Opherus Goldsnout

Opherus Goldsnout is a young officer of the Regency's Surveillance who trains under the Chief of the Surveillance, Thierry Eleres. He is in his mid-twenties at the beginning of Fatherland, though his age is confirmed later on in the series. Opherus comes from a simple family of Limemeadow but only his mother is alive still. At the beginning of the story, his main concern is to become a senior officer soon enough so that he can afford a house for Corline Goldsnout in the capital. He is a duty-bound man who finds himself torn between his oath and his morals as he witnesses different massacres along the way.

Appearance and Personality
Opherus is described as a tall man with fiery hair and lashes, and freckles on his nose. His skin is fair and pink, and being a trained officer of the Regency, he's rather muscular.

Opherus starts as a genuine, albeit a little naïve officer of the Regency's Surveillance. Although he respects and follows his chief's orders, he often indulges in side missions when he feels like the situation calls for more justice and fairness. He believes that the Regency should protect the simple people and ensure their needs are taken care of, and is little interested in the politics of the Silver Lands.

Early life
Not much is known about Opherus' childhood, other than the fact he grew up with his mother in Limemeadow until the Regency's Surveillance recruited him. Since then, he's lived and trained in Silverholde, and he hopes to become a senior officer soon enough so he can afford a house for his mother in the capital.

On the night they meet, Opherus tells Senior Officer Dunac that he grew up in "streets like those in Rainier's End," suggesting that his family was never well-off and that he saw poorer families and their struggles.

Opherus is driven by a great sense of justice and equality, and despises those who look down on people from lesser origins, specifically people who have been, at some point, sold as slaves.

The most important people in Opherus' life are Healer Rantha and Chief Eleres; even though he often disagrees with the latter, he regards the man as a father figure.

Three Crosses
At the beginning of Fatherland, Opherus just came back from the Sand Towers, crossing the town of Three Crosses with Chief Eleres, where they found the mauled body of a young woman. The townsfolk believe the Beast of Three Crosses attacked her but Opherus is certain it was someone's doing instead because of stab wounds.

Beggar's Pool
The village at the foot of Noirmont is where Opherus first meets Jascha of Three Crosses, though the two don't interact and simply sit at the same table. Opherus tries to convince Chief Eleres that the Beast of Three Crosses didn't kill the girl they found but Chief Eleres reminds him of their mission for the Regency--to investigate cult murders like the one they researched in the Sand Towers. The two are in fact coming back from the northeastern coast. Opherus asks Eleres if the murders don't remind him of the 'Rosenfield massacre' because of the mystery shrouding the cult they know nothing of, but Eleres shrugs it off to avoid confusion.

Eleres and Opherus spend one night at the inn in Beggar's Pool, only to wake up to another murder the following morning. Jascha killed the daughter of the inn owner, Loveleen, but Eleres doesn't wish to investigate it, claiming that the simple people want to mourn in peace and that he wouldn't drag the body to the capital for the Regency's Observatory Vault to determine the cause of death, for that would be disrespectful.

Rainier's End
On their way back to the capital, Opherus and his chief stop in the town bordering the Fog Lands, Rainier's End. That is where Opherus meets Rantha, a young healer, as she is retrieving Jascha's horse from the central inn. Opherus remembers the Avoryon mount since Jascha was in Beggar's Pool too and Opherus was the one watering his and Eleres' horse.

Upon learning that Rantha is trying to cure Jascha from the Violet Delusion at the Illusion Shelter, he decides to follow her so he can ask Jascha questions about the inn owner's daughter in hopes to learn who saw the girl last. The interview is far from fruitful as Jascha manages to retain information from Opherus, but the latter warns Rantha about him and offers her a Regency silver with the Surveillance crest on it in case she needs to speak with him.

Aside from Jascha himself, Opherus is the first to tell Rantha that Jascha probably doesn't suffer from the Delusion at all and he suspects the man's involvement in Loveleen's murder.

Silverholde
In Silverholde, Opherus prepares for another mission as Chief Eleres decided to travel to Wilderose after Arther Angefort reported the events that took place at the Rosenfield castle. As he analyzes the reports from the other towns and cities, Opherus learns that violence and poverty increased in places like Rainier's End despite the regular trading and tax collecting. On the same day, Opherus has a brief conversation with two other officers, Gulmont and Longspire. Opherus learns that Gulmont's brother never returned from the South with Lord Angefort, and Gulmont and Longspire get caught in an argument about politics involving the Lionhelms. Opherus takes a detached stance as he doesn't care about who is in power as long as the people thrive. Rantha arrives at the Surveillance's headquarters that day, telling Opherus that her apprentice Yenny was found dead at the central inn.

Opherus decides to leave the capital for a couple of days in order to travel to Rainier's End and find out more about Yenny's death. Though he finds little information, his stay in Rainier's End shapes his relationship with Rantha. He tells her that he believes Jascha was the one to push Yenny out of the window given the fact that Yenny could have gone upstairs with someone she already knew, and both Yenny and Jascha left the shelter on the same day. Their conversation is cut short as a group of men attack him, thinking he's another tax collector from the Regency. Opherus kills a man for the first time that night, and he has a hard time processing it, even though it was to save Rantha from sexual assault.

