Abelard’s Story So Far
Some of this is adapted from other essays, some is brand new. Enjoy!
Priest. Technician. Saint. Abelard of no surname is, when we first meet him, a novice in the Church of Kos; specifically a Novice Technician, as Kos’ clergy are largely a holy corps of engineers. Over the series so far he dies, rises again, becomes a living saint, and tries to sacrifice himself once again to save Dresediel Lex.
As we approach the publication of Dead Hand Rule, let’s take a look at Abelard’s story so far.
Abelard before the series
It seems Abelard grew up locally, and joined the Church around the age of 11. The process of receiving a calling and joining the Church is similarly unclear; did he live at home and go to school, then spend his spare hours at the Sanctum of Kos rather than extracurriculars, or did he move in like it was a boarding school? I have so many questions.
We don’t hear much about his family other than the fact that they exist, and that he visits them in Four Roads Cross. He was childhood friends with Cat Elle, drifted apart from her in early adulthood, then reconnected in Three Parts Dead. Cat mentions growing up in Slaughter’s Fell, a not-great part of town, and so we can extrapolate that Abelard either grew up there or nearby.
Three Parts Dead
In the series, we first see Abelard in Three Parts Dead. In fact, if one reads in publication order, Abelard is the first character we meet in the prologue.
“God wasn’t answering tonight.
“Glory to Thy Flame, Thou Ever-burning, Ever-transforming Majesty,” Abelard chanted, kneeling, before the glistening brass and chrome altar. He hated this part, after the call, when he waited for the response—when he waited and tried to tell himself everything was fine. If there were a real problem, warning flags would fall from the ceiling, alarms would sound, and higher-ups of the Crimson Order would rush in through the side doors, angry and officious.
If there were a real problem, plain Novice Technician Abelard, so young he still needed to shave the inside of his tonsure, wouldn’t be all alone to deal with it.”
Anyone with a vague sense of storytelling will be unsurprised to learn that there is, in fact, a real problem, and while the alarms do sound and higher-ups do rush in, plain Novice Technician Abelard ends up playing a unique, solitary, and crucial role.
Kos has died - or, at least, appears to have died. Unbeknownst to Abelard (or anyone else at this point), Kos has in fact fled into Abelard’s faith (and cigarette) to shelter there and save Himself. Kos, we learn through this book and the series, is a kind god by deity standards, and truly loves His people. He hides within Abelard throughout the book, sustained by Abelard’s faith.
Poor Abelard doesn’t know this, however, and feels to blame for his Lord’s death. He barely sleeps, barely eats, and chain smokes even more than usual. As Kos is a fire god, His priests are saved from the health consequences of smoking, but Abelard in Three Parts Dead is taking it to the extreme.
When Tara Abernathy and Elayne Kevarian arrive to represent the Church of Kos, work out what happened, and try to resurrect some semblance of the deceased deity, Abelard is brought into the investigation. Elayne, being sharper than a demon’s carapace, immediately noticed Kos hiding in Abelard’s cigarettes and set about keeping him close to her and Tara at all times. Tara is initially frustrated at being saddled with a sickly-seeming god-botherer, but she and Abelard bond over the book and start an unexpected friendship. Together they do document review in the form of a fun vision quest. It becomes clear they must track down vampire Raz Pelham, and Abelard calls on his old pal Cat to help hunt him down.
Abelard watches Tara’s first court appearance against Alexander Denovo, and is quite confused by the whole thing. To a non-Craftsperson’s eye, the lawyerly arguments in a Court of Craft have the lawyer-necromancers floating in the air of a darkened room, with lightning flashing around them. Cool visual, but hard to follow.
The Court calls a recess, and Elayne Kevarian insists Abelard accompany her to visit Deathless Kings. To Abelard, this is a strange and dull task that involves a lot of standing around in waiting rooms and meeting immortal skeletons. We later find out that Elayne is working to pull key support from Denovo’s case by demonstrating to important stakeholders that Kos is still alive within Abelard.
She also kills him in the process, but Kos brings him back so that’s…fine, I guess?
As an Elayne stan, I will forever support Craftswomen’s rights, but also Craftswomen’s wrongs.
Abelard goes on a quest in the bowels of the Sanctum of Kos, steals a magical dagger, and is nearly killed by a shadow beast, which Elayne then turns into a tiny pebble and eats. This is quite a long section of the book, and while not super relevant to Abelard’s story, is very relevant for the end of the book. Though I just realised I left it out of my Three Parts Dead Story So Far. Oops. Must go back and change that.
