Halis
The Order's chief interrogator, called Listener
The Pale's chief interrogator, whose office the Order softens to the title of Listener. He wears the grey of the scripture margins and has the face of a man long accustomed to the presence of fear. His gift is a quality of attention that makes a person feel their own thoughts have become legible. Everyone in the Pale knows what Halis listens for, and no one wishes to be found interesting by him.
Description
Halis is not old, exactly, but he carries himself like a man who has spent a long time in the company of frightened people. His robes are the exact grey of the space between glyphs, and he moves through the Pale with an unhurried, watchful patience. He does not accuse. He observes, remarks, and withdraws, and somehow that is worse.
What Halis listens for is aptitude — the involuntary susceptibility to the Signs, the most dangerous quality a novice can possess, because the one who sounds a Sign does not choose to. When he tells you that you have an aptitude, it is not a compliment. It is a door quietly opening onto a room you do not want to enter.