Norah Mar Noyne

Norah Mar Noyne is a Magister of Myr and the daughter of Prince-Admiral Nymon Mar Noyne. The daughter of an ambitious man and a distinguished house, Norah’s position as her father’s eldest became especially privileged when he became Prince-Admiral in 426 AC. Under his rule the Mar Noynes consolidated power, became the preeminent family of Myr, and further integrated the city into the Triarchy. Though her brother was groomed to succeed to the Prince-Admiralty, Norah’s family was equally attentive to her own education; she was expected to play a part in her family’s future.

Early in 436 AC, however, House Vashar staged a coup in which Nymon Mar Noyne was deposed and murdered, along with his wife and eldest son. After cooperating with the new regime to save her own life - and that of her brother - Norah was allowed to inherit her father’s seat on the magisterial conclave. Though her cousin, Darion, often challenges her authority, Norah has dominated the affairs of House Mar Noyne for the past few years, with the consent of the family's venerable patriarch.

Appearance and Character
An exceptionally tall woman, Norah Mar Noyne invariably stands out in a crowd, even as she strives to cultivate a subdued presence. Long, slender limbs hang astride a delicate and lanky frame that still manages to move with a modicum of grace.

Norah’s defined, square-shaped face is framed by dark hair and inlaid with round brown eyes, and her tan skin features a very subtle array of freckles across her nose. Her mother’s Lysene features pair pleasingly with her father’s Myrish colors, creating a beauty that is both familiar and unique to each of the two cities.

A towering form serves as a perfect canvas for bold endeavors of fashion, and Norah’s clothes are as varied as her obligations. Her wardrobe ranges from simple to extravagant, featuring vibrant, exotic gowns for parties and modest robes for magisterial functions. On occasion she is known to move about town in trousers and a tunic.

The late Prince-Admiral’s daughter is a poised and sociable woman, though at heart she is somewhat introverted and reserved. Passions and ambitions are kept hidden beneath a cool, temperate demeanor, a trait bred as much by necessity as it was by her upbringing. She is patient but perceptive, easily recognizing when to seize an opportunity and when to exercise restraint. As she does not possess the most commanding presence, Norah instead relies on gentler means of persuasion.

Norah is often driven by her compassion for those close to her, though she may pursue what she presumes to be in their best interests even without their consent. At times her pragmatism can undermine her good intentions, impressing distrust upon those she only meant to help.

Despite a rather minimal history of travel, Norah is a worldly woman with an open mind. She is a curious and intuitive thinker, though not especially bookish; her approach to learned pursuits is much more hands-on. She can be quite efficacious and productive, though her work ethic is inconsistent: Norah is prone to daydreaming and susceptible to distractions.

Origins
The Mar Noyne family had for long been among the five most powerful in Myr. Though in recent years they’d become fewer in number, they continued to enjoy the profits of exotic trade. Spices, silk and other valuable goods from the far east provided a durable backbone for their business empire. Under the steady leadership of the patriarch Mercurio and his son, Nymon, House Mar Noyne began to couple its wealth with growing political power.

In 415 AC, Nymon Mar Noyne and his wife, Lysara Nahar of Lys, welcomed their firstborn into the world. Only the second child of her generation, Norah was given plentiful attention in her earliest years - and a reasonably unrestricted upbringing thereafter. With her father preoccupied by his ambitions and her mother ever passive, she was often left in the supervision of her permissive grandparents, who allowed her to explore the city with little more than a single guard behind her.

Lacking in peers her own age - save for her cousin, Nicolette, who left Myr at an early age - Norah mingled frequently with the children of other esteemed families. She was highly energetic and outgoing as a small child, but as she grew she became increasingly studious and diligent. What were once passing fascinations quickly became learned pursuits.

The Despot's Daughter
Norah’s shift in interests was facilitated by her family’s sudden rise to preeminence in the year 426 AC, after which her father became more concerned for her safety and reputation. That year saw the overthrow of the ineffectual Prince-Admiral Ezra Vashar in a coup orchestrated with the support of Tyrosh and Lys. Nymon Mar Noyne was installed as his replacement, and quickly consolidated an unprecedented amount of authority. Whereas the title of Prince-Admiral once only served a ceremonial and military function, Nymon immediately reconstituted it as a despotic rank.

The Mar Noyne regime greatly strengthened Myr’s position within the Triarchy after its support enabled the crushing defeat of Aeryn Targaryen in 427 AC. Norah soon captured the interest of many other Myrish houses, all of which coveted the prospect of an arranged marriage with the Prince-Admiral’s daughter. But Nymon had little interest in their offers; he saw greater potential in cultivating ties with Tyrosh and Lys.

Lys the Lovely
It was to the latter that he sent Norah and her sister, Laena, in 429 AC, where they spent the next few years living with their maternal kin of House Nahar. There she became acquainted with a distant cousin who had once aspired to join the Alchemist’s Guild. Though he never had the talent for such advanced arts, he was nevertheless a knowledgeable botanist and chemist and an effective teacher. Norah spent much of her time in Lys in his laboratory, learning to concoct a wide variety of potions, medicines, and even poisons.

No stay in Lys, of course, was ever complete without indulging in that for which it was famed. While never particularly interested in the pillow houses, Norah’s Myrish beauty captured the eyes of many in Lys, and it was there that she experienced her first romantic relationships. She also had the opportunity to witness the splendor of the grand festival in 431 AC, commemorating the fifteenth year since the Triarchy’s formation was proposed.

