Eadaz uq-Nāra

**Eadaz uq-Nāra**, referred to as Ead Duryan in Inys, is a sister of the Priory of the Orange Tree and learned mage, being described as "one of the most gifted". At the beginning of *The Priory of the Orange Tree, s*he is posing as an Ordinary Chamberer in the Upper Household of Queen Sabran IX of Inys, her mission to protect the Queen. Eadaz is a descendant of Siyāti uq-Nāra, who was the closest friend of Cleolind Onjenyu, and is bonded to the ichneumon Aralaq. She is close friends with the siblings Arteloth and Margret Beck.

## Physical description

Eadaz is a 26 year old woman with full lips, eyes like oak honey, brows set low and straight above them, with a nose who is slim at the bridge and broader towards the end. She has long curly black hair and light to medium brown skin. It can be assumed that from her time training and fighting at the priory that she has an athletic build. At one point, Arteloth Beck describes her as having watchful eyes an almost regal posture and as well as an inner warmth like "something soft and golden, like the first light of a summer morning". It could be a hint towards her possession of siden, or just a description of her personality.

Ead spends a lot of time at Sabran's court and hence, she is usually dressed in formal gowns. Her attire is not often described in much detail.

## Personality

Eadaz shows herself fiercely loyal to the Priory, but especially to the people closest to her. She is described as being humorous and dislikes those without humour. While she is able to blend into the Inysh court, proclaiming her faith in the Six Virtues and declaring the Knight of Generosity as her patron, hiding her true faith pains her. Again and again, she finds herself speaking in ways which can be seen as heretical at the highly religious court, although she knows this could jeopardise her position and by so, her mission.

## History

Eadaz was born in the Priory of the Orange Tree in CE 979 to Zāla uq-Nāra. Her mother died when she was still young, and Chassar uq-Ispad helped raise her afterwards. At the age of 15, she slayed her first Draconic creature, a wyvern, in the Godsblades together with Jondu uq-Nāra. It earned her the ring of a slayer. In CE 997, at the age of 18, she was sent to the court of the Queendom of Inys, officially as a maid of honor to the young Queen Sabran IX by Chassar, who was posing as an Ersyri ambassador. She then didn't hear from him again until the queens betrothal ceremony, eight years later.

## Trivia

* The name 'Eadaz' is from Sumerian *ud* (‘sun’) + *áš* ('to desire’) or *erež* ('queen’), 'Du Zāla' is from Sumerian *dumusa* ('daughter’), meaning 'daughter of Zāla’. Uq-Nāra is from Old Persian *hāca* ('from’) + Middle Persian *nārang* ('orange tree’).
* Her alias, 'Duryan' is Old Persian *duruxta*- ('to tell a lie, to deceive’) + *yāna* ('boon, favour, gift’), meaning 'deceitful gift’.
* Tahirah Sharif most closely matches Samantha Shannon's mental image of Ead.
* Ead would not use Twitter in a modern setting.

## References

1. ↑ The Priory of the Orange Tree, page 342.
2. ↑ The Priory of the Orange Tree, page 422.
3. ↑ The Priory of the Orange Tree, page 563.
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 https://sshannonauthor.tumblr.com/post/662109921845903360/hello-ms-shannon-did-you-ever-post-an-etymology
5. ↑ https://sshannonauthor.tumblr.com/post/655164919297294336/hi-i-noticed-theres-a-lot-of-talk-about-dream
6. ↑ https://sshannonauthor.tumblr.com/post/640939753288679424/what-would-sabran-and-ead-would-be-like-on