Horizon Zero Dawn - The Nora / Characters

Main Character Index | The Base Team (Aloy, Sylens) | Tribes (The Nora, The Carja, The Tenakth) | Machines | The Old World (Project Zero Dawn, Ted Faro, Far Zenith)

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An insular tribe, isolated in the Sacred Land to the east of Meridian. They're a deeply religious people, with almost every aspect of their culture being related to the worship of the All-Mother. While the Nora are regarded as a primitive and backwards tribe by their neighbors, they are also renowned warriors and hunters.

The Nora is one of the many tribes living in the world of Horizon Zero Dawn and its sequel, Horizon Forbidden West.

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In General

All Crimes Are Equal: All Nora criminals are made Outcast, regardless of severity of crime. However, taking a step back from Aloy's understandably biased perspective actually reveals that the Nora justice system is remarkably merciful, especially compared to other tribes. Being made Outcast usually only lasts for a set period, ranging from months to years, and Outcasts are allowed to stay in the Embrace, the Nora heartlands kept free of dangerous machines, where they can easily survive on their own. They don't even practice capital punishment, which all other known tribes do, usually through Cool and Unusual Punishment. Aloy and Rost are the only known instances of being Outcast for life, and in both cases it was because of unique circumstances.
All Myths Are True: Much of what they believe about the All-Mother, the Metal Devil and those that believe Aloy is The Chosen One all have some truth to them to an extent. Much of the Nora faith seems to have been once factual events that were eventually mythologized over time through oral history.
- The All-Mother gave all life to the world. GAIA, a benevolent AI designed by the last humans, really did give all life to the planet, though only after it was destroyed the first time. However, the actual being they believe is the All-Mother isn't GAIA, but instead the rather simple A.I. that controls the blast door to one of the Old World facilities.
- The Metal Devil stood against the All-Mother. The Faro Swarms would in all likelihood have destroyed GAIA if they had the chance. One of the Horus units got uncomfortably close to the human creche facility that the Nora think is the "All-Mother", in fact. Thankfully, GAIA's subroutine MINERVA managed to hack the swarm's deactivation codes and shut them down, enabling her to get to work recreating the biosphere.
- Aloy is the goddess' chosen warrior. GAIA created Aloy for the specific purpose of accessing areas sealed with DNA scanning.
Amazon Brigade: They aren't one, but they have a reputation for this among the other tribes due to their isolationism and matriarchy; the Carja commonly believe that the Nora only allow women to fight with male warriors being a rare exception.
Angel Unaware: The Nora believe that they're on the wrong end of this trope. They're incorrect about the divine aspect of it (probably), but it is true that things would have been easier for them if they had acted morally. Years ago, a newborn baby was left in their sacred cavern. A few Nora thought she was a gift from the Goddess and wanted to raise her as one of the tribe, but the majority wanted to kill her (the tribe is intensely xenophobic). Eventually they compromised by exiling the baby permanently- something only done to the worst of criminals- and asking another outcast to raise her. Naturally, the child grew up to become an incredible warrior who turned everything she touched to gold. She still saved the Nora from the apocalypse, because she was that good a person, but she never loved them like she could have, and they knew it. To make things worse, she traveled so far and met so many people that soon there wasn't a tribe on the continent that didn't know the Nora exiled their savior.
Belief Makes You Stupid: Zigzagged. While the Nora's religion means the High Matriarchs are incredibly superstitious and distrustful of any of the Old Ones' technology, Teersa's faithful lens and willingness to listen allows her to correctly intuit how Aloy can overcome a core obstacle despite having no idea how it works.
Braids, Beads and Buckskins: Check, check and check, although due to the absence of deer in this world, the skins are probably taken from other animals. Still, they have the look down pat.
Cargo Cult: The Nora worship a goddess called the All-Mother, the virtual intelligence that controls the massive blast door of an "Old Ones" bunker. Basically, they're worshiping an extremely advanced doorbell. Of course, it is later revealed that this door and doors like it birthed the ancestors of all living humans, meaning they're actually closer to correct than they seem at first.
The Chosen People: The Nora believe they hold the preeminent place in the eyes of the All-Mother, by virtue of never leaving the Embrace. Other tribes are compared to wayward children, who have forfeited her protection, and thus are not to be interacted with unless absolutely necessary.
