Xervish Flydd

Infobox character | name = Xervish Flydd


real_name =
portrayer =
creator = Ian Irvine
species = Old Humans
gender = Male
first = Geomancer "(chapter47)"
last =
last_cause =
age = 64 (The Well of Echoes) and 74 (The Song of the Tears)
occupation = Scrutator
title = Scrutator Xervish Flydd
family =
spouse =
children =
relatives =
footnotes =

Xervish Flydd is one of the main characters in Ian Irvine's "The Well of Echoes" quartet.

Physical Appearance

Xervish Flydd is an older man who appears to be in his sixties. His whole body is scarred and he walks with a limp. Flydd is a small, thin man with an extremely angular face, which is quite unattractive, though not hideous. Xervish's eyes are a mild shade of black and he has an intense stare. Flydd's body appears to have had all sinew stripped from the bone and his cheeks are completely without shape. So much so that it is possible to see the outline of his teeth. He has a black spade of a beard.

A mancer of rare power and subtlety, Flydd is also skilled with a blade, despite his dessicrated appearance. Though not trusted by the Council, because of crimes from his youth, Flydd always had the best of everything and the Council was always in need of his rare skills.

Position as Scrutator

Flydd was a member of the Council of Scrutators, as well as Provincial Scrutator for Einunar. Flydd was always different from the other scrutators on the Council, as he never sought to gain more power for himself, but had always sought to win the war against the lyrinx. Though he is a hard man, he is an honest and fair one too. The people of Santhenar refer to him as the "Peoples Scrutator".

The other members of the Council seemed to resent Flydd's honesty and were never too discreet about it, in particular Chief Scrutator Ghorr. Flydd did have an ally of sorts on the Council in the form of Scrutator Halie, though after the destruction of the Snizort node, any alliance between the two was clearly gone.

Flydd's Role

Well of Echoes

Geomancer

Xervish journeyed to Tiksi after the failed mission lead by Jal-Nish Hlar (who was mutilated by Ryll in a battle against the lyrinx) to ensure Tiaan and the precious Amplimet were returned safely. After Hlar's mutilation Querist Fyn-Mah had assumed command of the mission, but on Flydd's arrival had handed such responsibilities over to the Scrutator.

The Scrutator oversaw the creation of the first ever air-floater and ordered Nish and Ullii to venture to Tirthrax to recover Tiaan and the Amplimet after they resurface in Ullii's lattice near Tirthrax.

Flydd also takes over the trial of Irisis Stirm and the investigation of Tiaan's fall from grace. Flydd believes that a man by the name of Gryste is responsible and has him executed. Irisis becomes a close friend of the Scrutator.

Tetrarch

Flydd travels to Tirthrax, after receiving a skeet from Nish declaring that Santhenar has been invaded, in a new air-floater. He rescues both Ullii and Nish himself, who had been attacked by the lyrinx, Liett and had crashed their air-floater. They are then attacked by the Nylatl and it is originally believed Nish died in the attack. Flydd hoped to speak with Malien, Matah of the Aachim, who Nish revealed was alive, well and living in Tirthrax, but the legend never revealed herself.

Flydd was later suspended as Council and Provincial Scrutator indefinitely after his apparent failure to defend the manufactory at Tiksi from a lyrinx raid. Then Perquisitor, Jal-Nish Hlar took advantage of his superiors failure and advised the Council to give him the position of Acting-Scrutator, which they did.

Flydd begins a romantic relationship with Irisis Stirm and reveals to her, while in his cups, that there is a higher power than the Council of Scrutators; The Numinator. Flydd also reveals that it was for looking into matters to do with the Numinator that he was tortured in his youth and not fully trusted by the Council.

Jal-Nish had a fierce hatred of both Xervish and his new lover, the Crafter at the manufactory, Irisis. The Acting-Scrutator ordered the capture of both, but Flydd and Irisis succeeded in fleeing, though Irisis was temporary blinded and uncovered a secret that could threaten all mancers. It was in fact Xervish's mancery that put Irisis in this position, though it affected enemy soldiers worse.

Flydd and Irisis travelled to several nodes, that had been reported as having been drained of all power. During these travels Irisis regained her sight. They soon discovered that the lyrinx had developed some sort of node-draining device and went back to the manufactory at Tiksi to see if they could discover a similar device there. When they did so, Acting-Scrutator Hlar ambushed them with the unwitting help of Ullii.

Flydd and Irisis were able to rescue Ullii and escape from Jal-Nish when the Acting-Scrutator fell into the floor of the node-draining chamber, a place were reality itself is unhinged. Flydd, Irisis and Ulli travelled to Nennifer the Councils dread bastion, were Flydd was re-instated as Provincial Scrutator but not as Council Member.

Ghorr ordered Ullii and Irisis be left behind at Nennifer and that Flydd travel to Snizort and destroy the node-draining device in place there. Ullii rescued Irisis from her holding room, which had been spelled against intrusion (by Ghorr), using her talent as a Seeker in an inconceivable way. Ullii then used that same talent to somehow transport Flydd and his air-floater to her and Irisis, allowing them to escape with him.

