◒

Difference between revisions of "Nazrilof"

From The Coppermind
Jump to navigation Jump to search
Line 7: Line 7:
 
|books=[[Mistborn (series)|Mistborn]], [[The Stormlight Archive]]
  
|books=[[Mistborn (series)|Mistborn]], [[The Stormlight Archive]]
 
}}
  
}}
  +
{{quote
  +
|Politeness. That's not how I work.
  +
|Nazh{{file ref|New Ascendancy broadsheet.jpg|The New Ascendancy Broadsheet}}
  +
}}
  +
 
'''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.{{article ref|The New Ascendancy}}{{wob ref|7415}} Nazrilof is his surname; his given name is yet to be revealed.{{17s ref|date=2016-12-31|news|312|Shardkeepers Podcast: Arcanum Unbounded Essays (discussion at 1:05:57 mark)}}
  
'''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.{{article ref|The New Ascendancy}}{{wob ref|7415}} Nazrilof is his surname; his given name is yet to be revealed.{{17s ref|date=2016-12-31|news|312|Shardkeepers Podcast: Arcanum Unbounded Essays (discussion at 1:05:57 mark)}}
   
Line 15: Line 20:
 
}}
  
}}
   
−
Nazh is a lanky man with narrow, pinched face. 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 Thenodite accent. He's rather skittish, and seems to have a hair-trigger temper, going from calm and annoyed in a moment. 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.{{file ref|Alethi Glyphs Page 1.jpg|text=Alethi Glyphs}}
 +
Nazh is a lanky man with narrow, pinched face, blonde hair and blue eyes.{{msh ref|3|2}}{{file ref|New Ascendancy broadsheet.jpg|The New Ascendancy Broadsheet}} 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 Thenodite accent. He's rather skittish, and seems to have a hair-trigger temper, going from calm and annoyed in a moment. He's 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.{{msh ref|3|2}}{{file ref|Bridge Four tatoos page.jpeg|text=Bridge Four tattoos}} To those who are, he can be snarky, sardonic and occassionally 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|Elendel}}
  
  +
  ⚫
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 occassionally 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|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|Pattern.jpeg|text=Pattern}} His favorite food is a fried eggplant-like plant native to Threnody.{{wob ref|8328}}
  
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|Pattern.jpeg|text=Pattern}} His favorite food is a fried eggplant-like plant native to Threnody.{{wob ref|8328}}
Line 32: Line 39:
   
 
== Attributes and Abilities ==
  
== Attributes and Abilities ==
−
Nazh is skilled artist, able to read and draw Rosharan [[glyph]]s even from only 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 variety of jails, enough so to consider some pleasant. Perhaps related to that is his physical fitness -- he's able to outrun an [[axehound]] in pursuit.{{map ref|Sea of Lost Lights}}{{file ref|Scroll of Stances.jpeg|Scroll of Stances}}
 +
Nazh is skilled artist, able to read and draw Rosharan [[glyph]]s even from only 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 variety of jails, enough so 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|Pattern.jpeg|text=Pattern}}
 +
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|Pattern.jpeg|text=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|New Ascendancy broadsheet.jpg|The New Ascendancy Broadsheet}} 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 |New Ascendancy broadsheet.jpg|The New Ascendancy Broadsheet}}{{wob ref|7415}}
 
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 |New Ascendancy broadsheet.jpg|The New Ascendancy Broadsheet}}{{wob ref|7415}}
   
 
== History ==
  
== History ==
  +
{{image|Nazrilof by Ashley Coad.png|side=right|width=300px|Nazh on [[Threnody]]}}
⚫
=== Threnody ===
  
  +
=== Early worldhopping ===
−
Nazh is a native Threnodite. It's unclear when he left the planet; however, the way he refers to the [[Shade]]s as highly respectable implies it was before [[Evil]] came to the Homeland.{{msh ref|3|2}}
  
  +
Nazh is a native [[Threnodite]]. The respect with which he speaks of [[shade]]s suggests he might've lived there prior to [[Evil]]'s coming to [[Homeland]], but it's unknown when he left, and what prompted him to start worldhopping.{{msh ref|3|2}}
   
