Dimon was the leader of the royal guard at Castle Araluen and a distant relative of the Royal Family through Queen Deborah. However, despite his prestigious position, Dimon was in fact revealed to be a traitor to the crown and the secret leader of the Red Fox Clan.
Description[]
Appearance[]
Dimon was considered very handsome, with dark blond hair[3] and blue eyes.[4] He was tall, lean, and broad-shouldered.[1] He had a square jaw; even, white teeth; and a straight nose.[5] He kept his face clean-shaven.[5]
He typically wore the palace guard's uniform, with a silver insignia on his right shoulder, marking him as a captain.[2] As the Vulpus Rutilus, he wore a stylized fox mask[6] and fur-trimmed scarlet cloak.[7]
Personality[]
Dimon is a very charismatic individual, seeing as he's the leader, or vulpus rutilus, of the Red Fox Clan.
Dimon is incredibly cunning, even being able to fool Maddie, whose Ranger skills didn't give her any suspicions of him in a devastating plot against her and her mother's life, let alone being the plot's leader and formulator. He was able to mask his utter contempt at her and Cassandra and rage at not being the king due to him being the only male relative of King Duncan.
It is also obvious that Dimon is rather sexist and misogynistic to a certain degree. He vehemently believes that he deserves the throne and that women simply do not have enough qualification or skills to rule. Despite this, he appears to have a close love for his mother, who taught him his beliefs and respected and followed her teaching and followed his mother's ambitions for him. Though unknown, it is possible Dimon's mother may have been the leader of the Red Fox Clan before him, due to her prejudice of the Royal Family's declaration how a female could take the throne, which was so similar to the Clan's belief and hatred.
History[]
Dimon was a distant cousin-by-marriage of the Royal family, being a distant relative of Queen Deborah.[8] Growing up, his mother taught him that the change to the law of succession was an injustice[9]—had it not been changed, Dimon would've been next in line for the throne, an ideal he loyally followed.[10] He learned early on from his mother that charm and friendliness were most effective for achieving his goals.[11] To this end, he began to improve his acting, learning to hide his animosity and make others like him, which he eventually used to rise to the position of Captain of the Royal Guard.[12] Eventually, Dimon discovered The Red Fox Clan — which at that time consisted of less than fifty members—and, seeing them as the key to gaining the Throne of Araluen, joined them under a false name, bringing his undoubted talent for organization and leadership to the formerly weak and unorganized movement as he quietly worked his way to the top echelons of power within it. Dimon rapidly rose to the position of Vulpus Rutilis—the Red Fox, leader of the clan—and began infuriating loyal agents into small towns and villages to spread his message and recruit more to his cause. He then travelled to these infiltrated towns, where he began preaching his message in clandestine meetings, biding his time and watching as the formerly unorganized rabble of fifty or so men and woman rose into a powerful, well-financed movement that numbered hundreds.
Eventually, Dimon infiltrated the Royal Guard of Araluen, no doubt as part of his plot to get closer to his hatred foes. Masking his loathing of his royal relatives, Dimon portrayed himself as a friendly and intelligent guard
The Red Fox Clan[]
Initially, Dimon was introduced to Maddie at a Castle Araluen fair. The two clicked very well, and when his schedule as captain of the Royal Guard permitted, they went hunting together. Maddie noted that he was a capable archer, even if he wasn't anywhere near Ranger standards. Also, he helped train Cassandra to fight with a katana sword alongside Nihon-Jan swordmaster Maikeru. Meanwhile, Maddie discovered hidden entrances into the castle during her undercover work.