Cruel to Be Kind: The practice of Outcasting people is this, according to Teersa. Lacking the infrastructure to maintain a prison, the Nora remove the criminals in their society by banishing them, rather than killing them. Aloy disagrees with the claim, but since her "crime" was being born, she has something of a biased view on the practice.
Culture Chop Suey: The Nora combine aesthetics of northern Native Americans, with an original culture and some Celtic inspirations in their blue facepaint. A singer in Mother's Hearth can also be heard singing Joik, the traditional song of the Sami people of northern Europe.
Determinator: The Nora just do not give a fuck about adversity. Insulting the messenger of a Sun-King? Purging their entire territory of any but the most harmless machines? Attacking people armed with guns and Corruptors? They'll do it. And they'll win, too, because their skill matches their courage.
Dramatic Irony:
- For people who worship the earth, they haven't seen a lot of it. It takes Aloy to show them that if they really loved All-Mother, they would be more appreciative of Her creations, not less.
- Most Nora are tough and emotionally restrained, but their religion is centered around trust and familial affection.
The Dreaded: Nora Braves are feared among the other tribes due to having a highly territorial attitude born of their isolationism. While we see the Nora as a fairly balanced society of hunter-gatherers, the other tribes fear them as savages and brutal warriors who'll murder anyone who ventures too close to their territory.
Elemental Motifs: Earth, like the mountain goddess they worship. At their worst, Nora are hidebound, secretive, and clannish. At their best, they are generous, resourceful, and uniting.
Exact Words: They hate people who rely on machines instead of doing any work, but honestly hunted machine parts are as valuable to the Nora as any other tribe. Taming machines with knowledge and stealth is also fine, if only because no one ever did it before.
Face Your Fears: Their culture changes markedly for the better after they visit Meridian and realize the outside world isn't so bad.
Facial Markings: The Nora use some kind of blue woad to mark their faces; family members (like Sona and Varl) have the same marks.
Fantasy Counterpart Culture: Their aesthetic and attunement to nature resembles Native Americans - parts of the Indigenous Plains people and the Indigenous peoples of the Great Basin - mixed up with some Pictish.
Fashionable Asymmetry: Most Nora face paint patterns are asymmetrical, as are almost all of their outfits.
Formerly Friendly Family: They believe that all life, machines included, are children of All-Mother. But the machines grew greedy and tried to usurp Her authority, so the Nora don't respect them anymore. This estrangement is one of many things their Anointed fixed for them.
Godzilla Threshold: They hate foreigners, the past, and all things technological, but on the few occasions the traditional ways do not work, they empower a "Seeker" with the authority to investigate all those things (and, supposedly, a magical blessing that protects them from the past's "taint") so they can find whatever is causing the crisis and stop it.
Hidden Elf Village: Their determination and suicidal courage makes them a valuable asset in the battle against HADES...once they can be persuaded to actually care about the world they live in. To expand on this; isolationism is a central concept to Nora society; they believe their lands are literally sacred & holy, and that to leave them without being blessed as a Seeker is to be spiritually dead, and thus no one who leaves is allowed to return. As a consequence, those who are born outside of the Sacred Lands are likewise seen as being born outside of the All Mother's protection and favor, are spiritually unclean, and shouldn't be allowed into the Nora's Sacred Lands.
Hypocrite: After treating Aloy like she wasn't even human for her entire life, they immediately made her their equivalent to Jesus Christ as their "Anointed" once they learn she was born directly from their All-Mother (read: "once Aloy discovers she's actually a clone of Elisabet Sobeck created by GAIA and the entire Nora tribe interprets that as best as they can"). While they aren't exactly wrong, that doesn't excuse their prior treatment of Aloy either.
Ironic Name: The Nora most likely took their name from crumbling NORAD outposts in the vicinity of the "Sacred Lands," with no idea what the moniker stood for.
Jerkass Has a Point: Their insane xenophobia partly stems from the fact that a mere two years ago, the ruler of the Sundom liked to murder or enslave anyone his raiders could get their hands on. The other tribes also suffered, and the Carja are doing their best to atone, but there are still a few war criminals walking around free.
Lightning Bruiser: Nora armor is customarily light and constructed of animal materials, easy to move and sneak around in. The best Nora warriors are skilled enough that the tribe's prohibition of advanced weapons doesn't matter; the others are probably closer to Fragile Speedsters.
Machine Worship: They worship a goddess they call the All-Mother, which is actually a simple, non-sentient computer that happens to have a female voice stashed away in what was once a cradle facility that birthed the first generation of humans that formed into their tribe.