At this point, Tara is off on her own quest in the docks following the trail of a gargoyle whose face she stole, then returned with a tracking glyph. In an abandoned warehouse, she learns that the goddess Seril (Kos’ consort) thought to have been killed in the God Wars, is in fact alive and survived in the faith of her children, the gargoyles. Kos had recently discovered this and tried to transfer power to her in secret. He was killed when he was at his weakest, and the power he was transferring has mysteriously disappeared.
Everything goes to shit and Tara, Abelard, and the gargoyles are arrested for conspiring against the city. Tara takes over the clearly biased proceedings to reveal the secret plot, which it turns out involved Abelard’s mentor, Cardinal Gustave. During the ensuing battle, Abelard is killed. Elayne, who has been under some form of hypnosis, regains enough self-control to draw a resurrection circle in her own blood, bringing Kos back in full power - and Abelard, too.
Four Roads Cross
Between books, we have a lovely short story called Man in the Middle, which gives lovely insight into the burgeoning friendship between Tara and Abelard. I highly recommend reading it.
A year after Three Parts Dead, we return to Alt Coulumb in Four Roads Cross. Abelard is now for all intents and purposes a saint, and deeply troubled by this unwanted promotion. Still generally awkward and uncertain, fumbling and stammering, he feels like fraud in the church. He’s being called into senior meetings to discuss credit and shareholders, but has no idea what anyone’s talking about. He comes to realise he is brought in as Kos’ own representative rather than on his own merits, and feels even worse. At Tara’s urging, he tries to speak to Kos - and learns that now, as a saint, he can do so in a more direct way than standard prayer.
Kos is scared. After Cardinal Gustave’s betrayal a year ago, Kos is wary of trusting His senior cardinals and is using Abelard as His eyes into a world He doesn’t fully understand. Abelard realises that the other priests know that their Lord doesn’t trust them, and that Abelard is His conduit. Kos shows Abelard the city through His eyes, shows Abelard the tangled web of obligations and prayer and decisions in which He exists, and asks for guidance. Should He force Seril and Her children to stand alone? Or should He help, thus risking His own power?
Madeline Ramp, an old ally of Denovo’s, shows up o serve suit against Kos for His off-book relationship with Seril, and consequent undisclosed liabilities. A nefarious plot that she is very clearly involved in (alas our characters can’t yet prove that) unfolds, attacking Seril and Her children. Abelard asks Kos to intervene. Demons fall to fire in the night sky.
And there’s the proof Ramp needed: Kos has undeclared interest in Seril. She presses suit, and Tara calls a Council of War. Characters split into different plots to work on different element of their new plan against Ramp. Abelard goes out to spread Kos’ word in support of Seril.
This is the last bit I have about Abelard in the Four Roads Cross Story So Far, proving that sometimes I can be brutal and cut things out to be succinct. But as this is the Abelard Story So Far, I feel I must add a bit more in. During the Big Finale Court Case in the Sky with Demons and Craft Horrors, Abelard remains and the Sanctum of Kos praying with his fellow priests. By praying, they give Kos strength and feel His pain as Ramp’s team attack him through the Court. They fight to contain His wrath.
And Abelard, beginning to come to terms with the new power he holds, steps forward to lead the priesthood in prayer - something he has been avoiding for a year. Sainthood sits awkwardly on Abelard’s shoulders, but he is a true believer in Kos and will step up where needed.
“Moans of pain, grinding teeth, shattered prayers, Father forgive, blessed by flame, transfigured into sacred ash—their voices burned with the Godhead, their twiglike fingers clutched to stay a charging boar.
Bede had caught Nestor when the old man fell. No one had yet stepped up to lead the prayer. Cardinals babbled, drunk on vintages of rage grown rich through years of cultivation.
But Abelard was no Lord of the Church. He was younger, and less confirmed in anger.
His knees shook as he stood.
Surely it was harder to die and rise again than to lead the Cardinals in prayer.
Surely.
He held out his hands and spoke the words.
Glory to Your Flame— ”
As Kos rages, Abelard speaks to Him directly, asking him to hold back. To wait. To trust Seril, and to trust Tara. He does. Tara’s long shot play works. Seril and Kos win their cases, and reunite.
This is the last we see of Abelard for, chronologically, quite some time. We learn later that he has met Teo Batan at some point between Four Roads Cross and Full Fathom Five, but that’s off-page. He appears briefly at the end of Dead Country, sitting at Tara’s hospital bedside.
