Iäna Pel-Thenhior

Iäna Pel-Thenhior is the principal director and principal composer of the Vermilion Opera.

Appearance
Iäna is a half-goblin man. He tends to dress somewhat extravagantly. He is about the height of Maia Drazhar.

When Thara Celehar first met Iäna, Iäna “was several inches taller than [Thara] was, though not goblin-bulky, with ash-gray skin and eyes of the luminous gold particular, like the form of his surname, to the Pelanra, the western coast of Barizhan. He had his hair in long Barizheise braids, and there were gold charms hanging from his ears. He was wearing a beautiful fawn-colored suit and an irritated expression.” His voice was "a carrying baritone."

When Iäna first watched The Siege of Tekharee with Thara, he wore “an evening suit of dark blue and silver brocade with earrings of lapis lazuli”, with "startling crimson-lined coattails".

When Iäna visited Thara to petition Thara to Witness for Arveneän Shelsin, Iäna wore “dark green with emerald chip earrings.”

Personality
Iäna is curious and helpful. He noted he's “temperamentally better suited to telling everyone else what to do.” Iäna is a self-avowed gossip. He had a great deal of self-assuredness.

Iäna seems to be part of the sect that believes in Dach'dakhenmero.

Iäna didn't see the point of gambling, and didn't allow it in the Opera, because he didn't want the singers bankrupting each other.

He hated to eat alone. He liked honey in his golden orchor.

Life
When Iäna was little, his grandfather on the Thenhior side told him the plots of Pel-Teramed operas. Iäna also knew Arveneän as a child.

Iäna was "an excellent soprano" until he turned 15 and his voice changed to become "a quite unremarkable baritone". He tried to quit opera out of wounded vanity, but couldn't manage it. He eventually became the principal director and principal composer of the Vermilion Opera, where the Marquess Parzhadel was the sponsor. According to Iäna, he sat in a box by the stage and terrified the singers by taking notes. He resided in Cemchelarna.

To celebrate the wedding of Prince Orchenis Clunethar to Uleviän Clunetharan, the Vermilion Opera performed The Masque of the Night Empress.

Iäna wrote Zhelsu, with the intent of writing about ordinary people, because he was “tired of operas about emperors and generals.” He prepared to put it on at the Vermilion Opera, and cast Othoro Vakrezharad in the lead role, infuriating Arveneän. Arveneän threatened to go to Parzhadel about her complaints, to which Iäna responded that it was a waste of her breath and Parzhadel's time.

Iäna was at the Opera directing General Olethazh when Arveneän was murdered. When she didn't show up for rehearsal over the next two days, Iäna knew something was wrong.

During Thara's investigation into the murder of Arveneän, he went to the Vermilion Opera for information, and was directed to Iäna, who told Thara about her. Iäna went with Thara to the Vigilant Brotherhood to identify Arveneän's body, after which they got tea together and Iäna invited Thara to the Opera later to speak to the singers. They sat together in Iäna's box to watch The Siege of Tekharee, and Iäna identified Arveneän's patrons for Thara. Afterward, Iäna offered his help in the investigation.

Iäna later visited Thara at the Prince Zhaicava Building, and petitioned Thara to witness for Arveneän, and again offered his help. As they crossed the Abandoned Bridge, Iäna took a brief break to haggle for a duodecimo copy of The Complete Operas of Pel-Teramed. Together they went to Vinsu Nadaran's boardinghouse, where Iäna browsed and was furious at Arveneän's enormous wardrobe of largely stolen Opera clothing and accessories.

Iäna let Thara interview the singers at the Opera, and then told Thara how to contact Ema Dravenezh, Parzhadel's secretary.

Iäna investigated who was helping Arveneän steal clothing and accessories, and discovered Lalo Leverin. He assured her she wasn't in trouble, and later introduced her to Thara, to explain her part in the mystery.

Iäna was one of the few mourners at Arveneän's funeral, where Thara let him know he would be going to Tanvero. Iäna worried about him.

After Thara returned from Tanvero and the explosion at the Amal-Athamareise Ashenavo Trinciva, Thara went to the Vermilion Opera to ask for Iäna's help visiting pawn shops. Afterward, Iäna took Thara to dinner at the Torivontaram, his mother's teahouse, and introduced Thara to her. Nebeno Pel-Thenhior told Iäna she liked Thara.

Thara again visited the Opera during Zhelsu rehearsals and Iäna let him speak to the singers.

After Thara discovered that Tura Olora had received a sizeable inheritance, he joined Iäna in watching the premiere of Zhelsu. After the performance, when the audience began rioting, Iäna dragged Thara backstage to the performers, where Thara confided in Iäna, and they confronted Tura in his dressing room. Tura ran to the rooftop, where he confessed to killing Arveneän, as she attempted to blackmail him over the identity of his lover, and then Tura leapt to his death. Iäna later discovered that Veralis Telonar told Arveneän about the money.

Iäna attended Tura's funeral, and afterward, he and Thara went to the Chrysanthemum for tea together. Iäna told Thara that Thara was welcome to share Iäna's box any time he wished.

When Thara needed to locate photographers as potential suspects for the murder of Tomilo Ulzhavel, he went to Iäna for helping locating some, and Iäna took him to Mer Nathomar.

When Thara off-loaded to Iäna about the murder of Tedoro and how Thara was unable to continue the investigation, as she had no family and those involved - the Vigilant Brotherhood and Pavalo Temin - refused to ask for a Witness, Iäna stepped in and asked Thara to Witness for her.

Skills
Iäna knew many of “the performers and street philosophers and most of the barrow-men” around the Abandoned Bridge. He also knew all the pawn shops in Cemchelarna, and was liked there.

Iäna could speak Barizhin and Ethuverazhin.

If he worked slowly, Iäna could pick simple locks with hairpins.

Adreän Pel-Venna
Adreän was Iäna's zhornu.

Arveneän Shelsin
Iäna and Arveneän hated each other since childhood. Iäna helped Thara investigate Arveneän's death.

Nebeno Pel-Thenhior
Nebeno and Iäna seemed to have a close relationship.

Othoro Vakrezharad
Iäna was supportive of Othoro, particularly in cases where there was racist bias against her and her career.

Thara Celehar
Iäna and Thara are very close friends. Thara likes him.

Thoramis
Thoramis was possibly Iäna's assistant.

Tura Olora
Iäna and Tura often argued. Iäna implored him not to jump.

Quotations

 * To Thara: “You don’t laugh enough, othala".
 * To Thara: “I might kill someone over an opera, but it would never be one of my singers.”
 * To Thara: “I will have to tell my mother that being gaudy has its uses.”
 * To Lalo: “I’m not about to punish anyone for being in love.”
 * To Thara: “I enjoy your company, and I hate the thought that your last memory of the Opera should be Tura’s death.”

Trivia

 * Iäna's box at the Opera is “on the first tier, almost on the stage—not an angle the stage was meant to be viewed from” and was “one of the least fashionable boxes, being farthest from the prince’s box at the center back of the auditorium.”
 * Iäna is free to leave the Opera in the mornings, as afternoons are for rehearsals.