Villains Wiki

Hi. This is Thesecret1070. I am an admin of this site. Edit as much as you wish, but one little thing... If you are going to edit a lot, then make yourself a user and login. Other than that, enjoy Villains Wiki!!!

READ MORE

Villains Wiki
Advertisement

This is not the sort of rebellion I was expecting. What usually happens is a glorious attack on the Emperor, followed by humiliating defeat by his guards - none of this talk about new messiahs! Basic treachery isn't as simple as it was in my father's day...
~ Clovis, having misgivings about Childeric's plans

Clovis is the High Priest to Emperor Pepin VII and a minor antagonist in the Doctor Who Big Finish audio drama The Holy Terror. The latest in a long line of High Priests serving the royal family, Clovis presides over much of the rituals that dominate the castle's citizenry, including the coronation, the assassination attempt, and the failed rebellion; past High Priests have always followed tradition in betraying the Emperors they served in order to join forces with the Emperor's half-brother, and all of them have followed tradition in being executed for their treachery.

Having seen both his father and grandfather die in their respective betrayals, Clovis is reluctant to follow in their footsteps, but when the current Emperor's half-brother Childeric recruits him as per tradition, he offers little resistance. However, the attempted rebellion is soon revealed to be far more drastic than any in the castle's history...

He is voiced by Peter Sowerbutts, who also voiced Davros' tutor Magrantine in the audio drama I, Davros.

Biography[]

A Life Of Ritual[]

As with all the inhabitants of the castle, Clovis was born to fill a very specific role and bound by tradition to act according to the well-established laws of both society and reality: like his father, grandfather and all other ancestors before him, Clovis was to be the high priest and direct the worship of the people towards the Emperor, who would be proclaimed a deity until the time of his death, whereupon Clovis was to crown his successor and declare him a god as well. In order to prove his new master's divinity, Clovis was to provide the people with a miracle evidencing the ruling monarch's omnipotence, and demonstrate the Emperor's invincibility by having the current Guard Captain shoot him three times in the chest with a handgun over the course of a ritual assassination attempt; in reality, the "miracle" would invariably be a simple conjuring trick, and the assassination attempt was always conducted with blanks (though the ritual required the very real deaths of the Emperor's current bodyguards). Eventually, he would join forces with the new Emperor's bastard half-brother and conduct a rebellion against the throne - one that would traditionally fail. By tradition, the High Priest's life would end in ritual execution, with his son already being groomed to replace him and eventually meet the same fate.

However, though he was careful to avoid diverging from tradition lest he fall victim to the same anti-heresy laws that he helped to enforce, Clovis was subtly different from most High Priests: unlike others, who reveled in their treachery and "burned with the passion of their faith," he found himself troubled by the instinctive urge to follow tradition even if it would eventually lead to his downfall, and came to believe that his father and grandfather had secretly felt the same way.

Though cowardice was demanded of him by the role, his self-preservation instinct was great enough for him to seriously consider ways of avoiding execution. As Childeric himself later noticed, Clovis had far too many scruples for a High Priest, for though he readily arranged the murders and executions required of him by tradition, the notion of bloodshed troubled him very deeply - though he never let anyone become aware of this.

Much of Clovis' life was spent in the service of Emperor Pepin VI: having witnessed his father crowning Pepin the elder and consecrating his deification with a great miracle (pulling a rabbit out of a hat), he was assigned the role of High Priest immediately after his predecessor's execution. From then on, he presided over every official ceremony and commanded almost every single member of the Imperial retinue not under the Emperor's direct command, from the court scribe to the guards. In the end, Pepin VI died an ignominious death by drowning, having fallen asleep in the bath; soon after, his son Pepin VII was declared the new Emperor and god, thus setting the stage for the events of the audio play.

