Saul

Overview

Saul was a Leviathan researcher and the older brother of Sol. He died during a reconnaissance mission tracking Garuda beyond Abelena Isle.

Research

Saul maintained an office cluttered with research materials and pungent with acrid smells. The walls were lined with jars of preserved tissue—skins, glands, and specimens he called trophies from Leviathans. Wooden and paper Leviathan models hung from the beams of his study.

Saul believed humans and Leviathans could coexist. He wanted to prove they could be seen differently and dedicated himself to studying them. He studied Fenn’s Codex Linificus, which proposed that understanding Leviathans rather than hunting them could reveal more about the world. His parents considered this interest an obsession and scolded him for spending more time dreaming about Leviathans than studying. Saul studied late into the night; Sol would sometimes see the light on in his study and slip inside to stay with him, falling asleep on the couch or rug.

Saul often read to Sol from picture books about Leviathans—stories of Niavhe and Kaibara, Nuur and Annoba, Abelen, Maya and Kacchena. Sol defended his passion fiercely.

Airship Work

Saul worked on his own airship and earned his pilot’s license in pursuit of his goal to study Leviathans directly.

Final Mission

Saul waited months for an opportunity to observe Garuda, scanning emergency frequencies from dawn to dusk—sometimes through the night—listening for the word “Leviathan” in dispatches. When Garuda was sighted to the northeast beyond Abelena Isle, Saul prepared immediately.

He chartered an old seaplane fitted with a weather balloon to serve as an observation tower and convinced an Axiom pilot to fly for him. His surveillance gear was packed and tanks filled. Before boarding, Saul hugged his younger sister Sol and promised to bring back photographs and tales beyond belief.

Saul had explained his planned approach to Sol: tracking the Leviathan and drawing close, riding currents to avoid gusts and turbulence while slipping into its wake. The gondola would drop while the balloon rose high into the heavens to capture images. They might pause if The Tumult grew too fierce, or recover one of Garuda’s massive feathers. Saul had even joked about landing on the creature.

Death

Saul did not return from his reconnaissance mission. An Aegis officer delivered the report of what had happened. A grave was dug, but it remained empty—no body was recovered.

Legacy

After Saul’s death, Sol became a Leviathan hunter, rising through the Bravos and Tagmata to command The Ascalon Company.

Relationships

• Sol: Younger sister; became Leviathan hunter after Saul’s death
• Garuda: Leviathan Saul was tracking when he died
• Axiom: Faction that provided the pilot for Saul’s mission
• The Aegis: Military organization that delivered the report of Saul’s death
• Niavhe: Leviathan featured in bedtime stories Saul read to Sol
• Kaibara: Leviathan featured in bedtime stories Saul read to Sol
• Annoba: Leviathan featured in bedtime stories Saul read to Sol
• Abelen Sundström: Subject of bedtime stories Saul read to Sol
• Maya Vastag: Subject of bedtime stories Saul read to Sol
• Kacchena: Leviathan featured in bedtime stories Saul read to Sol
• Fenn: Author of the Codex Linificus, which Saul studied
• Codex Linificus: Treatise on Mana and Skein theory that Saul studied