#doset tachonis

[lowercass]

"I look too much like one of my family" Say less

[see-arcane]

Oh, what an episode. The standout bit for me was the brief scene we got of the Cousins Tachonis and their vassal house, Seremai, illustrating the difference between mere bad guys—hey Casimir—and True Villains.

There’s obviously something to pick apart here in how Brennan is setting the stage for how those who buckle to the powerful and sell out friends and innocents to get ahead will ultimately find themselves screwed over. Just look at the stately rock pile of ‘Castle Sloak’ in the middle of Fantasy Bumfuck, Nowhere, Casimir’s actual reward for dooming Thjazi Fang to death and outing his escape plan allies to House Tachonis. And then, when he dares to get his hackles up, he gets trounced twice within the same five minutes.

First by getting chokeslammed by Univere Tachonis into admitting Thjazi Fang saw (mysterious emphasis here) a falcon in the sky before he was hanged.

Then by having the Cousins Tachonis set their knight on him for both raising his voice and throwing a rock in their direction. This being done, not by any kind of combat, but with the Seremai knight simply knocking him down and spanking him bare-assed in front of the man’s own shabby knights with a sword, leaving him to wheeze and bleed in the mud. The same mud which Doset Tachonis claimed Casimir was.

Hell of a flex.

And it makes me want to rewind and examine earlier Tachonis interactions and how they’re starting to sketch out the whole family’s mentality when it comes to operating in the world. At least in regard to two points.

They give warnings and allow grace periods.

Not in any grand and charitable way, but they do. Albeit with different levels of leniency depending on the person.

The Tachonis crew seems to regard everyone outside their House as not just lesser, but utterly ineffectual and worthy of—if not mercy—allowing people brief moments in which to either dig themselves deeper with disrespect, backpedal into bowing their heads, and even to converse or combat.

We saw with Primus that he was willing to put up with Murray’s Murrayness for a brief while before informing her clearly that if she used up her last minutes on talking crass at him he would simply kill her where she stood. When she finally skedaddled, Primus capped himself at demanding Murray be fired. Even with the curse that was almost cast, whichever Tachonis relative in hiding did it was not casting a killing spell, but something that would harm her for 24 hours. The magic equivalent of rapping a kid’s knuckles with a ruler for acting up.

Meanwhile, during the siege on House Royce, Primus Tachonis does not monologue or posture, but actually pauses in his horrifying ritual to respond to Julien’s wrath and Thaisha’s honest query. Specifically, he barely bothers reacting to Julien’s violence against him post-murdering of Raimond Davinos—even taking a moment to placidly insist he has no ill will against House Davinos after just plucking Raimond’s skull out of his head in front of his fucking son—and doesn’t even bother to knock Julien on his ass when the latter manages to literally impale the bastard on his rapier. He just waits long enough to give his little one-liner about oblivion being his home, etc etc. Even throws in a compliment.

“Well struck, warrior. I look forward to seeing you on the other side.”

And when Thaisha asks why. Why inflict this horror and murder on his own son?

Her, Thaisha Lloy, of the Lloys responsible for kicking off the Shapers’ War and the slaying of the gods. Who made his House something Sundered in the first place.

Primus stops to answer her, claiming there’s no point in keeping a thing if it is not loyal. Even openly questioning whether Occtis could be considered his son at all. Fun.

Fast forward to Casimir’s rough fucking day in Castle Sloak, we notice that he was allowed his tantrum in the face of the Cousins Tachonis, even as they did him the ~courtesy~ of returning the deed Cyd stole from him. Keeping to the letter of their arrangement and allowing Casimir to rage like an impotent child…to a limit.

What does all that add up to?

 House Tachonis seems to hold to a cross-family penchant for allowing those outside their house to hit a few strikes before they deliver consequences. Said allowance appears to vary based on status.

Murray, a wizard from a lowly background—even having gained some kind of status in the Pentevral—who openly returns Primus’ insult and talks to him as though they were equals gets an extremely short allowance with the threat of actual murder at the end of it, only pivoted into threat of professional termination once she scrambles away. The low-class irritant removed. Lesson taught. Fine.

