No'vell

3' (thick)

**No'vell** (noh-vehll) is a sapient book currently living in the Endless Library of Nadir's Zenith, and a current member of the Brigade. He was discovered by Gustave whilst the dragon was exploring the Great Northwest, and was brought to the Zenith for safekeeping. His contents specialize in the art of metalworking/blacksmith tips and tricks, which he excitedly assists in teaching to anyone interested in requesting to learn such information.

## Personality

No'vell is a generally pleasant individual, happy to converse with anyone who is willing to talk to a talking book. He enjoys hearing about others' lives, as well as talking about his own experiences (both before and after becoming a tome). Despite the unfortunate circumstances that led to him becoming what he is now, he seems to take such a transformation in stride, though he does sometimes lament the loss of being able to do things books can't do, such as eating, walking, breathing, etcetera.

## Appearance

No'vell is a medium-sized book, 12' tall by 9' wide and about 3' thick from cover to cover. He appears to have been kept in great condition by various keepers over the years, though it's unknown if that is through proper handling or arcane protection.

His spine is delicately embroidered with red and green stripes, a tassel sticking out the top as a bookmark. The cover itself is made out of tough leather tanned and dyed a light sandy color, bound over what feels like a hard stone-like material. On the front there is a painting of a (non-Salt) dwarf with a red-and-green tunic on in front of a forge, flexing one muscle with a title written in dwarven script (appearing to just be gibberish/random letters). The pages themselves are a nicely textured, sturdy linen, detailing all sorts of useful information in a dwarven script.

No'vell's voice magically emits from the book itself, though it doesn't visually appear that he's talking in any such way.

## Relationships

### Friends

#### Gustave Theldirk

Gustave found No'vell in a tucked-away little archive in the Whiteshock Citadel, seemingly forgotten in the furthest backlogs of it's shelves. Recognizing his potential, the dragon decided to take the book with him to Nadir's Zenith, where he studied his contents for some time. Though the material didn't quite interest or apply to him, he decided to keep the book for himself, allowing others to read and talk with him whenever they came to visit.

#### Rok'saog Bonecrush

Rok found No'vell while looking to research knowledge that would allow her to repair weaponry damaged in the field. She stumbled upon No'vell, who excitedly shared his knowledge with her and actively tutored her with his own voice.

## Backstory

### A Cold Pyxgiving

*(See: A Cold Pyxgiving)*

No'vell was previously a dwarf (a rare descendant of the original dwarves of Ester Pyx's domain that hasn't turned into a Salt Dwarf) named Noel Vell, who lived in the town of Estdeen around 60 or so years ago. A social hermit thanks to his heritage, he was raised by the town's elder and generally tried to keep a cheery disposition to anyone who was interested in talking with him. One of his favorite tasks every year was putting up all the decorations for the Pyxgiving celebration. Some sort of "arcane chaos" occurred, and ultimately led to Noel's quintessence being trapped inside of a book brought to the town by some eccentric noble.

His brother, Elder Vell, held onto the book until his passing, after which it was taken to an archive in the Whiteshock Citadel by his request. He was forgotten for several decades until he was found by Gustave Theldirk, who claimed the book and brought it back to his "summer home" at the time, Nadir's Zenith.

## Brigade Activity

No'vell was discovered hanging out in the Endless Library by Rok'saog Bonecrush, who found him there while looking for instructions/knowledge regarding metalworking/blacksmithing. He was happy to assist her with both the contents of his pages as well as his own voice, instructing her as best as a book on blacksmithing could.