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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.”
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]
- 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[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.
See also[edit | edit source]
References[edit | edit source]
External links[edit | edit source]
- List of legendary kings of Britain on Wikipedia
- Doritos on Wikipedia