Julien Davinos and Thaisha Lloy, while being his opponents who want him all the way dead, are given moments of audience by Primus. They aren’t powerful enough to take him or his ritual down (shout out to Occtis in the spirit realm) and he can afford to answer questions or exchange patter. All without actually bothering to swat the two of them himself, letting the ghouls snap at them, be they victorious or not. Julien is of a house, vassal or otherwise. Thaisha is the spawn of his gods’ foes, but of high esteem. Of legacy.

Casimir is balanced in an interesting place. Clearly a commoner, an ex-rebel, and the keystone traitor to thwarting Thjazi Fang’s escape from the hangman’s noose. He is obviously necessary, and obviously lesser. House Tachonis makes both clear by simultaneously delivering on the exact letter of their bribe and multiple indignities in the wake of his reaction to what ‘charity’ they left him with.

And tucked into this, half-forgotten, I think we should look at the brief glimpse we got of Ellipedes Tallbarrel. Despite Murray’s unfortunate Nat 1 read of his intentions, it’s clear to us that he was trying to spare the Pentevral and its works with his resignation while also managing to keep Murray from getting herself killed (and fired) and trying to smooth Primus’ hackles down with the only tool he had at hand—the tool that those without power often have to exercise in the face of those with power, specifically when they know others are at risk if they don’t put aside their own dignity and qualms. Ellipedes makes a silly distraction of himself, blocking Murray’s detection spell—likely sparing her from calling out Ethrand or hidden ghouls—and generally spinning Primus’ attention out of ire at her and into derisive regard of him.

"Tea for everybody! Dang it, I spilled. Lord Tachonis, please, do you have..?"

“You're a ridiculous man, Ellipides." (Ridiculous, but no further insult.)

"Ha ha. Well, that's why I'm resigning."

“That woman, I want you to fire her." (Death sentence reduced to firing. Throwing the weak dog a bone for doing a trick.)

"Oh, I'll make sure to explain it to Kora. I don't have enough time with…we'll make sure that actions are taken, Lord Tachonis, and I'll say as well, in terms of cursing her, what worse curse could there be than allowing a commoner to struggle with magic? Ha ha.” (Likely setting the stage for a future scene where Dean Kora informs Murray she is not fired—for the moment—but on extremely thin ice.)

Ellipedes, a wizard without legacy or the esteem afforded to sorcerers in the Tachonis’ eyes, on his way out the door thanks to the Houses’ own force, was able to soften several unthinkable blows to people and purposes he cared about by essentially showing his belly to Primus and ‘playing ball’ in a way that peddled his pride and usefulness to barter for others’ well-being.

In short, unless they’re actively planning to kill you, Tachonis folks extend different levels of permission to disrespect, hassle, or get something from them based on 1) Your heritage and status, 2) How well you bow and scrape as a lowly individual, and 3) Whether you have crossed a specific line in the metaphorical sand.

And about that specific line…

House Tachonis respects loyalty.

Or at least as much as convenience lets them get away with.

Let’s go back to Julien and Occtis.

Julien Davinos, son of murdered Raimond, immediately throwing himself into a berserker rage to attack Primus in revenge. Primus banters at and commends him through the battle.

Occtis Tachonis, the ‘traitor’ son of House Tachonis, would-be aide to Thjazi Fang’s escape, already on the family’s lowest rung for being neither a sorcerer or a monster. His own brother carves him open and murders him to use as a ritual component, his father coolly insisting to Thaisha that he is a disloyal thing and shouldn’t be considered his son at all.

Familial loyalty versus familial disloyalty. The one met with approving acknowledgment, however callously cruel. The other met with open and immediate violence and an attempt to forcibly drag the traitor soul away, as though he were no more than faulty property.

But it isn’t just kinship that registers here. What were Tachonis’ exact words to Casimir when he handed over the money and deed in exchange for betraying Thjazi and his friends? And what were Casimir’s words in turn?

"I'm very happy to know that your loyalty can be so easily bought."

"What loyalty? Fuck Thjazi. There's no loyalty in this world worth speaking of. Be excited to see that smirk rubbed off his face when the rope snaps taut."

And now we know what Casimir’s reward was for the selling of that nonexistent loyalty.

