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Niko: "There are other experts in this kind of work. I am sure that Dedicate Crane will find a way to identify the ailment and its cure."
Rosethorn: "Yours is a happy nature. Crane will need help. With that lordly manner of his, I doubt he'll manage to keep anyone else for more than a day."
Niklaren Goldeye and Rosethorn about Crane[src]

Crane, born Isas, is a Dedicate of the Living Circle religion at Winding Circle temple in Emelan. He is the first Air Temple dedicate,[1] and an initiate, which means he is a temple-mage. Crane has ambient plant magic, along with Rosethorn and Briar Moss. He is classified as a great-mage, which puts him on the caliber of Niklaren Goldeye, Rosethorn, Frostpine, Lark, Ishabal Ladyhammer, and others.

Biography[]

Early life[]

Crane was born as a member of the nobility, and raised in luxury. He was also raised to view the poorer classes as a liability. He is a relation of an Olart count, Albannon fer Yorvan,[2] and the son of a count,[3] but it is not known if Albannon is his father, and it is unknown if Crane himself holds a title.

Education and magic[]

Crane attended the University of Lightsbridge in Karang. Camoc Oakborn, an ambient carpenter mage based in Kugisko, Namorn was a classmate of his. It is assumed by the way Oakborn talked of Crane that they got along. He also attended Lightsbridge with Rosethorn.

Crane became an expert at finding cures and mixing potions. It is how Crane got his classification as a great-mage, along with Rosethorn.

Winding Circle[]

Taking vows[]

Crane became a part of the Winding Circle temple and took his vows. It is unknown why he took his vows, but it might have something to do with Rosethorn taking hers. Crane began research into growing plants inside buildings during the winter, which would remove hibernation from the plants' yearly course. He looked into greenhouses and had large ones built in Winding Circle where he housed all manners of plants. The greenhouses were protected by alarm spells. This caused animosity with Rosethorn, who thought it was cruel to play tricks on plants. By 1035 KF, Crane was the head of the Air Temple dedicates.

Four mages[]

When four young mages came to Winding Circle, Briar Moss, Sandrilene fa Toren, Trisana Chandler, and Daja Kisubo, Crane and them did not get along. When Briar stole a shakkan tree that was 150 years old, Crane and some of his students chased him to Discipline Cottage, where he was stopped in his chase by ten year old Sandry who forbade them to come onto the cottage terrain. Rosethorn gave him one of her tomato plants for the shakkan, so Briar could learn with it, and because the tree chose Briar.

Blue Pox[]

When the blue pox plague hit Summersea in 1036 KF, almost a year after the four young mages came to Emelan, Crane was put as the head of the task force in finding the cure and creating a diagnosis oil. As Rosethorn was out of commission for a while, since she was quarantined in Urda's House in the Mire, Crane had to make do without her. He asked Lark specifically to double to protections on the protective clothes as he would be dealing directly with the plague. When Rosethorn and Briar came back from Urda's House, as the quarantine was deemed unnecessary, Crane went directly to Discipline Cottage to ask her for help. Briar scolded him, saying he should find "one of them great-mages" who would be more up to the task. Crane was shocked and informed them all that each of their teachers were considered great-mages and that Rosethorn was considered one of the best at finding cures for illnesses, himself being another. Rosethorn and Briar both came to work for him. Osprey, one of his students, was in charge of the room where they were distilling the illness. Osprey was also taking bets on people working under Crane, to see when they would be sent out. Crane got rid of his scribe Peachleaf, who was the best midwife at Winding Circle. Briar suggested his sister Tris, who happened to be Niko's student and thus very good at spotting magic.

After it had been confirmed that there was magic in the pox, Niko requested Tris for an important mission into the sewers to find the source of the pox. Crane protested, saying that Tris was an accurate note taker who thought about what she wrote. Nonetheless, after they were done, they continued work. Everyone had a scare when a worker accidentally dumped a jar of the blue pox on Rosethorn. Crane fired him.

When Rosethorn's diagnosis oil on her forehead changed color to show that she had succumbed to the disease, Crane was shocked. He told Rosethorn that she could take power from the plants in the greenhouse after informing her that she must leave. Rosethorn was brought to Discipline where her plants were and where she would receive care from Sandry and Lark.

Crane continued his work, but was exhausted. He began to develop a better opinion of Briar. Tris and Osprey scolded Briar when he was refusing to stop work on the cure, and pointed out that if Crane gets sick then they had nothing. Briar made sure to remind Crane to eat and sleep after that. Finally, the cure was found, but it was administered far too late to Rosethorn. She would have died if not for Briar, Sandry, Tris, and Daja, who plunged into death to save her. Crane is most likely unaware of this.

Teacher of the four[]

The experience of being up against the blue pox created a truce between Crane and Briar. They became good friends and Crane became a secondary teacher to the four mages, especially Briar and Tris. He was one of the mages who was there when Winding Circle bestowed mage's credentials on the four.

Personality and traits[]

Dedicate Crane was a very proud person.[4] He also looked down on the poor and thought very little of institutions like Urda's House.[5]

Dedicate Crane had a strong dislike for dogs.[6]

Nonetheless, even with his prickly exterior, Crane can be very kind, shown in how he dealt with Briar after Rosethorn succumbed to the illness. His rudeness toward Briar might have been not only because Briar stole a tree from him, but also because he might have thought that Briar was taking advantage of Rosethorn, and when he saw that he truly cared for her, he formed a better opinion. He is also under immense pressure during the blue pox epidemic, as he and Rosethorn are the only mages of Winding Circle who are certified to do this. When Rosethorn succumbed and it was only him, he was put under more pressure.

