Rua
| Rua | |
|---|---|
 by Dragontrill
| |
| Abilities | Nahel bond, Windrunner magic, Splinter of Honor |
| Bonded With | Lopen |
| Aliases | Naco |
| Species | Honorspren |
| Homeworld | Roshar |
| Universe | Cosmere |
“"Storm you!" Lopen made a double obscene gesture toward the sky...Rua joined him, making the same gesture, then grew two extra arms to give it more weight. ”
—Lopen teaching Rua a rude gesture[1]
Rua is an Honorspren on Roshar. He bonded Lopen and they together belong to Bridge Four.[1]
Appearance and Personality
Rua appears to Lopen as a ribbon of light, a young boy of nine or ten years and as a young man. One of his favorite forms is a flying chull with broad wings.[2] Lopen calls him naco. He likes to play hide-and-seek with Lopen, whose carefree attitude meshes well with the spren. He is mischievous like a windspren. He appears to be incapable of speech, though Lopen seems to understand more complex meanings from his gestures.[1][3]
Attributes and Abilities
As an Honorspren, forming a Nahel bond with Rua made Lopen a Knight Radiant of the Order of Windrunners. Through their bond, Lopen is able to access the Surges of Gravitation and Adhesion, and after Lopen reaches his Third Ideal, Rua is able to form a Shardblade.[1][3]
History
Rua seems to have begun investigating Lopen for a potential Nahel bond sometime between the Battle of Narak and the Battle of Thaylen Field. Lopen then swore the First Ideal sometime before the Battle of Thaylen Field and swore the Second Ideal shortly after the battle, while talking to a wounded soldier.[1]
Rua, who is nicknamed Naco by Lopen, plays with him at the war camps where the wounded are being cared for. He is still at the beginning of his consciousness. When Lopen teaches Rua how to make a rude gesture, the spren proceeds to use it indiscriminately, once even growing an extra pair of arms to make a quadruple rude gesture towards the Stormfather himself.[1]
Rua travelled with Lopen to Akinah, and even showed himself to Rysn at one point during the voyage.[4] He also helped Lopen detect and keep track of Turlm when the sailor was washed overboard. For the duration of the storm and until they reached the shore, Rua watched the ocean for and kept track of a shadow, later revealed to be a specialised Sleepless hordeling, that followed the Wandersail as they approached Akinah[5], and continued to follow the rowboat they took to shore.[6] Rua was concerned for Lopen when he was injured fighting the specialised hordelings defending Akinah.[7] After the battle, Rua helped Lopen swear his Third Ideal and became a Shardblade for the first time, including an engraving of Rua making a rude gesture as soon as Lopen considers it.[3]
Relationships
Lopen
“Life before death, strength before weakness, journey before pancakes. ”
—Lopen’s first oath, where he bonds Rua.[1]
Rua and Lopen have a good time together as they play hide and seek or make gestures to other people, but when things get serious Rua is genuinely worried about Lopen when injured.[7] Rua follows and imitates Lopen.[1] Rua knows that Lopen sometimes unintentionally hurts people with his jokes, and helped him acknowledge that and swear his Third Ideal.[3]
Phendorana
Lopen asks if it's Phendorana's fault that he hasn't sworn the Third Ideal, implying Rua listens to her, specifically when it comes to oaths.[8]
Huio
Rua cheered for Huio when he swore his Third Ideal during the battle on Akinah; he was excited and happy about Huio progressing in his bond with Caelinora.[9]
Sylphrena
Syl believes Rua to be the only other honorspren like her, curious and mischievous like a windspren, indicating that they likely know each other in some capacity.[10]