Solerne

Solerne, a character from the Blades of Light and Shadow series, is the High Priest of Light. He makes his first appearance in Book 1, Chapter 13.

Appearance
Solerne is bald with white hair on the side of his head, and he has green eyes, a white beard, and light skin. He wears a white and golden robe, and he holds a golden scepter with wings and light in the middle.

Personality
Solerne can be described as hypocritical, deceptive, and pretentious. According to Threep, he’s foul, loathsome and selfish, and according to Mal, Solerne and the rest of the Priests of Light are like any other fancy noble who’s ready to solve every problem with the blood of innocent people.

Background
Not much is known about Solerne, although in Book 1, Chapter 14, Nia describes the inititation ritual she went through, and says that Solerne has her blood and can track her through the Orb of Seeking. You then have the chance to break into his mansion and vault and steal it, and if you do, Mal notes that based on his private residence, he must be very rich.

Book 1

 * Chapter 13: City Of Wonders
 * Chapter 14: City Of Horrors
 * Chapter 16: Blade of Light and Shadow

Book 2

 * Chapter 1: Through the Looking Glass (Mentioned)
 * Chapter 2: Coming Home (Mentioned; Determinant)
 * Chapter 3: The Priestess and the Rogue (Mentioned)
 * Chapter 8: The Hero Of Riverbend (Mentioned)

Nia Ellarious
Solerne and Nia reunite in Book 1, Chapter 13, and Solerne says that he’s glad she returned to them safely, and offers his condolences on Scholar Vash’s death. When she discovers what Solerne plans to do, you can either persuade her to stand up to him, or let her handle him on her own. Either way, she realizes that what Solerne plans to do is evil, and when the latter sees her confliction, he tells her that her journey corrupted her, drove her away from the Light, poisoned her faith with doubt and fear, and that you and your friends tainted her purity. This convinces Nia even more that Solerne is wrong, and if you have the egovore stalk, she knocks him and the rest of the Priests out.

Your Character
Solerne welcomes you to the Temple and informs you and your party that preparations for the Ritual of Purification will take a day, giving you and your friends time to explore Whitetower. When you return the next day, you are shocked to find that the Temple has prisoners, which they will sacrifice to gain Light to purify the shards. If you don’t have the egovore stalk, you fight him and the rest of the Priests and knock them out. In Chapter 16, he attempts to portray you and your party as traitors who aided the Shadow Court. You can either expose his corruption or knock him out, but either way, his crimes are revealed to King Arlan who then has him arrested.

Trivia

 * His crimes include treason, mass murder, and attempted murder.
 * His character model resembles Viscount Westonly from Desire & Decorum.