Alleras

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Alleras
the Sphinx
Alleras by eldritch-historian.png
Alleras the Sphinx, by eldritch-historian ©

Alias The Sphinx[1]
Title Acolyte
Allegiance Citadel
Race Mixed (half-Dornish, half-Summer Islander)
Culture Dornish
Born Dorne[2]
Book A Feast for Crows (appears)

Alleras, known as the Sphinx, is an acolyte studying at the Citadel in Oldtown.[3] His mother is a Summer Islander trader, and he claims not to be a lord's son, despite the claims of a few others.[1]

Appearance and Character

Alleras is slender, comely, and has a soft smile.[1] He has curly black hair, a widow's peak, and big black eyes like onyx.[1] Alleras has skin the color of teak[1] or a light brown ale.[4] The youth usually wears doeskin breeches, and a snug green brigandine with iron studs.[4] He speaks with a soft Dornish drawl.[4]

Alleras prefers the sweet wines of the Summer Isles rather than of those of Westeros.[1] He displays remarkable skill with his goldenheart longbow, also from the Summer Isles.[1]

Alleras is in a circle of friends that includes Armen, Pate, Mollander, and Roone. He does not consider their fellow novice Leo Tyrell to be a friend.[1] Alleras is doted on by the serving wenches of the Quill and Tankard, including Rosey, which makes Pate jealous.[1]

History

Alleras has a Dornishman for a father and a Summer Islander for a mother.[1] He has been at the Citadel for a year, and has forged three links in his maester's chain, the most recent of which is copper.[1] At some point in their time at the Citadel, Leo Tyrell gave Alleras the nickname "Sphinx", as he was "a bit of this, a bit of that", like a sphinx is made of multiple creatures.[1]

Recent Events

A Feast for Crows

Alleras and a glass candle, by Dallas Williams © FFG

Having forged his copper link, Alleras celebrates at the Quill and Tankard by purchasing drinks for his friends. He practices his archery skills by shooting at apples thrown above the Honeywine by Mollander. Alleras strikes them all, except for the last apple which he allows to fall into the river untouched, as he believes the day you make them all, you stop improving. He and his friends speak of rumors of dragons in Essos, and Alleras tells them that Daenerys Targaryen is still alive, and that "the dragon has three heads". Leo Tyrell arrives at the inn, and insults the companions while confirming Alleras's story, and informing them that there is a glass candle burning in Archmaester Marwyn's chambers. The friends decide to head back to the Citadel to retire for the evening, except for Pate who is left with Leo. Before he goes, Alleras reassures Pate that if Leo does not have the coin to buy wine, he cannot afford Rosey either.[1]

Via a glass candle, Archmaester Marwyn foresees the arrival in Oldtown of Samwell Tarly, and sends Alleras to the Seneschal's Court to meet him. After Sam tells his story to Alleras — including the fact that his traveling companion, Maester Aemon, mysteriously spoke that "the sphinx is the riddle, not the riddler", before his death — the Sphinx brings him to Marwyn at the Ravenry. Maester Aemon believed that Daenerys Targaryen was the prince that was promised, and must be taught and protected by a maester; but since Aemon died on the way to Oldtown, Marwyn decides to sail to find her in Slaver's Bay. The archmaester tasks Alleras with looking after Sam.[4]

Quotes by Alleras

Alleras the Sphinx, by elalendi ©

Roone: You always miss your last shot. See?
Alleras: The day you make them all is the day you stop improving.[1]

Roone and Alleras

Leo: I understand you won your copper link. I'll drink to that.

Alleras: I only buy for friends. And I am no lord's son, I've told you that. My mother was a trader.

Leo: Your mother was a monkey from the Summer Isles. The Dornish will fuck anything with a hole between its legs. Meaning no offense. You may be brown as a nut, but at least you bathe.[1]

Leo Tyrell and Alleras

You shame your House with every word you say. You shame the Citadel by being one of us.[1]

—Alleras, to Leo Tyrell

Samwell: Are you a novice?

Alleras: An acolyte. Alleras, by some called Sphinx.
Samwell: The sphinx is the riddle, not the riddler. Do you know what that means?
Alleras: No. Is it a riddle?

Samwell: I wish I knew.[4]

Samwell Tarly and Alleras

Quotes about Alleras

Alleras by Nyanmi EuphoriA ©

It had been Lazy Leo who dubbed Alleras "the Sphinx." A sphinx is a bit of this, a bit of that: a human face, the body of a lion, the wings of a hawk. Alleras was the same: his father was a Dornishman, his mother a black-skinned Summer Islander. His own skin was dark as teak. And like the green marble sphinxes that flanked the Citadel's main gate, Alleras had eyes of onyx.[1]

—thoughts of Pate

The Sphinx was always smiling, as if he knew some secret jape.[1]

—thoughts of Pate

Theories

Evidence suggests that Alleras may be a disguised Sarella Sand, one of Oberyn Martell's bastard daughters known as the Sand Snakes.[5]

References