Ruderal

Introduced in Chapter Twelve ("Ruderal") — rescued from the Brotherhood of the Rat in Enultramar by Rondal and Tyndal, who had enslaved him by threatening his mother Chaterny. He grew up next to a sewer in Solashaven.

Physical on arrival:

no more than ten or eleven, but he had sunken cheekbones that bespoke of malnutrition and hunger. He had a thick shock of unruly black hair that kept getting into his eyes, and he kept looking around the bustling Great Hall with quiet fascination. Gray eyes, and very intelligent.

Skinny, bare feet, oversized castoff trousers, faded black tunic.

On first meeting Minalan's baculus:

Uli's beard! What do you have in that thing? It's . . . it wants to find out!

Confesses guilt at having helped locate Korbal's tomb under Brotherhood coercion. Dranus tests and confirms him "enormously Talented" beyond his enneagram ability. Perceives Herus/Brother Hotfoot's divine enneagram as structurally different:

not like yours. Or mine. Or anyone else's. You know, he's kind of an asshole, too.

At the Sendaria fair Minalan shops for him — transforms him from vagabond to apprentice: green tunic, rabbit-fur-lined brown leather jack, trousers, slippers, boots.

Becomes the paraclete-locator: in the Grain of Pors, he guides Minalan to the Celestial Mother enneagram — "like all the stars in the sky. Definitely a she. Like a mother. Like the All-mother, or the Seamother." Helps transfer it into the Magolith.

Mentioned only — Tyndal and Rondal recount their rescue of "Master Minalan's apprentice, Ruderal" to the Vorone council as background to their southern mission.

Chapters "The Rescue Of Ruderal" and "Ruderal's Hovel" detail the mission from Rondal/Tyndal's perspective. Revealed: his mother Chaterny and he lived in Solashaven fishmongering. His sire was purportedly a Seamage lost at sea. Kept prisoner in the Arrunatus House warehouse cellar, guarded by "Hard Skrup"; the captain was about to send Ruderal north and dispose of Chaterny. Rondal and Tyndal collapse the building during the rescue.

Carries "a large, hastily-made bundle of their possessions like it was gold and jewels" out of captivity. Fearless: "He's resolute. And he doesn't scare easily." Reads Rondal's face: "You're scared." Illiterate. Meets Atopol/the Cat of the Shadows via the Brotherhood-of-the-Night escort carriage; validates Atopol's good intent with a "small but firm nod." Helps Rondal and Tyndal select paracletes from the Grain of Pors — Rondal's becomes Bulwark, Tyndal's the "highly inquisitive, slightly impetuous" Grapple.

Now twelve or thirteen; one of Minalan's two apprentices alongside Dara. Reads and takes notes for hours. Reveals to Minalan that one visiting prince (his Seamage sire) "looks like him, under all that hair" — Minalan keeps the secret.

Spots Prince Tavard's "darkest" pattern. Uses his Talent to read whether the Karshak enchanter Master Guri is trustworthy. Advises on handling cheating merchants:

Sometimes I had to sell to merchants who I knew were cheating. If you know they're cheating, and you call them on it, you can still do business with them.

Most dramatic scene: controls a water elemental (Splashy) against the dragon attacking Sevendor: Loiko — "Get its head under the surface!"; Ruderal directs the elemental into the dragon's mouth and nostrils; Minalan freezes it. "He has to inhale before he can exhale. He can't do that with lungs full of water. Ice." Helps Minalan to the Chamber of the Snowflake "without using profanity once — something I don't think any of his predecessors could have managed." Works with Forseti the ancient tekka construct; keeps meticulous notes. Gently tells Minalan says:

You cannot stay here all night. You're tired, inside and out. Whatever is happening to Alya, it isn't hurting her. I'll watch her, I promise. Inside and out.

Guardian of Alya during her recovery while Minalan is away. "Of all the household, Ruderal seemed perhaps most relieved at my arrival. He had performed his service to look after my family in my absence admirably, but the burden had laid heavy on him." On Alya's condition:

She's been getting worse, the longer she's been without it. Getting a bit more and more unraveled every day.

Now sole apprentice following Dara's examinations.

Travels with Minalan on the Magelaw defense tour, meets Tyndal again fondly. Reads enemies on battlefield ("He's terrified. His men are even more so"). Faces bribery attempts: Dalger offered 20 silver and his daughter — "He acted like all I had to do was mention it to you and it would happen. Why would he do that to his own daughter?" Tells Minalan uncomfortable truths about his obsessive guilt:

Is that not the question that haunts you, Master? It matters not that you have no answer. It is the question, itself, that plagues you.

At Spellgate, urges Minalan says:

They're getting a lot closer, Master! The rest of us would be gratified to see you release whatever hellish spell you have in store!