Upon arrival at Snizort, Flydd gains command of a vast army. He also gains the aid of the Aachim in the battle, though he was forced to humble himself to their leader, Vithis, to do so. Flydd required the skills of Ullii (who's co-operation he gained by lying) and Irisis to venture into the node-draining chamber at Snizort. When they arrived in that strange place, Xervish discovered that the device he was given to destroy the drainer was faulty and that it was in fact causing the node to explode.

crutator/ Alchymist

After escaping the underground city of Snizort and losing Ullii who had discovered Flydd's lie, Xervish was used as a scapegoat for the destruction of the node and broken to Ex-Scrutator, Non-Citizen and a Slave. Flydd is sentenced to haul the marooned clankers to a safe point, where the field of another node could be used to power them. Before being sentenced however, Flydd sends Irisis and Fyn-Mah, among others, to the underground city of Snizort to uncover lyrinx relics.

Nish is also sentenced, by his own father, to haul clankers and is part of the same haul-team as Flydd. One night, Ullii discovers the whereabouts of Nish and Flydd, but is attacked by the vicious slave overseer. Flydd is forced to rescue her by using a lodestone embedded in the flesh of his leg to use his Art.

Flydd, Nish and Ullii quickly flee the slave camp, tracer dogs, soldiers and air floaters on their trails. Nish is very nearly captured, however Flydd rescues him. Nish also learns that Ullii is pregnant with his child. They soon stumble across the remains of Snizorts former node of power. Ullii announces that she sees something rather strange within her lattice and Flydd decides to investigate. Sure enough, hidden within, the distilled Tears of the Node, had formed. Because they were not yet stable, Flydd was unable to claim them, keeping them from the hands of evil.

Not long after leaving the site of where the tears had formed, Flydd, Ullii and Nish are witness to an air floater heading straight for that dangerous place. Knowing that the tears could have become stable by now, they rush there to apprehend whoever was in charge of the floater, but are too late. The tears are gone.

The three outlaws go on the run, failing to meet up with Irisis and Fyn-Mah. Realising that they are being tracked by another Seeker, Flydd, Ullii and Nish are forced to make a stand. Successful in defeating the search party, Nish also accidentally kills the Seeker, none other than Ullii's twin brother Myllii. Ullii is inconsolable, fleeing into the night. Nish and Flydd are forced to continue on without her.

Flydd and Nish meet up with General Troist, whose healers quickly attend to Flydd, who is gravely injured, from the wound he acquired from freeing the embedded lodestone from his thigh muscle. After being fully healed, Flydd takes control of Troist's army, who despite him being stripped of his scrutator position, respects Flydd.

Learning of a foolhardy plan by Jal-Nish to do with battle a great lyrinx army at Gumby Marth, Flydd orders Troist's army there to intervene at once. Nish is taken to Jal-Nish's camp and discovers that it was his father who had taken the tears, planning to use them to defeat the lyrinx and gain admittance to the Council. Jal-Nish spells Nish with the tears, putting a compulsion on them and giving him a special clear-sight that enabled him to see things outside the limits of any normal man. Escaping the camp with the aid of a childhood friend named, Xabbier Frou, Nish discovers, using his new talent, that the lyrix army had stone-formed themselves above his fathers army, ready to attack at any moment.

Nish quickly ventures back to Flydd's camp and tells him of this. The former scrutator orders that he go back to his fathers camp and alert them. Nish does so and is witness to a monumental battle. Jal-Nish uses the tears and kills many lyrinx, but is ultimately defeated by the lyrinxsorcerer Great Anabyng. It is thought that Jal-Nish is eaten alive and Nish laads the surviving troops to safety.

Flydd, Nish and the army seek shelter in a city for a time, but leave by a large battalion of ship soon after. Flydd and Nish's ship is destroyed by the sea and the two are the only survivors. They become lost in the Karama Malama.

Fyn-Mah uses a special scrying stone to discover the whereabouts of the scrutator and ventures there to rescue him. Fyn-Mah, Irisis and their companions only just succeed in doing this, as the Council had also discovered the position of Flydd and Nish.

Flydd and his companions then seek hiding at Fiz Gorgo, where the great mancer Yggur is found to still reside. Yggur is at first reluctant to aid the scrutator, but with some help from Irisis Yggur soon commits to their cause; to bring down the Council of Scrutators. Flydd and Yggur work together to find away to draw a thapter to them. During an exercise practising the Art required, Flydd is injured. When a thapter is witnessed near by at Alcifer, Yggur uses his Art to draw it to Fiz Gorgo.

Within the machine is Artisan Tiaan Liise-Mar, the geomancer Gilhaelith and to Yggur's surprise, Malien. Gilhaelith is detained as he shows no interest in helping Flydd with his cause. With the aid of two of the greatest names in the Histories, Flydd constructs a plan to overthrow the Council at the very seat of their power; Neniffer. However the Council is able to see through the protection around Fiz Gorgo, set by Yggur, because of mancery performed by Gilhaelith in his cell. Everybody in Fiz Gorgo is captured, including Flydd. Each person is sentenced to death, bar Malien and Tiaan. Flydd is sentenced to be the first to be executed, in the very yard of Fiz Gorgo, however it is realised that Nish had not been accounted for and Chief Scrutator Ghorr's proceedings are slowed.