Short Fiction · Character

Mr. Ermine

A costumed operative who moves through the powerful unseen, weighing what he owes the Veld against what he owes the men he was made to shepherd.

supporting

Also known as Ermine

First appearance: riya s foundling

As a supporting figure in Short Fiction, Mr. Ermine is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

A representative of the I.A.B.'s Special Public Relations Office, who visits Sollenar to advise him of Cortwright Burr's dealings with the Martians.

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Ermine belongs to the machinery of the Foundation, a member whose office can forward recommendations that end careers, and he wears his disguises so cunningly that no one could guess the man beneath. What unsettles him is not power but obligation: he has hands yet lacks them, while Charpantier lacks a finger and still acts. As the Veld falters over his pot, Ermine must decide what a voice born of that touch can still say to a sleeping Earth.

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The fuller portrait of Mr. Ermine sits in Reading Lens — open the free preview to keep reading with notes on the page.

See Mr. Ermine in riya s foundling

Character Web

10 connections

A slice of how Mr. Ermine sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

Relationship types

Professional
Other

Character groups

Minor Martian characters
Variants and minor characters

+5 more in the full Character Web

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point

This is the dramatic climax because Greaves confronts his deepest fear—becoming a Shadow—and resolves it by ch…

Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.

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Relationships

Mr. Sollenar
professional · ambivalent
They appear to be colleagues or business associates with frequent, possibly adversarial,… How this plays out →
Mr. Sollenar
professional · ambivalent
They appear to be colleagues or business associates with frequent, possibly adversarial,… How this plays out →
Mr. Sollenar
professional · ambivalent
They appear to be colleagues or business associates with frequent, possibly adversarial,… How this plays out →

Relationship notes

How these ties play out is in the reading companion — open the free preview.

See Mr. Ermine in riya s foundling

In the story

Mr. Ermine appears across 4 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

I
A representative of the I.A.B.'s Special Public Relations Office, who visits Sollenar to advise him of Cortwright Burr's dealings with the Martians.
III
Meets Sollenar twice, reveals his nerve-deadened condition, serves a By-Laws notice, and advises on Burr's secret.
IV
Recovers from Sollenar's attack, reports to the I.A.B., and follows Sollenar to Mars to witness his death.
V
Ermine waits outside the Martian building, shoots Sollenar, and then experiences a sudden, ecstatic reconnection with the physical world, feeling the wind and ground as if reborn.

Chapter companion notes

Spoil-light check-ins for Mr. Ermine unlock in the free preview.

See Mr. Ermine in riya s foundling

See Mr. Ermine in I