Broken Traditions[]

Clovis is immediately exasperated with the current state of the soon-to-be-crowned Emperor, finding him even more neurotic than his father. As expected, Childeric soon approaches him with offers of an alliance, but to the High Priest's confusion, the bastard brother seems unusually conscious of the fact that the rituals of coronation are a farce and that Pepin will never become a god; within the castle's society, such facts are always on the verge of being realized by the citizenry and the clergy have never truly believed in the gods they crowned, but the prospect of such a thing being said out loud bewilders Clovis. Disturbed, he leaves to consider the approach.

Shortly afterwards, the coronation goes almost entirely according to plan apart from a slight wobble of Pepin's crown, with Clovis successfully demonstrating the new Emperor's divinity with a simple card trick. However, during his inaugural address, Pepin suffers a nervous breakdown and confesses to all and sundry that he is not a god, guaranteeing his immediate execution for heresy; in a further breach of tradition, Childeric uses this as an opportunity to seize the throne, rallying the crowds against his half-brother in an attempt to conduct a successful rebellion. However, Pepin is given one last chance to produce a miracle befitting a god, and in that moment, the TARDIS arrives in that throne room. The Doctor and Frobisher are immediately hailed as angels, and despite the Emperor's best efforts to let the truth be known, Pepin is spared a horrible death and declared a true god. Seemingly accepting this fact, Clovis allows his new god and his "angels" to leave with the chief scribe, Eugene Tacitus - but not before entrusting Guard Captain Sejeanus with the ritual of the assassination attempt.

While Pepin successfully concludes the rituals proving his "immortality" and the Doctor studies Eugene's library of past bibles, Clovis secretly ventures into the castle vaults to discuss matters of alliance with Childeric. Though Childeric readily mocks the High Priest's scruples and poor attempts at elevating his predecessors' corruption, he ultimately accepts Clovis' offer on the condition that he use his authority to abduct Eugene. However, the Doctor is still in the scribe's apartment, and to ensure that the "angel" doesn't raise the alarm, Clovis is forced to bring him with them - much to Childeric's annoyance. Nonetheless, he explains his plan to the three of them: having come to believe that true godhood can only be obtained by separation from humanity, Childeric has fathered a child and has left him in the care of tongueless servants in the lowest levels of the catacombs from the moment of his birth, all in the hopes that it will transform him into a god that he can eventually share the secrets of immortality with - a revelation that leaves Clovis effectively shell-shocked.

Unfortunately, though the experiment has been a success, Childeric's son has attained divinity a little too early, and the combined death of Pepin VI and the failed coup has left the royal bastard on unsteady ground. As such, he needs Eugene Tacitus to study the child in detail so as to learn the precise details of his powers and begin writing the bible for the first true god in the castle's history - in preparation for the day when Childeric and his son take the throne. However, because the child is not allowed to hear human speech until his development is complete, Eugene's tongue is to be removed; for good measure, the scribe will then be imprisoned in the same cell as the child for the next twelve years. Meanwhile, being surplus to requirements, the Doctor will have his heart cut out instead. To Clovis' immediate dissatisfaction, the mutilation and murder is entrusted to him.

Despite being uncomfortable with the shockingly unorthodox tone of Childeric's rebellion and reluctant to bloody his hands, Clovis descends into the holding cell where Eugene and the Doctor are being held, and prepares to remove the scribe's tongue. Though the Doctor almost manages to convince the High Priest to put down the knife, Clovis still finds himself comfortable with following orders, no matter how untraditional they may be. Fortunately, Childeric interrupts before he can begin. As it happens, Pepin's wife Livilla has joined his faction in a desperate attempt to avoid being executed for heresy when her husband next tries to deny his godhood, and has brought grave news: Pepin VII has abdicated the throne and declared Frobisher his successor. With this new, unknown element on the throne, Childeric can no longer afford to be cautious, and now plans to release his son from captivity.

