| “ | A Styrian, from Sipano. Cold as the snow, those people, and she’s the coldest of them. | ” |
— Arch Lector Sult on Vitari
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Shylo Vitari is a Practical in the King's Inquisition, working for Superior Goyle. She later appears in Best Served Cold as a freelance.
Appearance and Personality
Vitari is tall, svelte and sinewy woman, with short spiky red hair sprouting all ways from her head. She’s a formidable fighter, even holding her own alone against Logen Ninefingers for a while. Her preferred weapon consists of a cross-shaped blade on a chain, similar to a Japanese kyoketsu-shoge. Arch Lector Sult describes her as being colder than snow.
History
Vitari comes from Sipani in Styria. At some stage in the past she worked as Practical to Arch Lector Sult, however now she works for Superior Goyle in Angland.
The Blade Itself
When Superior Kalyne is removed from office, Vitari accompanies Superior Goyle who comes from Angland to assume the role of Superior of Adua.
Vitari first encounters Inquisitor Glokta in the University, where he is investigating a mauled body found within the Agriont. Superior Goyle interupts his investigation, with Vitari and two other Practicals, to throw his weight around. Ignoring all the evidence, he dismisses it as merely as a dog attack.
Later Arch Lector Sult, orders Goyle to get information about the Magus Bayaz. Vatari and nineteen other Practicals are tasked with arresting his companion Ferro Maljinn. They manage to corner Ferro in the Agriont, however Logen Ninefingers arrives, and leaps to her defence. Logen and Ferro flee across the rooftops. When Vitari eventually tracks them down, Logen knocks the shit out of her and throws her down some stairs. In the end, seven Practicals are killed, and eight are injured.
With the disappearance of Superior Davoust, Glokta is named the new Superior of Dagoska. Vitari is ordered to go with him to protect him, but also spy and report back to Sult.
Before They Are Hanged
Superior Glokta and Vitari arrive in Dagoska with the rest of his Practicals. They’re tasked with investigating the disappearance of the previous Superior, to root out traitors in the city council, and at all cost defend the city from the Gurkish.
With the Gurkish beginning to lay siege to the city and the defenders massively outnumber, Glokta finds additional forces in the form of a mercenary company led by Nicomo Cosca. Vitari knows Cosca from Styria, and points out that the vast majority of Cosca experience is in betraying his employer.
When an emissary from the Gurkish arrives to offer terms, Glokta agrees to consider the offer. After the meeting, Vitari pulls the Superior aside and reads him the riot act; surrender is not an option that the Arch Lector will accept. Glokta reminds her who is in charge, and leads her to a dank interrogation room below the palace. Inside is the Gurkish emissary. After a few pieces are sliced and diced, the man admits that Carlot dan Eider and Korsten dan Vurms are the Union's traitors. Glokta then manages to take Vurms and Eider into custody by convincing Cosca to switch sides. Vitari even congratulates Glokta on a job well done.
Interrogating Carlot dan Eider proves useless because she doesn't actually know who assassinated Superior Davoust. Of no further use, Vitari loops her chain around Eider’s neck and begins to strangle her. As she weakens, Glokta has a crisis of faith and orders Vitari to stop.
With their traitors exposed, the Gurkish send their assassin, Shickel, to kill him. As she moves to kill Glokta, Vitari, Severard and Frost descend on her. After breaking bones that won’t stay broken, they wrap Shickel in layers of heavy chain. Vitari and the other Practicals torture Shickel, but even under their most dedicated ministrations, Shickel doesn’t break. In fact, she smiles through the destruction of her body. Although the torture has done nothing to encourage her, Shickel chooses to tell her story to Glokta. She admits to being an Eater, and to killing Davoust. As she finishes her story, Glokta orders Vitari and the others to burn Shickel.
As the Gurkish siege reaches it's inevitable conclusion, Glokta is ordered home by Sult. However, Vitari receives no such order, and confronts him, holding a blade to his throat. Willing to die, Glokta taunts her mercilessly, until her facade breaks and on the verge of tears she begins begging him to take her with him; not for her sake but for someone else. Demonstrating a weakness for vulnerable women, Glokta agrees. Soon, Glokta, Frost, Severard, and Vitari are rowing across the bay, leaving Dagoska and the war behind.
Back in Adua, Glokta has Severard follow Vitari, and discovers she is a mother of three children; Glokta files it away as future leverage.
Last Argument of Kings
In Adua, Practical Vitari goes back to work for Superior Goyle. When Glokta goes to the University to ask the Adeptus Historical about more about Bayaz and The Seed, he is interrupted by Superior Goyle and his Practicals. Vitari tells him to leave and not come back.
During the Battle of Adua, Glokta finally discovers the truth; Sult and Silber, the Adeptus Demonic, have been conducting occult experiments to make contact Demons on The Other Side. He and his motley mercenaries go to the University, and find it defended by Goyle’s Practicals, led by Vitari. As things seem destined to end in violence, Glokta bluffs her with threats to her children who he claims to have in custody. Vitari and her Practical stand aside without a fight, allowing Glokta to arrest the Arch Lector for treason.
In the end, Vitari leaves The Union with her children in tow.
Best Served Cold
In the intervening years, Vitari has gone freelance as an information broker, living in Puranti in Styria with her three children. Vitari gets a visit from Monza Murcatto, who hires her to help in her revenge against Grand Duke Orso of Talins for the death of her brother Benna. Their first target is Orso’s son Prince Ario, who is in the city for a peace conference organised by King Jezal of The Union. They abducted Ario's mistress Carlot dan Eider, and blackmail her, with a slow acting poison, into helping them get close to Ario. They set a trap for him in Cardotti’s House of Leisure, disguised as entertainers, with Monza and Vitari dressed as high-classed prostitutes. Things quickly start to go wrong; Ario brings King Jezal with him instead of his brother; they bring far more guards than expected; and Caul Shivers and Friendly get into their own troubles. Although Ario is killed, Cardotti’s burns to the ground in the ensuing chaos.
Monza's misfit crew head to Visserine, which is put to siege by Duke Orso’s army. The plan is to kill General Ganmark by disguising themselves as Talinese soldiers. However, Duke Salier has Monza, Caul Shivers, and Day arrested and tortured as spies. Cosca uses his old friendship with Salier, to save them, but not before Shivers loses an eye. Meanwhile, Vitari and Morveer sneak into the palace, arriving just in time to help them all escape, after they've killed General Ganmark.
In Puranti, after Monza succeeds in killing her treacherous former second-in-command Faithful Carpi, Vitari discovers that their poisoner Castor Morveer has killed his assistant Day and fled, presumably to seek new employment with Duke Orso. Vitari decides she’s had enough, and leaves Monza's crew while she's still alive.
Vitari and her children settles in Affoia. One evening she gets a visit from Shenkt, who seems to be an assassin hired by Duke Orso, but is actually her loving husband and the doting father of her three children, who has been tracking Monza for his own reasons.
In the end, Monza defeats Duke Orso, and becomes Grand Duchess of Talins, which is thriving thanks to merchants flooding to the city as one of the only stable state in Styria. Vitari is now employed again by Monza, as a member of her ruling council.
| “ | Chamberlain: Might I enquire whether Mistress Vitari has a specific title yet? Monza: She handles those things no one with a specific title can. |
” |
— Monza Murcatto and her chamberlain
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