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Terciel was the 52nd Abhorsen and the father of Sabriel and Lirael. He was preceded as Abhorsen by his great-great-aunt Tizanael and succeeded by his eldest daughter, Sabriel. He is one of the protagonists of Terciel & Elinor.

Early Life[]

Terciel spent most of his early life in the port town of Grynhold in the southern Old Kingdom, and was likely born there. His parents drowned when he was two, leaving Terciel to be raised by his much older sister, Rahiniel (called Rahi). However, after only a year or so Rahi became their great-aunt Tizanael's Abhorsen-in-Waiting, and was later killed during a conflict with a Free Magic sorcerer.

After his sister's departure, Terciel was sent to the town's workhouse, where he lived until Tizanael, needing a new apprentice, sought him out and took him from the workhouse to train him as her Abhorsen-in-Waiting.

While in Grynhold, Terciel learned how to sail a boat, but very little of Charter Magic or the office of Abhorsen.

In Terciel & Elinor[]

At the time of the main events of Terciel & Elinor, Terciel has been serving as his aunt Tizanael's Abhorsen-in-Waiting for approximately ten years. During this time he learned a great deal, including the use of the Abhorsen's bells, swordplay, and magical lore, though he still has much to learn.

He first meets Elinor Hallett when a trap is laid for him at her family's home across the wall in Ancelstierre. Luckily, he and Abhorsen Tizanael foresaw the trap and are prepared for it, though they fail to apprehend the Free magic sorcerer responsible (Hedge) and Elinor's home is burned down in the confrontation. Terciel encourages the sheltered Elinor to learn magic at Wyverley College and discover more about the Charter.

He assists Tizanael in her undertaking to bind the Greater Dead Kerrigor in Death using a chain of both Free and Charter magic, forged by the Abhorsen Larentiel. They complete their task with the aid of Elinor, though Tizanael perishes in the process.

Terciel and Elinor, now lovers, promise to visit each other frequently.

Tenure as Abhorsen[]

Elinor was very dear to Terciel, and they were together for over ten years before she dies in childbirth near a Traveler camp. The newborn, Sabriel, follows her into Death.

Terciel arrives shortly after, identifies himself simply as "Abhorsen," and pursues Sabriel's spirit into death. He catches up to her before she reaches the First Gate, only to find that Kerrigor has found her first and is holding her hostage. Terciel is able to secure Sabriel and send Kerrigor back into Death, and he returns Sabriel to her body without doing any lasting damage. He then secures the service of the Traveler's midwife, as well as their Charter Mage, to care for Sabriel at Abhorsen's House during his travels around the Kingdom.

When Sabriel is old enough, Terciel sends her to Wyverley College in Ancelstierre to complete her schooling. During this time, he visits her every full moon via astral projection, where they talk and study together. Despite their relatively infrequent communication, they have a very close relationship, though Terciel seems to have withheld his real name from her.

Shortly before the main events of Sabriel, approximately eighteen years after Elinor's death, he fathers Lirael with a Clayr named Arielle when she tells him she has Seen it must occur.

In Sabriel[]

Shortly after Sabriel turns eighteen, Kerrigor returns and, unable to attack him in Life, traps Terciel inside Death. Terciel manages to deliver Abhorsen's sword and the bells to Sabriel via a Dead creature he has bound to his will.

Sabriel's original goal is to free her father from Death, but when she finally finds him, she learns Terciel has been gone from his body too long to live for more than an hour or so. He is able to escape Death with his daughter briefly, but then chooses to stay behind and use what little time he has left to hold Kerrigor off, giving Sabriel and Touchstone a chance to flee.

Terciel dies battling Kerrigor by the broken Charter Stones in the Palace Reservoir, by ringing the bell Astarael.

Trivia[]

  • Terciel originally had much darker skin, but walking in Death leeched all the color from it, except for a small area around his heart.
  • Terciel has an intense dislike for salt fish, a result of being forced to eat it for most of his early life in Grynhold.
  • When Elinor meets Terciel, he is clean-shaven, but has a beard by the time of Sabriel's birth.
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