Matriarchy: Ruled by a council of High Matriarchs. Nora matriarchs are specifically grandmothers, and High Matriarchs are great-grandmothers, because Nora want their leaders to be able to speak for generations. Men and women without children aren't barred from positions of responsibility and respect, though, as temporary War-Chief Resh proves.
Mundane Luxury: They are very proud of Mother's Heart, their main village. Not without reason, because (the) Heart is very elaborate and culturally unique, but compared to the Sundom's cities, it's just... small.
Noble Savage: The Nora subvert this trope. Despite fitting the usual elements of being close to nature and a very religious people, they're sometimes shown in a negative light, as isolationist zealots who are hostile towards outsiders and outcasts. Their more sympathetic aspects aren't associated with the noble savage at all.
O.O.C. Is Serious Business: From the perspective of other tribes. If a Nora is outside the Sacred Lands, someone is about to die. They do not leave their land for any other reason, and the only members forced out of it are heinous criminals.
Oddly Common Rarity: Justified. Aloy becoming a Seeker is treated as an exceptional, once in a generation thing, but near the end there are whole war parties of Seekers. As Aloy became their Anointed and she needed soldiers to fight against HADES, the Matriarchs made an exception and gave the honor to anyone willing to go.
Out of Focus: In the second game. Due to their isolationism and ongoing recovery, Aloy and Varl are the only Nora we see.
Religious Bruiser: Their religion drives them to fend off invading armies and fight machines to the last, however hopeless the situation is.
Right for the Wrong Reasons: They're a matriarchal society that worships "The All-Mother", a monotheistic Goddess who created the world, in the form of a glowing light in a cave with a feminine voice. It turns out that their world was created by GAIA, a female A.I. modeled on the "Mother Nature as Goddess" trope. However, by all accounts the Nora religion didn't spring from knowledge of GAIA (GAIA explicitly states she's avoided making any form of contact with the Zero Dawn tribes). Rather, it stems from the cave being the entrance to a "Cradle", an underground facility containing the Uterine Replicators that produced the first generation of the tribe centuries earlier — and nineteen years earlier, produced Aloy — so it is in fact the "mother" of the entire tribe. Unfortunately, due to Ted Faro's sabotage of the APOLLO educational program, said first generation was only educated to kindergarten-level, leaving only an oral tradition of this. All of that plus said blast door is essentially a geometrized vulva controlled by a (simple, non-sentient) computer that happens to have a female voice and you get a Cargo Cult worshiping Siri.
Rite of Passage: The Proving for young Nora warriors. Involves shooting down a machine, taking a trophy from the machine's carcass, then racing through the snow on rocky, precarious ledges to reach an altar. The first one there receives a boon, or whatever the winner wants. Aloy has been enduring Training from Hell for this since she was six years old, in order to get answers about her parents.
Rule of Drama: Most of their exiling is done for genuinely ethical reasons, as even many exiles admit. Of course, the one time it wasn't is the time Aloy's story (and to a lesser degree, Rost's) revolves around.
Shrouded in Myth: They are both subject to this trope (seen as emasculating moon-worshippers by a Carja scholar) and a cause of it. The sequel shows that they wasted no time in mythologizing Aloy's story into a half-truth, albeit one that teaches what she wanted them to learn.
Grey Dawn description: A dye pattern commemorating the day the goddess ^notea human appeared ^notein a completely mundane, explicable way before the Nora and told ^noteyelled at them their reclusive way of life would no longer suffice ^notebecause it never had.
Technophobia: The Nora reject all technology, due to their belief that technology is responsible for destroying the world and leads humans astray from the nature-oriented Goddess. Their Creation Myth even includes a SKYNET-like Satan figure known as the Metal Devil, whose giant corpse can be seen on the horizon. Because for the first few hours you spend all your time with the Nora, it's easy to take them at their word and assume the game is saying that Science Is Bad. However, the Nora's creation myth has serious flaws and inaccuracies, and ultimately their rejection of technology turns out be to the natural extension of Ted Faro's final beliefs (Faro being the man who destroyed the world and not someone to be emulated.)
Undefeatable Little Village: The entire tribe is housed in five dinky little settlements^note in the middle of nowhere, with no allies or advanced weapons to speak of. And they defeated an entire army from the Sundom, because they're that badass. (Although the mountain range sheltering their territory did help.)
Unperson: Being an outcast among the Nora means this. Not only is an outcast thrown out of the tribe and forced to live on their own, it's forbidden to speak or associate with one, even if you're another outcast. However, depending on the severity of the crime, outcasts are welcomed back after a set period of time.

