character profile | canon

[peacefullywreathed]

SOLOMON BIRTHDATE 27th March 1591 HOMETOWN Yellow Furze, Ireland SPECIES Human | Sorcerer FAMILY Parents: deceased LANGUAGE English, Irish, Chinese, French, various and sundry others OCCUPATION Necromantic Cleric OTHERS Slight Irish accent. Once owned a pet ferret. RELATIONSHIPS AILBE Ó MAOLOMHNAIGH Solomon's father, headcanon only. While a man of Catholic faith, Ailbe was also a man of philosophy and science, and used logic to prove his belief. A nobleman patriot, he defied the English in as many ways as he could. Unfortunately his first experience with Solomon's magic was Solomon controlling the names of a squad of King's Guard about to ambush them--by telling them to kill each other. Even Ailbe found that difficult to accept and, in a desperate bid to give Solomon some kind of future in spite of his 'demon-possession', Ailbe unwisely pushed the King's Guard too far. Ailbe was murdered and his land taken by the English crown. SKULDUGGERY PLEASANT Solomon's frenemy/rival. Their relationship is simultaneously sardonically bitter and grudgingly respectful. Though on bad terms, they both exhibit a subtle care for one another's well-being and respect for each other's insights which indicates they were on good terms at some point in the past. MORWENNA CROW A Necromancer who left the Temple at some point before canon, Morwenna's position as an Elder and unique position unaffiliated with the Temple indicates she has similar views to Solomon regarding the outside world. Therefore, it's likely she was Solomon's mentor while he was an acolyte at the Temple. AURON TENEBRAE The High Priest of the Irish Necromancers' Temple. Solomon think's he's a self-serving idiot, but unfortunately he's too politically and magically powerful for Solomon to counter directly. The dislike is mutual, but Tenebrae recognises Solomon as among the more influential Necromancers, and therefore keeps him on as one of his closest advisers. VANDAMEER CRAVEN One of Solomon's peers and the second of Tenebrae's advisors. Craven is also a self-serving zealot, which makes him a good match for Tenebrae given he spends most of his time sucking-up. A self-righteous idiot who's dangerous primarily because of his idiocy, Solomon has a tendency to dismiss him ... and his fixation on Solomon himself. NATHANIEL QUIVER The third of Tenebrae's advisers, Quiver is quiet and thoughtful and one of the few people within the Temple for whom Solomon has any respect. He thinks before he speaks and usually gives good advice, and doesn't rush to conclusions, for which Solomon is grateful when Craven is being a bootlicker and Tenebrae is being a self-righteous git. [ADRIAN] BARITONE Another cleric in the Temple, Baritone was among the few who travelled regularly outside the Temple and frequently brought Solomon information. He was also one of the few who appreciated Solomon's beliefs that the Temple should be less reclusive, and was among those willing to risk his life against interdimensional invasion. He lost that life defending his world. [PANDEMONA] Also a cleric in the Temple. Pandemona went unnamed in canon, but she was among those few Necromancers who affiliated with Solomon in spite of his unpopular beliefs and fought against the thread of interdimensional invasion. She also died in that battle. INVENTORY NECROMANTIC CANE Solomon's Necromantic item, created in the forge in the Necromantic Temple. It's enchanted to respond only to Solomon, and anyone else touching it without permission will immediately be consumed by the magic he has placed in it. [ ✖ ] BLACK SUIT Being a man of sophistication, Solomon enjoys tailored three-piece suits. This is, of course, against Temple rules, which state that Necromancers must suffer the cold with dignity while wearing Temple robes. Solomon considers this so ridiculous that he doesn't even try to pretend he obeys, unlike most other clerics, who do. [ ✖ ]

