Samothes (post-Erasure): Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 21:43, 21 October 2023

Spoiler warning!
This article contains major spoilers for Marielda and Spring in Hieron. Tread carefully!

This article is under construction. Please excuse the mess.

This article is about the character. For the song of the same name, see Marielda: Friends At The Table Soundtrack, The Interlude.

Samothes, formerly known as Samotes, is a god in Hieron associated with invention, knowledge, and tools. He is said to have created the sun and his crown from a mountain of fire and is worshipped by the paladin Hadrian.

Appearance[edit | edit source]

Samothes is a brown-skinned man with slightly graying curly hair and a well-cropped beard. Austin has likened his appearance to the Indian-American actor Sendhil Ramamurthy.

When seen during The Crosstown Job, he wore an open robe, loose pants, and a simple golden crown.

Personality[edit | edit source]

The Samothes of post-Erasure Hieron is haughtier and more outwardly arrogant than the original Samothes, and prone to condescension.

History[edit | edit source]

Marielda[edit | edit source]

“

Seeing his father there, bleedin’, dyin’ slow, well. With his confidence shattered, the only thing that boy Maelgwyn wanted was his daddy back. And so the Six watched as my grandson’s glowin’ hair turned ashen. Watched as his figure gained a childish approximation of the bulk of his father. And so Maelgwyn, in his final act, turned around and faced the Six and there he was, Samothes alive again.”

– Austin as Samol, Marielda 14: The Killing of the King-God Samothes By The Traitor Prince Maelgwyn Pt. 4

In an effort to stop the Heat and the Dark, Maelgwyn kills his father, the original Samothes, with the Blade in the Dark. Stricken with the feeling of loss and the desire to have his father back, Maelgwyn's divine impulse transforms him into an ashen-haired approximation of Samothes. The city of Marielda begins to reconfigure itself in accordance with protocols that were set in place in the event of Samothes's death, constructing a tomb for Samothes in the form of a tower that replaces the Hanging Gardens of Maelgwyn.

The magic of his father's tomb drags this new Samothes down beneath Marielda and binds him to the bottom strata of Hieron, siphoning off not only his power, but the divine authority of the rest of the gods of Hieron in order to pin Marielda in place and protect it from the Heat and the Dark. This results in the gods losing their powers of Reconfiguration.

Post-Marielda[edit | edit source]

At some point after Marielda and prior to Autumn in Hieron, Samothes walks across the bottom strata of Hieron and establishes his forge beneath the southwestern islands.

It's revealed in Spring in Hieron 29: Deeper Than Flesh that shortly after the events of Marielda, Samothes, with the aid of Castille, abducts Snitch Nightly and forces him into the armor of the Solarch. Samothes sets Snitch, now the Solarch, with the task of preparing Hieron both for Samothes's return and for the arrival of the Heat and the Dark. It's implied that this is meant at least partially as retribution for when Snitch reported Maelgwyn's involvement in Samot's planned coup to the original Samothes, resulting in Maelgwyn's imprisonment in the gauntlet for fifteen years.

The Solarch sets about conquering Hieron in Samothes's name. Samothes and the Solarch argue over strategy, and Samothes initially gets his way; his forces devastate the countryside with armies of pala-din and the Advocate's dragonfire (the legends of which become part of the lore surrounding the Erasure in future Hieron). However, when the Advocate is slain and the Heat and the Dark fails to be brought forth, the Solarch convinces Samothes to adopt a new strategy.

Seasons of Hieron[edit | edit source]

It is ambiguous which Samothes communicates with Hadrian and grants him divine power during Autumn in Hieron and Winter in Hieron.

When Ephrim is dying at the end of Winter in Hieron 17: Undelivered Resignations, he finds himself in a vision of Samothes's forge

Influence[edit | edit source]

Samothes is the god most frequently involved of the lives of the Friends at the Table player characters in Hieron, presiding over the city of Marielda and the Creed of Samothes, and granting supernatural abilities to Hadrian and Ephrim.

Tesday is named after him, based on the archaic form of his name.

