Kerpi

Kerpi is a high-class water spirit born from the ancient spirit Arshilla. She represents the water spirits during the Demon World Auction, helps uncover the dark spirits' attempt to provoke a war with the fire spirits, and contracts with Randalph Brigsiel through the Hyacinth's Bow. She survives the hostile return from the auction and later rewards Randalph with five prized water-spirit seeds. (Chapters 154–171)

Biography

Sacred artifacts and a new contractor

Kerpi arrives as the water spirits' representative while both water and fire factions believe the other stole a sacred artifact twenty thousand years earlier. She knows little about Arshilla beyond the ancient spirit naming her while she was still developing in a lake, but she reacts furiously when the fire spirits threaten war. After Chrisley exposes the dark spirits' manipulation, Kerpi and Jives accept Randalph as the ally who revealed the truth. Kerpi then initiates a contract tied to his purchase of the Hyacinth's Bow, survives the dark spirits' retaliation with Jives, and later exchanges the restored bow for five seeds prized by the Water Spirit King. (Chapters 154–171)

Appearance and personality

Kerpi appears as a beautiful woman with blue hair and an elegant dress made of water. Her hair moves in the wind, and she smiles cheerfully even when Randalph warns that dark spirits may attack her returning party. She is calm and courteous in negotiation but fiercely protective of water-spirit honor; her anger initially makes the fire spirits easy to blame, while later evidence shows she can cooperate with them against a common deceiver. (Chapters 155–167)

Abilities and powers

High-class water spirit

Kerpi is explicitly high class and claims that water spirits can become a rough sea rather than remain a calm lake. The cited chapters do not show her attacking, so the scale, cost, range, and exact form of her water manipulation are unknown. Water spirits also have reputedly penetrating eyes: Kerpi senses Arshilla's presence around Randalph despite lacking the memory to explain it, but the narration describes such impressions as only moderately accurate. (Chapters 155 and 159)

Spirit contract and seeds

Kerpi voluntarily starts a contract whose completion depends on Randalph buying the Hyacinth's Bow; the number of points spent determines his right to use her. Once contracted, she can appear through a small crack when he calls her name. She also provides five stones containing nascent water spirits. Those seeds later hatch after outside care and Randalph's balancing magic, not through a demonstrated power Kerpi activates at a distance. (Chapters 159, 167, and 171)

Relationships

• Randalph Brigsiel: Kerpi's contractor and the demon who restores her faction's sacred bow. She rewards him with water-spirit seeds.
• Jives: A rival fire spirit who becomes Kerpi's temporary ally after the dark spirits target both delegations.
• Chrisley: Her investigation exposes the manufactured conflict between the water and fire spirits.
• Arshilla: The ancient water spirit who conceived Kerpi by naming her in a lake.

Items

• Hyacinth's Bow: The water spirits' unnamed-page sacred artifact. Kerpi ties her contract to its purchase and receives it back from Randalph.
• Water-spirit seeds: Five stone-like seeds given to Randalph as a reward after the bow is returned.