led by Kellan attacks the Pax. When Darrow instead springs his own ambush against the Bellona forces, Aja accuses Lorn of warning Darrow about her trap and refuses to accept his neutrality, forcing Lorn to align his family with Augustus.[2][3]

After Aja and the Praetorians are driven off, Darrow and Lorn raced to the bunker to stop Tactus from killing his family. Once Darrow talks Tactus down and the children are able to evacuate, Lorn kills Tactus in retaliation for the threat to his loved ones. With his family having been threatened by Octavia, Lorn evacuates his household from Europa and adds his ships to Darrow's fleet.

When Virginia au Augustus arrives with news of Pliny's betrayal, Lorn offers to let her rest before continuing discussions of the war effort, and offers his insight and opinions during Darrow's war council, expressing suspicion of Victra because of her mother's alignment with House Bellona.

Lorn accompanies Darrow, Virginia, and the Howlers when they take back the Augustus fleet from Pliny, and uses his reputation to carve Darrow a path to Pliny by threatening to kill everyone in the room if any of Pliny's allies get within two meters of him.

In the following weeks, Lorn reaches out to many of his old friends and discovers that all of them have sided with Bellona. During the Lion's Rain, Lorn leads troops to attack Agea from the south while Darrow and the Howlers infiltrate the city from the north.[4]

Darrow's Triumph[]

  • 742 PCE

Lorn attends Darrow's Triumph, but in his eagerness to leave and seek peace, lets Roque au Fabii present theTriumph Mask to Darrow instead of himself. While Nero and Roque proceed with the celebrations, he listens from afar with his grandchildren. Nero calls him to arms as Roque poisons Darrow, Fitchner is revealed to be dead and Antonia kills her mother, but before he can do anything, he is attacked by Lilath au Faran who is disguised as a Pink waitress. He loses four fingers in the process, before he is gutted by Adrius au Augustus, and has his throat slit by Lilath.

Relationships[]

Family[]

Servilla au Arcos (nee San)[]

Alexandar au Arcos[]

Brutus au Arcos[]

Lysander au Lune[]

Friends[]

Darrow O'Lykos[]

During Darrow's time in the Institute, Lorn sends Dancer's knifeRing to Darrow as a bounty. The two would grow to become friends, and Lorn would become Darrow's mentor after the Institute.

Allies[]

Nero au Augustus[]

Enemies[]

Gallery[]

Quotes[]

  • 'If you're a fox, play the hare. If you're a hare, play the fox.' - Golden Son, Part II: Break
  • 'When falls the Iron Rain, be brave. Be brave.' - Golden Son, Part III: Conquer
  • 'I want to fade in peace.' - Golden Son, Ch. 28: The Stormsons
  • 'Wise men read books about history, strong men write them.' - Golden Son, Part III: Conquer
  • 'A boy throws stones. A fool steals kisses. A man gives his heart.'
  • 'Never fight a river, and never fight Aja.' -Morning Star
  • 'A man believes he can fly, but is afraid to jump. A poor friend pushes him off the ledge. A good friend jumps with.' -Morning Star
  • 'A man is never too young to kill, never too wise, never too strong, but he can damn well be too rich.'[ GS, Pt I Ch 6 ] misattributed to Nero au Augustus
  • 'A fool pulls the leaves. A brute chops the trunk. A sage digs the roots.'
  • 'The bill comes at the end.' - Morning Star
  • "If you must only wound the man, you better kill his pride." - quoted by Karnus in Golden Son, Ch. 3: Blood and Piss

Trivia[]

  • Lorn is part of the word forlorn, lovelorn, etc. and as such indicates being lonely and deserted

References[]

  1. Details in Golden Son and Morning Star place the beginning of Darrow's voyage from Mars to the Academy sometime in mid to late November 740 PCE, and Light Bringer establishes that Lorn left Mars before Darrow did. Based on the orbital speeds of Mars and Jupiter, as well as the travel times between the two planets established in the novels, Lorn and his family would have reached Europa in late February or early March of 741. This is consistent with how The Jackal's comments in Golden Son place Lorn's retirement within 12 months of the Summit, which details in Golden Son and Morning Star indicate was in early January 742.
  2. Golden Son, chapter 28
  3. Golden Son, chapter 29
  4. Golden Son, chapter 39
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