Needle-Eye
Names: Needle-Eyethe new royal painter
First appears in Book 3: Death's End, chapter 49 (The First Tale of Yun Tianming “The New Royal Painter”)
Appearances
What you know
Book 3: Death's End
- Ch 49Young painter from He'ershingenmosiken who captures people in portraits; each person he paints disappears from their bed.
- Ch 49He painted his master Ethereal first so Ethereal could not paint him, and stole Ethereal's obsidian slab.
- Ch 49Needle-Eye paints people into pictures, removing them from existence, and serves Prince Ice Sand's coup; he finishes the princess's portrait as she flees.
- Ch 51Returns unable to paint Prince Deep Water because the prince does not obey the laws of perspective; his steps are now loud, showing fear.
- Ch 51A Western-trained painter who cannot paint Deep Water because Deep Water defies the rules of perspective; he never learned Eastern painting.
- Ch 51Needle-Eye painted a masterpiece self-portrait as his final act, then vanished from his studio, predicting he would be killed.
Connections
- related toMaster Etherealstudent ofteacher of
- ally ofPrince Ice Sandserves him as painter-weapon
- related toPrince Ice Sandpainter serving the king
Key moments
- Book 3 · Ch 49Ice Sand's feigned loyalty
At the king's sixtieth birthday, where Dewdrop is named heir, Ice Sand humbly supports her and presents Needle-Eye as the new royal painter.
- Book 3 · Ch 49The night of the portraits
In a bunker, Needle-Eye paints the king, queen and loyal ministers; each disappears from their bed. Ice Sand plans to keep the portraits.
- Book 3 · Ch 49Ethereal sacrifices himself
Ethereal gives instructions for the umbrella and tells the princess to bring Deep Water to kill Needle-Eye. He urges her to leave, then is painted into a picture and vanishes.
- Book 3 · Ch 49Flight from the palace
At dawn the princess, Auntie Wide and the captain leave in a carriage in disguise, while Needle-Eye finishes the princess's portrait.
- Book 3 · Ch 51Needle-Eye fails to paint Deep Water
Ice Sand sends Needle-Eye to paint Deep Water, but the painter returns shaken, saying the prince defies perspective and cannot be painted.
- Book 3 · Ch 51Long-Sail burns the portrait
Long-Sail finds Needle-Eye's studio empty with his self-portrait and portraits of Dewdrop and others, and burns Dewdrop's portrait. Dewdrop then closes her umbrella unharmed.