Later that night, Senior Officer Dunac, who is in charge of surveilling Rainier's End, visits the Illusion Shelter. While their exchange is less than pleasant, Dunac offers not to tell Chief Eleres the truth and not report what transpired at the central inn. When Dunac's choice of words disrespects Rantha, Opherus advises him to report the truth about Rainier's End instead, and that the rising violence will only escalate into an uncontrollable situation if the Surveillance does nothing.

By the time Opherus has to leave for Wilderose, it's clear there is a growing affection between him and Rantha, but neither of them voices it.

Wilderose and the Regency
On their way to Wilderose, Chief Eleres makes it clear that he knows Opherus visited Rantha, and suggests he makes a bolder move. That is when Opherus learns that Eleres had a family in Rainier's End but he hasn't seen them in years. Following Eleres' command, Opherus helps him shut the gates of the Rosenfield castle, and though he doesn't think they can investigate the forest before sundown, he follows Eleres into Wilderose.

The Rosencircle attacks them, and both Eleres and Opherus understand that the same magic is behind the killing reported in the Sand Towers. The Mastria refers to what Chief Eleres and Opherus did as "shutting the gates of the respectful," hinting at the fact that the Rosenfields once respected the Rosencircle. Eleres dies even after Old Martita and Sarkis of Silverholde come to help, and Opherus is forever changed.

Old Martita and Sarkis help Opherus with a small ceremony outside of Edgemere, but Opherus refuses to hear anything about Edgemere and Mayor Silverworm (who burned down the temple and its residents) as he blames himself for the chief's death. To avoid raising suspicion and going through Wilderose again, Martita suggests he travels away from the Red Road, going instead through the decimated part of the southern lands, which Opherus does.

Chief Eleres' horse dies in Glimmerforest, and as Opherus emerges out of the forest, he finds Jarvis Angefort, Arther Angefort's nephew, on his way to the capital. The two travel together, and Opherus nostalgically remembers his days in Limemeadow and how the simple people had it a little better in his homeland. After delivering the news of Eleres' death and the Rosencircle's existence to the Secretary of the Regency, Opherus decides to visit Rantha again, apologizing for failing her, Yenny, and the chief, and he proposes to her. The next morning, he brings Eleres' belonging to the family the chief mentioned, only to find out that Sir Loys Rosenbane, the knight Rantha served, is alive and was Chief Eleres' lover.

Upon returning to the Surveillance's headquarters, Opherus is attacked. He learns that the Regency is going through a crisis after Theliel Lionhelm disappeared with most of the riches, and many officers deserted the Surveillance, joining the simple people in the uprising. Opherus breaks his oath to the Surveillance when Dunac, the new chief, is more preoccupied with the future of the Regency that the people's well-being. A spearman fed up with Opherus' antics knocks him out, and when he wakes up again, Opherus is inside a tent for the injured. Educator Tomas looks after him, telling him that the Sand Towers attacked Limemeadow, and that's when Opherus clears his mind and decides to first convince Rantha to marry him before he finds his mother to take her away from the sieged city, so then he could take his revenge against the Rosencircle.

Unfortunately, when he reaches Rantha's shelter, he finds her dead at the base of the stairs.

Rantha of Rainier's End
Rantha of Rainier's End is Opherus' first love. She fuels Opherus' will to always find the truth and bring justice to those who have been wronged, though this obsession causes Opherus to get all tangled up in his priorities. Opherus disapproves whenever Rantha suggests she's less worthy than others or has more rights because the Rosenbanes bought her and her mother and Rantha grew up believing she'd never be nothing more than a slave serving other lords.

Opherus knows that Sir Loys Rosenbane has a special place in Rantha's heart as he took good care of her when she was younger, and he blames himself for not telling her the truth and that Sir Loys is still alive in Rainier's End. Though he doesn't know by the end of Fatherland who killed Rantha, this ulterior loss breaks the remaining ties between him and the Regency since he views it as his ultimate failure.

Sóley Rochelac
Opherus' path is parallel to Jascha's, and though he survived an attempted assassination, it's clear the two are bound to meet again and face the truth about each other. Jascha is behind every death Opherus witnessed (the girl of Three Crosses, Loveleen of Beggar's Pool, Yenny of Rainier's End and ultimately, Rantha) and the decisions they both have made make them polar opposites. Though now a rogue surveillant, Opherus' allegiance still leans more towards the Angeforts of Limemeadow, but the Angeforts are tight with the Lionhelms, specifically Tithan and Tecla Lionhelm. The latter is likely to be betrothed to Jascha, which would put Opherus in a rather tricky situation.

Fighting skills
Opherus Goldsnout is mostly seen wielding a sword in Fatherland, though since he trained at the Surveillance and under Eleres and Sybbyl Nobleleaf, it is quite probable that he's well-versed in other fighting techniques.