The Nora

Aloy

See her character page here.

Bast

Voiced by: Bryce Papenbrook (English)^noteOther Languages:Philip Bledny (Russian)

A boy who attempted to bully Aloy as a child and is her primary rival in the Proving.

Asshole Victim: Subverted. While him being a bully should make it satisfying to see him gunned down by an Eclipse Cultist. However, the second the attack started, he had dropped his beef with Aloy and worked with her to protect everyone, and dies trying to save the just-killed Vala.
Big "NO!": Screams one after Vala is killed.
The Bully: As a child and a young man, he's a contemptuous jackass to Aloy. Though he's not completely bad.
Cheaters Never Prosper: He sabotages Aloy in the Proving, putting an arrow through her acquired trophy, forcing her to get another whilst the other competitors move on. He only gets away with this due to Resh ignoring his cheating. He's still pipped at the post by Aloy regardless.
Establishing Character Moment: When they're both children, he shows hesitation and confusion at Aloy being exempted from their berry-gathering with the other Nora kids, before their Overseer drags him away, lecturing him about following the tribe's rules about Outcasts. The next time they meet, he throws a rock at Aloy's head, following their example, demonstrating how not all Nora are inherently bad people, but their laws and customs turn them antagonistic towards Aloy.
Everybody Has Standards: He immediately sets aside his beef with Aloy the moment the Eclipse cultists attack the village during the Proving, even stopping her from running out and getting shot at one point, and at least tried to save Vala, who is already dead by this point, for which he gets killed.
Hypocrite: At the end of the Proving, he accuses Aloy of cheating when he himself clearly sabotaged her at the beginning by destroying her trophy.
Jerkass: Very rude towards Aloy since they were kids and talks too much about himself.
Kids Are Cruel: Played With. His second appearance has him throwing a rock at the child outcast Aloy, hitting her on a head and causing a scar that lasts onto her present self. His teenage self recalls the memory with glee, and makes sure to rub Aloy's otherness in her face when they meet again, deriding her attempts to win the proving. During said event, he blatantly cheats by destroying her trophy, which ends up forcing Aloy into last place out of simple spite for her. All of this showcases him as an example of the children who also shun Aloy and (in his case) are outwardly malevolent. However, his initial appearance gathering berries with the other Nora children had him showing confusion and hesitance to walk away from Aloy when she also tried to gather berries and join in, before their overseer dragged him away, reminding him that outcasts are to be shunned. This, along with her noting him to be a 'hard worker' and how he genuinely came close to winning the proving behind Vala, and his more noble actions throughout the Eclipse's attack showcase that he only developed said bullying attitude and cruelty towards Aloy as a learned example from the older Nora. It's implied that had he lived, he would have been capable of becoming a better person.
Laser-Guided Karma: The girl he attacked and made life hard for as a child grows up and defeats him in the Proving.
Small Name, Big Ego: He loves the sound of his own voice quite a bit.
Underestimating Badassery: He shows Aloy zero respect in the Proving.
Used to Be a Sweet Kid: As his introduction shows, he didn't shun Aloy at first.
We Hardly Knew Ye: Gets very little characterization before he's gunned down by the Eclipse.

Karst

Voiced by: Steve Furst (English)^note

A cranky trader and former outcast.

Character Death: He dies when the Eclipse assaults the Nora's Sacred Lands late in the main story, which makes him the only merchant to disappear from the map past a certain point in the narrative.
Deadpan Snarker: He doesn't take the Nora's rules about outcasts seriously and won't hesitate to mock them, as seen when Aloy shows up looking for a Tripcaster:
Karst: (dryly) An outcast on my doorstep? My, my, All-Mother protect me.
Friend in the Black Market: Except it's not so much that the wares he's selling are illegal, but rather that the act of selling them to Aloy and the other outcasts is an illegal act in itself.
The Hermit: He lives by himself, but that doesn't mean he can't visit the nearby Nora village. That he's so paranoid that someone will see him speaking to Aloy certainly suggests that he's in frequent contact.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He's a bit rough around the edges but a decent person at heart, even more so because he's the only Nora merchant who's willing to trade with outcasts.
Nothing Is the Same Anymore: The reason he chose to live by himself in the wilderness is that once his sentence of being an outcast was up, he discovered that everyone he knew had moved on and there was nothing left for him to stay in his old home.
Same Surname Means Related: A tribal variation. Karst wears the same face paint as Teb and the Nora Keeper, which among the Nora signifies a familial bond. The specifics are never revealed, though.
Vitriolic Best Buds: Upon meeting, he and Aloy snark at each other unrelentingly, but they seem to get along quite well.

Teb

Voiced by: Ako Mitchell (English)^note

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/teb.png

A Nora who was saved by Aloy after an accident and became a good friend and ally.

