Narad

Narad [NAIR-ad]Kharkanas Discussion with Steven Erikson - Follow Up Discussion, Light Spoilers - Books with Banks - As pronounced by Steven Erikson at 19:10 was a caravan guard working for Captain Haral on the road between Abara Delack and Kharkanas. He had long greasy hair and scars on his lower lip. Narad chafed under discipline and was not well liked by his fellow guards. He was described as a dog that did not have the brains to know his place.Forge of Darkness, Chapter 6, UK HC p.169/170
== In Forge of Darkness==
Narad taunted the caravan's sole passenger, the child Orfantal. In response, Captain Haral kicked and punched him senseless.Forge of Darkness, Chapter 6, UK HC p.170 Permanently disfigured by the beating, Narad was left behind. He soon found his way into the employ of Urusander's Legion, raiding and killing Deniers. Despite misgivings, he participated in the rape and murder of Enesdia and her family days before her wedding to Andarist.Forge of Darkness, Chapter 14, UK HC p.441 When Captain Scara Bandaris returned to take over Narad's troop and discovered his soldiers' involvement in the violence he rebuked them and fellow captains Hallyd Bahann and Tathe Lorat. He resigned his commission and invited any volunteers to accompany him to Sedis Hold. Narad was ready to leave the violence behind and Corporal Bursa vouched for him.Forge of Darkness, Chapter 20, UK HC p.646/7
== In Fall of Light==
Narad departed from Scara Bandaris' company after murdering some of his tormenters among the soldiers. Wandering the burnt forests alone, he happened upon a Denier named Glyph who was hunting Legion soldiers. A bond was forged between them, and they began hunting the woods together.Fall of Light, Chapter 3, US HC p.78-81 Glyph soon noticed a habit Narad had of awakening in the middle of the night and pacing the camp. He bestowed upon Narad the title of Yedan, or The Watch in the Old Language of the Tiste. Other Deniers began joining their cause and their party grew larger. 
Narad began having dreams in which he was walking along a shoreline in the presence of a goddess. He addressed the goddess as Twilight, but she took the form of Enesdia, whose rape and murder Narad had participated in. Narad and Glyph's group ran across Anomander Rake and Caladan Brood, where an enigmatic conversation occurred in which Narad pledged the cause of the Deniers to "her" (it was hinted to the reader that this meant the Twilight/Enesdia figure from Narad's dreams, but Anomander assumed he was referring to Mother Dark). Recalling his dreams of a shoreline to Glyph, Narad asked him the word for 'shoreline' in the Old Language. Glyph replied, "Emurlahn."Fall of Light, Chapter 4, US HC p.105-113
==Author comments==
Steven Erikson says Narad was "a character I never expected to be of such interest" during the writing of the trilogy. His "storyline...just sort of organically grew out of [his] scenes and he became a really, really interesting character because he's basically a character for whom redemption is not</U> possible. And so what do you do at that point? You have two choices: either you take your own life or you at least make the effort of redemption, at reconciliation of some form. But it is not possible, so, you know, what kind of existence is that? I got really interested in writing that stuff up." 
Steven Erikson Interview and Discussion of The Kharkanas Trilogy - Books with Banks - See 1:05:25
==Notes and references==
Category:Deniers
Category:Guards
Category:Males
Category:Soldiers
Category:Tiste
Category:Urusander's Legion