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|image=Nazh.jpg
|abilities={{tag+|worldhopping}}
|aliases=Nazh, the haunted man{{file ref|name=nab}}{{wob ref|7415}}
|world=Threnody
|universe=[[Cosmere]]
{{quote
|Politeness. That's not how I work.
|Nazh{{file ref|name=nab}}
}}
 
'''Nazrilof''', who goes by the nickname '''Nazh''',{{wob ref|2502}} is a mysterious [[worldhopper]] from [[Threnody]]{{wob ref|2861}} who gathers documents and creates sketches from different [[Shardworld]]s on behalf of [[Khriss]].{{wob ref|5341}} He is also the man from ''[[The New Ascendancy]]'' broadsheet whose gun appears to shoot [[shade]]s.{{file ref|name=nab}}{{wob ref|7415}} Nazrilof is his surname; his given name is yet to be revealed.{{17sbook ref|datesfs|part=2016-12-31|news|312|Shardkeepers Podcast: Arcanum Unbounded Essays (discussion at 1:05:57 mark)postscript}}
 
== Appearance and Personality ==
}}
 
Nazh is a lanky man with a narrow, pinched face, blonde hair and blue eyes.{{msh ref|3|2}}{{file ref|name=nab}} He tends to dress to fit in with the locals -- [[skaa]] on [[Scadrial]], or an [[ardent]] on [[Roshar]], even when not among the planet's people.{{msh ref|3|2}}{{book ref|sa2|31}} When not blending in, he speaks with a faint, possibly Threnodite accent. He's rather skittish, and seems to have a hair-trigger temper, going from calm to annoyed in a moment. He's is also very prone to swearing.{{wob ref|9555}}{{msh ref|3|2}}
 
He dislikes being surprised and one-upped by others, and is highly suspicious of strangers.{{msh ref|3|2}} This being said, he seems to enjoy excitement, vastly preferring fighting for his life to quiet study and scholarship. He can still be incredibly patient, and does have the mind to be scholarly, at least for a while, but he dislikes people who speak in riddles and flowery language, preferring that people get to the point.{{file ref|Alethi Glyphs Page 1.jpg|text=Alethi Glyphs}}{{wob ref|13016}}
He's often frustrated with tasks he's given, but will always accomplish them to the best of his abilities, even if they appear impossible.{{map ref|Frostlands}} Despite his frequent complaints, he seems to enjoy the worlds he visits, and finds the prospect of their destruction saddening. He can be condescending to others, especially people who aren't [[cosmere]]-aware, and gets annoyed when they're in the way of his missions.{{msh ref|3|2}}{{file ref|Bridge Four tatoos page.jpeg|text=Bridge Four tattoos}}{{wob ref|7415}} To those who know more about the cosmere, he can be snarky, sardonic and occasionally teasing.{{file ref|Alethi Glyphs Page 1.jpg|text=Alethi Glyphs}} However, he doesn't lack empathy, and will help others if it is within his power.{{msh ref|3|2}} He seems fond of [[Khriss]] in particular, calling her "my friend" in almost every annotation he leaves her.{{map ref|Elendel}}
 
Nazh seems to enjoy drinking, and is familiar with various types of alcohol.{{file ref|Rosharan Wines.jpg|text=Rosharan wines}} He keeps track of what is owed to him fairly strictly.{{map ref|Sea of Lost Lights}}{{file ref|name=Pattern}} His favorite food is a fried eggplant-like plant native to Threnody.{{wob ref|8328}}
 
== Attributes and Abilities ==
Nazh is a skilled artist, able to read and draw Rosharan [[glyph]]s from just seeing them on moving people.{{file ref|Bridge Four tatoos page.jpeg|text=Bridge Four tattoos}} He's able to infiltrate the population of various planets without any apparent issues, and can find his way out of even the most inconvenient circumstances and sticky situations, though not always with his dignity intact.{{map ref|Sycla|Sycla/Opelon}}{{map ref|Sea of Lost Lights}} He's an accomplished thief, though he's also familiar with a variety of jails, enough to consider some pleasant. Perhaps related to that is his physical fitness -- he's able to outrun an [[axehound]].{{map ref|Sea of Lost Lights}}{{file ref|Scroll of Stances.jpeg|Scroll of Stances}}
 
Like many [[worldhopper]]s, Nazh has some way to slow down or halt his aging. He seems to have some other powers as well, being able to dive to the bottom of the ocean to recover a bunch of drawings.{{file ref|name=Pattern}} He might have some sort of ability to either heal himself or withstand superhuman amounts of damage, as he's not afraid of jumping down over a hundred feet.{{file ref|name=nab}} He has some skills that make him a natural fit for the scouting and thievery he does for Khriss, but what those are, and if any of them are supernatural, is unknown.{{wob ref|13587}}
 
