Aznor

**Aznor** (*Ashn'orr*) is a recurring character in *Azarian Stories*. He first appeared in the novel *Sleight of Hand*, in which he served as protagonist. Aznor is a young man with brown eyes and dark, curly hair. Before the events of *Sleight of Hand*, he used to be a wanderer, roaming cities and villages and performing basic magic tricks in order to earn some money. He is currently at the service of Iza and Urbeth's family in Decut. Aznor is Yatur's older brother.

## Physical appearance

In *Sleight of Hand*, Aznor is described as a fine-built young human with strong shoulders, a mane of curly brown hair on his head, and a rough face with just the hint of a beard. In numerous illustrations of the book, he is depicted as slightly shorter than an average human his age, and wearing a ragged, pale robe around his chest and hips. A single pocket is sewn to his robe, in which Aznor usually keeps his treasured kerchief, that he uses to perform magic tricks. He is seen walking bare-footed throughout the book, and his skin color is described as dark bronze.

Starting from Chapter 9 of *Sleight of Hand*, his hair is cut short, with only one longer curly strand remaining at the front.

## Personality

Before the main plot of *Sleight of Hand* unrolled, Aznor was shown as a cheerful, pacific and curious boy, with a deep admiration for his brother, yet with a marked wariness of the world surrounding him. Throughout the story, he reveals himself for the insecure, mourning and sensitive young man that he avoided being in front of Yatur. He is often seen behaving nervously and panicking easily, to the point of crying himself to sleep out of sadness. However, he also demonstrates to be capable of strategic reasoning, as well as working out complex plans. His past as a street artist made him especially patient and lovable toward younger people, and also turned him into a good actor, able to play out various types of emotions quite convincingly. He himself stated that he cannot read or write, although this doesn't seem to bother him. He is incapable of swimming, but has a basic knowledge of cooking. He used to be scared of horses, but he is much more comfortable around them now, thanks to his friendship with Kaphar. On the other hand, Azaroth scare him greatly due to his terrifying experience with Razer.

## Relationships

### Yatur

Yatur is Aznor's younger brother. From the very beginning of *Sleight of Hand*, the two are shown to share a deep connection, that originated from their youngest years. Throughout the story, it is revealed that Aznor and Yatur's parents died prematurely, leaving the two boys orphaned at a very young age. Because of this traumatic event, Aznor found himself acting as a parent to Yatur through the hardships of their new beggarly life. Despite his youthful age, Yatur soon demonstrated to be capable of great wisdom and intelligence, and Aznor quickly began admiring him because of it.

After Yatur's sudden and tragic death, Aznor was devastated, and the negativity that he had tried to hide from his parents' passing almost overwhelmed him. The kerchief was the one thing that kept reminding him of his deceased brother, and as a symbolic gesture, Aznor always brought it with him.

Yatur appeared more than once in Aznor's dreams, and his visions were often associated with gruesome, horrific images, suggesting that Aznor was deeply traumatized by the way in which Yatur was killed, and blamed himself for what had happened. Yatur even appeared physically in front of Aznor one year after his death, when Aznor was sold into slavery. Aznor attempted to talk to him, and even invited him into Iza's house. However, the boy soon realized that he had been talking to himself the whole time, because Yatur was never actually there. Albeit sorrowfully, Aznor finally accepted his brother's death and embraced his own new life.

## Relatives

While Aznor is only seen interacting with one member of his family, Yatur, he is known to have other relatives in *Sleight of Hand*. He used to live with his parents in his hometown, Kutmer, as a young child. However, in 1003 AD, an outbreak of malaria killed a large part of the population in the town and its neighboring villages, including Aznor's parents. Not much is known about their appearance or personality, and their names are never revealed throughout the story. However, Arven confirmed that Yatur looks more like his mother, whereas Aznor looks more like his father.

Throughout the story, Aznor's grandfather is also mentioned. Once again, no name or description are provided, although it is known that he used to be a slave in his younger days. Aznor remembers him as a stern, yet wise man. It is unknown whether he died in the outbreak of malaria, like Aznor's parents, or due to another cause.