Silk

Silk was originally from Li Heng.^[1] He was squad corporal and cadre mage in Storo Matash's 11th Saboteur squad. He had served with Matash since the Genabackis Campaign where they had fought at Owndos.^[2]

Silk was described as a slim, pale man with long blond hair who wore a faded and worn fine dark silk shirt, vest, and trousers.^[3] He had a smile that was known to charm women.^[4]

Although his charisma caused some to speculate he was a practioner of Mockra, his Warren was Thyr.^[5]

In Return of the Crimson Guard

Silk had been a city mage of Li Heng since the days of Shalmanat, the Protectress, a century earlier and still maintained an extensive network of contacts.^[6] He was part of Storo Matash's squad that infiltrated Li Heng's temple complex and defeated the Talian League's attempted coup. At the climax of the battle he unleashed the power of Kurald Liosan on the enemy.^[7]

When the League army marched on Li Heng, Silk realised that the city's defenders would need more allies. He sought out former city mages Ahl, Lar, and Thal in a refugee camp outside the walls of the city. He was able to recruit them to the side of the city's defenders even though they had had a falling out after the death of The Protectress.^[8] Fellow former city mage Liss was appalled at Silk's decision, calling the trio an abomination. Silk also supported the release of the man-jackal Ryllandaras, who was imprisoned below the city, to use as a weapon against the invaders.^[9]

Throughout the ordeal at Li Heng, Silk demonstrated greater skills at magic than he had displayed during his squad's time on Genabackis.^[10] Fellow squad mate Hurl also had the realisation that Silk had been behind the recruitment of several members in the squad including herself, Matash, and the Seguleh Rell. She wondered if Silk had somehow arranged for their carefully picked squad to be in Li Heng for when it was needed.^[11]

By the end of the siege, only Silk, Sunny, and Hurl remained alive from the original squad.^[12]

In Dancer's Lament

Silk was one of the city mages of Li Heng in the service of the Protectress of Li Heng, Shalmanat.

When Li Heng fell under siege by the Kanese under Chulalorn the Third, Silk along with his fellow mages led the defense of the city, organizing the army against the numerous forays of the Kanese.

The siege came to a head when the Kanese, with the help of the Jaghut mage Juage crossed the frozen river into the city. Silk fell back with the remnants of the guard desperately defending the palace through the night of the attack, and watched in awe as Shalmanat destroyed a large part of Chulalorn's army the following dawn.

He was present in the inner sanctum of the palace when Dorin and Wu made an attempt to oust Shalmanat from her role as the Protectress in order to rule Heng themselves. Despite being blinded by Shalmanat's magery, Dorin took Silk hostage so that the attacking duo could retreat out of the palace, dumping Silk overboard into the river as they escaped.

In Kellanved's Reach

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