  +
At some point, he met [[Khriss]], and told her as much as he knew about his homeworld, the shades, and Evil.{{au ref|threnodite}} The two began to travel together, following Khriss' interest in other planets; however, it seems that only Nazh actually traversed the other worlds in the [[Physical Realm]], collecting documents and maps for Khriss. She would often leave him on his own, herself staying at places unknown, seemingly without much care for where she dropped him off.{{map ref|Sycla|Sycla/Opelon}}
−
=== Sel ===
  
−
Nazh was at some point on [[Sel]], "abandoned," presumably, by Khriss. He found and annotated a map of [[Sycla]]/Opelon.{{map ref|Sycla|Sycla/Opelon}}
  
   
  +
One such situation occurred on [[Sel]], where she abandoned him at a place where accessing any information was difficult. He still managed to find a map of [[Sycla]] and send it over to Khriss with his own annotations.{{map ref|Sycla|Sycla/Opelon}}
−
=== Scadrial ===
  
  +
  +
=== Death of Preservation ===
  +
{{image|AU Secret History.jpeg|side=right|width=200px|[[Kelsier]] meeting Nazh and [[Khriss]]}}
 
{{quote
  
{{quote
 
|It's a bad state you and yours are in, but I rather like this place. Damnable mists and all.
  
|It's a bad state you and yours are in, but I rather like this place. Damnable mists and all.
 
|Nazh to [[Kelsier]]{{msh ref|3|2}}
  
|Nazh to [[Kelsier]]{{msh ref|3|2}}
 
}}
  
}}
−
Around the time of the [[Collapse]] and the [[Siege of Luthadel]], Nazh was on Scadrial, where he collected and annotated maps of [[Luthadel]].{{map ref|Luthadel}}
  
   
  +
Nazh and Khriss arrived on [[Scadrial]] to witness [[Preservation]]'s death.{{msh ref|3|2}} Nazh visited the planet's Physical Realm sometime around the [[Collapse]] and the [[Siege of Luthadel]], collecting and annotating a map of the city.{{map ref|Luthadel}} When on Scadrial, he pretended to be a [[skaa]], and retained the clothes even when he left the planet. He managed to return back to Scadrial's [[subastral]] before [[Kelsier]] destroyed the [[Pits of Hathsin]], which cut off the travel between the two Realms.{{msh ref|3|2}}
−
Khriss and Nazh met with [[Kelsier]] in the middle of [[Lake Luthadel]]'s impression in the [[Cognitive Realm]]. They introduced him to the basics of the [[cosmere]]. Nazh gave Kelsier his knife and directed him to the [[Ire]], a group of [[Elantrian]] worldhoppers in the west.{{msh ref|3|2}}
  
   
  +
Some time afterwards, at [[Preservation]]'s suggestion, Kelsier, now a [[Cognitive Shadow]], located Khriss and Nazh's camp in the subastral. His surprise visit shocked Nazh, who remained fidgety and brash towards him throughout the meeting, resenting Kelsier both for surprising him and for briefly stealing his knife. As Kelsier and Khriss talked, Nazh tried -- and failed -- to intimidate the former, and when Kelsier asked to learn more about the greater cosmere, Nazh mocked him for it, suggesting he wasn't ready to learn the truth.{{msh ref|3|2}}
−
Nazh traveled to [[Scadrial]] sometime after the year {{date|341|PC}} and obtained a map of [[Elendel]] made by the [[Canton of Cartography]], which he then annotated with certain locations of the city and signed with a message, with the intention of delivering it to their friend.{{map ref|Elendel}}
  
   
  +
Khriss eventually decided against helping Kelsier, and declared that the two of them would leave the planet before Preservation died. Nazh initially went with her, leaving Kelsier behind; however, he eventually returned. Expressing his support for Kelsier's cause, he gifted the man his knife and pointed him towards the [[Ire]] base before departing once more.{{msh ref|3|2}} Kelsier would eventually use the knife to smash [[Ire's orb]] and ascend to Preservation.{{msh ref|6|4}} He lost it at some point between then and [[Ruin]]'s death.{{msh ref|6|8}}
−
He is mentioned in an advertisement in [[The New Ascendancy]] broadsheet suggesting that people hearing talking tools should report it to K and N (which is thought to reference [[Khriss]] and Nazh).{{article ref|The New Ascendancy}} This could refer to sentient Awakened objects, like Nightblood.
  
