
Red Rising Saga · Character
Duke of Hands
Also known as Highness, Your Ethereal Majesty, Duke of the Syndicate
- Supporting
- First seen · Book 4 · Ch. 18
An insidiously beautiful man with alabaster skin, slender legs, and a lithe build moves with graceful predation, his soft face dominated by eighty-thousand-credit designer cheekbones, plucked eyebrows, and twinkling rose-quartz eyes that hint at selfish cunning. Feathery pink hair stands straight up like a lazy candle flame atop his head, and he dresses in flamboyant dark finery such as a midnight-black overcoat with calf-length tails, jet-black asp skin jacket, high-collared silk shirt fastened with an onyx clasp, tailored pants, and shark leather boots, often adding violet lipstick for dramatic flair. A ghostly Byzantine tattoo crown with a black hand at its center activates on his forehead in ink that writhes like octopus tentacles sprouting thorns when he utters 'Ave Regina,' fading back to leave his pale porcelain skin unmarred.
- Gender
- male
- Age
- 30s
- First appears
- Book 4 · Ch. 18
- Books
- 2
The Duke of Hands debuts in Iron Gold as a flamboyant, rose-quartz-eyed lieutenant of the Syndicate Queen, wielding a Byzantine tattoo crown that marks his authority over Luna’s black-market empire. His theatrical vanity and predatory grace mask a cunning operator who tests and recruits Ephraim ti Horn, only to be undone when Ephraim turns the tables. By Dark Age the once-insidious dandy is reduced to a blank slate after a psychoSpike erases his memories, ending his arc in mute oblivion.
Description
An insidiously beautiful man with alabaster skin, slender legs, and a lithe build moves with graceful predation, his soft face dominated by eighty-thousand-credit designer cheekbones, plucked eyebrows, and twinkling rose-quartz eyes that hint at selfish cunning. Feathery pink hair stands straight up like a lazy candle flame atop his head, and he dresses in flamboyant dark finery such as a midnight-black overcoat with calf-length tails, jet-black asp skin jacket, high-collared silk shirt fastened with an onyx clasp, tailored pants, and shark leather boots, often adding violet lipstick for dramatic flair. A ghostly Byzantine tattoo crown with a black hand at its center activates on his forehead in ink that writhes like octopus tentacles sprouting thorns when he utters 'Ave Regina,' fading back to leave his pale porcelain skin unmarred. A slender man with alabaster skin, prominent cheekbones, feathery pink hair blown straight up, and rose-quartz eyes. His forehead can display a voice-activated Byzantine crown tattoo, centered on a black hand. His clothing varies, including a long dark overcoat, black tailored clothes, and a black asp-skin jacket with calf-length tails; he carries an ivory-looking cane with an onyx octopus handle. Slender man with physically attractive supple flesh and sharp angular bones. Lank pink hair frames a face marred by a massive bruise swallowing his left eye. Dressed in eccentric pink feather loafers amid interrogation cube sterility. Mythic vanity lingers in his poised, bruised features. Presence evokes fallen elegance twisted by captivity.
Connections
Family & partnersFriends & mentorsRivals

Gorgoemployer
Gorgo serves as the Duke’s chief enforcer, occasionally questioning his decisions while maintaining Syndicate security.
- L
Lilathlieutenant
The Duke acts as the Queen’s authorized lieutenant on Luna, wielding her Queen’s Kiss to enforce black-market control.

Ephraim ti Hornconflicting source relationships
Initially the Duke’s captive and reluctant contractor, Ephraim reverses their power dynamic by torturing and blackmailing the Duke, then rejects his recruitment overture.
Story so far
BOOK 4Iron Gold
- Ephraim ti Horn infiltrates the Duke’s operation to locate kidnapped children.
- The Duke tests Ephraim’s loyalty with the stolen-sword ruse, then compels him to undertake a Syndicate heist.
- Ephraim tortures the Duke after discovering he murdered an associate, forcing him to open the vault.
- The Duke offers Ephraim future Syndicate employment, recognizing his appetite for danger.
BOOK 5Dark Age
- The Duke is captured and subjected to a psychoSpike that wipes his mind.
- Reduced to a tabula rasa, he loses all personality and memories, fading from the narrative.
Gallery
Book 4: Iron Gold
Appearances
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