Riino

Riino
Abilities	Elantrian, Worldhopper
Aliases	Rii Oracle
Groups	Ire
Residence	Shadesmar
Homeworld	Sel
Universe	Cosmere
First Appeared	Elantris

“You came here for a fortune, didn’t you? You wish me to see the unwalked paths—during the highstorm, when realms blend. ”

—Riino to Kaladin

Riino is a formerly-Hoed Elantrian and a member of the Ire from Sel. In the present, he serves as a lighthouse keeper and oracle in Roshar's Shadesmar.

His name derives from Aon Rii, which means "wealth."

Appearance and Personality

As a Hoed, he is small and extremely wrinkled; Raoden thinks he appears to be "a thousand years old". When Kaladin and the others meet him, he has retained the wrinkled skin and also has the bald head common to Elantrians. Kaladin thinks he is Shin, presumably because, as an offworlder, he lacks the epicanthic fold seen in most Rosharans but absent in the Shin.

He displays a flair for showmanship; in his role as a fortune seer, he delivers a dramatic speech to entice potential customers into paying for fortunes, and confesses that he quite enjoys doing so. Once he realizes that Kaladin is not there for a fortune, however, he becomes businesslike and helpful, setting the travelers up with transportation and supplies. He's a follower of Shu-Korath, or at least has been heavily exposed to it.

Abilities and Attributes

Riino is an Elantrian, and has all the associated powers, including functional immortality, healing, and the ability to use Aons. He seems capable of functioning as an Elantrian at a considerable distance from Sel, without the Dor channel that the Ire use in the days of the Final Empire. How he achieves this, and whether it's something available to all Ire at the time of the True Desolation, is unknown.

Riino is a worldhopper, having traveled at the very least from Sel to Roshar. He also may have been to Nalthis, as he mentions Heightenings, though the word may have simply entered into general worldhopper parlance. In addition to referencing Heightenings, he also mentions being Invested and Surgebinding, indicating he is at least somewhat aware of the cosmere.

Future Sight

Riino has an ability to predict the future, assisted by some sort of shining globe. Whatever the globe is, it isn't a fabrial, as it doesn't feature a gemstone. While Riino himself mentions that utilizing it requires specific training, the globe can grant visions to the uninitiated. It requires that its surroundings be highly Invested, which is why Riino uses it only during a highstorm.

This being said, Azure believes that Riino is a charlatan, using various euphoric substances and psychological manipulation to make people believe he can see the future. Considering that Kaladin's vision appears to have been correct, she's likely wrong, though it's also possible that the vision is unrelated to the globe, as Kaladin has seen true things in highstorms before.

History

“We were so beautiful once. My hair so bright, my skin full of light. Aons fluttered from my fingers. They were so beautiful… ”

—Riino's mantra as the Hoed

Sel

Riino became an Elantrian at some point before the Reod; he eventually became a Hoed, repeating a mantra of "Beautiful, once so very beautiful...", referring to the lost beauty of Elantris and the Elantrians. He survived until Raoden, ten years after the Reod, realized what his mantra meant and attempted to get information on AonDor from him. Riino displayed just enough rationality and memory to direct Raoden to put him into Devotion's Perpendicularity, where he appeared to dissolve.

Member of the Ire

In actuality, he was transported to the Cognitive Realm; he somehow survived the dangerous conditions in the area, eventually recovered his mind, and later became a member of the Ire. Later, he took up a post at a lighthouse on the Rosharan subastral of the Cognitive Realm, in the Sea of Lost Lights. He settled there for a specific reason, and though he was a member of the Ire, his purpose there was unrelated to the Ire's overall goals.

When Kaladin, Shallan, Adolin, their spren, and Azure accidentally entered Shadesmar, their travels brought them to Riino. Kaladin attempted to sneak up on Riino, who detected him anyway. Riino introduced himself as the "Rii Oracle" and offered to tell Kaladin's fortune during a highstorm, using a large globe filled with what appeared to be Stormlight. When Kaladin touched the globe and had a vision of his own, Riino was surprised, and managed to guess how Kaladin had access to the Investiture required to cause that effect.

When the rest of the group arrived, Riino negotiated prices with them on supplies and helped them get a ship to Celebrant. He eventually dropped them off into the care of the Reachers and returned to his lighthouse, having apparently decided that the matter was no longer his concern.

Trivia

• Riino's connection to the events of Elantris has not been revealed on-page; rather, Brandon pointed to it unprompted, referring to a scene where Kaladin meets "our 'so very beautiful' friend from Elantris".

Notes

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