Obviously I might be reading too far into this. It really could just be a matter of Brennan painting a picture of House Tachonis upholding their classist leanings, proving that anybody without power who tries to cozy up to fascist bastards will get fucked at the first opportunity, the exact moment they cease to be useful. But the fact that ‘loyalty’ keeps popping up when it comes to House Tachonis, specifically Primus himself—the same way memories and mending seem to be forming a unifying thread in the narrative(s)—seems like it’s a specific core tenet of the house.

Casimir was useful enough to make a deal with. Yet even before his rant at the Cousins Tachonis, he’d already made a strike, and that likely added to the surprise shittiness of said deal. Because Casimir unknowingly struck House Tachonis in a very big nerve.

Sure, they wanted Thjazi Fang dead. Sure, they needed a traitor in Thjazi’s camp to make it happen, plus the bonus of learning who his conspirator allies were. Sure, they were willing to deal for it. But, in all their paradoxical and hypocritical glory, they maintained a distaste for the fact that Casimir Gavendale is a disloyal betrayer. True to the trope, they rewarded him as a traitor deserves.

Murray had her life spared and Ellipedes had some leniency won from Primus Tachonis, the living (?) head of the whole pants-shittingly terrifying house. Two wizards who had nothing to offer but an annoyance (trying to shield his son from him) from one and resignation (trying to shield his students and Murray) from the other. Individuals who we know Primus could have had disappeared on a whim. Literally, to go by House Royce’s ominous deep cleaning. But these little nobodies are loyal things, at least, and they bent to his power. Off they go.

This, while Casimir, the vital guy responsible for handing over Thjazi on a fucking plate, got the toilet of Castle Sloak and his ass bleeding in the mud. This reward being handed to him by the cousins of the house and one vassal knight. Comparatively the lowest ranking members of the Tachonis crew and they dished that out as a ‘lesson.’ He’s not just a commoner. He’s traitorous mud. And so he deserves the same back with a helping of the shame he refused to feel over selling out his allies when he took the gold and deed back in Dol-Makjar.

Which is all to say that I think one of the ways to chip at House Tachonis will wind up being

Convincing them that there’s another Occtis in the ranks, secretly working against the family. Thinking they missed a traitor would be an easy way to get them eyeing and hunting each other.

Someone on the outside successfully convincing the Tachonis family that they are a potential loyal addition to their fucked up horror machine of a house. If not of Tachonis or Seremai status, then someone permitted around the edges of their works, there to blend into the background and play the mole.  

[real-kit-walker]

Doset and Occtis pulling up to Obrimus Manor at the same time each carrying their own dead Seremai:

[trailertrashgrog]

when you realize the scary snake man you just murdered was 🏳️‍🌈

[occtis-shredded-soul]

just a little reminder that we have:

Tachonis yaoi (Julien/Occtis)

Tachonis yuri (Gaya/Tertia)

Evil Tachonis yaoi (Doset/Aniko)

Evil Tachonis yuri (Trimus/Ophelia)

[alchemists-sketchbook]

House Tachonis’ undefeated curling duo, Univere and Doset, have arrived with their team to @artists-guild-of-exandria’s CR Olympics 👀

[candescentconfessional]

Tachonis men are pathetically needy when they find a sweet thing to obsess over

Ethrand jerks off hard and fast to the thought of you in the cover of a dark alley whimpering into his hand. Koral wakes up with his soft sheets and pallid stomach covered in his own spend as he lets out a confused, sleepy moan. Doset makes sure you have every financial problem covered while trying hard never to reveal himself, even if the gifts that keep showing up at your doorstep all have his signature handwriting on the card. Occtis never lets you out of his sight, and you feel his green, unblinking eyes on you in every dark corner of every room, like a cat looking to its owner for praise.

[petvampire]

things currently in the works that are going to appeal to exactly about six people (all of whom I love very much for enabling my weirdness!):

- next chapter of In Your Shadow Bound (I PROMISE I’m still working on it!)

- the Archenade as a high protocol kink space (because Araman ABSOLUTELY needs a fancy sex dungeon and thank you @cr-404 for putting this idea in my brain!)

- aniko seremai and doset tachonis being batshit insane with each other. these are my assigned Evil Horny Brain Demons, it has to happen.