He's seen with two weapons. Around the time of [[Preservation]]'s death, he possesses a knife, long enough to almost be called a sword; he is not particularly attached to it, and gives it to Kelsier to aid him with his mission.{{msh ref|3|2}}{{wob ref|13252}} Three hundred years later, he's seen using a gun that appears to be capable of firing shades as projectiles, causing anything it hits to wither and crumble away.{{file ref|name=nab}}{{wob ref|7415}}
 
== History ==
He spent a longer while infiltrating the [[Calligraphers Guild]], as Khriss wished to learn its secrets. Though he disliked the work, he eventually managed to find out the mystery, and discovered that the "deep, dark secret" of the guild was that the glyphs could be read phonetically. He ribbed Khriss about it, joking that she likely expected something more esoteric.{{file ref|Alethi Glyphs Page 1.jpg|Alethi Glyphs}} He eventually stole a scroll explaining duelling stances from the Guild and fled, pursued by an [[axehound]].{{file ref|Scroll of Stances.jpeg|Scroll of Stances}} Either before or after that happened, he found the time to experiment with Rosharan alcohols, getting so drunk on [[Horneater white]], he ended up getting a tattoo of an embarrassing [[glyph]].{{wob ref|11012}}
 
He or Khriss seemed to have some interest in [[Shallan]] and her journey; he marked where she made landfall on the map of [[Frostlands]], and dove to retrieve some of her old drawings from the bottom of the sea.{{map ref|Frostlands}}{{file ref|name=Pattern}} He was also apparently interested in [[Kaladin]] on Khriss' behalf. In 1173, he was in the [[Alethi]] warcamps on the [[Shattered Plains]], where he observed the recently-freed [[Bridge Four]] to sketch the glyphs tattooed on their foreheads, as well as their uniform insignia and [[Kaladin]]'s slave brands.{{file ref|Bridge Four tatoos page.jpeg|text=Bridge Four tattoos}} He also tried to enter a meeting of the [[bridgemen]], posing as an [[ardent]], but was escorted out.{{book ref|sa2|31}}
 
While in the camps, he snatched [[Shallan]]'s symmetrical map of the Plains, though he refused to provide Khriss with a detailed one showing every plateau, as he'd have to create it himself.{{file ref|Shattered Plains WoR map.jpeg|text=Shattered Plains map}} He also gained access to [[Navani's journal]] and reproduced the [[ketek]] on its cover.{{book ref|sa2|endnote}} He might've been present at [[Shallan]] and [[Adolin]]'s wedding, as he also learned the ketek that [[Jasnah]] had composed for the occasion.{{book ref|sa3|endnote}}
{{quote
|I don't care if [this map]'s the Survivor's bathrobe! '''Just give it to me!'''
|Nazh to [[Nicelle Sauvage]]{{file ref|name=nab}}
}}
{{image|Ghastly Gondola.jpg|side=right|width=300px|Nazh and Nicelle fighting on the gondola}}
 
Some three and a half hundred years after the [[Catacendre]], and a few years after his trip to Roshar, Nazh returned to [[Scadrial]], now equipped with a gun seemingly capable of firing [[shade]]s and using them as weapons.{{file ref|name=nab}}{{wob ref|7415}} He obtained and annotated a map of [[Elendel]] made by the [[Canton of Cartography]], and passed it to Khriss.{{map ref|Elendel}} This time, both of them visited Scadrial's Physical Realm together for at least a short time, and put out an advertisement in ''[[The New Ascendancy]]'' newspaper asking that people hearing talking tools report it to "K and N".{{file ref|name=nab}}
 
Khriss either remained in or travelled to [[New Seran]], eventually meeting [[Wax]] at a ball and questioning him about his abilities.{{book ref|mb6|12}} Nazh, meanwhile, attempted to retrieve a map of [[New Seran]] inherited by [[Nicelle Sauvage]]. For this particular job, he dressed up in a [[mistcloak]] for unknown reasons. Nazh managed to acquire the map, but Nicelle pursued him onto a gondola of a cable train riding above the city. In return, Nazh opened fire from his shade gun, trying to make it seem as though he wanted to kill her so that she'd leave him alone.{{file ref|name=nab}}{{wob ref|7415}}
 
Nicelle, however, managed to use her [[leecher]] abilities to disarm the gun, to Nazh's shock. He managed to reactivate it in a few moments, but Nicelle quickly kicked it out of the gondola altogether and went for the map. The two struggled for it, with Nazh yelling at Nicelle in frustration to let go and Nicelle insisting that one, the map was her inheritance, and two, Nazh could've been much more polite about trying to acquire it. Nazh eventually resolved the situation by slicing the map in half and jumping off the gondola. He himself retained the part showing the city, while Nicelle had the half with a hidden pocket.{{file ref|name=nab}} It's unknown which was of greater interest to Nazh, and whether he was even aware of the hidden pocket's existence.
 
