Notum
| Notum | |
|---|---|
| Abilities | Splinter of Honor |
| Titles | Captain |
| Species | Honorspren |
| Homeworld | Roshar |
| Universe | Cosmere |
“Honor is not dead so long as he lives in the hearts of men! ”
—Notum[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Notum is a tall honorspren who dresses in a tight, sharp, but outdated naval uniform that is a part of his substance. 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 glows a soft blue-white color.[2]
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.
Notum strongly cares for his crew and is very defensive of them. He struggles with the fact that by allowing Syl escape, he is putting his crew in harm's way.[3] He is willing to consider that he is wrong when presented with evidence; after Adolin saves him, he realizes humans are not all despicable and defends him, even at great personal cost, at his trial.[1]
History
Early Life
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.[3]
Captain of Honor's Path
Notum at some point became the captain of Honor's Path. In early 1174, Notum and his crew took port in Celebrant.[4] After a disturbance in the city, the ship was preparing to flee, but after Sylcalled 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; however, after a week's travel, he released all of them but Syl because he claimed that it was dishonorable to hold people who were not prisoners against their will. He kept Syl in captivity, though, intending to deliver her to the honorspren capital. 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.[2]
“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. Kaladin again tried to convince him to release Syl from her quarters. Notum threatened to lock Kaladin up again or throw him overboard. Notum explained to Kaladin that he considered Kaldin's relationship with Syl to be inappropriate and dangerous. He also explained to Kaladin that Syl was one of the Stormfather's first children and the only honorspren survivor of the Recreance, which was why the Stormfather was so protective of her. Notum also believed that the Nahel bond was dangerous without Honor and that Kaladin and Syl should separate. Kaladin tried again to convince Notum to free Syl, and he walked away but allowed Kaladin to remain on deck. When windspren took an interest in Kaladin, Notum watched them and exclaimed that he had never seen windspren in person before. Kaladin used this opportunity to again ask Notum to help them reach Dalinar Kholin in time, explaining that he had sworn an oath to protect the Bondsmith. 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 eight Fused in pursuit of the ship.[2]
After several hours spent trying to outrun the Fused, Notum agreed to help. 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;[3] in fact, he spent five months in prison before being demoted to the lowest rank possible, exiled from Lasting Integrity, and assigned two centuries' time patrolling the empty land surrounding Lasting Integrity.[5]
Trivia
- Shallan later Lightweaves an illusion of Notum to confuse some Fused during a fight.[6]
- Notum's name, like that of a number of other honorspren, is derived from real-world linguistics related to the wind.[7] Specifically, he is named for Notus, the Ancient Greek god of the South Wind.