Death[]

Some time later, Childeric, Clovis, Livilla, Eugene and the Doctor gather to observe the child being released from his cell. To the horror of everyone except Childeric, his son is indeed an all-powerful deity - a fact he proves by regressing Livilla to infancy and killing her - and when the young god throws a temper-tantrum over not being allowed to kill anyone, the resulting psychic explosion is enough to send most of the group fleeing for safety. Only the Doctor returns to the catacombs, just in time to witness the Child tearing Childeric to pieces, having realized that the royal bastard is not his real father. After telepathically interrogating the Doctor at length, the Child departs in a fury, determined to find his father by any means necessary.

While trying to follow the Child through the catacombs, the Doctor unexpectedly runs into Clovis, who suggests an alliance that will allow them to defeat the rampaging deity; in reality, the High Priest's plan is to turn him over to the Child in exchange for his own life, treachery being traditionally instinctive to his role. However, the Doctor realizes this plan almost immediately, and refuses the offer as soon as it's given.

Bewildered by his instinctive compliance with tradition, Clovis asks why he continuously falls back on ritual despite his misgivings; the Doctor finally reveals that the castle is nothing more than a fiction, and the people within it are little more than broad stereotypes concocted by a hopelessly unimaginative author with a very little interest in providing any depth to characterization. Clovis can't resist the urge to act as the stereotypical villainous adviser because he was written to be as such.

Stunned by the pointlessness of everything in his life, Clovis decides to remain behind and buy the Doctor some time in a desperate attempt to defy his established characterization. Unfortunately, the Child arrives on the scene shortly afterwards. Despite his best efforts to act against his nature, the High Priest caves in almost immediately, begging for his life and offering up the Doctor's whereabouts in a desperate attempt to save himself. However, the Child decides to take the information directly from his brain instead and psychically devours Clovis alive - finding him a much easier mind to digest.

Personality[]

On the face of things, Clovis is every inch the stereotypical treacherous adviser: sarcastic, condescending and almost comically duplicitous, he acts only in strict accordance with the traditional character traits demanded of his role, demonstrating haughty superiority in times of success and shameless cowardice when faced with death.

A dyed-in-the-wool backstabber, he has been preparing to betray Pepin VII ever since he was made high priest as per tradition; over the course of the audio play, Clovis also allows Childeric to lead an angry mob against Pepin, then takes his side when public faith in him is restored, betrays the Emperor again as soon as the coronation ceremony is over, considers betraying Childeric after growing uncomfortable with his new role, deserts Childeric during the Child's temper-tantrum, and would have betrayed the Doctor had he not recognized the attempt for what it was.

For good measure, Clovis balks at the notion of sullying his own hands, preferring instead to delegate responsibility to an underling: the task of cutting out Eugene's tongue proves so against his nature that he is almost willing to break character just to avoid it - despite having ordered the deaths of hundreds if not thousands of innocent people over the course of his duties as high priest.

However, as Eugene's writing begins to break down, Clovis begins showing signs of unexpected character depth as his personality begins to deviate from the broad stereotype he was based on: though he cannot stop himself from indulging in treacherous behavior and cowardice, he nonetheless feels reluctant to continue and struggles against the urge to betray, finally admitting that he secretly wants to be a good man - even though he knows that this is impossible for him. Tragically, the last few moments before his death are spent alternatively begging for mercy and screaming that he hasn't found a way to be noble yet.

Trivia[]

  • Ironically, Clovis wouldn't have been able to hurt Eugene or the Doctor even if he wanted to: the fictional inhabitants of the castle can't harm real people, as Frobisher discovers after being shot at point-blank range by Sejeanus.
           2023 Doctor Who logo Villains