Back for the Finale: Unlike the other Nora at Meridian, except for outcast Nakoa, he doesn't seem dramatically stressed at being in this strange location and has apparently had friendly conversations with several Carja, trying to explain Stitchers to them and being made an honorary quartermaster.
Climb, Slip, Hang, Climb: While presumably training for the Proving on the cliffside obstacle courses known as brave trails, Teb wasn't able to keep his grip and fell into the middle of a pack of angry Striders.
Determinator: He never stopped speaking the truth about his savior, even though his father hit him for doing it. This is why Teersa knows about the situation even though she wasn't part of it.
Distressed Dude: After his fall, he was badly injured and trapped, unable to move for fear of the Striders.
Hero-Worshipper: He's been this for Aloy ever since she saved him. He gladly defies tribal custom to speak to her and is the first (outside of Teersa) to believe that she's a divine blessing.
I Owe You My Life: After Aloy saved Teb, he patiently waited for years to be able to thank her.
Nice Guy: One of the few Nora who speaks to Aloy during her time as an outcast, since he feels the need to thank her for saving his life.
Not the Fall That Kills You…: Despite falling off a cliff, the more pressing danger to Teb is the angry machines searching for him.
Non-Action Guy: His first scene has him failing while training to be a hunter-warrior, which seems to prove to Teb that he isn't cut out for front line combat. Instead he became a Stitcher.
Passive Rescue: Aloy uses her Focus to guide Teb out of danger without alerting any machines.
Rescue Introduction: Aloy meets Teb by saving his life from Watchers.
Textile Work Is Feminine: Averted. Teb works as a Stitcher, making armor for Braves to wear in combat.

Teersa

Voiced by: Nicolette McKenzie (English)^note

A reasonable and friendly High Matriarch.

Cool Old Lady: She acts as Aloy's surrogate grandmother while at the same time defending her from Lansra.
Culture Clash: Downplayed, given that she's one of the most open-minded Nora we've seen. That said, it's the one point of tension between her and Aloy (who otherwise views her in high regards): namely, Teersa's defense of the outcast system (the story leans towards Teersa's side) and the choice to keep Rost an outcast.
Dumbass Has a Point: She is entirely ignorant of the Metal World, but calmly reminds Aloy of what it really said when the panicky girl assumes it rejected her.
In Mysterious Ways: She's not especially concerned with all the dogma that Aloy upends, because the broad points of her religion are still true, they just have more esoteric layers added on now.
Motivational Lie: After the Proving disaster, Teersa tells Aloy to let her do the talking, and then proclaims that the goddess has tasked Aloy with healing Her corruption. Which isn't exactly wrong, but is a hell of a generous interpretation of what little was said.
Nice Mean And In Between: Of the three matriarchs, Teersa is the nice one. She treats Aloy and Rost with respect despite them being outcasts, and believes that Aloy is a gift from the All-Mother who has a greater purpose.
Reasonable Authority Figure: She doesn't totally adhere to her tribe's strict customs and is welcoming to Aloy, and willing to deal with outsiders repentant over the Red Raids. She's also willing enough to break the tribe's customs by allowing her people to evacuate inside All-Mother Mountain, previously exclusive to the High Matriarchs, when the Eclipse intends on wiping them out.
- When Aloy presents her with information that conflicts with her lifelong held beliefs, she doesn't argue or deny Aloy's claims past a brief note that it "cannot be so" until Aloy confirms that she is telling the truth. Teersa instead admits that the situation has gone beyond her understanding and entrusts Aloy to learn the truth of it.
- While the other High Matriarchs' plans for dealing with large problems involve little more than praying to All-Mother and clinging to their beliefs, Teersa takes a significantly more open-minded and proactive approach. Her actions effectively set Aloy on the right path for the main plot of the game and later save the lives of dozens of Nora.
Right for the Wrong Reasons: Teersa believes that Aloy is a gift from their goddess that will accomplish great things for their Nora. She's right but it's not quite that simple. Their "goddess" is an AI that self-destructed to give the world a fighting chance against one of its rogue subroutines and Aloy is a clone of said AI's creator and mentor, designed to access genetically locked areas and lead the fight against the rogue AI.
Screw the Rules, I Make Them!: Her being a High Matriarch and top-level leader of the tribe helps in doing the following trope.
Teersa: I'm a High Matriarch, Rost. I can bless whom I choose.
Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right!: Teersa is the only High Matriarch who is willing to ignore the Nora's strict taboos from blessing the name of Aloy, an outcast, to allowing her tribesmen to flee from the Eclipse scorched-earth attack into the safety of All-Mother Mountain, where only High Matriarchs may enter.
This Looks Like a Job for Aquaman: Aloy snarks that motherhood is a stupid reason for assigning leadership. Maybe a day later, Teersa's ability to calm down a sulky teenager is vital to saving the world.