The Red Foxes on the hunt for the intruder that infiltrated their gathering, Dimon at their head
At one point, Maddie accidentally infiltrates a Red Fox Clan meeting and learns that Dimon is the leader of the Clan. She learns Dimon's master plan: a task force of Sonderlander mercenaries and Red Foxes of the local chapter of the clan baits Gilan and Horace out of the castle, while Dimon himself exploits his role as guard commander to help Red Fox Clan members infiltrate Castle Araluen. Maddie escapes after Dimon notices her. The plan succeeds, with the mercenaries trapping Gilan and Horace in a fort and Red Fox Clan members, posing as guards, infiltrating Castle Araluen, swiftly driving back or killing most of the remaining royal guard. Dimon lies to Cassandra that Horace and Gilan have been killed by the Sonderlanders. Maikeru sacrifices himself to buy time for the distraught Cassandra to retreat into the South Tower.
Maddie was able to enter using the castle's secret passages and informed her mother that Horace was still alive. The duo began working out what to do next - Maddie had to rescue her besieged father and Gilan, and simultaneously retake the fallen Castle Araluen.
Duel at Araluen[]
Dimon has besieged Princess Cassandra in the South Tower of Castle Araluen, while the combined Red Fox Clan and Vikor Trask's Sonderlanders keep Gilan and Horace's army trapped within the fort. Believing the latter to be more complete than the former, Dimon focuses on forcing Cassandra out of the castle's south tower. He is unsuccessful as Cassandra's senior guard commander, Merlon, finds countermeasures for everything he uses (including a trebuchet to launch boulders and fire bladders, and fake diplomacy) and also the fact that Cassandra had access to the secret passages, which she exploited in order to spy on him.
After the fake diplomacy strategy (where he tries to trick Cassandra into thinking he's left the castle) fails, Dimon, at his wits' end, summons a large number of soldiers and attempts to break into the South Tower by brute force, killing Merlon in the process. However, thanks to Maddie, who rallied Hal Mikkelson's brotherband, Horace and Gilan are able to break the siege and immediately return to Castle Araluen. Hal and the brotherband seize the gatehouse and allow Horace's army to enter the castle. Meanwhile, Cassandra escapes the South Tower.
Realising that all is lost, Dimon attempts to escape the castle and rendezvous with other Red Fox Clan allies. Maddie spots him and gives chase - he proves elusive until Maddie and her mother corner him. Horace arrives to join his family just as Cassandra challenges Dimon to a duel - Cassandra vehemently orders everyone to leave him for her. After an evenly matched sword fight, Cassandra uses a devastating katana stab taught to her by Maikeru. Dimon evades her first attempt after noticing a telltale sign from their training days, but it was just a setup - Cassandra performed the move again without the giveaway and stabbed Dimon through the heart, killing him.
Skills[]
- Acting: Dimon was a highly skilled actor.[12] None of his enemies suspected his animosity, convinced that he was a friend and ally.[13]
- Speaking: Largely through his speaking ability, Dimon rallied the Red Fox Clan,[14] transforming them from a weak and unorganized movement into a powerful and well financed group.
- Weapons: As captain of the Royal Guards, Dimon was trained in a wide range of weaponry.
Trivia[]
- Though his father is never mentioned, since his mother was the one to drill the hatred of the Royal Family into his head, it is most likely he is a relative to the family through his mother's side.
- It is also quite possible that Dimon's family may have been some sort of rogue branch of the Royal Family, given how his mother appeared to hate the Royal lineage.
References[]
|
| Major Characters |
|---|
| Alyss Mainwaring • Cassandra • Crowley Meratyn • Edvin • Hal Mikkelson • Halt O'Carrick • Horace Altman • Ingvar • Jesper • Lydia • Madelyn Altman • Malcolm • Selethen • Stig Olafson • Thorn Hammerhand • Ulf and Wulf • Will Treaty |
| Arazan • Arisaka • Baron Joubert de Lassigny • Crusher of Heads • Dimon • El Despiadado • Holds A Black Lance • Iqbal Makali bin Ha'rish • John Buttle • Jory Ruhl • Lord Deparnieux • Mahmel • Morgarath • Myrgos • Shurmel • Philip 'Bloodyhand' • Sir Keren • Tennyson • Toshak • Tursgud • Yusal Makali bin Ha’rish • Zavac |