Niklaren "Niko" Goldeye is a powerful academic mage and one of the best truthsayers. He is even considered as one of the great mages^[1]. As a seer, he discovered Sandrilene fa Toren, Trisana Chandler, Daja Kisubo and Briar Moss and brought them to Winding Circle^[2] where their ambient magic could be trained. Because of the dearth in weather mages, he became Tris's teacher himself. While teaching Tris he lived in Winding Circle and was a regular guest at Discipline cottage. Afterwards he travelled with Tris to Tharios.

BiographyEdit

Early lifeEdit

He was born in 982 K.F.^[3] Very little is known about his personal history. He learned to master academic magic at the Lightsbridge University in Karang^[4]. After he earned his mage's credentials Niko chose "Goldeye" as his mage name because his specialty is finding things and people, even those which are hidden to other people^[5]. He travelled most of the time. By 1035 HE Niko is a famous member of the governing board at Lightsbridge University for mages, although he hasn't been at the university since 1030 K.F.^[6]. However, Niko doesn't agree with all of the University training in magic. This is the reason why he takes the four ambient mages he discovers to Winding Circle Temple instead.

Extended stay at Winding CircleEdit

Around the end of 1034 K.F. and the beginning of 1035 K.F. Niko was "on a very special task"^[7]. This was most likely a reference to his searching for mages with special abilities. That's how his path crossed that of four children, Sandrilene fa Toren, Daja Kisubo, Briar Moss and Trisana Chandler, as he saved all of them from live-threatening situations and brought them to the Winding Circle Temple in Summersea, Emelan. There it was discovered that they possessed ambient magic, which isn't easily discovered even by mages specialised on it.

In the beginning Niko expected to simply find the four children and leave them at Winding Circle. Instead he ended up teaching all of them meditation techniques in order to enable them to control their magic. He was also the main teacher of Trisana Chandler, as there are few mages specialised in weather magic. For that purpose he stayed in the temple for quite a long time. Dedicate Moonstream had also asked him to refresh the spells on the scrying-glasses used in the Hub and to help out in other ways.

While he is staying at Winding Circle Niko also has an affair with Dedicate Moonstream, which was supposed to be mentioned in Tris's Book but was cut because it would have made the book too long.^[8]

During the blue pox epidemic of 1036 KF Niko looked tired, which probably originated from lack of sleep and his efforts to help best he could.^[9] Together with Tris he cast a spell that let them see the past. That's how they found out where the sickness came from.

Physical descriptionEdit

Niko is described as being lean. He has bony hands^[10]. He has black eyes, set deep under thick black brows and a heavy fringe of black lashes. In 1035 KF his long hair is black but already streaked with silver, which he wears tied back.^[11] The following year his hair has the color of steel^[12], although his brows are still black^[13]. He has a craggy nose^[13] and a craggy and lined face^[13] and a bushy salt-and-pepper mustache.^[14] Niko is five foot and ten inches (5'10") tall^[15]. He normally pays great attention to his clothes, making sure they are spotless and without wrinkles^[16]. Whenever he had seen dangerous events in the future his face showed clearly his worry.^[13]

Personality and traitsEdit

Niko is finicky with his clothing, tableware and bedding, but also knows when it is more important to do his work. When Tris whines at him at the prospect of following a trail in the sewers he snaps at her. According to an amused Lark, Niko also avoids work that he doesn't want to do. At the end of the Circle of Magic quartet, Niko confesses to the four young mages that he expected to find them and leave them at Winding Circle. Instead he is forced to reexamine his ideas about magic, having shared their experiences through an earthquake, pirate attack, forest fire, and epidemic.

Magical abilitiesEdit

Niko took his mage name "Goldeye" because his specialty is finding things and people. He can see things hidden to most people but even he had to look deeply into Sandry, Tris, Daja and Briar to see their power. Their magic was for ordinary, workaday things (thread, weather, metal and plants) and had escaped discovery by everyone else. But Niko can not only see things himself, he can also make things appear other than they are to people. Thus he hid part of Daja's living metal creation, which had sprouted roots and found a new copper vein in Gold Ridge, near Dalburz Glacier, until Lady Inoulia could be informed by making it appear to be a much larger, real tree^[17]. Briar notes when they first meet that Niko wears power like a cloak. The first time Niko teaches Tris to meditate, she opens her eyes and sees him as a blinding white radiance. Niko uses crystal scrying to foresee the future. He can also act as a Truthsayer which is a well-paid position. Truthsayer wages are even higher than the fine for cruelty to animals (a month's income for a craftsman).

However, even Niko's power isn't endless and certain spells drain him. Thus he needs to tap into Tris' powers sometimes like when he was using a time spell on the ruins of Bit Island or when he was following a trail that lead them to the place where a plague-like epidemic, the blue pox, originated. Niko can't douse large fires, either^[18]. His power has no connection to heat or lava, enabling his magical self to pass through lava without taking any harm by it^[19]. Even his ability to see future events has its restrictions, because Niko often sees possibilities. With many events he foresees he can't say if they will actually take place, or when and where they will take place.^[20]

In addition to seeing magic, he has qualifications in glass-making and star magic as well as teaching magic.^[21]

AppearancesEdit

• Sandry's Book
• Tris's Book
• Daja's Book
• Briar's Book
• Magic Steps (only mentioned)
• Street Magic (only mentioned)
• Cold Fire (only mentioned)
• Shatterglass
• The Will of the Empress (only mentioned)

Notes and referencesEdit

See alsoEdit