# Severn — The King in Yellow character guide

> Severn in The King in Yellow by Robert W. Chambers.

**Role:** supporting

**First appearance:** 0013-the-yellow-sign

## Snapshot

A fellow artist in 'The Yellow Sign,' Severn is the friend whose quiet decency Clifford invokes as a counterweight to his own bohemian set.

## Who they are

Severn belongs to the circle of painters and models around Clifford and Elliott, a man Clifford names alongside Selby as being 'like Hastings' — straitlaced, decent, a brick. He is the moral ballast in a Quarter where morals are rare, the friend whose presence makes Clifford want to spare Hastings the orgy. His steadiness sharpens the contrast with the story's encroaching horror.

## Relationships

### [Puss](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_king_in_yellow_se/characters/puss)

_friendship_

Puss and Severn are close friends and fellow bohemians, often seen together in the cafés and sharing a mischievous camaraderie.

### [Puss](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_king_in_yellow_se/characters/puss)

_friendship_

Puss and Severn are close friends and fellow bohemians, often seen together in the cafés and sharing a mischievous camaraderie.

## In the story

### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_king_in_yellow_se/chapters/i)

The artist who lives alone in the Latin Quarter, converses with animals, and takes in a stray cat.

### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_king_in_yellow_se/chapters/ii)

The protagonist who cares for the cat and discovers the identity and fate of its owner.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_king_in_yellow_se/characters/severn
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_king_in_yellow_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_king_in_yellow_se/characters