Ambris Hentadile
Ambris Hentadile, most commonly known as The Professor, was the brother of Ifflix Hentadile and the apprentice of Cassix Lodestone.
Role in the Edge Chronicles
Before The Immortals
Ambris Hentadile lived in Great Glade in the Cloud Quarter. He studied in the School of Edge Cliff Studies under Cassix Lodestone but left the Academy when the Society of Descenders, of which he was a member, was disbanded due to lack of funds. Robbed of his apprenticeship, he left Great Glade and used his intelligence to earn a living by gambling aboard skytaverns.
Role in The Immortals
Ambris had been the apprentice of Cassix Lodestone before their studies were considered heresy. He met Nate playing Splinters on the phrax ship to Great Glade. He then later met him again in the gallery of Lake Landing, telling him about the Sword Miniatures. When Nate was framed for the murder of Friston Drew, he decided to flee with them. After Nate and Eudoxia got mixed up with the Hive Militia on their mission to rescue Galston Prade, they flew to Sanctaphrax where they discovered that the city was being rebuilt by mysterious men in white. Ambris recognized one of them as Linius Pallitax, revealing the Gloamglozers' plans to kill innocent Fettle-Leggers and other hopeful Deepwoods folk. When Ifflix was killed in the Ancient Laboratory in Sanctaphrax, Ambris decided to descend below the Edge to find out what was beneath, as his brother had once sought to do.
Role in The Descenders
Ambris is revealed to have descended with Nate all four times. During their first descent Ambris encourages Nate to tie a knot in his scarf to mark it. Between the first and second descents, Ambris had turned The knights academy into a hub of research and development for descending technology. The technology proves to be more risky than helpful, malfunctions of the phraxchambers leading to the deaths of several descenders. During the third descent, Ambris and Nate are the only survivors of an attack by Edge wraiths. For years after their first descent, Ambris and Nate embark on their fourth.Somewhere in the depths, they encounter a ravine demon, which they defeat using a precussion dart. After they find a carved warning made by Tulkhusk, warning them of the astounding number of ravine demons below them, they decide to take a rapid descent, which Tulkhusk's message also warns them to be cautious of Edge Wraiths when taking. Ambris and Nate encounter more Edge Wraiths than they are prepared for. Ambris offers to either take a last stand or retreat back to the crevices, which are infested by ravine demons. Nate presents a risky idea which involves both of them strapping their packs together and free-falling, which Ambris agrees to. Ambris and Nate fall into the scree fields, an odd place which is covered with different kinds of luminescent moss. After Nate inspects him, he finds that Ambris has broken both of his legs during the impact. Nate and Ambris proceed to spend the next fourteen years in the scree fields, foraging for moss to eat before one day Ambris spots a storm-stone and tells Nate to grab onto it with a rock spike. Nate rises up with the storm-stone, whilst hearing the professor's last words: "Don't Forget me..."
During the fifth descent, the descenders encounter the professor again at Groundrise. The professor is slowly tuning into a sky-creature. He provides the descenders with valuable knowledge about the life-cycle of The Edge and helps evolve Tug into a more intelligent being, before sending the descenders on their way and fading into Glisters.
Character
Ambris was a dour Fourthling who often wore a crushed funnel hat, which was favoured among Third-Age Scholars. He was known for gambling, but he decided to stop after thinking about what Cowlquape Pentephraxis would have thought of such behavior. He also initially distrusted Weelum, and saw him as a woodlander who had no place in Great Glade[1]. Ambris was very intelligent and his broad knowledge about the history of the Edge and Sky- as well as Earth-Scholarship gained him the nickname 'the Professor'.
References
- ↑ The Immortals, Chapter 38
2. The Descenders, Chapter 1
2. The Descenders, Chapter 2