Origin[edit | edit source]

Samothes was named by Art^{^[1]} after a legendary figure of the same name, purportedly the grandson of the biblical Noah, who was credited in forged archaeological findings with first settling Britain after the great flood.

Nicknames[edit | edit source]

After it was revealed in "The Killing of the King-God Samothes By The Traitor Prince Maelgwyn Pt. 4" that Maelgwyn had been transformed into a new incarnation of Samothes after killing his father, it became necessary for fans to distinguish the two. The version of the character who existed during Marielda has been referred to as "original", "og", "original flavor"^{^[2]} and "original recipe"^{^[3]} Samothes. In contrast, his son is often referred to as "Cool Ranch"^{^[4]}, in an homage to the "alternate" flavor of Doritos corn chips, as well as more straightforward portmanteau nicknames such as "Maelothes" or "Samaelthes". This metaphor can then be reflected back onto original Samothes with the nickname "Nacho" or "Nacho Cheese", the presumed 'default' Doritos flavor^{^{[note 1]}}.

Appears in[edit | edit source]

Notes[edit | edit source]

↑ Much to Art's chagrin, this metaphor is based on the presumed existence of an "original flavor" of Doritos. In fact, Doritos were originally unflavored corn chips, and the first flavored Doritos were taco-flavored, not the more commonly seen nacho cheese flavor of the present day.

References[edit | edit source]

External links[edit | edit source]

List of legendary kings of Britain on Wikipedia
Doritos on Wikipedia

[5] Much to Art's chagrin, this metaphor is based on the presumed existence of an "original flavor" of Doritos. In fact, Doritos were originally unflavored corn chips, and the first flavored Doritos were taco-flavored, not the more commonly seen nacho cheese flavor of the present day.

