Notum
| Notum | |
|---|---|
| Abilities | Splinter of Honor |
| Titles | Captain |
| Species | Honorspren |
| Homeworld | Roshar |
| Universe | Cosmere |
“Are you going? Every moment you delay increases the danger to us all. ”
—Notum to Shallan Davar[1]
Notum is an honorspren who serves as the captain of the ship Honor's Path.[2]
Appearance and Personality
“I've sworn an oath myself. To Honor, and to the truths we follow.”
Notum is a tall honorspren who is dressed in a tight, sharp but outdated naval uniform that is a part of his substance.[2] Notum also has a beard, with a shaved chin and a thin mustache that connects to a thin line of hair that runs up his cheeks and connects to his sideburns. Like all honorspren, Notum stands with an imperious bearing, and like all honorspren glows a soft blue-white color.
Notum is the epitome of what it means to be an honorspren. He has sworn an oath to Honor and tries his best to live by that, believing that oaths and promises are crucial.[2] He is a loyal servant of the Stormfather, and unwilling to compromise his beliefs, but can be swayed by arguments that involve oaths other people have made. Notum is a cautious spren; he understands that the strength of humankind is their dynamic personalities, although he still believes that the Nahel bond risks disaster and that Syl and Kaladin should sever their bond. Notum strongly cares for his crew and is very defensive of them. He struggles with the fact by allowing Syl escape, he is putting his crew in harm's way.[1]
History
Notum was born after the Recreance, four generations after the Stormfather was moved to recreate the honorspren.[2] At some point in his past, he swore an oath to Honor and the truths that the honorspren follow. Notum spent at least some time in the honorspren capital, Lasting Integrity, doing the Stormfather's bidding, during which time he got to know Sylphrena[1] He also became the captain of Honor's Path. In early 1174, Notum and his crew took port in Celebrant.[3] After a disturbance in the city, the ship was preparing to flee, but after Sylphrena called out to his ship, revealing her identity, he took her and her companions aboard the ship. Notum initially confined the Radiants and their spren to their quarters.[2] However after a week's travel he released all of them but Syl, because he claimed that it was dishonorable to hold people against their will who are not prisoners. He kept Syl in captivity though, intending to deliver her to the honorspren capital of Lasting Integrity. Upon her release to the deck, Notum gave Shallan permission to bring the Cognitive aspect beads on the deck and practice visualizing them. He briefly explained to her how the beads work in Shadesmar.
“I’m no highspren. I can see that the variety of humankind is what gives you strength. Your ability to change your minds, to go against what you once thought, can be a great advantage. But your bond is dangerous, without Honor. There will not be enough checks upon your power—you risk disaster.”
—Notum's thoughts on the Nahel bond[2]
Days later, Notum attempted to remove Kaladin from the upper deck of his ship.[2] Kaladin again tried to convince him to release Syl from her quarters. Notum threatened to lock Kaladin up again or throw him overboard. Notum explains to Kaladin that he considers Kaldin's relationship with Syl to be inappropriate and dangerous. He also explains to Kaladin that Syl is one of the Stormfather's first children, and the only honorspren survivor of the Recreance, which is why the Stormfather is so protective of her. Notum also believes that the Nahel bond is dangerous without Honor and that Kaladin and Syl should separate. Kaladin tries again to convince Notum to free Syl, and he walked away but allowed Kaladin to remain on deck. When windspren take interest in Kaladin, Notum watched them and exclaims that he he has never seen them himself before. Kaladin used this opportunity to again ask Notum to help them reach Dalinar Kholin in time, explaining that he has sworn an oath to protect. Notum was shocked to hear that Dalinar had bonded the Stormfather and agreed to consider helping them. Shortly afterward, a member of the crew spotted six Fused in pursuit of the ship.
After several hours spent trying to outrun the Fused, Notum agreed to help.[1] He freed Syl and had his crew unlatch a section of the hull for the Radiants and their spren to escape through. Azure asked him to have his crew cut bales of cloth into specific shapes, and Notum gave the order, even though he did not understand the reason. Notum allowed them to escape the ship, despite the danger it posed to his crew so that Syl could escape the Fused. He believed that his crew would be captured and tortured shortly thereafter and his fate is unknown following the presumed attack of the Fused on his ship.
Trivia
- Shallan later Lightweaves an illusion of Notum to confuse some Fused during a fight.[4]
- Notum's name, like that of a number of other honorspren, is derived from real-world linguistics related to the wind.[5] Specifically, he is named for Notus, the Ancient Greek god of the South Wind.