Lansra

Voiced by: Eve Karpf (English)^note

A conservative High Matriarch who strictly adheres to the Nora's religious customs.

Bitch Alert: Her Establishing Character Moment is treating the infant Aloy like an abomination and reprimanding Teersa for actually allowing Aloy's name to be blessed.
The Fundamentalist: Really follows her custom to the point of refusing to let her tribesmen to flee inside All-Mother Mountain from the Eclipse. But no one really listens to her after the screaming and shouting. The only reason she ever begs Aloy's forgiveness isn't because of a personal revelation but because what she sees gives her the false impression that Aloy is the Anointed of the Goddess.
Hate Sink: Lansra has hated Aloy since the day she was born and sees her as nothing more but a possible spawn of the Metal Devil. Not only that, she is so much of a traditonalist that when Eclipse attacks the tribe again with intent to eradicate them, she refuses to let anyone enter the Sacred Mountain for protection.
Heel–Face Turn: Of a sort. When Aloy exits the GAIA facility that the Nora's ancestors lived in until their food ran out, she immediately bows to the ground out of religious fervour, names her 'Anointed' and overall becomes more tolerant of her. Aloy is exasperated with her still, since she ultimately hasn't learned anything.
Jerkass: Of the three High Matriarchs, Lansra is the most cold-hearted, treating Aloy with contempt at every turn, no matter how much she's proven herself, and even trying to stop her tribesmen from taking refuge in the mountain when the Eclipse attacks.
Lawful Stupid: She'd rather let all Nora be destroyed than break Nora law by allowing people other than the Matriarchs to enter the Sacred Mountain for protection.
Nice Mean And In Between: Lansra is the mean one. She despises Aloy, treating her not just as an outcast, but as an abomination of nature who will bring nothing but suffering to the tribe.
Starter Villain: Of a sort. She isn't directly against Aloy, but she is the first force shown to be antagonistic toward her, barring Resh. By the end, Aloy realizes she has bigger problems than a fundamentalist who won't even leave the Sacred Lands.
Aloy: If there's anything I've learned since the Proving, it's that there are bigger evils in this world than you.
Took a Level in Kindness: Deconstructed. She becomes more mellow towards Aloy not because she's saved the Nora and proved to her that she is not the daughter of the Metal Devil, but because she's the daughter of the All-Mother (GAIA) and thus the Nora's Annointed. Aloy calls out for her hypocrisy for shunning her for her entire life, only to suddenly worshipping her.
Ungrateful Bastard: Aloy has saved many Nora from several attacks yet she has nothing but contempt towards her and even blames Aloy for the attacks.
Would Hurt a Child: Not physically but emotionally. Because of her traditionalism, she has shunned Aloy since the day she was born, giving her a cynical streak.

Jezza

Voiced by: Rachel Atkins (English)^note

The third of the tribe's three High Matriarchs, Jezza seems to be the most pragmatic of the High Matriarchs, siding with the open-minded idealist Teersa or the harsh fundamentalist Lansra depending on situational benefit.

Nice Mean And In Between: Jezza is the in-between. She's not exactly sure what to think of Aloy, and doesn't treat her with the same level of loving kindness as Teersa, nor the same level of scorn as Lansra. After Aloy is declared the Annointed she simply says of Aloy's original outcast status, "We were so unsure."
Out of Focus: Of the three Matriarchs, she's the only one without any real characterization.

Sona

Voiced by: Adjoa Andoh (English)^note

The Nora War-Chief and the mother of Vala and Varl.

