Character from The Locked Tomb by Tamsyn Muir
The Ninth House's ancient marshal — a skeletal old man who hates Gideon Nav with the kind of purity usually reserved for religious conviction.
Crux exists in a state of permanent, weaponized disapproval. He is the marshal of the Ninth House, which means he manages Drearburh's skeletons — both literal and figurative — with the efficiency of someone who considers joy a structural weakness. He hates Gideon with a consistency that borders on devotion, has served the Ninth House with fanatical loyalty his entire life, and considers any deviation from tradition a personal insult. He is devoted to Harrow in the way a guard dog is devoted to its owner: absolute, humorless, and willing to bite anyone who gets too close. His cruelty to Gideon was real and sustained, which makes him one of the few characters in the series who is simply, uncomplicatedly awful to someone who didn't deserve it.
Ancient, cadaverous, and grim — looks like a skeleton wearing a thin coat of skin as a courtesy. Yellow-white hair, sunken features, and the expression of someone who has disapproved of everything for so long that his face has locked into position. Carries himself with the rigid authority of the Ninth House's highest-ranking soldier.
Also known as: Crux, Marshal Crux