Physical description[]

Dedicate Crane is tall and lean with lank, black hair and brown eyes.[1] Just like his hair his brows are dark and thin.[6] His face is described as being thin and suspicious. Crane has long arms and legs as well as a long face and long nose. His mouth is small. His hands are described as being elegant.[6] He normally wears the yellow robe of an Air Dedicate with the black trim which marks him as an initiate.[1]

Skills and abilities[]

As a template initiate, Crane can use magic. He is even considered (or rather: considers himself) a great mage[7] and powerful mages with great knowledge would like to work for him.[8] His powers don't include the ability to see magic. He has to use a visualization potion for this.[9]

Along with Rosethorn he was very skilled at finding cures to unknown illnesses.[10] Both of them usually worked together to unravel new diseases.[11] However, usually this involved only finding out about new versions of already known diseases. They were faced with a different challenge with the blue pox, which really was a new disease.[12]

His workroom was in the greenhouses, where also was a center for discovering the cure to diseases, such as the blue pox in 1036 KF Apart from Rosethorn he had also other helpers novices and Water Temple and Air Temple initiates,[13] who were charged with preparing the samples so he could work with them. For his work, which included dealing with a diseases essence, normal protection of gloves and masks wasn't strong enough, so he asked Lark to strengthen the protection on the fabrics used by him and his helpers.[13]

Relationships[]

Dedicate Rosethorn[]

"We have our differences, but you know—I would hope you know—that I respect your gifts and your knowledge."
—Crane to Rosethorn when asking her to help him researching the blue pox[src]

Rosethorn and Crane knew each other from their time in Lightsbridge and later they both joined Winding Circle. There Rosethorn dedicated herself to the Gods of Earth and ran Discipline cottage along with Dedicate Lark while Crane became an Air Temple dedicate and had a greenhouse. He grew plants out of season, which deeply went against Rosethorns principles and was a regular point of argument between both of them. They were usually seen arguing over this and other facts, like their differing opinions concerning institutions for the poor like Urda's House. Crane also accused Rosethorn of having no system in her work, while Rosethorn accused him of criticizing other people's work too much.[4] Crane once even accused Rosethorn of having sent Briar to steal from his greenhouse.[14]

However, they could also work together, if need be, and acknowledged each others skill and knowledge. Crane even once lowered himself to asking for Rosethorn's help to find the cure to the blue pox.[4] Thus they were a good team at finding the cure the new illnesses. They even fostered a casual sexual relationship, but mostly it had been in the past and around the time Briar and his foster sisters lived at Discipline their relationship had died down to a point where it only existed in times when they worked together. It was one of those things happening "when you're working closely with someone in an intense situation".

Briar Moss[]

Briar and the First Air Temple Dedicate had a bad start. They first met when Briar saw a sick shakkan in Crane's greenhouse. In order to help the tree Briar stole it, thus setting off Crane's alarm spells. The dedicate followed Briar to Discipline cottage and could only be calmed down by Lark's intervention. Both Crane and Briar harbored mutual dislike for each other ever since. Briar considered the dedicate to be a proud "money-bag" and Crane wouldn't change his perception of Briar as a low-bred thief. It didn't help their relationship either that Briar became the student of Crane's rival, Rosethorn.

Nevertheless they had sort of a truce during the blue pox epidemic. When Crane asked Rosethorn to help him find the cure of the disease she insisted upon Briar being part of the helpers to acquaint him with the procedure. Crane allowed it grudgingly. Crane's impression on Briar improved slightly after he had witnessed the boy working as a helper in his greenhouses during the epidemic. Crane noticed Briar's steady hands and his concentration and he was one of the few helpers Crane didn't send away. In later books, Briar mentions Crane as one of his teachers, suggesting that their truce was maintained during Briar's time at Winding Circle.

Appearances[]

Notes and references[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Sandry's Book, Ch. 5 (pg. 91; Scholastic paperback)
  2. Sandry's Book, Ch. 8 (pg. 101; Scholastic ebook)
  3. Briar's Book, Ch. 12, "And [at Lightsbridge] they made so much of him as a count's son...."
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 Briar's Book, Ch. 8 (pg. 130; Scholastic paperback)
  5. Briar's Book, Ch. 8 (pg. 126/127; Scholastic paperback)
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 Briar's Book, Ch. 4 (pg. 55; Scholastic paperback)
  7. Briar's Book, Ch. 8 (pg. 128; Scholastic paperback)
  8. Briar's Book, Ch. 8 (pg. 133; Scholastic paperback)
  9. Briar's Book, Ch. 8 (pg. 132; Scholastic paperback)
  10. Briar's Book, Ch. 2 (pg. 34; Scholastic paperback)
  11. Briar's Book, Ch. 2 (pg. 37; Scholastic paperback)
  12. Briar's Book, Ch. 8 (pg. 131; Scholastic paperback)
  13. 13.0 13.1 Briar's Book, Ch. 4 (pg. 58; Scholastic paperback)
  14. Sandry's Book

See also[]

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