Anti-Nepotism: Likely the reason she's a bit tougher on her son than her other subordinates. Also, because she's his mom, she feels more offended by his tendency to disregard authority.
Cold Ham: Can get pretty bombastic in her speeches without ever raising her voice.
Death of a Child: Her daughter Vala is one of the aspiring Braves killed in the Proving Massacre.
Frontline General: She's in the thick of the fighting with her braves in the war against Eclipse.
Four-Star Badass: As head of the braves, the warrior contingent amongst the Nora, she is essentially the commander-in-chief of (what passes as) the Nora's military.
Hypocrite: She chastises Varl for leaving his post, but she abandoned her entire command to chase down the party of killers.
Iron Lady: Stern, curt, no-nonsense, never smiles and always talks like she's moments away from biting your head off. In her defense, she's always encountered in situations where her tribe is teetering on the brink of extinction, so it's understandable that she isn't the most cheery person around.
Lady of War: She's the War-Chief of the Nora and is usually calm and composed, if harsh.
Outliving One's Offspring: Her daughter was killed by the Eclipse. And with Varl's death, she's outlived her son as well.
Reasonable Authority Figure: The first time Aloy encounters her, Sona is curt and cool with her, as you might expect given how recently she lost her daughter, but unlike Resh she places no blame on the former Outcast, and Aloy quickly gains her respect.
Religious Bruiser: She's as devout as she is capable in a fight. The latter is a great asset in her questline. The former, not so much.
Roaring Rampage of Revenge: After the Proving massacre that killed Vala and the loss of most of her kinsmen, Sona is dead set on hunting down the Eclipse.
Rousing Speech: Sona rallies the war party before the Battle of Devil's Grief, where reprisal upon Eclipse for the Proving Massacre is doled out.
Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right!: While she's bound by Nora custom, she breaks taboo to hunt the Eclipse who have taken shelter in the ruins. Later on, before the final battle, she's shown to be uncomfortable being in Meridian and away from the Sacred Land.
Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: In the finale, she hates being in 'tainted' lands surrounded by godless people and refuses an audience with the Sun-King, though she doesn't bar the people she led to Meridian from talking to all Carja. She still sees the need to be there.
Tough Love: Extra emphasis on "tough". While she certainly loved both of her children, 'motherly affection' appears to be a foreign concept to her.
War Hawk: Averted. She believes that being this is a mark of a poor War-Chief, and war is a burden to be dealt with, not an opportunity for glory or fun. Even her vengeful rampage was meant to quickly and efficiently deal with a known threat.

Vala

Voiced by: Elena Saurel (English)^note

Sona's daughter and a contestant in the Proving.

Black Girl Dies First: She's the first named character to die in the game.
Friendly Rivalry: She is the only Brave-in-training that is willing to tolerate Aloy and openly competitive with her fellow Braves during the Proving. By the end of the Proving she is really proud of Aloy becoming a Brave.
Nice Girl: She speaks with Aloy despite her being an outcast, and outright tells Bast to stop picking on her.
Surprisingly Sudden Death: Aside from the proctor at the Proving, she is the first character who gets killed by a machine gun-wielding Cultist.
We Hardly Knew Ye: She gets even less screen time than Bast, only having enough to establish herself as a Friendly Rival to Aloy and a courageous Nora before being killed by Eclipse during the Proving. This is acknowledged by Aloy herself when she talks to Varl, saying they could have been friends otherwise.

Varl

See The Base Team

Resh

Voiced by: Harry Myers (English)^noteOther Languages:Andrey Sipin (Russian)

One of the senior Braves, who makes his contempt for Aloy clear from the moment they meet.

Broken Pedestal: Unlike his fellow tribesmen, Resh never changes his view on Aloy even after she becomes the Anointed. Deeming the tribe he served his whole life gone, Resh curses the Goddess and makes preparations to leave the Nora.
Dirty Coward: Aloy calls him a coward since he wasn't around when the Eclipse attacked the Proving and believes it's why he doesn't follow the War Party. From the way he reacts, Aloy is not wrong about it.
Hate Sink: Unlike the other Nora, who eventually come around to accepting the "motherless outcast" and more, there is absolutely nothing that can be said "positively" about Resh beyond his ability to keep his unwavering determination to hate Aloy.
Hypocrite: Resh's talk that he is a proud Nora Brave rings hollow at the end of the game where he will rather leave the tribe than respect the Outcast turned-Anointed and curses everyone including his Goddess for doing so.
Jerkass: Has a deep seated hatred for Aloy for no particular reason other than she was an outcast. Even after Aloy is dubbed the Anointed of the Goddess by the rest of her tribe, Resh doesn't follow suit, treating her with just as much vitriol before, only this time disowning his tribe for accepting her.
The Neidermeyer: He is vastly less competent than Sona, and the other Braves don't really think highly of him.
Right for the Wrong Reasons: Believes the attack on the Proving happened because it was cursed by the presence of a motherless Outcast in the competition. The attack indeed was caused by Aloy's participation in it, as the Cultists were there specifically to kill her, but she can hardly be faulted for not knowing that a group she'd never heard of that lived outside the valley she'd spent her entire life in wanted her dead for reasons beyond her control. If Aloy had been raised in the tribe instead of as an outcast, the Eclipse still would have attacked.
Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Strongly implied. When Aloy is given an overwhelmingly positive reception by the rest of the tribe upon being dubbed the Anointed of the Goddess, Resh decides that the tribe he knew is gone and he has no place there. Aloy agrees, and more or less tells him not to let the door hit him in the ass on the way out.
Speak Ill of the Dead: He calls the Braves who did not shoot at Aloy during the Proving as not true Braves.
Ungrateful Bastard: Aloy saves his sorry ass more than once, but Resh never even thanks her.
You Are in Command Now: He is promoted to be the Nora tribe's War Chief after the previous War Chief, Sona, goes missing. Once Sona returns, he's demoted again.

