| Arborinus Verginix | |
|---|---|
| The Edge Chronicles character | |
| Information | |
| Nickname(s) | Twig |
| Species | Fourthling |
| Gender | Male |
| Occupation | Sky Pirate Captain, Sub-Professor of Light |
| Title | Captain |
| Family | Quintinius Verginix(father), Maris Pallitax (mother) |
| Spouse(s) | Sinew Verginix (neé Tatum) |
| Children | Keris Bakwater (neé Verginix) |
Twig (Arborinus Verginix) is a fictional character from Paul Stewart's The Edge Chronicles.
Usually referred to as Twig or, later, Captain Twig, Twig was the main character of three Edge Chronicles books (books 1, 2 and 3).
Contents |
Twig was born during a storm in which the ship in which his parents were traveling was damaged. After the captain of the ship, Multinius Gobtrax refused to accept the child aboard, Twig's parents, Maris Pallitax and Quintinius Verginix, had to abandon him in a woodtroll village.
After being raised by a kindly, woodtroll couple ,Tuntum and Spelda Snatchwood for 13 years, he was sent to his Cousin Snetterbark's house in order to escape recruitment by Sky Pirates.However, Twig left the path, got lost, and, after traveling across the Deepwoods, meeting creatures both kind and hostile, met his father Cloud Wolf, when his ship crash-landed. When Cloud Wolf realized who Twig was, he left, leaving him sleeping, unable to face the situation, being too emotionally tormented by the realization. Twig then wandered into the Edgelands, where he encountered the Gloamglozer, who attempted to have him into walk off the Edge itself, but he was rescued by the Caterbird, who brought him back to him with his father, who signed Twig on as a crew member of his sky ship.
With the Treasury severely depleted and Vilnix Pompolnius, the Most High Academe bringing Sanctaphrax closer to destruction, the city was in need of new Stormphrax, and Cloud Wolf agreed to go Stormchasing with the Professor of Light. Although Cloud Wolf had left Twig behind, Slyvo Spleethe, after finding out of the relationship between Twig and Cloud Wolf brought Twig aboard as part of his mutiny. Cloud Wolf defeated Spleethe, but the crew had to abandon Cloud Wolf after being engulfed by a Great Storm. Twig and the crew landed in the Twilight Woods, but failed to retrieve the Stormphrax. After the Professor of Light explained that Twig was Cloud Wolf's son, the crew elected him captain. Twig led them out of the Twilight Woods and hired a guide, Screed Toe-Taker, to help them across the Mire, but Screed tried to kill them, but Twig defeated him. He found out that Screed was a former Knight Academic who did not succeed on his Stormchasing voyage, and was driven insane by his desperation not to let Sanctaphrax down. He would murdered the people he guided, cut off their toes, and take Stormphrax particles from under their toenails. Over the years, Screed had collected enough Stormphrax to use to stabilize the floating city. Twig and Maugin, Twig's Stone Pilot, restored Screed's sky ship, the Windcutter, and delivered the Stormphrax to the treasury. In honor of this achievement, the Professor of Darkness made him an honorary Knight Academic. He then found a new crew of sky pirates, funded by Mother Horsefeather, who believed that Twig would give her with the secret of creating safe phraxdust. After giving her the secret, he distributed the information all over Undertown, ending her monopoly. After this, he learned from the Caterbird that his father, Cloud Wolf, was in Open Sky, and set off in his new sky ship, the Edgedancer, with the Caterbird towing him.
After traveling in Open Sky and facing deadly weather, the Caterbird led Twig to his father, who was inside the Mother Storm. Cloud Wolf warned Twig that the Mother Storm was returning to the Edge, and that Sanctaphrax was blocking her path. If the Mother Storm spent all of her energy destroying Sanctaphrax, she could not reach Riverrise to restore the Edgewater River, and the Edge would spiral into darkness. After giving this information, Cloud Wolf vanished, absored by the Mother Storm, after which there was an explosion which destroyed the Edgedancer, sent him and his crew to the different parts of the Edge, and stole everyone's memories, except Maugin, since she was protected by her stone pilot suit. The parts of the Edgedancer fell all over the Edge, causing destruction in Sanctaphrax and in Undertown, killing three leaguesmen; Ulbus Pentephraxis, Simenon Xintax, and Farquhar Armwright. After being found in the Stone Gardens by the Professor of Darkness, he was taken to Sanctaphrax, where he met ajunior sub-acolyte, Cowlquape Pentephraxis. Twig, accompanied by Cowlquape, set off to find his lost crew members, talking him from the sewers of Undertown, to Riverrise itself. After having found her, Twig was reminded by Maugin of Cloud Wolf's message. Twig and Cowlquape Sky-Fired back to Undertown where they attempted to sever the Anchor Chain. The Professor of Darkness tried to stop them by pushing Twig off the platform, bestowing the rank of Most High Academe upon Cowlquape but in vain. The Anchor Chain was cut, the Professor clung on to it, and Sanctaphrax floated into Open Sky. A new Sanctaphrax Rock started growing in the Stone Gardens, and everyone tried to anchor it down, to build a new city. Twig decided to find the rest of the crew at Riverrise, aboard the Skyraider as captain.
Twig was unsuccessful in locating Riverrise, although searching for 16 years. When Twig came down with a fever, and left at a slaughterer village. He was nursed by Sinew Tatum, an, falling in love, married her. After having a daughter, Keris one year later, Sinew died.Blaming himself, he left Keris and continued to search for his crew. After arriving in the Free Glades, and learning of Stone-Sickness, he, after the rest of his crew perished for various reasons, left his ship, the Skyraider, at Wilderness Lair in the Edgelands and started to live a life among Banderbears.
He remained with the Banderbears until his 70th year, when his grandson, Rook Barkwater discovered him. The two carried out a raid on the Tower of Night to rescue Cowlquape, when he was mortally wounded. His sky ship destroyed, Twig was rescued by the Caterbird, taking him to Riverrise. Twig saw Maugin waiting for him as he approached Riverrise, but Maugin was killed by a poisonous dart shot by Golderayce, a waif who had fallen in love with Maugin, and, rather then let Twig have her, he killed her, after which he imprisoned Twig in the Garden of Life.
Twig was one of the Immortals who battled the Gloamglozers.
Twig, like his father and grandchild, had a kind heart. An example of this is that he fought against slavery. He often went out of his way to help those who needed it, and risked his life doing what was right. He fought against slavery and freed the helpless from their oppressors. He became known as one of the greatest sky pirates ever, and had a wild, free spirit.