| Senpat Sviodo | |
| Fictional Character | |
| Videssos Cycle Videssos Series | |
| Appearance(s): | The Misplaced Legion through Swords of the Legion |
| Type of Appearance: | Direct |
| Nationality: | Vaspurakan |
| Religion: | "Princes" of Vaspurakan |
| Occupation: | Soldier, Scout |
| Spouse: | Nevrat Sviodo |
Senpat Sviodo, "prince" of Vaspurakan and husband of Nevrat Sviodo, was a scout working for the Videssian army against Avshar and Yezd. He was a close friend of Marcus Scaurus and the other Romans, as well as Gorgidas and Viridovix.
He was born in Vaspurakan, coming to age in a time when the Yezda frequently raided into Vaspurakan from the west. He attempted to fight them from his lands, but could not keep up the hopeless struggle, and joined the Imperial army when a patrol's route took it near his home, and, as he put it, "Senpat Sviodo, Prince of Vaspurakan, became Senpat Sviodo, Videssian scout."
He was attached to the Roman cohorts in Mavrikios Gavras' campaign against the Yezda, leading them through Vaspurakan's rugged mountain terrain. He and his wife Nevrat reacted to Roman discipline with disbelief, each preferring the other's company to the safety of the legionaries' nightly encampment (into which the women were not at that time allowed).
Senpat fought with the legionaries at the Battle of Maragha, and stayed with them in the rout that followed. He was with Marcus Scaurus in Aptos over the winter, and near spring volunteered along with his wife to ride west to find word of Thorisin Gavras, the rightful Avtokrator.
When he returned along with Nevrat, he brought coins that bore Thorisin's image minted in Vaspurakan. He fought with Thorisin's army through the civil war against the Sphrantzai, and served in the city garrison with Gagik Bagratouni's contingent of Vaspurakaners over the next winter.
When the Romans were sent into the westlands with Mertikes Zigabenos to quell Drax's Rebellion, Senpat was again attached to their unit. He remained with them through their resistance against the Namdaleni in the highlands, and rode with Scaurus in his futile pursuit of Helvis and the escaped Namdalener officers.
Returning to the city, he and Nevrat helped the tribune deal with his grief. Senpat followed Nevrat out of the city when she left to warn the Romans that Scaurus was attempting to depose Zemarkhos alone. He told his commanding officer that a family member had been killed by a snakebite and joined Nevrat in the westlands, riding with her to Garsavra and Amorion, where they later met the reconciled group of friends.
Senpat fought in the final battle against Yezd, going on to join Scaurus' wedding party when the latter married Alypia Gavra.
| |||||||||||||
