| “ | The trouble with running is wherever you run to, there you are. | ” |
— Temple
| ||
Temple is a cowardly jack-of-all-trades serving Nicomo Cosca as lawyer in the mercenary group known as the Company of the Gracious Hand. He is a major POV character in Red Country.
Appearance and Personality[]
Temple has a tangle of black hair, and dark skin from his half-Dagoskan, half-Styrian heritage. He is introduced as an amoral lawyer and a coward, who likes to take the easy way in every situation, though he can never quite silence his conscience. Nevertheless he's also remarkably successful in the various gigs he gets throughout the book; a clever lawyer, good priest, expert architect.
History[]
Temple was born in Dagoska. His mother was a prostitute and his father an unknown Styrian. In his youth he studies with Haddish Kahdia as a trainee priest. There, he learned to speaks six languages fluently, and some surgery from Kahdia. He was in Dagoska when the Gurkish put the city to siege and eventually captured it, killing Kahdia. Since then Temple has had a number of professions, including butcher and house-builder. For the last five years, he has been in the employment of the Company of the Gracious Hand as a lawyer.
Red Country[]
Temple begins Red Country in the employment of Nicomo Cosca as his lawyer in the Company of the Gracious Hand, a mercenary group in which Cosca is the captain general. The Company is hired by the Inquisition to track down a rebel leader known as Conthus, who has fled Starikland and entered the Near Country. The company enters the town of Squaredeal and Temple is unimpressed with the treatment given to the people in the town.
Upon arrival in Averstock, Temple accompanies Sufeen, who attempts to talk to the townsfolk and allow them to surrender any rebels. Before Sufeen has time to talk things over, the mercenaries charge into the town on horseback. Sufeen is killed and many of the townsfolk are slaughtered unnecessarily. Temple rides off to bury Sufeen. Angry at Cosca's actions, he decides to flee from the company.
Temple comes across the campfire of Caul Shivers, who gives Temple food. In the night, Temple is attacked by a set of ghosts. Shivers appears and kills the ghosts, but one of them wrestles Temple off the edge of a gorge, and Temple falls into the river below. He manages to climb onto some driftwood.
Temple is found by the fellowship and dragged from the river by Shy and Corlin. Corlin suggests throwing Temple back into the water, but Shy insists on letting Temple join the fellowship. Without a profession of any use, Temple agrees to pay Shy back over time for her kindness.
Temple spends a lot of time riding drag for the fellowship, slowing paying of his debt to Shy with his work. Temple's biggest contribution so far comes when he engineers the Fellowship's crossing of the bridge at Sictus.
The fellowship arrives in Crease and Temple helps Majud construct his shop, effectively becoming an architect. Majud pays Temple for his work. Bermi arrives in town and offers Temple the chance to go with him in search of gold. Temple is all set to go, but changes his mind at the last minute, not wanting to leave Shy.
Temple helps the magus Zacharus and the Mayor of Crease prepare a treaty that would bring Crease into the Old Empire.
Majud's shop is finished and a celebration occurs. Temple and Shy get drunk and run off upstairs to sleep together. Without warning, Grega Cantliss enters the room and Temple jumps from the window and runs off to the Mayor's Church of Dice, where he tells Lamb that Shy has been captured.
The fight between Golden and Lamb happens while Shy is rescued from captivity by Savian. A fire spreads across Papa Ring's side of the street and Temple flees from the fight. Shortly after the fight, the Company of the Gracious Hand turns up in Crease and Temple is reunited with Cosca. Cosca forms an alliance with Lamb and Shy and they all head off towards Ashranc in search of Shy's children and the rebel leader, Conthus.
The children are tracked to Ashranc, a settlement carved into the mountainside, and home to the Dragon People. The children are liberated but Conthus is not found. Temple, Shy, Majud, Lamb and the children set off back across the Far Country, but Lamb goes back to save Savian, who has been identified as Conthus and is being held prisoner in Beacon. Shy, Temple and Sweet help: Sweet chases the Company's cavalry away while Shy and Temple steal the wagon with all the Dragon People's gold in. They are tracked down by a few soldiers. Shy eliminates a couple but the wagon topples over and Shy is injured. Brachio is about to kill Temple when Corlin arrives with several rebels. She then reveals that she is in fact Conthus.
Temple and Shy go back to Crease. Lestek dresses as Sarmis and when Cosca arrives reveals that Crease has been brought into the Old Empire. Cosca is arrested along with Sworbreck and Friendly.
Temple, Shy, Sweet and Lamb visit Buckhorm's farm but find Cosca, Friendly, Sworbreck and Hedges there. A few arrows fly and Cosca is knifed through the chest.
Temple settles in Squaredeal, starting a business called Temple and Kahdia: Contracts, Clerking and Carpentry. He also resumes a relationship with Shy and remains friendly with her young siblings.
A Little Hatred[]
The legal firm of Temple and Kahdia now has branches as far away as Adua, and is mentioned by Savine in one of her business dealings.