Arvelle Dacien Character Analysis: The Reluctant Assassin of We Who Will Die

Overview

Arvelle Dacien is the protagonist of We Who Will Die, a former arena champion forced into the deadly Sundering to assassinate Emperor Vallius Corvus. Her driving motivation is saving her sick younger brother Evren, which shapes every major decision she makes. Arvelle carries deep grief over the death of her best friend Kassia in the arena six years earlier, a loss that hardened her and made her reluctant to trust others. Throughout the story, she struggles with the tension between survival and morality, repeatedly choosing to protect family at the cost of her own life.

Plot Role

Arvelle serves as both the viewpoint character and the catalyst for the story’s central conflict. She is recruited by Bran, a vampire serving the emperor, who offers to cure Evren if she enters the Sundering and later assassinates the emperor. From that point, Arvelle’s journey drives the plot forward: her training at the gladian barracks, her clashes with rivals like Baldric, her alliances with Maeva and Tiernon, and her eventual confrontation with the emperor. She also discovers a hidden connection to the god Mortuus and gains the rare ability to absorb powers from the dead, making her a pivotal figure in the larger threat of the god breaking free.

Motivations and Character Traits Shown Through Actions

Arvelle’s primary motivation is family protection. She endures degrading work as a bodyguard for the loathsome Gaius to afford lung tonic for Evren. When Bran threatens her brothers, she agrees to the Sundering without hesitation. This self-sacrificial nature is also evident when she pushes Maeva away to keep her safe, even though it hurts them both.

Grief and guilt define much of her behavior. She blames herself for Kassia’s death and has not allowed herself to move on, as seen when Carrick accuses her of being frozen in time. Her inability to trust stems from Tiernon’s abandonment years ago. When she later learns Tiernon left under threat from his father, she forgives him, showing her capacity for emotional growth.

Arvelle is pragmatic and hardened. In the arena, she uses deception—allowing Maximus to wound her before exploiting his overconfidence. She shows mercy sparing Maximus and killing the griffon Antigrus quickly, but she is also ruthless when necessary, such as when she slashes Albion’s throat to escape sacrifice.

Chronological Arc

Arvelle’s arc moves from desperation and survival to gradual empowerment and moral complexity. Initially, she is a former champion scraping by in the Thorn district, haunted by Kassia’s death. After entering the Sundering, she struggles physically—her old ankle injury, her sigil never having grown—and emotionally, reopening old wounds with Tiernon.

Through training and challenges, she regains combat skills and discovers latent abilities. She kills Antigrus in a mercy act and later learns his power transferred to her, marking the start of her unusual gift. Her sigil begins to grow, symbolizing her increasing strength and agency.

Midway, she confronts the truth about Tiernon’s departure and reconciles with him, softening her emotional armor. She also faces the weight of her vampire bond to Bran and the impossible task of assassinating the emperor. As the climax approaches, she makes peace with likely death, writing notes and arranging for Jorah’s training.

In the final chapters, she survives the gorgon poison, frees the maginari during the arena attack, and attempts to kill the emperor but spares him because Neris is in the way. The blood bond breaks when Bran dies, freeing her. She then agrees to work with Rorrik to stop Mortuus, showing her growth from survival mode to actively fighting a greater evil.

