Xanth Filatine

"On your knees, Librarian scum!"

- Xanth

Xanth Filatine was one of the Guardians of Night, a personal assistant of Orbix Xaxis, and a traitor for many of the books of The Edge Chronicles. Despised by both the Guardians and Librarians alike, Xanth signed his allegiance to the Guardians in his own blood.

Origins
Xanth met Orbix Xaxis when he was working for Vox Verlix, a Sky-Scholar. Orbix said "Those arrogant buffoons the Librarians, will never find a cure for Stone-sickness with their pultices and potions. We, the true heirs of the Sky-scholars, are the future. Join us!" Xanth did join the Guardians. He believed it would lead him to fame and wealth and security. It did, for a time. He signed his oath with his blood, and immediately Orbix quizzed him about Vox's palace, his daily routine, and his defences. Xanth betrayed Vox, and this was the first of many treacheries he committed.

Journey to the Free Glades
Orbix Xaxis promised Xanth that there could be a good future in the Tower of Night for one like him, and he could go down in history as the youth who healed Sanctaphrax's rock. Xanth Filatine became such a good gaoler, interrogator and torturer that he got on talking terms with the prisoners. One such was Cowlquape Pentaphraxis, former Most High Academe, who had been betrayed. Cowlquape and Xanth got on very well because Xanth was adventurous and loved the Old Days when sky flight existed. Xanth wanted to go to the Deepwoods, and Cowlquape encouraged him.

And yet, the only way for Xanth to go to the Deepwoods was as a spy, to prove himself in his master's eyes. Xanth asked Orbix for permission, as a spy to execute all Librarian agents, and Orbix permitted the venture.

So Xanth set out with groups of Librarians, yet he betrayed them all, killing them off either personally or sacrificing them to hover worms and goblins and other enemies. Xanth was cold, amoral and ruthless in his journey to the Free Glades. On his way, following Rook Barkwater, Magda Burlix and Stob Lummus, he betrayed them to the Shrykes, saying that they were going to the Free Glades. They had been disguised as Shrykes and the Shryke sister said "But Shrykes don't go to the Free Glades!" Xanth smirked and said "Precisely," and made off, leaving her puzzled.

Xanth presumably killed more Librarians on his travels on the outskirts of the Free Glades and may have been the cause of the intruder report that the guards reported when Rook, Magda and Stob arrived.

Xanth Filatine introduced himself at Lake Landing, the reception, and told a puzzled High Master Persimmon that he had been singled out by the Librarians to go in place of the three others because they were believed killed by Shrykes. Stob disblieved this and took a dislike to Xanth, whom he considered arrogant.

Magda immediately liked Xanth but Rook distrusted him. He eventually grew to like Xanth though, because of his modesty and seeming good nature. Xanth was top of the class at the Glades.

Soon, Varis, the professor, got wind the banderbears were being imprisoned in the Foundry Glades, and she took Rook there to free them. Xanth Filatine had orchestrated the attack to kill his teacher Varis and he summoned Hemuel Spume to kill them all. Rook was however involved, something Xanth never wanted to happen. Rook was shot by a goblin, and poisoned, almost dying. Xanth came to Rook at his bedside and confessed his evil and treachery, and told him he had orchestrated the goblin ambush. But if he had known Rook was there, he would have called it off. Xanth told him he was a Guardian of Night, and "once a Guardian, always a Guardian." Xanth came down to the Tower of Night, before telling Rook "I doubt our paths will cross again."

Xanth later did cross Rook's path when Captain Twig and Rook fought the Guardians. Xanth met Rook on a gantry of the Tower. He was shocked, and Rook asked him for help before Xanth could betray him. Xanth shot at the rope tethering Rook's skycraft to the gantry and, Rook believed, helped him escape, although he wasn't sure.

The Great Storm
Xanth was having a hard time in the Tower of Night because nobody, specially Leddix the executioner, trusted him because they thought he was now a spy for the Librarians, when in fact the Librarians hated him and believed him to be a spy for them. Xanth Filatine was distressed and confused and even more confused when he met a Librarian, Magda Burlix, as a prisoner in the Tower. She had been looking for Rook who had crashed over Screetown, a chasm of Undertown, and she had been captured by the Guardians. Xanth Filatine interrogated her and called her scum and asked her purpose for "trespassing." Magda said that she was looking for her friend, Rook, but Xanth wouldn't understand would he, because "he doesn't know what friendship is."

Xanth slapped her again and Orbix, watching his interrogation, was pleased. Xanth let out a sigh of relief at having passed the test.

Magda was then thrown into Cowlquape's empty cell and Xanth went to write an essay. But he mulled thoughts over and thought that he preferred being with the Librarians because he had made friends for the first time in his life. He grew bitter and set out to free Magda and undo the evil he had done.

He freed Magda, which took a lot of persuasion, and promised her that he was saving her life. She eventually took his offer. He disguised her as a Guardian and they left the Tower, but were captured by envious Guardians and put in a Rock Demon cage to be eaten. Styx piloted them down and they escaped into the tunnel to the sewers, where Xanth got Magda out at risk of his life.

In the Storm preparation, Xanth stole the conductor's deadbolt, and thus destroyed the Guardians when they couldn't winch up the conductor.

Exodus to the Deepwoods
Xanth joined the Librarians in moving from Undertown's ruins to the Deepwoods but was unwelcome amongst them. He had saved Magda but was unwanted. At the Free Glades, he endured a Reckoning, where he was judged by the waif Cancaresse and she weighed his good and evil. She believed him to be pure evil and was going to banish him but Magda turned up and told her of Xanth saving her. Then he was finally accepted as a Freeglader and Librarian.

Xanth Filatine proved a good fighter, he helped win the war of the Free Glades. He later had an unnamed wife and had children of his own.