Numair Salmalín

Numair Salmalín
Positions
Primary Position	chief mage of Tortall
Biographical Information
Born	422 HE
Nationality	Tortallan, former Tyran
Magical Information
Gift Color	Black with white sparkles
Physical Description
Gender	Male
Height	6'5"
Hair	Black
Eyes	Brown
Family Information
Wife	Veralidaine Sarrasri
Children	Sarralyn Salmalín (daughter), Rikash Salmalín (son)
Affilliation
Rank	Black Robe Mage
Affiliation	Tortall
Bibliographical Information
Universe	Tortallan Universe character

Numair Salmalín (pronounced noo-MAYR sahl-mah-LEEN) (b. 422 HE) was born Arram Draper in Tyra. He is one of the most powerful mages in the world, and the chief mage of Tortall.

He is described as being six feet five inches tall, with a swarthy complexion, raven black hair, brown eyes and a long nose.

Biography

He lived and studied at the university in Carthak, but took on the name Numair when he became a Black Robe Mage, supposedly because Arram Draper was not a fitting name for a mage; in truth, he adopted a new name to protect himself from his former friend Ozorne, the Emperor of Carthak, who was hunting him after he left the country. He spent several years on the run disguised as a juggler and thus made his living on the streets of Corus. Later in life he retained a talent for sleight of hand, a trick that saved his life on at least one occasion at Dunlath Castle. He then moved on into the Royal Palace and became a spy and, after several years of service, King Jonathan IV's chief mage. A good-looking young man, he was involved with many women at court.

Over the course of The Immortals series, he became the teacher and mentor of Veralidaine Sarrasri (Daine) and they traveled together throughout Tortall, Carthak, and even the Divine Realms. As part of a peace delegation to Carthak, he clashed with Ozorne once again when he thought the emperor took too much interest in Daine. He narrowly escaped death for a second time when Ozorne executed his simulacrum, believing it to be the real Numair. He also played a key role in what later became known as the Immortals War, battling with and killing the powerful Scanran mage Inar Hadensra.

In the final book of The Immortals series he confessed that he was in love with Daine and, despite the fourteen year age gap, proposed to her almost immediately after the war was won. However, they didn't marry until Daine fell pregnant with their first child several years later. They have two children together, Sarralyn, named after Daine's mother, and Rikash, named after a Stormwing friend.

In the Protector of the Small series he is employed at the royal palace, teaching magic to knights in training.

Magical abilities

Numair is one of seven Black Robe Mages in the world. His Gift is black with white sparkles and streaks and he is able to shape-shift, including into the form of a black hawk, in which he first meets Daine. He is often said to be the most powerful mage in the Realm by several people over the course of the books featuring the Tortallan universe. He can call upon extremely dangerous magic when pushed, such as when Tristan Staghorn threatened Daine's life and Numair turned him into an apple tree (but, in Daine's opinion, a sour one).

Numair is so powerful that he cannot cast small spells and charms. In one of the books, he recalls lighting his clothes on fire when he tried to dry them. Also, using a simple spell to call boulders, he called them from 10 miles away, instead of closer ones, because he could not do the "simple" magic involved in calling the closer ones. In the last book of the Protector of the Small series (Lady Knight) Duke Baird recalls Numair admitting to having to blow out candles rather than with use his gift to extinguish the flame because it would cause an explosion.

One of his teachers in magic at Carthak was Lindhall Reed.

Family

Sarrasri Family Tree

Daine the Wildmage's family
Unnamed ancestors Benek Todorsra Unnamed woman Weiryn Sarra Beneksri Numair Salmalín Veralidaine Sarrasri Sarralyn Salmalín Rikash Salmalín

Notes

• Tamora Pierce is writing a duology about Numair's early life. It will tell the story of his estrangement with Ozorne and how he came to Tortall. The first volume is said to be published in 2012, the second volume a year later.
• His appearance is roughly based on the actor Jeff Goldblum.

Appearances

• The Immortals (major character)
  • Wild Magic
  • Wolf-Speaker
  • Emperor Mage
  • The Realms of the Gods
• Protector of the Small (minor character)
  • First Test (Chapter 9; very briefly)
  • Lady Knight
• Daughter of the Lioness (minor character)
  • Trickster's Choice Template:Vision
  • Trickster's Queen (epilogue)