−  
⚫
Nazh later attempts to retrieve a map of [[New Seran]] from [[Nicelle Sauvage]], but was only able to obtain half of it.{{file ref|New Ascendancy broadsheet.jpg|The New Ascendancy Broadsheet}}{{wob ref|7415}}
  
   
 
=== Roshar ===
  
=== Roshar ===
Line 65: Line 72:
 
|Nazh{{file ref|Bridge Four tatoos page.jpeg|text=Bridge Four tattoos}}
  
|Nazh{{file ref|Bridge Four tatoos page.jpeg|text=Bridge Four tattoos}}
 
}}
  
}}
−
On [[Roshar]] in late {{Rosharan date|1173}}, he observed the freed [[bridgemen]] from [[Bridge Four]] to sketch the [[glyph]]s they had had tattooed on their forehead to indicate their freedom, as well as the insignia on their uniforms and the ''sas nahn'' and ''shash'' glyphs their [[Alethkar#Military|captain]], [[Kaladin]], had, for presumably the same person as the Elendel map.{{ref|Bridge Four tatoos page.jpeg|text=Bridge Four tattoos}}
  
   
  +
Nazh travelled to Roshar prior to the year {{Rosharan date|1173}}. At some point, possibly before crossing over to the [[Physical Realm]], he traversed quite extensively the region of [[Shadesmar]] known as the [[Sea of Lost Lights]]. Among others, he stole a map of the area from creature named [[Smolderbrand]], got himself locked up in a jail in [[Ravizadth]] for fishing for a [[spren]] to do a job for him, and travelled from [[Candlemore]] to [[Celebrant]] on a [[mandra]]. The latter was apparently the result of a bet he had with [[Khriss]], and netted him some silver pieces.{{map ref|Sea of Lost Lights}}{{wob ref|12935}}
−
He also drew a map of the Shattered Plains, showing the pattern of plateaus, though he refused to draw the individual plateaus as (presumably) Khriss requested. His use of the term "shadows", a Thredonite curse, in the note for this map is a hint to his origins on Threnody.
  
  +
  +
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|Pattern.jpeg|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 occassion.{{book ref|sa3|endnote}}
  +
  +
=== The Ghastly Gondola incident ===
  +
{{quote
  +
|I don't care if [this map]'s the Survivor's bathrobe! '''Just give it to me!'''
  ⚫
|Nazh to [[Nicelle Sauvage]]{{file ref|New Ascendancy broadsheet.jpg|The New Ascendancy Broadsheet}}
  +
}}
  +
{{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|New Ascendancy broadsheet.jpg|The New Ascendancy Broadsheet}}{{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|New Ascendancy broadsheet.jpg|The New Ascendancy Broadsheet}}
  +
  +
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|New Ascendancy broadsheet.jpg|The New Ascendancy Broadsheet}}{{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|New Ascendancy broadsheet.jpg|The New Ascendancy Broadsheet}} It's unknown which was of greater interest to Nazh, and whether he was even aware of the hidden pocket's existence.
−
Nazh gained access to [[Navani's journal]] and reproduced a copy of a [[ketek]] that is shown on the cover.{{book ref|sa2|endnote}}
  
   
  +
== Relationships ==
−
He obtained a map of the [[Sea of Lost Lights]] in [[Shadesmar]]{{map ref|Sea of Lost Lights}} and wrote about [[Alethi]] [[glyphs]].{{file ref|Alethi Glyphs Page 1.jpg|Alethi Glyphs}}
  
  ⚫
=== Khriss ===
  +
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 occassionally make fun of her, but he clearly likes her a lot, and always refers to her per "my friend".{{map|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|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 own 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|Pattern.jpeg|Pattern}}{{file ref|Alethi Glyphs Page 1.jpg|text=Alethi Glyphs}}
−
At some point, possibly while "investigating" [[Vorin]] alcohols, he got drunk enough to get a tattoo of an embarrassing [[glyph]].{{wob ref|11012}}
  
   
 
== Trivia ==
  
== Trivia ==
−
* [[Isaac Stewart]] accidentally invented the name by mispronouncing "[[Nalizar]]"; it name became an inside joke and seemed fitting for a cosmere-aware character.{{wob ref|12829}}
 +
* [[Isaac Stewart]] was the one who created Nazh, in response to Brandon asking for an in-universe character who'd be collecting the maps that go into the books. As such, he owns Nazh as the character.{{wob ref|1504}} He accidentally invented the name by mispronouncing "[[Nalizar]]"; it became an inside joke and seemed fitting for a cosmere-aware character.{{wob ref|12829}}
 
