Diomedes au Raa

Also known as Diomedes, the Sword of Io, Storm Knight

Major
First seen · Book 4 · Ch. 20

Gender: male
Age: mid-twenties
First appears: Book 4 · Ch. 20
Books: 3

Diomedes au Raa evolves from a brooding, honor-bound Olympic Knight of the Rim into a weary, battle-scarred warrior whose loyalty to family and the Rim is tested by civil war, betrayal, and the collapse of the old order. Across Iron Gold, Dark Age, and Light Bringer, he transitions from a silent, imposing protector of his father’s legacy to a lean, shabby figure who shoulders the weight of Rim politics with dour resolve and quiet defiance. His arc is defined by the tension between the rigid code of hospitality and honor instilled by Romulus and the brutal realities of Rim civil strife, culminating in his transformation from a poised, storm-cloaked knight into a grim, knotted-haired fighter wielding kitari and hasta amid the Dominion’s fall.

Description

A mid-twenties Gold Peerless Scarred stands with the tall athletic frame of an elite fighter pilot and Olympic Knight, his shoulder-length white-gold hair streaked black falling loosely around the shoulders of a tight gray scorosuit. Narrow dark eyes brood from a pale beardless face that mixes vestiges of beauty with large lips, long eyelashes, a depository of scars, scowls, and crooked cartilage, only his right ear remaining. A storm cloak flows behind him alive with shifting colors of cloud and lightning while his helmet bears a painted dragon cloaked in storm, the entire presence grave, commanding, and brooding with the brutal grace of a warrior from Io. A tall, pale human man in his mid-twenties, with shoulder-length white-gold hair streaked black, usually loose around his shoulders. His narrow, dark eyes are grave and watchful; a beardless face with large lips and long eyelashes preserves a trace of beauty beneath scars and crooked cartilage. He wears fitted gray armor or a gray scorosuit, often with a flowing storm cloak; his bearing is controlled and imposing, like a highly trained swordsman. Dark gold hair streaked with black tamed by a knot, scarred blunt face, slumped shoulders, and brutish hands define his lean, shabby build. Long hair falls over simple leather boots and drab robes sewn himself, armed with kitari short sword and long razor called hasta. Pale as a corpse, dour as a cloud, he wears a huge iron gauntlet implanted with rotating stones. Dark gold hair streaked with black tamed by a knot, scarred blunt face, slumped shoulders, and brutish hands define his lean, shabby build. Pale as a corpse, he wears storm-gray Dominion armor with a dragon pin and cloak, or simple drab robes when not in armor, often armed with kitari short sword and long razor called hasta.

Connections

Family & partnersFriends & mentorsRivals

Romulus au Raafather
Father-son bond evolves from Romulus instilling honor and duty in Diomedes to Diomedes serving beside him in battle and being anguished by his conviction; Romulus ultimately expresses pride and urges Diomedes to remain true to his own heart.
Seraphina au Raasister
Protective brother pained by their father confining Seraphina, believing the punishment preferable to execution, while reproaching her for the danger she brought upon the Rim.
Auraelove interest
Romantic interest evolves from Diomedes watching Aurae leave dinner with unspoken affection he hopes his family will not notice in Iron Gold to a charged tension between former master and servant in Light Bringer.
B
Bellerephoncousin
Cousins who fight on opposing sides during Dido’s coup; they acknowledge affection yet clash with razors, with Diomedes threatening to kill Bellerephon if he advances.
Dido au Raamother
Mother-son relationship shifts from Dido expecting Diomedes to obey her and honor the Compact to a violent confrontation when he refuses to help seize Romulus without evidence, ending with him lowering his weapon at Romulus’s request.
MA
Marius au Raabrother
Brothers with political tension; Diomedes challenges Marius’s pleased response to Seraphina’s capture but angles his fighting stance to protect him during the coup.
Alexandar au Arcosfellow student
Fellow student under Lorn’s tutelage; Diomedes recalls studying and fishing with Alexandar.
Cassius au Bellonaconflicting source relationships
Diomedes acts as protector and upholds guest rights, securing Cassius’s treatment, sending word of his condition to Lysander, and later pursuing those who take his body after death.
Lysander au Lunecaptive
Diomedes holds authority over Lysander during the journey to Io, giving him water yet violently punishing his questioning before welcoming him to Io after teaching respect.
Sevro au Barcateacher
Lorn taught Diomedes on Europa, shaping him to become a better man rather than merely a better warrior, including teaching him how to fish.
D
Drusillafellow student
Fellow student under Lorn’s tutelage; Diomedes recalls studying and fishing with Drusilla.
PA
Pandora au Raamilitary superior
Diomedes contests Pandora’s authority over his sister and the prisoners as an Olympic Knight, then acknowledges overstepping when she asserts command of her fleet.

Story so far

BOOK 4Iron Gold
- Intervenes to secure Cassius au Bellona’s medical treatment and later pursues those who take his body after death, upholding Raa hospitality.
- Refuses to aid Dido’s coup against Romulus without evidence, lowering his weapon only at his father’s request.
- Clashes with cousin Bellerephon au Raa during the coup, threatening to kill him if he advances despite their mutual affection.
- Challenges his brother Marius’s pleased reaction to Seraphina’s capture while angling his stance to protect him in battle.
- Teaches Lysander au Lune a violent lesson in respect during the journey to Io before welcoming him as a guest.
BOOK 5Dark Age
- Navigates the Rim’s brutal politics with quiet, unbreaking loyalty after Romulus’s fall.
- Wields kitari and hasta alongside a massive iron gauntlet with rotating stones in the fray.
- Transitions from supporting ally to steadfast warrior amid the Dominion’s civil strife.
BOOK 6Light Bringer
- Appears lean and shabby with dark gold hair knotted, scarred blunt face, and slumped shoulders in storm-gray Dominion armor.
- Continues to bear the dragon pin and cloak as a symbol of his fractured house while armed with kitari and hasta.
- Maintains romantic tension with Aurae, now framed as former master and servant.