Noura

Noura
Profession	Vizier
Residence	Azimir
Nationality	Azish
Homeworld	Roshar
Universe	Cosmere

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Noura is a high-ranking vizier in Prime Aqasix Yanagawn the First's court in Azir on Roshar.

Appearance and Personality

She has a round face, dark eyes, and graying hair that she wears in a tight side braid. Although Lift calls her "Fat Lips", she does not actually have fat lips. She wears a hat and long, layered robes, sometimes adding a coat with oversized sleeves. All of her clothing has brightly patterned textiles that are typical of Azir and are used to signify rank and other attributes.

Noura is educated and logical, and she places a high value on laws and bureaucracy. However, she is empathetic, and will occasionally bend the law to do what she believes is right. She is frank and not easily intimidated, particularly when she believes the law is on her side. She strives to act in the best interests of Azir.

Abilities and Attributes

Noura is intelligent. She is literate in Azish, and is able to write poetry; even Lift has noted the elegance of her handwriting. She is able to speak the Alethi language. She is familiar with the writings of Jasnah Kholin and is extremely impressed by the writing style of her essay Verdict, although it is not clear if she can read women's script.

She is versed in Rosharan history and politics. She is also well-informed regarding Azir's current economic climate as well as military positioning and strategy.

History

Noura passed the "master office" tests to become a vizier at only twelve years of age, giving her seniority among current viziers, even those much older than she was. She has lived in Azimir, the capital of Azir and the seat of its throne, since then.

Ascendance of Gawx

Noura was present during a failed robbery of the Bronze Palace attempted by Huqin's crew. "Darkness" appeared as he attempted to apprehend Lift; Noura did not recognize him, and was upset that he was intruding in the palace with his minions. She demanded to see his papers, and although she found that they were in order, she was shocked to see that the sentence for a child thief is death. She told Darkness to carry on, but then pushed a table into one of his minions, allowing Lift enough time to access Investiture and ultimately escape.

Noura and the other viziers followed Darkness and came across Gawx, who was dying after having his throat slit by one of the minions. They witnessed his seeming resurrection when Lift healed him with Stormlight.Noura led a vote on the spot to confirm Gawx as the new Prime Aqasix, believing that he may be able to survive an attack by the Assassin in White.

She retained her position as lead vizier after Yanagawn was crowned and was said to miss Lift while she spent time in Yeddaw.

Meeting Dalinar

“You are not what I expected, Blackthorn. ”

—Noura, to Dalinar

Noura met with Dalinar Kholin in Azimir after he showed Yanagawn some of his visions. She openly displayed her distrust of Dalinar and the Alethi, but admitted that Yanagawn had been swayed by Dalinar's arguments. Dalinar presented the viziers with essays written by Fen, Navani, and Jasnah, each of which contained compelling arguments regarding Dalinar's alliance. Noura was surprised by his diplomatic approach. The essays bought Dalinar more time, and he had some strained conversations with Noura about the current state of affairs on Roshar while she led him through the city to a small waiting room. She informed him that Azir's parshmen did not immediately prepare for war like those in Alethkar, instead formally demanding reparations before being led away by Regals or Fused. After some deliberation, Noura told Dalinar that Azir would accept his invitation to Urithiru despite her own objections, and that other nations in the Azish Empire were likely to follow.

Dalinar's Coalition

Noura directly advised Yanagawn at the first meeting of monarchs in Urithiru. She whispered various instructions to Yanagawn, notably raising the question of whether the Knights Radiant's powers and the Oathgates were safe to use. After some discussion, Noura reached the conclusion that the coalition made sense, and Yanagawn offered to send troops to Jah Keved.

As the coalition prepared for war, Noura traveled to Thaylen City with Yanagawn; she later wrote Queen Fen a poem thanking her for her hospitality. She also gave a report to the other monarchs regarding the movement of Azir's fleet. However, numerous pieces of information suddenly came to light (including revelations that Dalinar did not disclose all of the information about his visions, that Elhokar had sworn fealty to Dalinar as "highking", the arrival of an unexpected Everstorm, and the translation of the Eila Stele) that threw the coalition into chaos. Noura pointedly asked Dalinar about Odium appearing in his visions, and he admitted that he had.

“That Oathgate is dangerous. These powers of yours are dangerous. Deny it.”

—Noura, to Dalinar

Noura realized that it was likely someone orchestrated the downfall of the coalition, but she did not care; she already lacked trust for Surgebinders in general and Dalinar specifically, and it was clear that he had withheld relevant information. The Azish delegation abandoned the coalition and left Thaylen City, refusing to use the Oathgate. Lift and Yanagawn later second-guessed this decision, and Yanagawn told Noura that he would be dead without Lift's Radiant powers. Lift had already stolen away from the ship, and Yanagawn told Noura that they needed to turn around. Noura reminded him that the emperor of Azir does not have absolute power, and that Yanagawn would jeopardize the throne if he attempted to rejoin the battle against the wishes of the vizierate. Before the argument concluded, they received reports that the Alethi had joined Odium's forces, seemingly proving Noura right. Yanagawn was baffled by this turn of events, as he was not aware that Odium was using Nergaoul to control the Alethi.

Noura presumably realized she was wrong about Dalinar after the Battle of Thaylen Field, as she attended the wedding of Shallan and Adolin, bringing gifts from Yanagawn and Lift.

Relationships

Yanagawn

As the senior vizier in the Azish court, Noura is highly influential on Gawx after he ascends to the throne as Yanagawn the First. Yanagawn seems to like the viziers and notes that they are doing their best to educate him as quickly as possible. Noura is generally always at Yanagawn's side during important meetings, and he sometimes sends her as an envoy in his stead. Noura believes that Yanagawn should not always follow Lift's advice, since Lift is very impulsive.

Lift

Noura was able to quickly ascertain that Lift was not the dangerous criminal that Nale claimed her to be. Lift claims that the viziers do not like her. Lift likes to playfully aggravate Noura, but she also seems to trust her. Although Lift's quirky actions often confound Noura, she appears to be fond of Lift. Still, Noura seems to be unsettled by Lift's unpredictable nature; when departing Thaylen City she assigns Vono to watch Lift, but Lift escapes with ease.

Dalinar

Noura assumes that the Alethi always attempt to solve their problems through violence, a stereotype that is particularly prevalent in Azir due to the genocide perpetrated there by Sadees the Sunmaker. She is inherently wary of Dalinar Kholin because of his nationality, his powers, and his reputation. Before meeting him, she assumed he would be half-man, half-animal, but her fears are quelled by his unexpectedly calm demeanor and his ability to speak Azish. She still maintains a level of distrust for Dalinar, and quickly turns on him after learning that he has not been forthcoming about all of his visions.

Notes

Footnotes

References

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