* 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 [[Bridge Four|bridgemen]] their tattoos.{{17s ref|post|101708}}
  
* 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 [[Bridge Four|bridgemen]] their tattoos.{{17s ref|post|101708}}
  +
* Brandon has compared Nazh to a "grumpy James Bond".{{wob ref|13587}} Isaac, meanwhile, says he's "basically a young [[wikipedia:Peter Capaldi|Peter Capaldi]]".{{wob ref|9555}}
  +
* Isaac and Brandon have some plans to create stories about Nazh, including revealing his backstory.{{wob ref|12829}} Among others, Isaac intends to write a full novella about [[Nicelle Sauvage]], which would feature him in a major role.{{wob ref|13744}}
  +
* Nazh's accent is meant to sound Scottish.{{wob ref|13011}}
  +
* Nazh's home town is called Cialanis, or some variation on that.{{wob ref|13011}}
  +
* How Nazh and Khriss met will be partially revealed in the sequel to ''[[White Sand]]'', if it is ever created.{{wob ref|12766}}
  +
* Nazh is Isaac's second favourite character in the cosmere, after [[Dalinar]].{{wob ref|13169}}
   
 
== Notes ==
  
== Notes ==

Revision as of 20:23, 3 September 2020

Nazrilof
Nazh.jpg
by botanicaxu
Abilities Worldhopper
Aliases Nazh, the haunted man[1][2]
Homeworld Threnody
Universe Cosmere

“Politeness. That's not how I work. ”

—Nazh[1]

Nazrilof, who goes by the nickname Nazh,[3] is a mysterious worldhopper from Threnody[4] who gathers documents and creates sketches from different Shardworlds on behalf of Khriss.[5] He is also the man from the New Ascendancy broadsheet whose gun appears to shoot shades.[6][2] Nazrilof is his surname; his given name is yet to be revealed.[7]

Appearance and Personality

“I prefer the bloodstains to inkstains any day, so next time send me somewhere I'm more likely to die from wounds than from handcramps. ”

—Nazh to Khriss[8]

Nazh is a lanky man with narrow, pinched face, blonde hair and blue eyes.[9][1] 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.[9][10] When not blending in, he speaks with a faint, possibly Thenodite accent. He's rather skittish, and seems to have a hair-trigger temper, going from calm and annoyed in a moment. He's also very prone to swearing.[11][9]

He dislikes being surprised and one-upped by others, and is highly suspicious of strangers.[9] 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.[8][12]

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.[13] 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.[9][14][2] To those who know more about the cosmere, he can be snarky, sardonic and occassionally teasing.[8] However, he doesn't lack empathy, and will help others if it is within his power.[9] He seems fond of Khriss in particular, calling her "my friend" in almost every annotation he leaves her.Elendel.jpg

Nazh seems to enjoy drinking, and is familiar with various types of alcohol.[15] He keeps track of what is owed to him fairly strictly.[16][17] His favorite food is a fried eggplant-like plant native to Threnody.[18]

Attributes and Abilities

Nazh is skilled artist, able to read and draw Rosharan glyphs even from only seeing them on moving people.[14] 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.[19][16] He's an accomplished thief, though he's also familiar with variety of jails, enough so to consider some pleasant. Perhaps related to that is his physical fitness -- he's able to outrun an axehound.[16][20]

Like many worldhoppers, 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.[17] 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.[1] 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.[21]

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.[9][22] 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.[1][2]

History

by Ashley Coad
Nazh on Threnody

Early worldhopping

Nazh is a native Threnodite. The respect with which he speaks of shades suggests he might've lived there prior to Evil's coming to Homeland, but it's unknown when he left, and what prompted him to start worldhopping.[9]

At some point, he met Khriss, and told her as much as he knew about his homeworld, the shades, and Evil.[23] The two began to travel together, following Khriss' interest in other planets; however, it seems that only Nazh actually traversed the other worlds in the Physical Realm, collecting documents and maps for Khriss. She would often leave him on his own, herself staying at places unknown, seemingly without much care for where she dropped him off.[19]

One such situation occurred on Sel, where she abandoned him at a place where accessing any information was difficult. He still managed to find a map of Sycla and send it over to Khriss with his own annotations.[19]