[1] ttps://twitter.com/austin_walker/status/770441254287056896

[2] ttps://twitter.com/imperialhare/status/839212589833912322

[3] ttps://twitter.com/asleewrites/status/839943527396147200

[4] ttps://twitter.com/imperialhare/status/842151980449570817

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[note 1]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-{{Spoiler header|''Marielda'' and ''Spring in Hieron''}}{{Infobox Character
+{{Spoiler header|''Marielda'' and ''Spring in Hieron''}}{{Construction}}{{Infobox Character
 |color_theme=aih
 |title=Samothes
@@ Line 5: / Line 5: @@
 |caption=
 |pronouns=he/him
-|titles= King-God <br> The Artificer Divine  <br> Once-and-Future King of [[Hieron]] and the Eternal Princes  <br>
+|titles= King-God <br>Once-and-Future King <br>Ingenuity Alive  <br>The Undying Fire  <br>Crafter of the Sun  <br>Our Peaceful Lord Above  <br>Originality Alive  <br>The Dark Son of Originality <br>
-Ingenuity Alive  <br>
-The Undying Fire  <br>
-Crafter of the Sun  <br>
-Our Peaceful Lord Above  <br>
-Originality Alive  <br>
-The Sun-Maker<sup><ref>https://twitter.com/austin_walker/status/878828954408321024</ref></sup>  <br>
-The Old Man  <br>
-The Big Guy  <br>
-Original Flavor  <br>
 |aliases=
-|people= Diety
+|people= Deity
-|place_of_origin=[[Velas]]
+|place_of_origin=[[Marielda (city) | Marielda]]
-|affiliations=Church of Samothes
+|affiliations=[[Church of Samothes]]
-|relations=[[Samot]] (husband)  <br>  [[Maelgwyn]] (son) <br> [[Samol]] (father) <br> [[Primo]] (friend, co-worker)
+[[Cult of the Dark Sun]]
-|season=[[Autumn in Hieron]]  <br>  [[Marielda (season)|Marielda]]  <br>  [[Winter in Hieron]]  <br>  [[Spring in Hieron]]
+|relations=[[Samot]] <br> [[Solarch|The Solarch]] <br> [[Castille]]
+|season=''[[Autumn in Hieron]]''  <br>  ''[[Marielda (season)|Marielda]]''  <br>  ''[[Winter in Hieron]]''  <br>  ''[[Spring in Hieron]]''
 }}
@@ Line 29: / Line 21: @@
 When seen [[Marielda 04: The Crosstown Job Pt. 2|during The Crosstown Job]], he wore an open robe, loose pants, and a simple golden crown.
+== Personality ==
+The Samothes of post-Erasure Hieron is haughtier and more outwardly arrogant than the original Samothes, and prone to condescension.
 == History ==
-=== Pre-Marielda ===
+=== ''Marielda'' ===
-Samothes was born into [[Hieron]] by [[Samol]] when he saw the creatures that [[Severea]] brought into the world "dumb and unable to care for themselves"<sup><ref>[[Marielda 10: Four Conversations]]</ref></sup>. As such, he is a somewhat patriarchal caretaker, who builds things for his subjects and decides what is best for them from on high, but does not teach them to do things for themselves.
+{{Quote|''Seeing his father there, bleedin’, dyin’ slow, well. With his confidence shattered, the only thing that boy Maelgwyn wanted was his daddy back. And so the Six watched as my grandson’s glowin’ hair turned ashen. Watched as his figure gained a childish approximation of the bulk of his father. And so Maelgwyn, in his final act, turned around and faced the Six and there he was, Samothes alive again.''|author=Austin as Samol|source=[[Marielda 14: The Killing of the King-God Samothes By The Traitor Prince Maelgwyn Pt. 4]]}}
-At some point he entered a romantic relationship with the god [[Samot]], who he would also marry. Out of love for Samot, Samothes agreed to loosen his control over knowledge enough to co-found [[The Last University|The University]] with him.
-After Samol began to fall ill, Samot and Samothes birthed their son [[Maelgwyn]] through the divine impulse, due to their lack of confidence on how to deal with [[The Heat and the Dark]]. They eventually split over personal differences and conflicting opinions on the matter, resulting in an ongoing war across Hieron between the two gods.
-Prior to Marielda, Samothes' domain was known as "The City of Light" or "The Divine Protectorate"<sup><ref>[[Marielda 06: The Valentine Affair Pt. 1]]</ref></sup>.
+In an effort to stop [[the Heat and the Dark]], Maelgwyn kills his father, the original Samothes, with the [[Blade in the Dark]]. Stricken with the feeling of loss and the desire to have his father back, Maelgwyn's divine impulse transforms him into an ashen-haired approximation of Samothes. The city of Marielda begins to reconfigure itself in accordance with protocols that were set in place in the event of Samothes's death, constructing a tomb for Samothes in the form of a tower that replaces the [[Hanging Gardens of Maelgwyn]].
-=== Marielda ===
+The magic of his father's tomb drags this new Samothes down beneath Marielda and binds him to the bottom [[Hieron#Strata and Laminae|strata]] of Hieron, siphoning off not only his power, but the divine authority of the rest of the gods of Hieron in order to pin Marielda in place and protect it from the Heat and the Dark. This results in the gods losing their powers of [[Reconfiguration]].
