The Restorers

SPOILER WARNING! This article contains heavy discussion of plot details of the original Unwanteds books. You are at risk of major spoilers if you haven't read up to Island of Dragons. Be careful!

The Restorers were a reform group founded by Aaron Stowe and Gondoleery Rattrapp to restore Quill to its state prior to the exposure of Artimé.

Aims

• Restore Quill to its state under former High Priest Justine's leadership, as they viewed the High Priest Haluki to be weak and ruining Quill.
• Take leadership of Quill and appoint a new High Priest and Governors.
• Kill Marcus Today and the Unwanteds for good, and destroy Artimé.
• Return the Necessaries to Quill and ensure their continued work.

History

Island of Silence

After the Quillitary throws Aaron out of Wanted University, he drifts through Quill with no food and water for a few days before remembering the Favored Farm. He discovers that he's allowed to pick four food items per day, likely a law put in place by High Priest Haluki that most Wanteds don't understand. Not long after finding food, Aaron wanders past the Quillitary housing district and near the governors' homes. Realizing that Haluki's home still has water delivered to it every week, and that nobody lives there anymore, he sneaks in after dark and starts living there.

Aaron stays in the Haluki house for a few weeks, collecting food and crafting his plan. After collecting a large store of food, he brings about a dozen oranges and a few handfuls of beans to the road outside the palace early in the morning. Before long, groups of Wanteds start heading to the palace to complain. When the first few groups exit the palace again, Aaron pulls out an orange and started to eat it, catching the attention of Gondoleery Rattrapp. Aaron pretends to be in shock about the problems in Quill, talking loud enough for everybody on the road to hear. Acting as a caring and friendly young man, Aaron shares the oranges and beans he brought with the nearby Wanteds, and tells them to come back in a week.

Over the next couple weeks, Aaron continues to do this every day. On Monday of his second week, Gondoleery waits for him. Gondoleery tells Aaron that Mr. Today took away the memories of the original founders of Quill and was brainwashing the Quillens, including the late High Priest Justine. Aaron pretends that he had also discovered this, telling the large group of Wanteds that had gathered that they were the true Unwanteds.

Aaron and Gondoleery begin to meet every day, doling out food to the grumbling Wanteds. After a few days, Aaron shows Gondoleery how to collect food from the Favored Farm. While she hints at having magic, she refuses to tell him anything about it.

After collecting 33 Wanteds, Aaron orchestrates an attack on Artimé, which results in the death of Arija the girrino. Simber is then stationed at the gate instead of the girrinos, discouraging the Restorers from another attack.

As Aaron's following grows to 35 and approaches 40, they begin to meet twice per week as a group, and name themselves the Restorers. Eva Fathom joins the Restorers as a spy against Artimé. Unbeknownst to Aaron, she is secretly working with Sean Ranger. Aaron decides to start using magic as a weapon, specifically deadly scatterclips. Gondoleery and Eva teach the Restorers, though they quickly give up on anyone older than 25. Eva steals seven heart attack components for Aaron, telling him that it's a lethal spell. Aaron also receives a few pellet guns from Quillitary officers in the Restorers, and two governors' handguns from Crawledge Prize and Dred Crandall.

Eva tells Aaron that the girrinos will return to the gate instead of Simber, which leads Aaron to organize a second attack. This time, however, Alex Stowe, Samheed Burkesh, Meghan Ranger, and Lani Haluki quickly take down the attackers and shackle them. The Artiméans leave them by the side of the gate, intending for HIgh Priest Haluki to pick them up and punish them, but they sneak away and Gondoleery unshackles them.

The Restorers continue to grow and collect weapons, including magical ones, as time passes. When Marcus finally decides to go on vacation, Eva alerts Aaron that it's time to fight; he doesn't think it's the right time, but the situation is perfect, so the Restorers split off into groups and gather their weapons for an attack. Marcus puts the magical gate back, though only none of the Restorers except Eva are aware of this. Eva reassures Aaron that she'll kill Marcus with a heart attack spell when they leave the next day. Aaron instructs Eva to tell Gondoleery to bring all their weapons to the gate and attack in the morning after Marcus and Eva leave. Instead, Eva tells Gondoleery to head to Artimé and attack immediately.