Death of Preservation

by Ben McSweeney
Kelsier meeting Nazh and Khriss

“It's a bad state you and yours are in, but I rather like this place. Damnable mists and all. ”

—Nazh to Kelsier[9]

Nazh and Khriss arrived on Scadrial to witness Preservation's death.[9] Nazh visited the planet's Physical Realm sometime around the Collapse and the Siege of Luthadel, collecting and annotating a map of the city.[24] When on Scadrial, he pretended to be a skaa, and retained the clothes even when he left the planet. He managed to return back to Scadrial's subastral before Kelsier destroyed the Pits of Hathsin, which cut off the travel between the two Realms.[9]

Some time afterwards, at Preservation's suggestion, Kelsier, now a Cognitive Shadow, located Khriss and Nazh's camp in the subastral. His surprise visit shocked Nazh, who remained fidgety and brash towards him throughout the meeting, resenting Kelsier both for surprising him and for briefly stealing his knife. As Kelsier and Khriss talked, Nazh tried -- and failed -- to intimidate the former, and when Kelsier asked to learn more about the greater cosmere, Nazh mocked him for it, suggesting he wasn't ready to learn the truth.[9]

Khriss eventually decided against helping Kelsier, and declared that the two of them would leave the planet before Preservation died. Nazh initially went with her, leaving Kelsier behind; however, he eventually returned. Expressing his support for Kelsier's cause, he gifted the man his knife and pointed him towards the Ire base before departing once more.[9] Kelsier would eventually use the knife to smash Ire's orb and ascend to Preservation.[25] He lost it at some point between then and Ruin's death.[26]

Roshar

“I had to spend hours watching the bridgemen to sketch their stupid forehead glyphs so you could have them, my friend. ”

—Nazh[14]

Nazh travelled to Roshar prior to the year 1173. At some point, possibly before crossing over to the Physical Realm, he traversed quite extensively the region of Shadesmar known as the Sea of Lost Lights. Among others, he stole a map of the area from creature named Smolderbrand, got himself locked up in a jail in Ravizadth for fishing for a spren to do a job for him, and travelled from Candlemore to Celebrant on a mandra. The latter was apparently the result of a bet he had with Khriss, and netted him some silver pieces.[16][27]

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.[8] He eventually stole a scroll explaining duelling stances from the Guild and fled, pursued by an axehound.[20] 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.[28]

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.[13][17] 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.[14] He also tried to enter a meeting of the bridgemen, posing as an ardent, but was escorted out.[10]

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.[29] He also gained access to Navani's journal and reproduced the ketek on its cover.[30] He might've been present at Shallan and Adolin's wedding, as he also learned the ketek that Jasnah had composed for the occassion.[31]

The Ghastly Gondola incident

“I don't care if [this map]'s the Survivor's bathrobe! Just give it to me! ”

—Nazh to Nicelle Sauvage[1]
by Ben McSweeney
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 shades and using them as weapons.[1][2] He obtained and annotated a map of Elendel made by the Canton of Cartography, and passed it to Khriss.[32] 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".[1]

Khriss either remained in or travelled to New Seran, eventually meeting Wax at a ball and questioning him about his abilities.[33] 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.[1][2]

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.[1] It's unknown which was of greater interest to Nazh, and whether he was even aware of the hidden pocket's existence.

Relationships

Khriss

Nazh works for Khriss; their exact relation is unclear, but he doesn't protest when called her manservant.[9] The two have shared interests, but above all, he's fiercely loyal to her for unknown reasons.[34] 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 occassionally make fun of her, but he clearly likes her a lot, and always refers to her per "my friend".Elendel.jpg 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.Sycla-Opelon Map.jpg

Though Nazh follows Khriss' commands, he is not blindly obedient; the two get into arguments fairly often.[35] 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.[9] He's also not above demanding that she compensate him for his losses, or pay him what he's own from the bets between the two of them, and can sometimes make mild fun of her and her pursuit of secrets.[16][17][8]

