Severin Hawthorn
Severin Hawthorn is an NPC in Arknights. He is one of the main protagonists of Twilight of Wolumonde.
Background
A native of Wolumonde, Severin serves as the Schultz of the nomadic town and the commander of the local Gendarmerie forces.
During the conflict between the Wolumonders and the Winterwisps, Severin encountered the last of the Winterwisps on a lake while hunting them down, but as he is about to sneak up on one, the Winterwisp noticed Severin's presence and stabbed him on the chest with an Originium chunk, though Severin was able to fatally wound the Winterwisp. This incident caused Severin to contract Oripathy, which he kept secret from others and covered up by his heavy smoking habits that incidentally worsens his condition.[1]
Severin has a son named Thorwald who is a lover of his cousin Tatjana Bergler.
Following the emergence of the Great Rift, Severin tries to assure Wolumonde's Catastrophe Messenger Biederman, whom the Wolumonders blamed for the nomadic town being caught in the Catastrophe, that everything is going to be alright for him. Unbeknownst to Severin, Thorwald had tricked Biederman into killing Atro, the Rhodes Island doctor who are treating Wolumonde's Infected populace, to trigger an uprising, out of his resentment for the Leithanian nobles' lack of attention to Wolumonde's plight.[2]
Story
Twilight of Wolumonde
Severin is first seen alongside Tatjana investigating the ruins of the campsite where Atro and the others are found dead, lamenting the deaths of many good people including Biederman and Thorwald (or so he thought).[3]
After returning to Wolumonde's Rathaus, Severin received word that the R.I. had arrived at Wolumonde; knowing that they are here to investigate Atro's death, Severin allowed them to enter, but leaves the R.I. to the Wolumonde council. Severin encountered the R.I. Operators Folinic and Suzuran, and directed them to the Rathaus, but when Tatjana appears to inform Severin of the Infected protests, he tended to them before he goes to pacify the Infected protestors questioning Atro's death which had become violent.[4] Once the situation is under control, Severin took Folinic and Suzuran to the Rathaus where he revealed that Atro had died in a fire and allows the R.I. Operators to investigate her death, as well as informing them that a band of Sarkaz warriors had been spotted outside Wolumonde.[5]
As the Wolumonde Infected insurgents started to stir unrest on the nomadic town's Infected quarter, Severin shows concern that the insurgents are not "playing the good guy" and used the opportunity where most of Wolumonde's Gendarmerie are gone, and that something must be done before Wolumonde is doomed.[6] Later Severin fights and subdues several Infected insurgents who had attacked Wolumonde's main streets just as Tatjana, Folinic, and Suzuran comes to their aid, but was caught off-guard by the Sarkaz warriors, now known as Mudrock Squad's, attack on Wolumonde's Originium reactor.[7]
Severin later explained Wolumonde's current situation to Folinic and Suzuran before taking them into a makeshift morgue where the victims of the fire, including Atro, are being kept. He then shows the core of an L-44 "gramophone" to Folinic, which was responsible for the fire, and received word from Tatjana that the Infected insurgents are causing trouble again, to which Severin believes that the Winterwisps had returned and are responsible for Atro's death.[8]
When asked by Folinic who are the Winterwisps just as a song mentioning them can be heard all over Wolumonde after he orders whoever playing the song to be caught, Severin only tells them that the Winterwisps are local Caprinae who came in conflict with Wolumonde, saying that he can't risk the wrath of Leithanian nobles by giving any further information.[9] Another attack by the Infected insurgents prompted Severin to lead the defense and counter-attack against the insurgents with R.I., later joined by GreyThroat and Ayerscarpe, assisting the defenders.[10]
After Tatjana was saved from the Infected insurgents by R.I., Severin thanked them and makes it clear that Wolumonde have no ill intentions toward the Infected, before taking them to the Rathaus.[11] After a brief argument with Folinic about the insurgents' motivations, Severin suggested that Zwölftontechnik Strasse are to be retaken from the insurgents while R.I. defends the Gramophones and watches the Sarkaz warriors. He is also concerned by the Wolumonders who started to rise against the Infected.[12]
After Folinic and Suzuran finds out that Biederman is likely Atro's murderer, they asked for his information to Severin, saying that she finds that out from an old man claiming to be the last of the Winterwisps, much to his shock as Suzuran explains that the Winterwisps aren't responsible for the uprising, though Severin initially can't believe that, but points out that Biederman have a motive to murder Atro due to the latter's "persuasion" and the former's depression. Meanwhile, Tatjana informed Severin that the Wolumonders choose to recapture Zwölftontechnik Strasse by themselves, who ordered them to be stopped.[13] Eventually, knowing that the situation grows hopeless, Severin considers surrendering Wolumonde to the insurgents and Reunion to avoid casualties, but he cough up blood which prompts Folinic to check him up only to find out that Severin is an Infected. Severin refuses to be treated and considers of making himself a scapegoat to appease the Infected, asking Folinic to do so who initially refuses but promises to.[14]
Amidst the chaos, after Tatjana is taken to the Rathaus after being distressed from seeing a Wolumonder died in front of her, Severin choose to head out and do something, with Tatjana urging him to not let himself get killed. Severin saved Folinic from a colossus summoned by Mudrock and reveals before the public that Biederman – who were recently found dead by R.I. – is Atro's murderer, but his words fell into deaf ears. Severin then urged Mudrock to kill him, which they complies as they promises to withdraw afterwards, but was stopped by Suzuran. Even after Mudrock stands down from being convinced by Folinic, the insurgents attempted to attack Severin, but R.I. protected him until the insurgents retreated. As Mudrock and their warriors withdraw, one of the Sarkaz warriors shares a cigarette with Severin.[15]
After the uprising was quelled, the Wolumonde council had Severin taken under custody and considers replacing him as the Schultz of Wolumonde after his Oripathy was revealed. During his custody, Severin talks with Ayerscarpe and Greythroat about the possibility that Biederman might not be Atro's murderer and the aftermath of the uprising, as well as recounting his experience of hunting down the last Winterwisps. Unfortunately, Severin passed away due to the complications of his Oripathy and smoking-induced bronchospasm sometime afterwards.[1]
At some point prior to Severin's death, Thorwald returned to Wolumonde and attempted to assassinate a Leithanian aristocrat visiting the nomadic town, but fails and escapes to the Winterwisp Mountains where he commits suicide to avoid capture.[16]