Denizens of the House

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

You have new messages (last change).

In the "Keys to the Kingdom" series by Garth Nix, the Denizens of the House are the inhabitants of the strange house that makes up the center of the universe. (Please note that this article excludes the Piper's Children, as they are really mortals who have gained Denizen-like qualities due to existing in the House for so long)

Contents

[edit] Description

Denizens are similar to humans in all aspects, with a few exceptions:

  • Denizens are nearly immortal
    • Denizens cannot die of old age, sickness, or starvation while in the House, and are resistant to almost any injury;
    • Denizens can only be killed with fire, certain weapons (such as the Commissionaires Clubs, and various weapons of the Grand Army of the Architect), by a prolonged absence of their heads, by Nothing, or by a bite or scratch from a Nithling, which dissolves them into Nothing.
  • The blood of a Denizen is blue, and their bones are gold.
  • Denizens are very resistant to change of any kind.
  • The higher the social rank and House Precedence of a Denizen, the taller and more handsome it is; the lower the rank, the lesser its height.

[edit] House Fashion

House fashion changes every several centuries, as the Morrow Days decide it. It is currently a 19th century style, with clothing, food, and transportation of that (Earth) time period. Dame Primus mentions that when the Will was imprisoned there were ox-carts going up endless mountains for transport, and Suzy remembers having to wear a pointy hat at some point in time.

[edit] Notable Denizens

A few notable Denizens from the Keys to the Kingdom series, in order of appearance.

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

[edit] Mister Monday

A few notable Denizens from the first book, in order of appearance.

  • Mister Monday
    • The corrupt and slothful Trustee of the Lower House, Mister Monday controls the First Key and Monday, and is Arthur's chief enemy in the first book
  • Sneezer
    • Mister Monday's personal manservant and butler, Sneezer is briefly possessed by the Will and suggests to Mister Monday that he give the Lesser Key to Arthur. Sneezer appears in several other books as Arthur's butler after Arthur defeats Mister Monday.
  • Monday's Noon
    • Private Secretary and Personal Cupbearer to Mister Monday, Noon is Mister Monday's most loyal servant, and is the chief agent in the hunt for Arthur in the first book. Noon is re-employed as Monday's Dusk at the end of the first novel.
  • Lieutenant Keeper of the Front Door
    • Guardian of the Front Door of the House, the Lieutenant Keeper appears in several of the books, and is a firm supporter of Arthur
  • Monday's Dawn
    • Monday's Dawn does not have much activity in any of the existing books
  • Monday's Dusk
    • A strange, mysterious Denizen, Dusk wishes the House to be as it was before the Breaking of the Will and betrays Monday to help Arthur succeed in his mission. Dusk is changed to be Monday's Noon at the end of the first novel.
  • Pravuil
    • This demoted Denizen works in the Coal Pit as a Coal Collecter until he meets, swears loyalty to, and betrays Arthur. A slippery character, Pravuil seems to be in the employ of the Morrow Days.

[edit] Grim Tuesday

A few notable Denizens from the second book, in order of appearance.

  • Grim Tuesday
    • Grim Tuesday is the greedy lord of the Far Reaches. Highly skilled at working Nothing, Tuesday makes a fortune selling his goods to the other parts of the House. However, like all Denizens, Tuesday can create nothing original, and must copy all he makes from the various Secondary Realms.
  • Saturday's Noon/Dusk
    • These two characters ask Grim Tuesday to push a sorcerous pocket into Nothing at the beginning of the book, and tell the Grim about how he can strike out against Arthur. Both have appeared in several other books to date.
  • Grim's Grotesques
    • Yan, Tan, Methera, Tethera, Pits, Sethera and Azer are the seven servants that Grim Tuesday recast from his original Dawn, Noon, and Dusk. They are skilled artisans, and their breath is deadly to mortals. Methera does not speak unless he knows that his words cause pain.
  • Japeth
    • A demoted Denizen who used to be a Thesaurus Minimus Second Grade, Japeth is introduced as a slave of Grim Tuesday. Japeth helps Arthur defeat Grim Tuesday, and later writes an exaggerated account of Arthur's story entitled "Lord Arthur's Adventures".

[edit] Drowned Wednesday

A few notable Denizens from the third book.

  • Drowned Wednesday
    • Drowned Wednesday, Duchess of the Border Sea is also known as Duchess Wednesday, Lady Wednesday, and (the "shied-away-from" name) Whale Wednesday. After consummating her role in the Breaking of the Will, she found herself possessing an uncontrollable desire to eat. She was later transformed into a white whale 126 miles long and has a mouth 10 miles wide, which dived into the Border Sea. After millennia of dwelling as a whale, devouring almost anything in her path, she decided to hand her Key to the Heir and relinquish the Duchy. This was done, although Wednesday herself was killed in the process.
  • Wednesday's Dawn
    • An arrogant, shape-changing official; the last living next-in-command figure to Wednesday. Abetted her Duchess in the relinquishing of the Third Key.
  • Sunscorch
    • A sailor on the Border Sea; the only competent sailor among a crew of Salvagers. Loyal to Lord Arthur; becomes Wednesday's Noon at the said Lord's command after Arthur had become Duke of the Border Sea.
  • Captain Catapillow
    • An ex-accountant; one of many such accountants who became sailors after Duchess Wednesday's submersion caused the Border Sea to overflow. A collector of stamps. Died clinging to his collection.
  • Doctor Scamandros
    • A Doctor of House Sorcery, which is a practice of magic that relies heavily on Nothing and shares features with stereotypical or archetypal soothsaying. Scamandros lost his final term paper before he could turn it in, and now seeks it in the Border Sea. Abetted Lord Arthur in the effort to seize control thereof. Later was made Wednesday's Dusk.
  • Captain Elishar Feverfew
    • A cruel, once-mortal pirate captain who has so meddled with Nothing Sorcery that he is now part Nithling. Feverfew controls the wordlet inside Drowned Wednesday that the Third Part of the Will is hidden in.
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org../../../d/e/n/Denizens_of_the_House_2a16.html"