Trivia

  • Isaac Stewart was the one who created Nazh, in response to Brandon asking for an in-universe character who'd be collecting the maps that go into the books. As such, he owns Nazh as the character.[36] He accidentally invented the name by mispronouncing "Nalizar"; it became an inside joke and seemed fitting for a cosmere-aware character.[37]
  • Nazh is not the person writing the Ars Arcana[38] (it is in fact Khriss), or the tattooist who gave the bridgemen their tattoos.[39]
  • Brandon has compared Nazh to a "grumpy James Bond".[21] Isaac, meanwhile, says he's "basically a young Peter Capaldi".[11]
  • Isaac and Brandon have some plans to create stories about Nazh, including revealing his backstory.[37] Among others, Isaac intends to write a full novella about Nicelle Sauvage, which would feature him in a major role.[40]
  • Nazh's accent is meant to sound Scottish.[41]
  • Nazh's home town is called Cialanis, or some variation on that.[41]
  • How Nazh and Khriss met will be partially revealed in the sequel to White Sand, if it is ever created.[42]
  • Nazh is Isaac's second favourite character in the cosmere, after Dalinar.[43]

Notes

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j The New Ascendancy Broadsheet
  2. ↑ a b c d e f Shire Post Mint Mistborn Coin AMA
    — Arcanum - 2017-10-26#
  3. ↑ Arcanum Unbounded Hoboken signing
    — Arcanum - 2016-12-03#
  4. ↑ London signing
    — Arcanum - 2014-08-04#
  5. ↑ Manchester signing
    — Arcanum - 2014-08-06#
  6. ↑ The New Ascendancy#
  7. ↑ Shardkeepers Podcast: Arcanum Unbounded Essays (discussion at 1:05:57 mark)
    — 17th Shard forums - 2016-12-31#
  8. ↑ a b c d e Alethi Glyphs
  9. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Mistborn: Secret History part 3 chapter 2#
  10. ↑ a b Words of Radiance chapter 31#
  11. ↑ a b JordanCon 2018
    — Arcanum - 2018-04-20#
  12. ↑ Isaac Stewart r/Stormlight_Archive AMA
    — Arcanum - 2019-10-01#
  13. ↑ a b Map of Frostlands
  14. ↑ a b c d Bridge Four tattoos
  15. ↑ Rosharan wines
  16. ↑ a b c d e Map of Sea of Lost Lights
  17. ↑ a b c d Pattern
  18. ↑ Oathbringer release party
    — Arcanum - 2017-11-13#
  19. ↑ a b c Map of Sycla/Opelon
  20. ↑ a b Scroll of Stances
  21. ↑ a b YouTube Livestream 3
    — Arcanum - 2020-01-25#
  22. ↑ Prague Signing
    — Arcanum - 2019-10-26#
  23. ↑ Arcanum Unbounded - The Threnodite System#
  24. ↑ Map of Luthadel
  25. ↑ Mistborn: Secret History part 6 chapter 4#
  26. ↑ Mistborn: Secret History part 6 chapter 8#
  27. ↑ JordanCon 2018
    — Arcanum - 2018-04-20#
  28. ↑ Skyward Pre-Release AMA
    — Arcanum - 2018-10-04#
  29. ↑ Shattered Plains map
  30. ↑ Words of Radiance endnote#
  31. ↑ Oathbringer endnote#
  32. ↑ Map of Elendel Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "Elendel.jpg" defined multiple times with different content
  33. ↑ The Bands of Mourning chapter 12#
  34. ↑ Isaac Stewart r/Stormlight_Archive AMA
    — Arcanum - 2019-10-01#
  35. ↑ JordanCon 2018
    — Arcanum - 2018-04-22#
  36. ↑ Arcanum Unbounded Chicago signing
    — Arcanum - 2016-12-06#
  37. ↑ a b General Twitter 2019
    — Arcanum - 2019-05-08#
  38. ↑ Calamity release party
    — Arcanum - 2016-02-16#
  39. ↑ {{{3}}}
    — 17th Shard forums - {{{date}}}# Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "17s-post-101708" defined multiple times with different content
  40. ↑ Tor.com interview with Isaac Stewart
    — Arcanum - 2020-05-07#
  41. ↑ a b Isaac Stewart r/Stormlight_Archive AMA
    — Arcanum - 2019-10-01#
  42. ↑ General Reddit 2019
    — Arcanum - 2019-05-28#
  43. ↑ Isaac Stewart r/Stormlight_Archive AMA
    — Arcanum - 2019-10-01#
This article is still missing information. Please help The Coppermind by expanding it.
Retrieved from "https://coppermind.net/wiki/Nazrilof?&oldid=131952"