Azhanharad

**Subpraeceptor Azhanharad** is a member of the Amalo chapter of the Vigilant Brotherhood.

## Appearance

Azhanharad was a tall, broad, half-goblin man, and had an accent of the Mervarnen Mountains.

## Personality

Azhanharad preferred force to subtlety. Anora Chanavar noted that he was thorough. Thara noted that Azhanharad was canny.

Azhanharad's Mervarneise roots, where Vilkhelneisei are common, made him suspicious of Witnesses for the Dead, but he worked with Thara when a Witness for the Dead was needed. Although Azhanharad was suspicious of Thara's calling, he did not appear to actually be Vilkhelneisei: he believed ghouls were real, and dangerous.

Azhanharad was often compassionate to the living and the dead, despite his preference for force: he spoke sadly of the dead and murdered, and went beyond his job to ensure that mysterious deaths were investigated. Other Brotherhood members “consider that offensive to the dead and deeply inappropriate.”

Azhanharad was uncomfortable either at the sight of fatal injury, injuries in general, or the handling of dead bodies.

Azhanharad seemed to like intense quiet.

## Life

Azhanharad was from the Mervarnen Mountains. He typically worked in the Chapterhouse of the Amaleise Brethren.

On the tenth, Arveneän Shelsin's body was pulled out of the Mich'maika, and Azhanharad visited Thara at the River-Cat, and asked for his help, as the Vigilant Brotherhood couldn't identify the body. Thara Witnessed for her and confirmed she'd been murdered. Since they did not know if Arveneän had any family, and time was precious, Azhanharad petitioned Thara on her behalf to investigate. Thara agreed, investigated, and reported her identity to Azhanharad, and potentially how to properly bury her based on her belongings.

Azhanharad later attended Arveneän's funeral as one of the few mourners. There, Thara let him know he was leaving to go to deal with a ghoul in Tanvero.

When Thara was investigating the serial killer Broset Sheveldar, Thara sought out Azhanharad at the Vedriveise Gambit, and asked if there were similar victims that he or his brethren knew of. Azhanharad refused to help as the Vigilant Brotherhood were not investigators, but they would arrest the appropriate person when Thara located him. When Thara later located Broset, Thara, Csenaia Ulzhavar, and Lenet Athmaza called on Azhanharad's help for the arrest. Azhanharad was skeptical, but ultimately participated in the arrest.

Thara told Azhanharad about how and why Arveneän was murdered, mostly because Azhanharad would record it in the Brotherhood's record book, which was kept secret. Azhanharad agreed with Thara that the truth should be kept secret.

Azhanharad visited Thara at the Hanevo Tree and requested Thara's help again for a drowned woman named Isreän found in the Mich'maika. Thara found her name and that she was pregnant and had indeed committed suicide. Azhanharad later named the unborn child Aivaru, and attended Isreän and Aivaru's funerals.

When Thara went to Azhanharad's help to rescue Velhiro Tomasaran, Azhanharad was concerned for Thara's state, but sent a squad to the Cemchelarna School for Foundling Girls and gathered depositions to build a case. He had everyone at the school arrested, including Velhiro and the foundlings, and their treatment while under arrest was harsh. Azhanharad sent a message to Anora Chanavar to come take Thara home. Azhanharad set up guards at the Hill of Werewolves, and also notified the Temada to collect Pavalo Temin's body.

Azhanharad interrogated Horthena Renthalar, and later sent a letter to Thara about the murder of Tedoro. At some point, Isreän's employer came asking about bodies pulled out of the Mich'maika, as he'd had dreams seemingly about Isreän, and was advised by his prelate to discover her fate. Azhanharad explained what happened to her, though it did not rid him of the dreams.

Azhanharad met with Thara, and told him more about Pavalo's conspiracy, and what would happen to those involved. Azhanharad again asked after Thara's health, worried about him.

## Relationships

#### Anora Chanavar

Anora and Azhanharad have worked together for years, and seemed to get on collegially. Anora seemed to respect Azhanharad on some level.

#### Subpraecepter Mobrasar

Mobrasar disapproved of Azhanharad's methods of asking for investigations on behalf of the dead who had no one to speak for them.

#### Thara Celehar

According to Thara, Azhanharad did not like him. Thara suspected that the root of Azhanharad's dislike was the belief “that a disgraced prelate was not a suitable person to uncover Varenechibel’s murderers.” Despite their disagreements, Azhanharad was the only member of the Vigilant Brotherhood Thara trusted to take him seriously. Azhanharad later showed worry for Thara, and said that he trusted Thara's probity.

## Quotations

* Thara: “The Vigilant Brotherhood served a necessary purpose, both in cities like Amalo and in the long stretches of empty fields and copses where they patrolled, but their recruitment efforts did not attract men of either great intelligence or sensitivity. One was only lucky if one’s local chapter had succeeded in attracting men of integrity.”
* About Arveneän: “The poor woman,” Azhanharad said, with a ritual gesture of blessing.”
* Anora to Thara, about Azharanharad: “The subpraeceptor is as capable of poetry as any man.”

## Trivia

* Azhanharad's preferred teahouse is the Vedriveise Gambit.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 Addison, Katherine. *The Witness for the Dead*, First ed., Tor, 2021.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 Addison, Katherine. *The Grief of Stones*, First ed., Tor, 2022.