Artmyrn
| Artmyrn | |
|---|---|
| Profession | Book merchant |
| Residence | Kharbranth |
| Ethnicity | Thaylen |
| Nationality | Kharbranthian |
| Homeworld | Roshar |
| Universe | Cosmere |
| First Appeared | The Way of Kings |
Artmyrn is a Thaylen book merchant from Kharbranth on Roshar.[1]
Appearance and Personality[edit]
Artmyrn is overweight and has graying hair. He combs his long Thaylen eyebrows over his ears. He and his wife wear fine clothing, although his vest can barely contain his paunch.[1]
He is friendly towards his customers, primarily as a sales tactic. He speaks to Shallan with a condescending tone.[1]
Attributes and Abilities[edit]
Artmyrn recognizes Shallan as Veden and speaks to her in her native tongue. Although he is a slick salesman, he is actually knowledgeable about the books he sells. Shallan suspects that Artmyrn is literate (unlike most men), but hides this ability from his customers since it would be considered crass in Vorin culture.[1]
History[edit]
After Shallan's initial rejection by Jasnah Kholin in Kharbranth, she sought a bookstore that was open late hoping to buy some books that might impress Jasnah. Yalb asked around about the best bookstore in the area, and Shallan was not surprised to see that he recommended a Thaylen merchant. Shallan met Artmyrn and his wife in their rather elegant store, and was put off by their patronizing attitude. Shallan was already frustrated by her interactions with Jasnah, and had a testy exchange with Artmyrn about questioning her taste in books.[1]
Artmyrn was a bit taken aback, and his attitude became more candid. He and his wife brought Shallan some historical and philosophical books that interested her, such as Eternathis and works by Placini and Shauka-daughter-Hasweth. After he quoted Shallan a surprisingly high price, Yalb burst into the store claiming that he worked for Barmest, a rival merchant. He called Artmyrn a swindler and claimed that Barmest could offer a large discount on similar books she had supposedly been looking at in his store. Shallan was surprised, but managed to play along. Artmyrn was incensed, but the ruse worked, as he cursed Barmest while selling the books to Shallan for a significantly reduced price.[1]