-Samothes splits part of his kingdom from mainland Hieron and surrounds it with a river of lava in order to protect it from Samot's army. The resulting city is named Marielda. Samothes is a distant and authoritarian ruler, spending much of his time in the volcano north of the city, further tightening his control on knowledge and information, and creating the Pala-din and the Golden Lance to police his citizens.
-However, when Samothes interacts with the player characters, he is generally kind and interested in their choices. He speaks to Hitchcock several times, revealing that he knows that Samot, Maelgwyn, and the Six will come to kill him, and that he has largely accepted his own death. He believes there is no solution for the Heat and the Dark, and that the best choice is to simply live a good life before it destroys Hieron altogether.
+=== Post-''Marielda'' ===
+At some point after ''Marielda'' and prior to ''Autumn in Hieron'', Samothes walks across the bottom strata of Hieron and establishes his forge beneath the southwestern islands.
-Maelgwyn and the Six infiltrate Samothes' annual [[High Sun Day]] party in his volcano home. There, Maelgwyn confronts Samothes in his bedroom, but is told "not yet" and they both return to the main hall. He speaks briefly to Hitchcock and Sige and other guests before disappearing from the room. When the Six, Maelgwyn, and the mages finally make it to Samothes' forge, they see Samothes working on an unknown object. A battle ensues as Sige attempts to protect Samothes, but Samothes ignores them until his work is finished, finally turning around to reveal [[Sword of Samothes|a sword]] that he presents to Maelgwyn. However, Maelgwyn has already started his attack and stabs his father with the [[Blade in the Dark]]. Samothes' divine life is shattered, much of it being absorbed into the Blade in the Dark.
+It's revealed in [[Spring in Hieron 29: Deeper Than Flesh]] that shortly after the events of ''Marielda,'' Samothes, with the aid of [[Castille]], abducts Snitch Nightly and forces him into the armor of the Solarch. Samothes sets Snitch, now the Solarch, with the task of preparing Hieron both for Samothes's return and for the arrival of the Heat and the Dark. It's implied that this is meant at least partially as retribution for when Snitch reported Maelgwyn's involvement in Samot's planned coup to the original Samothes, resulting in Maelgwyn's imprisonment in the gauntlet for fifteen years.
-Stricken with the feeling of loss and the desire to have his father back, Maelgwyn's divine impulse transforms him into an ashen-haired approximation of Samothes, and he is trapped beneath Marielda by the magic of his father's tomb.
+The Solarch sets about conquering Hieron in Samothes's name. Samothes and the Solarch argue over strategy, and Samothes initially gets his way; his forces devastate the countryside with armies of pala-din and [[the Advocate]]'s dragonfire (the legends of which become part of the lore surrounding [[the Erasure]] in future Hieron). However, when the Advocate is slain and the Heat and the Dark fails to be brought forth, the Solarch convinces Samothes to adopt a new strategy.
-Samothes also appears briefly during two Live at the Table episodes that take place during Marielda. In [[Live at the Table: Misspent Youth|Misspent Youth]], he is off-screen but arbitrarily answers a child's prayer during a climactic moment. In [[Live at the Table - July 2019]], Samothes confronts Sige, Aubrey, and two other thieves who wish to steal Hieron's first book. The book is revealed to be a collection of Samothes' blueprints that Samot bound and wrote love poems on, but Samothes allows them to take it, remarking that he doesn't feel worthy of having it at that moment.
+=== ''Seasons of Hieron'' ===
+It is ambiguous which Samothes communicates with Hadrian and grants him divine power during ''Autumn in Hieron'' and ''Winter in Hieron''.
-=== Seasons of Hieron ===
+When Ephrim is dying at the end of [[Winter in Hieron 17: Undelivered Resignations]], he finds himself in a vision of Samothes's forge
-Samothes is trapped inside the Blade in the Dark and has little divine influence on Hieron, although he can exert a limited amount of power from inside the Blade in the Dark, and is at least once able to speak to Hella to send her to Hadrian's aid. At the end of [[Winter in Hieron 28]], the Blade in the Dark breaks open and Hadrian, Hella, Lem and Adaire are swept inside, arriving in Samothes' new kingdom of [[Aubade]], populated by those killed by the blade and their descendants.
-It is revealed in [[Spring in Hieron 02: Why Are You Here?]] that when Samothes first arrived inside the Blade, the space inside was consumed by the influence of Rector Sabinia, who had been corrupted by the Heat and the Dark before being killed. Samothes fought back her influence, but his priority immediately afterwards was to take revenge against the Disciples of Samot. He also raised the land that would become Aubade during this period of time.
