If you ever meet a Malkieri, you tell him Jain Farstrider died clean.
— Noal Charin to Mat Cauthon, as he made his last stand against the Aelfinn[1]
Jain Charin, popularly known as Jain Farstrider and later in life adopting the name Noal Charin, was a legendary traveler and adventurer. His adventures are well known throughout the Westlands because of the book The Travels of Jain Farstrider.
Appearance[]
He is a scrawny, white-haired man with gaps in his teeth, stooped shoulders, a hooked nose, and a sad weathered face that does not match the long gray coat he wears. He is described as "the very picture of hard times." Both his nose and gnarled fingers looked to have been broken several times so he could no longer handle the sword.[2]
History[]
Jain Farstrider was still young when he brought Cowin Gemallan Fairheart, Darkfriend betrayer of Malkier, before the Great Lords of the Seven Towers to face justice. Gemallan had been instrumental in arranging the downfall of Malkier.
Shortly after the Aiel War, decades after the fall of Malkier, Jain appeared at an Ogier stedding near to death and conveyed the message that the Dark One was going to blind the Eye of the World. He recovered in the stedding then left.[3] Ishamael told Rand he allowed Jain to believe he had escaped[4] to lure Rand[verify][5] to Tarwin's Gap.
A new identity as Noal Charin[]
After his wife died, he realized that he was used by Ishamael, and from that time he started to use the name Noal Charin and claim to be a cousin of Jain. He disappeared north of the Blasted Lands in 981 NE.
Graendal discovered his real identity and selected him as a tool due to his fame. Eventually, she used a very subtle Compulsion on him and sent him to Ebou Dar to search for the cache of ter'angreal. While there, he spied on Jaichim Carridin, Falion Bhoda, and Ispan Shefar. Jain met Matrim Cauthon when the gholam first sought out Mat[6] and accompanied him until his death in Sindhol.[1]
He knew that there were gaps in his memory. He hoped that the memories would return, he felt their importance in some way.[3]}}
Activities[]
First encounters[]
Mat first encountered Noal while tracking Mili Skane - the Darkfriend assassin - from the horse races to the Chelsaine Palace leased by Jaichim Carridin in Ebou Dar. Noal's identity does not become clear[7] until later; his reasons for being in Ebou Dar and near Darkfriends remains mysterious.
Noal later saved Mat's life during a fight with a gholam in an Ebou Dari alley. Mat then took Noal with him to the Tarasin Palace and gave him lodging with his men. Noal habitually told many stories about his travels and adventures, which Olver eagerly consumed. Noal's memories of more recent events in his life appeared to have been lost or tampered with somehow; he struggled to remember an important task that he needed to perform.
Fleeing Ebou Dar[]
While going to meet with the rest of his party to depart the Tarasin Palace with the captive Aes Sedai, Mat was attacked by Tuon Athaem Kore Paendrag. Noal managed to approach undetected and subdue her before she could raise an alarm. He decided to leave with Mat's party rather than stay behind in Ebou Dar as a known associate of someone who "stole" damane.
Along with the remainder of Mat's party, he used Valan Luca's Traveling Show as cover to escape Altara following their escape from Ebou Dar. On at least one occasion, Mat tasked him with monitoring Amathera Aelfdene Casmir Lounault due to her nervousness around Seanchan and the accompanying risk of discovery.[8]
Noal abruptly (and possibly unknowingly) recited a verse about Mat and Tuon from the Prophecies of the Dragon to Mat, Tuon, and others.[8]
Later, Noal's description of the Tower of Ghenjei was what triggered Mat to remember seeing the tower during his time on the Spray. He volunteered to join Mat and Thom Merrilin in their attempt to rescue Moiraine Damodred from the Eelfinn.[9]
Travelling with the Band[]
After a skirmish with Darkfriends in Maderin, Mat and the rest of his group decided to leave Luca's show. While riding through Altara, they met and joined up with some of the Band of the Red Hand.
Noal was among those present while Mat outlined his plan for approaching Trustair, the village where they found Verin following the events at Hinderstap.
After the Band set up camp outside Caemlyn, the gholam attacked Mat. During the fight, the gholam threatened to kill Noal. After the attack, Mat insisted on Noal sleeping in the city in a different tavern each night.
He met with Mat and Thom in Low Caemlyn to discuss their strategy for rescuing Moiraine from the Tower of Ghenjei. Noal provided a set of iron throwing knives for each of them per the "iron to bind" verse. Mat told Noal that he didn't have to come but Noal insisted it was something he needed to do.
To the Tower of Ghenjei[]
Noal traveled with Mat and Thom into the Tower of Ghenjei to rescue Moiraine. Although Mat's bargain prevented the Eelfinn from harming them, his oversight left the Aelfinn free to attack them. The Aelfinn pursued the party relentlessly and cut off their escape. Noal chose to remain behind in the tower and delay the Aelfinn as long as possible to give Mat and Thom enough time to escape with Moiraine. He bought them enough time to escape, but died in the attempt. His last words to Mat confirmed his identity.
If you ever meet a Malkieri, you tell him Jain Farstrider died clean.
— Noal Charin to Mat Cauthon, as he made his last stand against the Aelfinn[1]
The Last Battle[]
During the battle at the Field of Merrilor it was revealed that Noal was bound as a hero to the Horn of Valere[10]. Olver, trapped and prevented from delivering the Horn to Mat by a band of Trollocs, blew the Horn in desperation. Since Mat's death during the liberation of Caemlyn had broken his link with the Horn, Olver became the new Hornsounder and Noal soon appeared to save him from the Trollocs.[11]
Noal was present when Mat decided to take Olver and travel to the Blight and fly to Shayol Ghul.[12]
At Shayol Ghul, Noal rode with the rest of the Heroes of the Horn against the remaining forces of the Shadow.[13]
External links[]
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Towers of Midnight, Chapter 55
- ↑ A Crown of Swords, Chapter 14
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 TWOTC - Jain Farstrider
- ↑ The Eye of the World, Chapter 51
- ↑ Citation needed
- ↑ Winter's Heart, Chapter 16
- ↑ Noal's identity becomes clear to the reader in hindsight. It is unclear if Mat ever realized it was Noal who identified Carridin's residence.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Crossroads of Twilight, Chapter 28
- ↑ Knife of Dreams, Chapter 10
- ↑ It is possible Noal was bound to the Horn upon his death fighting the Aelfinn. However, this is not confirmed by either AMOL 39 or TWOTC - Jain Farstrider.
- ↑ A Memory of Light, Chapter 39
- ↑ A Memory of Light, Chapter 45
- ↑ A Memory of Light, Chapter 46