Iovan

Iovan holds the Ninth Chair on the Grand Conclave of the Lothrian Commonwealth, presenting as a slight, gray-suited man with mechanical eyes. He speaks Galstani with theatrical command and has been embedded in the Commonwealth for three generations -- far beyond a natural human lifespan.

Iovan is one of the MINOS sorcerers, a posthuman thoughtform that transmitted its mind across space from the dying body of the witch Severine on Arae after she was shot by Siran. He now inhabits a Lothrian-appearing male body and shares a synchronized consciousness with a counterpart occupying the Thirteenth Chair, both speaking with identical rhythm and words simultaneously and parsing Severine's memories as distinct data. He has spent generations subverting the Conclave in service to a Cielcin prince, believing the destruction of the Sollan Empire necessary for humanity's transcendence.

Iovan orchestrated both Hadrian's capture and the seizure of the Tamerlane, openly claiming Hadrian as his prisoner before the full Conclave. He bids Hadrian farewell at the hangar with a kiss on the forehead -- earning a headbutt that breaks his nose -- and calls out Dharan-Tun as Hadrian's destination.