Cardinal Pierre Cyriac
also known as cardinal, old man, Pierre, Your Eminence, old Limoges cunt, Cardinal Cyriac, Cardinal Hanicotte, old cardinal, the thing that had been Cardinal Cyriac, twelve-eyed thing, Fly-headed-thing, twelve-eyed one
Cardinal Pierre Cyriac was an out-of-shape sixty-year-old cardinal residing in Avignon. He kept Robert Hanicotte as a concubine, forbade him from going out alone for fear of the plague, and treated him with cold contempt, mocking his speech and pinching him for familiarity. He attended the papal feast seated among the cardinals and identified the Comte d'Évreux as a sycophant and coward.
Cardinal Pierre Cyriac was an out-of-shape sixty-year-old cardinal in Avignon who feared the plague. He was Robert’s guardian, a man of petty cruelties who mocked Robert’s speech and pinched his cheek for informality. In the papal garden, the pope instructed him to be a father to Robert, a command Cyriac received with silent unease, chilled further by the mysterious merging of the pope’s lions.
Cardinal Pierre Cyriac was a cardinal in Avignon, an out-of-shape man in his sixties who feared the plague and was often cold and mocking toward his ward, Robert Hanicotte. He was a belly-sleeper, but after a strange visitation in Villeneuve, he began sleeping on his back.
Story so far
Cardinal Pierre Cyriac, a cardinal in Avignon, was an out-of-shape man in his sixties who could only sleep on his stomach. He was often harsh and mocking toward his ward, Robert Hanicotte, pinching his cheek for a familiarity and warning him against knights at a papal feast. He feared the plague, forbidding his concubine from the streets. At the pope’s command in the papal garden, he was to act as a father to Robert, a role he resented, fearing Robert would leave his household. He noticed with unease that two lions were now inexplicably sharing a cage. Later, in his house in Villeneuve, Robert witnessed a man-shaped creature with its arm down the cardinal’s throat, the cardinal’s eyes dead and mouth bleeding. By morning, the cardinal appeared normal, gently asking Robert if he had had a bad dream, but he now slept on his back instead of his stomach.
Cardinal Pierre Cyriac was an overweight sixty-year-old cardinal in Avignon, a man of petty cruelty and deep fear. He served as a reluctant guardian to Robert, mocking and pinching him, while privately dreading the plague and Robert's potential departure from his household.
Story so far
Cardinal Cyriac resided in a house in Avignon, where he coldly monitored his ward Robert, warning him about conduct at the papal feast and mocking his speech and proclivities. He attended the feast among the cardinals, identifying a sycophantic count to Robert. In the pope's garden, he was instructed to act as a father to Robert, a command he silently pondered while uneasily noting two lions now sharing a single, non-communicating cage. His fears were personal as well as supernatural; he forbade his concubine from venturing into plague-ridden streets and resented the growing intimacy between the pope and Robert, fearing he would lose his charge. Recently, his very nature seemed altered. Robert found him one night with a monstrous arm down his throat, his eyes dead and mouth bleeding, though by morning Cyriac claimed it was a bad dream and gently led Robert to his room. The cardinal, once a stomach-sleeper, now slept on his back. At the public feast, when a plea came about a monster in the Jewish quarter, Cyriac stood and declared that church soldiers would pursue the Devil if it was real, but if it was mere hysteria, the people would regret their alarm.
Cardinal Pierre Cyriac was an aging, out-of-shape cardinal in Avignon who took Robert into his household. He was a fearful, petty man who mocked Robert and forbade his concubine from going out during the plague. Later, he was possessed and transformed into a monstrous, twelve-eyed demon that attacked the papal feast.
Story so far
Cardinal Pierre Cyriac, an overweight sixty-year-old, housed Robert in Avignon, though he treated the young man with cold contempt, mocking his speech and pinching his cheek for a perceived slight. He attended the pope's feast, warning Robert to stay silent, and privately feared the plague, keeping his concubine indoors. In the papal garden, he was instructed to act as a father to Robert, a role he resented, fearing Robert would leave his service. His behavior soon turned sinister; he was found in his bedroom with a monstrous arm down his throat, his eyes dead, and thereafter slept unnaturally on his back. At the feast, he revealed his true, possessed nature, growing into a larger, multi-eyed creature with bird's legs beneath his robes. He unhinged his jaw to bite Jacquot's face, then attacked Thomas, having a hand lopped off only to regrow it. In his demonic fury, he reanimated a corpse to hurl a spear at Pope Clement and callously lifted the dying Delphine like a doll, ultimately becoming a twelve-eyed thing with a mouth of fire.
Appearance
- age: An out-of-shape sixty · revealed ch.30
- sleep: Could sleep only on his stomach, his ridiculous white ass pointed up · revealed ch.30
Actions
- Looked coldly at Robert when he sneezed once, as if he might have him thrown out if he sneezed again · revealed ch.30
- Left the house, allowing Robert to sneak out · revealed ch.30
- Warned Robert not to speak at the feast unless spoken to, and to avoid knights · revealed ch.30
- Imitated Robert's speech to mock his proclivities · revealed ch.30
- Pinched Robert's cheek harder than friendly for calling him Pierre without his title · revealed ch.30
- Attended the pope's feast in the Grand Tinel, seated among eighteen cardinals · revealed ch.30
- Told Robert the man who caught his eye was the Comte d'Évreux, a sycophant and a coward · revealed ch.30
- Waited politely out of earshot in the pope's garden, watching a snow-white peacock · revealed ch.33
- Was called over by the pope and instructed to be as a father to Robert · revealed ch.33
- Silently repeated the pope's promise to return every kindness tenfold, trying to plumb its true meaning · revealed ch.33
- Noticed the two lions were now in the same cage, though the cages don't communicate, and felt a chill · revealed ch.33
- Was found in his bedroom with a man-shaped thing's arm down his throat, his eyes dead and mouth bleeding · revealed ch.37
- Came to Robert near first light, asked if he'd had a bad dream, and gently pulled him into his bedroom · revealed ch.37
- Stood and said if the Devil was in the Jewish quarter, soldiers of the church would give chase, but if it was hysteria, the people would wish for the Devil · revealed ch.38
- Unhinged his jaw and bit Jacquot's face, dragging the skin from it · revealed ch.39
- Reached for Thomas with one of its hands, snagging the sleeve of his left hand · revealed ch.39
- Screamed in rage when its hand was cut off · revealed ch.39
- Held its regrown hand over a dead man, causing the corpse to jerk to his feet and throw a spear at Clement · revealed ch.39
- Picked the dying Delphine up by one arm like a poppet · revealed ch.39
Secrets
- Fears the plague and forbids his concubine to go out into the streets without him · revealed ch.30
- Did not like the intimacy between the pope and Robert, fearing Robert would ask to be removed from his household · revealed ch.33
- Knew he had been less than generous toward Robert lately but seemed unable to stop himself · revealed ch.33
Location
Status
- A cardinal in Avignon · revealed ch.30
- Was a belly-sleeper, but now sleeps on his back · revealed ch.37
- Grew larger, with blood on his face like a dog at the stag, growing new eyes and bird's legs beneath his robes · revealed ch.39
- Had its hand lopped off by Thomas · revealed ch.39
- Later was a twelve-eyed thing, its mouth an O of fire, with a regrown hand · revealed ch.39
Nothing has been revealed about Cardinal Pierre Cyriac yet at this point in the book.