Daleks
Dalek Emperor | Supreme Dalek (Supreme One | The Supreme) | Dalek Saucer Commander | Gold Dalek | Special Weapons Dalek | Dalek Time Controller | Dalek Time Strategist | Dalek Prime Minister | Rusty | Metaltron | Reconnaissance Dalek
Cult of Skaro: Dalek Sec | Dalek Thay | Dalek Jast | Dalek Caan
Factions: Imperial Daleks | Renegade Daleks | New Dalek Empire | New Dalek Paradigm | Ironside Daleks
Dalek Collaborators: Anne Droid | Beaus | Bragen | Celation | Colony Sarff | Dalek Antibodies | Davros | The Editor | Gearon | George Ratcliffe | Jack Robertson | Jagrafess | Kara | Kiston | Lytton | Malpha | Mavic Chen | Mike Smith | Mr. Diagoras | Nyder | Ogrons | Sentreal | Theodore Maxtible | Trantis | Trine-E | Warrien | Zephon | Zu-Zana

Cybermen
Cyber Controller | Cyber Planner | Cyber-Leader | Cybermats | CyberMasters | Krail | Krang | John Lumic | CyberKing | Ashad
Cyberman Collaborators: Eric Klieg | Kaftan | Tobias Vaughn | Packer | Ringway | Paul Hunt | Mercy Hartigan

The Master
Classic Era | "Child" | "Professor Yana" | "Harold Saxon" | Missy | "O"

Martians
Ice Warriors: Grand Marshal Skaldak | Grand Marshall | Lord Slaar | Lord Azaxyr | Sskel | Varga | Zondal | Turoc | Rintan
Others: The Flood

Weeping Angels
Angel Bob | Statue of Liberty

Pantheon of Discord
Sutekh | Celestial Toymaker | The Trickster | Maestro | The Mara | Krampus | Trickster's Brigade: Time Beetle | Fortune Teller | Krislok | Jackals of the Backwards Clock

Autons
Nestene Consciousness | Channing | Mickey Auton

Homo Reptilia
Silurians: Alaya | Restac | Morka | Icthar | Scibus | Tarpok
Sea Devils: Chief Sea Devil | Sauvix | Marsissus

Sontarans
Linx | Styre | Stor | Commander Stark | Stike | Varl | General Staal | Commander Skorr | Commander Kaagh | Commander Ritskaw | Commander Skaak | Commander Stenck | Svild | Irongron | The Scavenger | Luke Rattigan

Time Lords
Rassilon | Borusa | Omega | Tecteun | The Rani | The Meddling Monk | The War Chief | The Eleven | Morbius | Goth | Solis | Kelner | Hedin | Drax

Versions of the Doctor
The Valeyard | Time Lord Victorious | Dream Lord

The Division
Awsok | Gat | Weeping Angels (Rogue Angel)

Ravagers
Swarm | Azure | Passenger

Elder Gods
Fenric | Black Guardian

Eternal
Death | Light | Mansell | Captain Wrack | Zellin | Rakaya

Akhaten
Mummy | Vigil

Abaddon
Bilis Manger

Krillitanes
Mr. Finch | Mr. Wagner

The 456
456 Ambassador | Brian Green | Johnson | John Frobisher | Rupesh Patanjali

Shadow Kin
Corakinus | Kharrus | Rannus

Adipose
Matron Cofelia

Clockwork Repair Droids
Control Node | Half Face Man | Repair Droid 7

Judoon
Judoon Captain | Pol-Kon-Don

Order of St. Agnes
Gorgon

Family of Blood
Scarecrows

House
Nephew | Uncle | Auntie

Great Intelligence
Padmasambhava | Robot Yeti | Staff Sergeant Arnold | Ice Governess | Whisper Men

Church of the Silence
Madame Kovarian | Colonel Manton | Headless Monks | Silents

Slitheen Family
Jocrassa Fel-Fotch Passameer-Day Slitheen | Sip Fel-Fotch Passameer-Day Slitheen | Blon Fel-Fotch Passameer-Day Slitheen | Glune Fex Fize Sharlaveer-Slam Slitheen | Florm Rox Fey Fenerill-Slam Slitheen | Kist Magg Thek Lutiven-Day Slitheen | Korst Gogg Thek Lutiven-Day Slitheen | Dax Fex Fize Slitheen | Bloorm Vungah Bart Slitheen | Rahnius Slitheen | Asquith Slitheen | Chris Slitheen
Slitheen-Blathereen
Blathereen Family
Leef Apple Glyn Slitheen-Blathereen | Tree Lorn Acre Slitheen-Blathereen

