Noal Charin

From A Wheel of Time Wiki

Noal Charin is a mysterious, "stoop-shouldered, white haired old man with a large hooked nose planted in the middle of a sad face", who saved Mat Cauthon's life during a fight with a gholam in an Ebou Dar alley. Seemingly old and worn down, he is actually wary, and keeps long knives hidden under his vest.

Mat first encountered Noal while the latter surveilled Jaichim Carridin's Ebou Dar home, though his identity did not become clear until somewhat later. His reasons for being in Ebou Dar and for spying on Carridin remain unknown.

Noal tells many stories about his adventures and travels to Olver, the young orphan Mat has basically adopted. Noal's memories of more recent events in his life appear to have been lost or tampered with somehow, as he has been shown struggling to remember some important task that he needs to perform.

Some suspect that Noal is actually the famous explorer Jain Farstrider, though Noal claims to be only Jain's cousin.

In Knife of Dreams, Noal volunteers to join Mat Cauthon and Thom Merrilin in their attempt to rescue Moiraine Damodred from the Eelfinn.