== Relationships ==
Nazh works for [[Khriss]]; their exact relation is unclear, but he doesn't protest when called her manservant.{{msh ref|3|2}} The two have shared interests, but above all, he's fiercely loyal to her for unknown reasons.{{wob ref|13017}} He travels to the various corners of the [[cosmere]] and visits different places to acquire information -- mostly maps -- for her. He can be caustic and occasionally make fun of her, but he clearly likes her a lot, and always refers to her per "my friend".{{map ref|Elendel}} She, in turn, seems to have a bad habit of abandoning him in inconvenient places, which he doesn't seem to mind too much beyond how it affects his work.{{map ref|Sycla|Sycla/Opelon}}
 
Though Nazh follows Khriss' commands, he is not blindly obedient; the two get into arguments fairly often.{{wob ref|9565}} When he disagrees with something she does, he will do his own thing, such as giving his knife and information to [[Kelsier]] after Khriss refused to assist the [[Cognitive Shadow]].{{msh ref|3|2}} He's also not above demanding that she compensate him for his losses, or pay him what he's owed from the bets between the two of them, and can sometimes make mild fun of her and her pursuit of secrets.{{map ref|Sea of Lost Lights}}{{file ref|name=Pattern}}{{file ref|Alethi Glyphs Page 1.jpg|text=Alethi Glyphs}}
 
=== Nicelle Sauvage ===
Nazh and [[Nicelle Sauvage]], known better under the pen name Nicki Savage, meet when the former tries to steal a map of [[New Seran]] that Nicelle has inherited. The map contains a hidden pocket with information from Nicelle's father, which is why she pursues Nazh and the two end up fighting over it (though, Nazh seems to be under the impression that this is just a regular, if very good map). Though angry with him for his theft and mystified by his odd weapon, Nicelle seems to find Nazh very attractive; she calls the timbre of his voice very enjoyable, and has apparently memorized his exact appearance.{{file ref|name=nab}}
 
Nicelle later dramatizes the story for publishing it in ''[[The New Ascendancy]]'', a [[New Seran]] broadsheet.{{file ref|name=nab}} This is unlikely to be the last time the two of them cross paths.{{wob ref|13743}}
 
== Development ==
}}
 
Nazh was created by [[Isaac Stewart]]; as such, he owns the rights to the character.{{wob ref|1504}} He came about accidentally during the writing of ''[[The Rithmatist]]''. When discussing the book, Isaac kept mispronouncing [[Nalizar]] as "Nazrilof". Brandon joked that the two were separate characters, with the latter being an alter-ego for Isaac himself, which became an inside joke in the writing group for a while. When the time came to create a map of [[Elendel]] for ''[[The Alloy of Law]]'', however, Brandon and Isaac returned to the idea seriously, and decided to make Nazh Khriss' map-collecting sidekick.{{wob ref|13743}}
 
There are some plans to create more stories featuring Nazh, including a telling his backstory; so far, the only known detail is that his home town is called [[Cialanis]]Cianalis, or some variation on the spelling thereof.{{wob ref|13011}} When Khriss and Nazh met, and when Nazh left Threnody, has so far been left ambiguous so that Brandon has more liberty with plotting out ''[[The Dust Brigade]]''.{{wob ref|452}} On the other hand, the how of [[Khriss]] and Nazh meeting will be partially revealed in the sequel to ''[[White Sand]]'', if it's ever created. Isaac has also expressed the desire to write a novella focusing on [[Nicelle Sauvage]], featuring Nazh as a major character.{{wob ref|12766}}{{wob ref|13744}}
 
== Trivia ==
* Nazh is not the person writing the [[Ars Arcanum|Ars Arcana]]{{wob ref|7026}} (it is in fact [[Khriss]]), or the tattooist who gave the [[bridgemen]] of [[Bridge Four]] their tattoos.{{17s ref|date=2014-02-26|post|101708|Nazh isn't the tattooist|author=Peter Ahlstrom}}
* Brandon has compared Nazh to a "grumpy [[Wikipedia: James Bond|James Bond]]".{{wob ref|13587}} Isaac, meanwhile, says he's "basically a young [[wikipedia:Peter Capaldi|Peter Capaldi]]".{{wob ref|9555}}
* Nazh's accent is meant to sound Scottish.{{wob ref|13011}}
* Nazh is Isaac's second favorite character in the cosmere, after [[Dalinar]].{{wob ref|13169}}
* He likes fried [[Wikipedia: eggplant| eggplant]]s since they remind him of a similar vegetable from Threnody.{{wob ref|13011}}
 
== Notes ==
<references>
{{file ref|Pattern.jpeg|''Shallan's Sketchbook'' page about Pattern|name=Pattern}}
{{17s ref|date=2014-02-26|post|101708|Nazh isn't the tattooist|author=Peter Ahlstrom}}
{{file ref|New Ascendancy broadsheet.jpg|''The New Ascendancy'' broadsheet|name=nab}}
</references>
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