Zygons
Bonnie | Brelarn | Broton | Elizabeth I Zygon | Sheriff Norlander

Anti-zone
Ribbons | Flesh Moths

Androzani Major/Minor
Sharaz Jek | Morgus | Stotz | Krelper | Stark | Jek's Androids | Magma Creature | Smugglers

Nazis
Adolf Hitler | De Flores | Karl | Miss Wyckham

Urbankans
Monarch | Persuasion | Enlightenment

The Brethren
The Host | Father Angelo

Racnoss
Empress of the Racnoss

Max Capricorn
Captain Hardaker | Heavenly Hosts

The Three Families
The Mother | The Cousin | The Gentleman | Charlotte Wills | Brian Friedkin | Jilly Kitzinger | Blue-eyed man | Jack's Kidnapper | Lyn Peterfield

Mentors
Sil | Lord Kiv
Mentor Collaborators: Chief Officer | Quillam | Crozier | Frax | Matrona

The Pharm
Aaron Copley | Billy Davies

Helen A
Happiness Patrol | Kandy Man | Joseph C

Harries & Harries
Dale | Greg | Vic

Ood Operations
Klineman Halpen | Solana Mercurio | Kess | Bartle

Hyperion III
Vervoids | Doland | Rudge

The Psychic Circus
Gods of Ragnarok | Chief Clown | Ringmaster | Morgana | Robot Clowns | Bus Conductor | Captain Cook

Iceworld
Kane | Belazs | Kracauer

S-Rax
Morgaine | Mordred | The Destroyer

Stenza
Tzim-Sha | Remnants | SniperBot

Carrionites
Lilith | Mother Doomfinger | Mother Bloodtide

Mars Probe 7 Conspiracy
General Carrington | Reegan | Bruno Taltalian | Sir James Quinlan

Morax
Morax King | Morax Queen

Operation Golden Age
Charles Grover | General Finch | Mike Yates | Professor Whitaker | Butler

Primords
Eric Stahlman | Harry Slocum | John Bromley | Private Wyatt

Sisters of Plenitude
Matron Casp | Hame | Jatt | Corvin

Republican Security Forces
Brigade Leader Lethbridge Stewart | Director Stahlman | John Benton