Solomon Wreath comes from the Skulduggery Pleasant book series. Solomon first appears in book three, The Faceless Ones, but also appears in books four, five, six, eight, nine and the short story Across a dark plain. A Necromancer from the Irish Temple, Solomon is Skulduggery Pleasant's frenemy and occasionally pops up to help while being a vaguely antagonistic force. Not much is known about him except that he has some mostly-unmentioned history with Skulduggery Pleasant; in the past he helped protect the man who murdered Skulduggery's family. However, this act was under orders. Although Solomon and Skulduggery have an adversarial and argumentative relationship, when in a pinch they display a certain degree of trust and concern for one another which belies that apparent first meeting. As a Necromancer Solomon believes in the movement to rescue humanity from the institution of death, and has a greater understanding of the metaphysics of the world than most. Read more about Solomon in his application for Tushan. PERSONALITY Solomon is faithful, fearful, intelligent and pragmatic. He's also self-assured, witty, sophisticated, self-sacrificing, protective and possesses an element of ethical awareness that his brethren lack. Solomon needs to believe in something, and when that faith his shaken he feels adrift; but it also makes him an active pursuer of his goals. The nature of his faith in canon is defined by his fear of death and mortality, for, he states, Necromancers are ultimately driven by a deep fear of dying. This is something that makes him an oddity, because Solomon is a detective and thus logically-minded. He can and does apply that logic to his work in ways the other Necromancers don't, and that makes him highly effective but unrepentantly unconventional with regard to Temple policies. Linked to this is his pragmatism, since he recognises the Temple as being a part of the world where most Necromancers like to pretend they're apart from it. Knowing this, Solomon is willing to sacrifice things he considers 'trivial' for the greater good in pursuit of his goals. Often this means Solomon is on the grey edges of morality, and due to his security in his faith he is self-assured in his goals and beliefs in a manner that he wields almost as a weapon. Necromancers don't have a good reputation, and Solomon isn't overly concerned by that except when he can use it. He also possesses a sardonic and almost playful wit which he uses to needle others when he wants amusement. All that being said, Solomon is unlike his fellow Necromancers in that he is surprisingly self-sacrificing. While the Temple's internal politics involves rising to the top for selfish reasons, Solomon is impatient with this sort of wrangling--a fact which doesn't endear him to his fellows, since it gives him an air of self-righteous drive that gets him both disdain and reluctant respect. Solomon's ambition isn't for himself, but genuinely because he believes he can save others, regardless of the means he has chosen. In spite of his fear of death he is willing to put himself in danger over and over for causes he believes are worth his time. Where most Necromancers see themselves as above the trivialities of the outside world, Solomon concerns himself with them, and in doing so reveals a degree of integrity of which even he is unaware. POWERS ITEM Like most Necromancers, Solomon channels his magic through an item which kills anyone who touches it without permission. Therefore he has some knowledge of magically imbued objects. SHADOW-MANIPULATION As a Necromancer, Solomon's most basic techniques involve manifesting shadows as tangible objects and using them in various ways--as weapons, restraints, objects, aids to travel. SHADOW-WALKING This is the use of shadows to travel instantaneously. Canon doesn't specify a range, though it's likely within ten kilometres or so. DEATH-SENSING Being an experienced Necromancer, Solomon can sense the lingering death in a place, particularly if it's a violent one. He can even tell how it occurred, and precisely where. Canon states no range, though it does state that being in the presence of death empowers him further. RAISING THE DEAD Some zombies are able to be raised without the benefit of being a Necromancer, though being one grants Solomon greater control over greater numbers, better range, understanding of the process and the ability to raise more powerful zombies as well as take control of them from others. NAME-CONTROL All sorcerers can use given names to control their owners. Solomon is no exception. WEAKNESSES ITEM Although Solomon admits that using an item is a preference rather than a necessity, he is still used to using one to the point that losing it off-balances him. Theoretically he could use his magic anyway, but he'd need to renew his control with training and it presumably comes with a price of its own. CHILDREN In spite of his faith and pragmatism, Solomon has a soft-spot for teens and children. It's one of those things that sets him apart from his peers, though he doesn't exactly go out of his way to help lost kids or anything of the kind. ABILITIES CHARM In spite of his reputation as a Necromancer and his habit of being deliberately aggravating toward others, Solomon is still more than charming enough to talk others into at least hearing him out. OBSERVATION Solomon is a detective for the Temple. Although he occasionally uses those skills in less-than-legal ways in order to benefit the Temple, Solomon is nevertheless quick of mind and good enough to keep up with Skulduggery Pleasant. MENTORING Solomon also enjoys mentoring the younger acolytes. Though he calls Valkyrie Cain his favourite student, the fact that he has a favourite indicates that he regularly teaches others, and enjoys doing so.

( codes by whambam )