And then we come to Wicked Problems, and see Saint Abelard in all his glory.
Wicked Problems
He’s still awkward old Abelard, but now with a quiet self-assured core. He is far more comfortable with his direct line to Kos, and uses the power this grants him throughout the book. So, let’s look at Abelard in Wicked Problems properly.
Dawn has appeared at the spirecliffs off Ajaiatez, and Tara goes after her - trying to go alone, taking all the blame for the situation on her shoulders. When her friends find out, Kos sends Abelard an abrupt message in chapel, causing Abelard to knock a candelabra onto a tapestry. Classic Abelard, really. Outside the chapel, he is met by Shale, who flies him to the airport and sneaks him onto the dragon gondola. Abelard goes to find Tara in her compartment, and she reluctantly accepts his help on her mission. At the spirecliffs, Abelard is tasked with stopping people from reaching the heart of the cliffs, where Tara is trying to save Caleb Altemoc from his own self-sacrifice. Kai Pohala easily gets past him, bless. The four of them end up flying to safety on wings made of bones, which is a great visual.
The group splits up on different missions; Caleb and Abelard end up together and have a truly wonderful dynamic. It’s deeply wholesome. They’re on Dawn’s trail, and end up travelling to an abandoned mining facility, to the Shining Empire, and then to Caleb’s hometown, Dresediel Lex. Abelard reads as many newspapers as he can get his hands on (they don’t have newspapers in Alt Coulumb), and has deep conversations about religion and priesthood with Caleb.
They reach Dresediel Lex to find Tlaloc Observatory on fire. Caleb knows Tlaloc well - his mother, an academic, spent summers there with him. The pair leap from the dragon-aeroplane using Caleb’s magical scars to somewhat control their descent, smashing into a pyramid. They find Caleb’s mother trying to save her research, and help get her out. Abelard attempts to use Kos’ fire magic on the Serpent blood flames, but fails. All looks lost - then, deus ex machina Elayne Kevarian shows up. She briefly moves the Observatory into space to put out the fire (iconic). Abelard is awestruck both by her power, and by Caleb running to hug her with a shout of “Auntie Elayne!”
At Mina’s house, Caleb goes off to talk to his mother alone, and we can only presume Elayne and Abelard converse, or perhaps play cards. We do find out that Elayne has visited Alt Coulumb several times since Three Parts Dead, which makes me very happy. Their reunion is, however, cut short by the appearance of Wardens, here to arrest Abelard and Caleb.
Abelard is thrilled by the couatl ride over Dresediel Lex, asking the Wardens lots of questions. He gets a bit quieter when he realises they are going to the King in Red’s office, and Caleb takes over the snark. It’s funny. Kopil puts them under 24 hour arrest to keep them out of the picture while he goes to stop Temoc et al. Locked in an obsidian prison, Caleb is at a loss for how to escape. Luckily, Abelard has the power of being a saint of Kos, and begins a prison escape prayer.
“Why are you smiling?”
“Give me a moment. I hardly ever get to do this part, and I want to enjoy it.”
“What part?”
“The I-know-somethng-you-don’t-know part. Usually Tara’s job.”
“Take your time.” He crossed his arms. “It’s not as if it’s the end of the world.”
Abelard raised his cigarette. The ember reflected in his eyes. “Let us pray.”
They blast out of their prison, and make their way to Teo Batan’s apartment smelling of fire. Caleb wants to borrow her car, and she insists on coming with them to whatever the hells they’re doing.
The break into the Heartstone facility in the hills, where Dawn and the Arsenals are attempting to wake the Serpents and use their power. Creepy skazzerai metal bad guys are fighting the Arsenals; Caleb naturally joins the fight. Abelard and Teo go to help Dawn, who is in a sort of trance. Take it as read that everyone is fighting, getting injured, bantering, doing cool Craft things. The bad guys are defeated, Dawn and (m0st of) her flock escape, and the hills around the facility are on fire.
Godflame is vicious, and Dresediel Lex is experiencing a drought. Elayne’s wards are burned through in seconds; even Kopil’s considerable power and talent aren’t enough to slow the destruction. Abelard, saint of the fire god Kos, walks into the flames. This time he listens to the fire and asks it to teach him. He is able to draw it into himself, while the others blast him with cold. The last thing he feels and sees is the cold of moonlight brought by Tara.
And that is Abelard’s story so far.
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