The Prince's Peace
The next year Norah returned to Myr, where her parents continued to postpone any notion of marrying her away. They recognized the utility of her education, and tasked her with tutoring her younger brothers, the first of which was being groomed to succeed the Prince-Admiralty. By then, the rule of Mar Noyne over Myr seemed to be entirely unquestioned, and with the city prosperous and secure, Norah’s father was at least free to spend time with his children.

The two developed a close rapport, and for the next few years Norah was instrumental to many of Nymon’s smaller ambitions. She emerged as a distinguished socialite in the city, in which capacity she became an effective conduit for rumors and gossip. The Mar Noyne family had reached its zenith, but discontent reared its ugly head again at the dawn of 436 AC.

Blood in the Streets
At the start of the year 436 AC, an informant alerted Norah to a plot against her family. Immediately she informed her family, and with the utmost haste her parents fled the Mar Noyne estate. Desperately they took shelter at a hideout in the poorest district of Myr, but it was already too late for any hope of escape. The Vashars had already locked down the city, and it was only a matter of time until the Prince-Admiral’s whereabouts were uncovered.

In his anger, her brother Tormo - then only fifteen years old - daringly marched out with a detachment of the Mar Noyne household guard, intent on confronting the conspirators. He and his men were all slaughtered, never to be seen again. So too were their uncle Sallys and his Qartheen wife, who died in an attempt to protect Nymon’s youngest son. Likewise, Norah’s uncle Elyas - who had backed the Vashar coup in the hopes of usurping his brother’s authority over the house - was found strangled to death in the streets.

Vashar forces successfully assaulted and occupied the Mar Noyne manse, where they held Norah and her only surviving brother, Corlys, as hostages. Coerced by threat of death, she reluctantly agreed to cooperate with the Vashars - knowing that her father’s capture and execution was only a matter of time. In a bid for their lives, she agreed to disclose her father’s location. Norah’s parents were captured shortly thereafter, and both were unceremoniously slain.

Nero Vashar was named the new Prince-Admiral of Myr, and the city once again belonged to his family.

Preservation
Norah went further with the bargain she’d struck: to earn the Vashars’ trust, she agreed to vigorously and openly support the shift in power. Though many doubted her sincerity, the deposed Prince-Admiral’s eldest was able to successfully campaign and coerce on Nero Vashar’s behalf, winning him the loyalty and support of House Mar Noyne’s lesser allies.

Such unsavory work could not have been done without the endorsement of her grandfather. He understood that Norah only acted in the best interests of his family’s future, and leveraged both her effective service and his esteemed reputation to enter negotiations with the Vashars. Though they had initially meant to give Nymon’s magisterial seat to Elyas’ son, Darion, the Mar Noyne patriarch convinced them to grant the title to Norah.

With all of his sons dead and his eldest grandson inadequate, Mercurio entrusted Norah with the stewardship of their house, allowing her to tend to its affairs in his name. Despite his advanced age - and his longstanding retirement - he too became more involved, doing what he could to discretely manage the family’s businesses from the confines of his home. The two inherited the remnants of Nymon’s intelligence networks, maintaining and recruiting numerous informants throughout Myr, Tyrosh and Lys.

As a Magister of Myr, Norah supported the formation of the Alliance of the Narrows, in which the cities of the Triarchy aligned with the upstart dragonriders of the Stepstones. Norah Mar Nyone has seldom voiced disagreement with the policies of Nero Vashar, and at times has even genuinely supported his initiatives - but she could never forgive the blood on his hands, and her personal grievances still persisted. Despite this, pragmatism continued to compel her to enforce the new Prince-Admiral’s will whenever necessary.

In the meantime, she continued to work toward cultivating her father’s intended legacy: Norah actively took interest in the further integration of the three cities and the Stepstones, and she became especially attentive to her sole surviving brother. In her two years as the power behind House Mar Noyne, Norah proved to be nearly as capable as her father before her - but she leaned heavily on her grandfather’s advice nevertheless. Ever conscious of his advanced age and declining health, she began seeking novel means of extending his lifespan in the hopes of postponing the inevitable succession conflict between herself and her cousin.

Family

 * Mercurio Mar Noyne (b. 359 AC)
 * m. Tyanna Narratys (b. 363 AC d. 423 AC)
 * Elyas Mar Noyne (b. 382 AC d. 436 AC)
 * m. Salma Vashar (b. 384 AC)
 * Darion Mar Noyne (b. 404 AC)
 * m. Elara Staegone (b. 409 AC)
 * Idris Mar Noyne (b. 427 AC)
 * Andros Mar Noyne (b. 430 AC)
 * Nymon Mar Noyne (b. 387 AC d. 436 AC)
 * m. Lysara Nahar (b. 394 AC d. 436 AC)
 * Norah Mar Noyne (b. 414 AC)
 * Laena Mar Noyne (b. 417 AC)
 * Tormo Mar Noyne (b. 420 AC d. 436 AC)
 * Corlys Mar Noyne (b. 425 AC)
 * Sallys Mar Noyne (b. 393 AC d. 436 AC)
 * m. Vila of Qarth (b. 397 AC d. 436 AC)
 * Nicolette Mar Noyne (b. 415 AC)
 * Craghas Mar Noyne (b. 361 d. 405)
 * Descendants of Craghas