-Later, Samothes came upon Sabinia again and realized that her plight was because he had ordered her to research the Heat and the Dark, and he began to regret the way he had treated his people. He then used his power to cure Sabinia and worked with her to make Aubade a better place, eventually developing into the idyllic kingdom that the player characters visit, which is filled with the warmth of Samothes' love. Samothes is friendly and curious with the player characters who spend several years in Aubade, although they struggle to adjust to the dissonance between life in Aubade and life on Hieron. Before they leave, Samothes reveals that he is planning to work with [[Chapter]] to seal Aubade off from Hieron using starstuff, granting it more protection against the Heat and the Dark. He gives Adaire a letter to pass on to Samol.
-Lem gives him Samot's mask, which Samothes uses to speak to Samot one last time off-screen.
-At the end of [[Spring in Hieron 38: See Where You're Standing]], Hadrian breaks the star-shield over Aubade and has Samot killed with the Blade in the Dark so that he can reunite with Samothes.
-== Samothes (Post Erasure)Dark Sun ==
-<blockquote>''For additional detail, see also [[Samothes Post-Erasure]]''</blockquote>From the end of Marielda onwards, the name Samothes can refer to one of two entities: the original god Samothes, who was born of Samol and was killed by the Blade in the Dark, and the individual once known as Maelgwyn, who has become a version of Samothes in body and mind. It is ambiguous which Samothes communicates with Hadrian and grants him divine power during Autumn in Hieron and Winter in Hieron.
-Samothes is the god of the [[Cult of the Dark Sun]], and seeks to hasten the arrival of the Heat and the Dark. His symbol is a plain circle, as opposed to the previous Samothes' circle with a half ring of rays. He is trapped in the first and deepest strata of Hieron by the power of the previous Samothes' tomb (and possibly Samot's power as well, as Samot refers to him as "the man I'd pinned to the bottom of the world"). The force that keeps him trapped there also prevents the gods from using [[Reconfiguration]].
 == Influence ==
@@ Line 78: / Line 56: @@
 === Nicknames ===
 After it was revealed in "[[The Killing of the King-God Samothes By The Traitor Prince Maelgwyn Pt. 4]]" that Maelgwyn had been transformed into a new incarnation of Samothes after killing his father, it became necessary for fans to distinguish the two. The version of the character who existed during ''Marielda'' has been referred to as "original", "og", "original flavor"<sup><ref>https://twitter.com/imperialhare/status/839212589833912322</ref></sup> and "original recipe"<sup><ref>https://twitter.com/asleewrites/status/839943527396147200</ref></sup> Samothes. In contrast, his son is often referred to as "Cool Ranch"<sup><ref>https://twitter.com/imperialhare/status/842151980449570817</ref></sup>, in an homage to the "alternate" flavor of Doritos corn chips, as well as more straightforward portmanteau nicknames such as "Maelothes" or "Samaelthes". This metaphor can then be reflected back onto original Samothes with the nickname "Nacho" or "Nacho Cheese", the presumed 'default' Doritos flavor<sup><ref group="note">[https://twitter.com/atebbel/status/851261730604711937 Much to Art's chagrin], this metaphor is based on the presumed existence of an "original flavor" of Doritos. In fact, Doritos were originally unflavored corn chips, and the first flavored Doritos were taco-flavored, not the more commonly seen nacho cheese flavor of the present day. </ref></sup>.
+== Appears in ==
+* [[Marielda 14: The Killing of the King-God Samothes By The Traitor Prince Maelgwyn Pt. 4]]
+* [[Winter in Hieron 17: Undelivered Resignations]]
+* [[Winter in Hieron 19: Make The Spring Last Forever]]
+* [[Winter in Hieron 24: An Open Mind]]
+* [[Winter in Hieron 29: Slow Justice]]
+* [[Spring in Hieron 29: Deeper Than Flesh]]
 == Notes ==
@@ Line 83: / Line 70: @@
 == See also ==
+* [[Samothes|Samothes (pre-Erasure)]]
+* [[Maelgwyn]]
 * [[List of people killed with the Blade in the Dark]]
@@ Line 92: / Line 81: @@
 * [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doritos Doritos] on Wikipedia
-[[Category:Deities]]
+{{NavboxHieron}}
+{{NavboxMarielda}}
 [[Category:Quiet Year characters]]
-[[Category:NPCs]]
-[[Category:Autumn in Hieron]]
+[[Category:Autumn in Hieron characters]]
-[[Category:Marielda]]
+[[Category:Marielda characters]]
-[[Category:Winter in Hieron]]
+[[Category:Winter in Hieron characters]]
 [[Category:The Quiet Year]]
-[[Category:Blades in the Dark]]
-[[Category:Dungeon World]][[Category:Characters]]
+[[Category:Dungeon World]]
+[[Category:Autumn in Hieron characters]]
+[[Category:Hieron deities]]