Gives the Nemovort Gaja Katar "a viciously rude gesture with his fingers." "You people are crazy." Announced at Spellgarden as "Ruderal of Vanador." Minalan's heir Minalyan adopts Ruderal as a role model and foster brother.

Third-year apprentice. Spy missions with Atopol in Gilmora — Ruderal teaches Atopol and Atopol teaches Ruderal (witchstone-Ways travel). In Gilmora they spy on Count Anvaram's cotton-lords army. Accompanies Minalan who targets the Cotton Lords with arranged enchantments through the baculus ("Watch this"). Killed Gaja Katar in battle (confirmed later in Book 14 retrospect).

Stays behind to watch over Minalan's children while Minalan journeys. "Gareth and Ruderal have explained why it's so important" (Alya of the Magolith). Reflects on Ruderal's growing connection to Forseti ("Even Ruderal likes him, for some reason").

Skulking in Gilmora with Atopol. Minalan confirms: "his apprentice, Ruderal, slew Gaja-Katar in battle." Attends Yule banquets in Vorone as an honoree — "At Yule I had to attend a bunch of banquets like this because I slew Gaja-Katar." Sits at the Apprentice's Table at a formal event with Atopol, Gatina, Alurra. Reads out loud the enneagrams of the table companions. Still fond of food commentary ("Birds! Best with a nice sauce"). Had an awkward romantic encounter he refuses to elaborate on.

Still one of Minalan's key apprentices during the Mad Mage crisis. Present for major diagnostic conversations with Lilastien, Pentandra, and Taren. Reads enneagrams of visitors to confirm their sincerity with the unstable Minalan. Still looks after Alya and the children daily.

Gets his own POV chapter ("Ruderal"). Coordinates mirror-communication between Minalan and Festaran during the assault.

Interior POV reveals how his Talent works:

When Ruderal peered at someone just the right way, he could see or sense a tangled pattern of energy known as an enneagram. He could tell when someone was insincere, for example, or lying.

Has made studying Nemovorti his personal mission:

He had stalked and slain a powerful Nemovort. He had collected tales of each of them, memorized their names, their histories, their capabilities, and their weaknesses.

Disagrees with Minalan sparing Mycin Amana in Isily's body. Reflects on Minalan's rising madness:

It's like he's constantly fighting someone else for control. And every day it is someone different. He's quite mad.

Admits: "I'm doubtful I could stop him."

"He was on the cusp of manhood, now, and carried himself as such." Reunited with his long-presumed-dead father Moudrost, a Seamage who appeared two years earlier on Vundel business. Has pastry-outings with mother and newly-acknowledged father trying to reconcile them.

Travels with Minalan to Anguin's court in Vorone, reading the duke's enneagram for Minalan. Chooses Atopol for Minalan's Farise plan. Has pies, shrimp skewers, Falasi beer in the street with Minalan says:

Growing up at the coast, Ruderal had a fondness for seafood that had only gotten stronger in its absence from his regular diet.

Carries a Dradrien-modified weapon against Korbal — Minalan says:

I shall feel safer with Ruderal carrying it and watching my back.

Central to the Darkfaller infiltration. Steps forward proudly when Minalan confronts Gaja Katar's successors:

That would be quite an ungrateful reward for the one who found your tomb in the first place. Your servants coerced that favor from me when I was just a boy. I have grown, since then. And I am not afraid to die if it means seeing you and your kind scraped from the world like a festering scab.

Stabs fallen Nemovorti one by one with "great enjoyment" during the assault. Stands back-to-back with Minalan under attack.

Opening description:

My current eldest apprentice was far more attentive than Ron and Tyn had ever been. He was a jewel among apprentices, grateful, eager, ambitious in his own way, and dedicated to learning what it was to be a wizard. Ruderal was one of the most genuinely good men I knew.

In Farise as "Lancil" (Minalan as "Mirkandar"). Almost ready for examinations:

in terms of his thaumaturgical skills he was as advanced as any of my previous apprentices. In some cases he excelled them dramatically.

Cocky apprentice persona in Farise. Laresk, the new apprentice, joins. Ruderal encases an ice-market obstructionist's house in a foot-thick sheet of ice:

If the man has a problem with our ice, then I figured he should enjoy some in the peace and comfort of his own home.

Minalan muses:

This might be my last adventure with Ruderal as my apprentice. Yes, I was going to miss Ruderal as my apprentice.

Conjures chairs for them to watch an execution.

One of Minalan's current apprentices, succeeding Tyndal and Rondal in the "Spellmonger's apprentice" line. He and the younger Laresk now occupy the old castle that Tyndal and Rondal had once tried to move out of -- Rondal regards their continued use of it as a kind of legacy from his and Tyndal's apprenticeship.

In The Golden Goblin he is offstage but referenced as conspiring with Minalan over the situation in Farise alongside Gatina's cousin Jordi, and Gatina mentions in passing that he has a new girlfriend and has recently been reunited with his long-lost father, whom he found in Farise.