Interplanetary Mining Corporation
Captain Dent | Morgan | Wilfred Norton

Inter Minor
Kalik | Orum | Drashigs

Sycorax
Sycorax Leader | Roboforms

Shoal of the Winter Harmony

King Hydroflax | Scratch | Mr. Brock | Dr. Sim

The Bane
Mrs. Wormwood | Bane Mother | Cal Kilburne | Davey | Bane Kindred |

Night Travellers
Ghostmaker | Pearl

Solomon's Crew
Solomon | Solomon's Robots

Noghai
Tegana | Acomat | Malik

Global Chemicals
BOSS | Jocelyn Stevens | Hinks

Aztecs
Tlotoxl | Ixta | Tonila

Voord
Yartek | Alternate Twelfth Doctor

Moroks
Lobos | Ogrek

Weng Chiang
Mr. Sin | Li H'sen Chang | Tong of the Black Scorpion

Robot Knights
Sheriff of Nottingham

Saturnyns
Rosanna Calvierri | Francesco

Xylok
Mr. Smith

Ancient Lights
Martin Trueman

Dominators
Rago | Toba | Quarks

War Lords
The War Lord | Security Chief | Smythe | Von Weich | Chief Scientist

Others
Aaron Copley | Abzorbaloff | Adam Mitchell | Adam Smith | Alex Hopkins | Androvax | Animus | Antibodies | Arcturus | Ascaris | Axons | Axos | Azal | Baltazar | Bannermen | The Beast | Beep the Meep | Becka Savage | Bert Walker | Boneless | Brynblaidd Cannibals | Callon | Captain Blade | Captain of Zanak | Captain Pike | Carrie | Catherine de Medici | Centurion | Cessair of Diplos | Chameleons | Charlie Duffy | Cheetah People | Cherub | Chessene | Chief Caretaker | Childeric | Colin Maloney | Commander Millington | Count Grendel | Daniel Barton | Dervish | Didius | Drathro | Dregs | Eckersley | Ed Morgan | Eddie Connolly | Eelek | El Akir | Eldrad | Elijah Spellman | Emperor Nero | Emojibots | Ettis | Eugene Tacitus | Fairies | Fearmonger | Fendahl | The Fisher King | Flemming | Forester | Futurekind | Gagan Rassmussen | Ganymede Systems | Garvin | Gavrok | Gell Guards | Gelth | George Cranleigh | Giles Kent | Goblins | Graff Vynda-K | Grand Serpent | Gray | The Gunslinger | Haemovores | Harrison Chase | Harry Mailer | Hawthorne | Hetocumtek | Henry Van Statten | Hepesh | High Priest Clovis | Hilda Winters | Horatio Chinn | Ilin | Jaeger | Jerak | Joshua Naismith | Julius Grayle | John Hart | Joinson Dastari | Josiah Samuel Smith | K1 Robot | Kahler-Jex | Kal | Kantrofarri | Keillor |King Richard III | Koquillion | Kraals | Krasis | Krasko | Kroagnon | Kroll | Krotons | Krynoids | Lady Adrasta | Lady Cassandra | Lady Peinforte | Lance Bennett | Leandro | Lieutenant Koenig | Lindy Pepper-Bean | Livilla | Locusta | Lord Sutcliffe | Lucius Petrus Dextrus | Lupton | Maaga | Macra | Mantraps | Mandragora Helix | Manish | Mark Goodson | Mark Lynch | Marshal of Solos | Marshal Tavannes | Marshmen | Mary | Master Brain | Master of the Land of Fiction | Maurice Caven | Medusa | Meglos | Melanicus | Mestor | Metebelis Spiders | Midge | Midnight Entity | Minotaur | Mona Lisa | Monoids | Monoid One | Mr. Magpie | Mr. Seyton | Mr. Webber | Neville Catchlove | Nicholas Valentine | Nightmare Man | Nilson | Nimon | Nobody No-One | Noma | Not-Things | Oak | Oswald Danes | Pangol | Peg Dolls | Prisoner Zero | Professor Zaroff | Pting | Purity | Quantum Archangel | Ramón Salamander | Raston Warrior Robot | Rex Farrel | Richard Lazarus | Richard Maynarde | Roger ap Gwilliam | Ruby White | Rutans | Scaroth | Seb | Sebastian Grayle | Sentris | Sevcheria | Sex Gas | Shockeye | Sir George Hutchinson | Dr. Skagra | Skithra | Skovox Blitzer | Smilers | Smithers | Solicitor Grey | Spencer | Styggron | Suzie Costello | Sven | Tekker | Terileptils | Terileptil Android | Tetraps | Thawn | The Borad | The Child | The Collector | The Ergon | The Figure | The Foretold | The Gravis | The Hath | The Malus | The Myrka | The Oracle | The Shadow | The Skarasen | The Wire | Tia Karim | Time Zombies | Timewyrm | Toclafane | Tractators | Trask | Tryst | Urak | Vashta Nerada | Vardans | Vespiform | Villengard Corporation | Virus of the Purpose | Viyrans | Weed Creature | Winifred Gillyflower | Wirrn | WOTAN | Zagreus | Zarbi

Advertisement