I have been giving thought to your statement about Norge being more real in character than Darsint, Shadowbinding Shoe. And I now must say that I agree with you! Norge is "actual" enough as a character to serve as a narrative viewpoint, as in the following passage. This is something that we never see with Darsint.
"Perfect," Norge muttered generally. This was as close as he ever came to despair. All those Imagers and old men who could hardly hold their water for fear, already loose in Orison; already spreading panic. They would tell their friends, their wives, their children, their servants; some of them would tell total strangers. And when the story got out--when people heard that King Joyse was gone, and Lebbick was dead, and the "hero of Orison", Eremis, was in league with Cadwal--Norge sighed to think about it. Orison was going to come apart at the joints.
The siege was going to succeed after all.
Doing what he could, he sent one of the captains to take command of the gates, control the courtyard; make sure nobody did anything wild. That was the crucial place, the point at which Alend could be made aware that Orison was in chaos.
He ordered two more men to dispatch Eremis' vicious fruit-bat. He detailed guards to locate the counselors and the Masters, so that decisions could be made. For no particular reason except thoroughness, he organized a search for the King. He made sure that Prince Kragen and Artagel were still alive.
Then he went to help the Tor up.
Also, we know that Norge has enough feeling to be sickened when he sees how the Cadwals have degraded the Perdon's men with the obscene poses they have left the bodies in Esmerel. This also shows Norge has decency and outrage in his character makeup. Further, he has a reputation for stern discipline, which also makes him seem more real to me.
This time, no more than six of the people around her were dead. Two horses were dead. Two more had to be put out of their misery. One Master was dead: Cuebard. Until she saw his body, Terisa had never heard his name spoken. The captain counted nineteen dead wolves. "Curse this terrain," he rasped. "On open ground, we could have chopped them into dogmeat--and suffered nothing but scratches."
Trying not to hurry, Barsonage and the rest of the Masters unpacked all the mirrors.
Luckily, only one was broken: Master Vixix's flat glass, with its Image of the Fen of Cadwal.
"Thank the stars." Despite the cold, Master Barsonage was sweating thickly. "We are more fortunate than we deserve.'
"It's my fault," said the captain, growling obscenities at himself. "Castellan Norge is going to hang my balls on a stick. I should have had scouts around us right from the beginning.'
"Don't worry about it, captain," Ribuld muttered sardonically. "He needs you too much. He won't actually unman you unless we win this war and end up safe in Orison again.
"But if that happens, watch your groin."
Several of the guards laughed, more in reaction to the fight than because they thought Ribuld was funny.
Finally, Norge's outrage at what was done to mock the slain Perdon and his soldiers flares up at the truce meeting with the renegade Imagers.
"We are not patient with traitors," snapped Prince Kragen: he was the Alend Contender, accustomed to authority. "Tell us what you want and be done with it."
Master Eremis paid no attention to that demand. "My companions fear you," he said. "They believe you will kill them if they come near, despite our flags of truce."
Prince Kragen snorted. "That would be an action worthy of you, Eremis. We are not such men."
In response, Master Eremis laughed along the wind, sent mirth and scorn across the snow. "Do you hear?" he called over his shoulder. "The Alend Contender thinks he is not such a man as we are."
"You're lucky Lebbick isn't here," muttered Norge. "He'd castrate you first and worry about honor later." But no one listened to him.
I have
always loved Mordant's Need, and my complaints about Norge seeming unreal have been my only complaint about this SRD work. But thanks to your reasoned replies combined with more research into the text, my only objection has been swept aside! Feels good to now love MN without reservation!
[Typo edits]