When Marcus heads to his weekly peace meeting with High Priest Haluki, he takes the tube to Gunnar's house since the gate was reinstalled. In the Haluki house, Aaron sees him open the closet door and exit the tube. Marcus fires a blinding highlighter at Aaron, but Aaron throws 5 of his heart attack components at Marcus, killing him. Claire Morning comes through the tube just before Marcus is killed. Aaron orders Crawledge and Bethesda Dia Gloria to lock her up in the pantry. They tie up her wrists and ankles and gag her. Liam Healy is ordered to make sure she is properly secured, then take Marcus' body to the Ancients Sector and bury it. Before Liam takes the body away, Aaron removes the robe.

Meanwhile, Gondoleery and her team of Restorers are attacking Artimé. The gate is too strong for Gondoleery to release, but when Marcus is killed, it clicks open. Artimé disappears and Unwanteds flood out as the Restorers attack. The Unwanteds soon resalize their spells don't work and they're forced to fight by hand. Many Artiméans are killed. Gunnar's wife is badly injured.

When Marcus doesn't show up to their meeting, Gunnar walks to his house to take the tube to Artimé. At the closet in his office, he is ambushed by Aaron, Crawledge, and Bethesda. Aaron grabs him in a choke-hold, Crawledge ties his wrists and ankles, and Bethesda gags him. They shove him in the closet and nail the doors shut.

Eva runs into Liam on his way back to the Haluki house. Liam tells Eva of Marcus' murder and the two walk back to the house together. Dred comes into the hosue from the back door and tells them of the fight in Artimé. He reports that Artimé is gone and several Restorers and Artiméans are down. Aaron asks why they were fighting that night, and Dred replies that it was on Aaron's command. Eva pretends to be utterly confused, having been the one to tell Gondoleery.

Eva heads to Artimé and talks to Sean. During the night, the battle starts to die down, and the injured return home. Most of the Necessaries abandon Artimé and return to Quill. The Restorers lose at least seven people in the fight and Artimé loses more than thirty before Gondoleery and Sigfried Appleblossom call a truce.

The next day, when guards come looking for Gunnar, he tells them that Aaron is now Associate High Priest, and his every command should be followed. Aaron, just out of sight, holds a gun to his head.

Aaron moves into the palace. He brings paper and a pencil to the Haluki house and forces Gunnar to write a letter declaring Aaron as Associate High Priest. A little later than 11:30, Aaron reads out this letter to the rest of Quill, then tells them that for each Unwanted they can bring to Quill as a slave, they will receive one extra food item per month.

Liam and Bethesda are left at the Haluki house to guard Gunnar and Claire. When Bethesda isn't looking, Liam sneaks Claire a glass of water.

Aaron shortens his title to "High Priest Aaron," then returns Eva to her job as Secretary. Once Aaron is officially High Priest, the Restorer movement starts to die down.

Island of Fire

Between the events of Island of Silence and Island of Fire, twenty Unwanteds are coerced to Quill with food. Liam Healy and Bethesda Dia Gloria continue watching over Gunnar Haluki and Claire Morning in the Haluki house. They allow Claire and Gunnar one hour a day to move around.

Liam lets Claire out of the pantry when Bethesda steps out, giving her water and food. She learns that Gunnar is also imprisioned in the house.

Cole Wickett and some of his friends return to Quill, as does Carina Holiday.

When Artimé is restored, Gunnar manages to take the tube from the closet to the secret hallway. Alex and Henry take the tube back to the Haluki house and rescue Claire. When Aaron learns of this, he immediately sends Liam and Bethesda to the Ancients Sector.

Aaron grows paranoid of an attack, so he calls for a meeting with all the Restorers. However, many of them assume the Restorers disbanded and don't go, including Gondoleery.

List of Known Members

The Restorers were said to have at most four dozen members, mainly Wanteds, at its peak. Some of them included:

• Aaron Stowe - Leader
• Gondoleery Rattrapp - Rabble-rouser
• Eva Fathom - Spy (Double agent working with Sean Ranger)
• Two governors' sons, revealed to be Crawledge Prize and Dred Crandall
• Liam Healy
• Bethesda Dia Gloria