Relationships

Tiernon (the Primus): Her former lover who abandoned her. Their reunion is bitter; she feels grief-stained rage, but later learns he was forced to leave by his father. They reconcile, share a kiss, and support each other despite the dangerous circumstances. Tiernon becomes a key ally and emotional anchor.
Maeva: A fellow gladian who befriends Arvelle. Maeva is kind and brave, but Arvelle pushes her away to protect her, causing a painful rift. Maeva eventually ends their friendship after Arvelle’s outburst, though Arvelle later apologizes.
Leon: Kassia’s father and Arvelle’s former trainer. Initially hostile, he agrees to train her after she manipulates him by mentioning Merrick. Leon later gives her Kassia’s letter, which deepens Arvelle’s resolve. He offers to kill Bran to free her, showing his care.
Evren and Gerith: Her younger brothers. Evren’s illness motivates her entire journey. She hides the assassination plot from them until Chapter 38, when she decides to be honest.
Bran: The vampire who blackmails her. He is unstable due to sun tonic addiction. Arvelle despises him but is bound to him via a blood bond. She later learns he is the emperor’s bastard son.
Rorrik: A powerful vampire who can read minds. He threatens her but later becomes an uneasy ally. He reveals her ability to mindpath and forces her to work with him against Mortuus.
Kassia (deceased): Her best friend whose death in the arena traumatized her. Kassia’s letter urging her to live and love is a turning point for Arvelle’s emotional arc.

Key Decisions and Consequences

Accepting Bran’s deal: She enters the Sundering, knowing it is a death sentence, but saves her brother. This puts her on a path of violence and danger.
Spare Maximus in the arena: She wins but risks the emperor’s displeasure. However, this mercy earns her a reputation and the emperor’s approval.
Killing Antigrus quickly: She grants the griffon a dignified death, absorbing his power. This act shows her compassion but also her growing ability to steal magic from the dead.
Refusing Maeva’s request to free maginari: She prioritizes her brothers’ safety over the lives of imprisoned creatures, leading to a fracture in their friendship.
Attempting to assassinate the emperor but sparing him because Neris is in the way: This decision allows the attack to fail, but later Bran dies and the blood bond breaks, freeing her.
Agreeing to Rorrik’s deal after reading the ancient book: She accepts working for him to stop Mortuus, leveraging her translation ability. This decision reopens old wounds about Tiernon’s abandonment but gives her a new purpose.

Theme and Symbol Connections

Sacrifice for Family: Arvelle’s every major choice is for her brothers. She gives up her freedom, safety, and even her life. The theme is explored in her sacrifice for family.
Power and Corruption: The emperor’s cruelty and the vampire council’s deals show how power corrupts. Arvelle’s own sigil growth and ability to steal powers reflect the theme of power and corruption.
Manipulation and Trust: She is manipulated by Bran, Rorrik, and even Leon. Her struggle to trust Tiernon after abandonment echoes the theme of manipulation and trust.
Grief and Resilience: Kassia’s death haunts her, but she gradually learns to live again. The letter scene in Chapter 26 is a turning point. This connects to the theme of grief and resilience.
Class Divide: Arvelle comes from the Thorn district, a poor area. The Sundering pits sigilmarked against vampires, highlighting the class divide.

Her symbolic connection to death (the name Mortuus, the god of ruin) is literal: she steals powers from the dead and encounters the trapped souls of Albion’s victims. Her sigil, initially stagnant, grows when she uses her will to free those souls, symbolizing her moral agency.

Questions and Answers

1. Why does Arvelle agree to enter the Sundering?
Bran offers to provide lung tonic and a cure for her sick brother Evren in exchange for her participation and eventual assassination of the emperor. She has no other option to save Evren.

2. What happened between Arvelle and Tiernon six years before the story?
Tiernon left her without explanation. Later it is revealed his father threatened him; Tiernon sacrificed his voice and a decade of happiness to keep Arvelle’s identity secret.

3. How does Arvelle acquire new powers?
When she kills Antigrus the griffon, she unconsciously absorbs his shield and water abilities. She does the same after killing Tiberius Cotta. Rorrik and Tiernon deduce her power steals from the dead.

4. Why does Arvelle push Maeva away?
She knows that after the assassination attempt, anyone close to her will be tortured. She believes cutting off their friendship protects Maeva, even though it hurts both of them.

5. What is the significance of Kassia’s letter?
The letter, delivered by Leon six years after Kassia’s death, urges Arvelle to live, love, and be happy. It forces her to confront how she has let grief consume her and inspires her to find meaning beyond survival.

For a deeper look at the ending and unresolved threads, see the ending explained page. For broader book context, visit the main book page.