Nora Outcasts

Rost

Voiced by: JB Blanc (English)^note

"I know my duty to them - and to you. I'm here. And wherever you go... I will follow."

Aloy's guardian and mentor, formerly an accomplished Brave until he was Outcast under atypical circumstances.

Action Dad: While nobody officially acknowledges it, Rost is all but an adopted one to Aloy. Was ostensibly one to his deceased biological daughter as well.
Boomerang Bigot:
- A subdued example; Rost has a very low opinion of other Outcasts other than Aloy (and even of regular Nora that break the rules by treating Outcasts with some basic human decency), and often expresses his disapproval of her interacting with them. He does speak approvingly of Odd Greta, an Outcast who doesn't try to speak to other Outcasts, and likes it when Aloy helps her.
- It's eventually revealed that Rost is not a traditional Outcast, who are exiled due to committing some crime, and that he effectively became an Outcast on purpose and with the Matriarchs' blessing.
Crazy-Prepared: He's presumably the reason Aloy knows how to swim, even though the only large amount of water in Nora territory is a lake. It's a justified trope, because he knew people would bully his baby girl if she showed any inability or ignorance about anything.
Dark and Troubled Past: Most outcasts are only exiled from the tribe for a certain period of time. Rost, however, was sentenced to be an outcast for life, implying he had committed a particularly serious crime which he does not want to talk about. Subverted, though, as he willingly exiled himself once he finished his hunting down of a band of twelve Outlanders after pleading to the Matriarchs to become a Death-Seeker.
Death Seeker: He requested that the Matriarchs literally name him a Death-Seeker, one whose soul remains in the Sacred Lands even as their body leaves it, never to return. He did so in order to kill the people who murdered his wife and child, and when he succeeded he was content with dying as close to the Sacred Lands as the law allowed. Instead another Nora tribeswoman found him, and brought him back into Nora territory. Even though this was forbidden, the Matriarchs compromised with him, allowing him to stay in Nora lands in exchange for being an outcast. In present day he no longer has this mentality and is just content with living in his cherished lands and raising Aloy as his daughter.
Due to the Dead: The Matriarchs make a grave for him, and Aloy can even visit it and tell Rost all that's been happening in her life.
Everyone Has Standards: Despite his apathy towards the Old Ones, he ultimately allows the young Aloy to keep the Focus she found in the ruin she fell into. Word of God confirmed that he recognized Aloy's need for things he ultimately couldn't provide.
Facial Markings: He has blue markings around his right eye and chin. The second game's cosmetic system describes it as the marks of a Nora Death Seeker, though only the Matriarchs know what it truly means.
Good Parents: He let Aloy keep heretical technology, climbed up a mountain to get her named properly, and didn't get angry when she let the stew burn. It's even possible that he was too soft on her. Aloy eventually figures out and explains to her fellow clone Beta that Rost and his teachings is the great difference between them. Even with him being dead for six months, Aloy often looks back to their time together for guidance.
Heroic Sacrifice: He dies saving Aloy from being blown up by the Eclipse Cultists.
Hero of Another Story: His adventures as a Death-Seeker sound like something out of a Horizon-flavored Assassin's Creed game.
Honor Before Reason: He adheres to the laws of the Nora Tribe no matter what, even if it hurts him. He tells Aloy that after the Proving he'll move on because it's against the law for tribe members to speak to Outcasts like him, even though Aloy was raised as an outcast all her life. His death stops him from carrying out that plan, however.
Huge Guy, Tiny Girl: Rost is built like a tank, whereas his adoptive daughter Aloy is a slender, not particularly tall young woman.
Innocently Insensitive: He loves Aloy, but he flat out refuses to acknowledge that her treatment by the Nora has been far more abusive than his. This detail in particular is what Beta focuses on to argue against Aloy's insistence that Rost is the difference between their personalities. Beta specifically cites that Rost was never outwardly loving.
Irony: He is strict about never talking to members of the tribe, since he's Outcast and Nora law forbids him. His final words, "Survive," are directed at Aloy, who's become a Nora Brave at that point. With his last actions, he breaks his honor code.
Lack of Empathy: A sympathetic example. Rost has lived his life according to the Nora laws and customs as best he can and is generally satisfied with his lot in life. This leaves him poorly equipped to be all that sympathetic to Aloy, who got royally screwed over by said laws and customs. Not because he doesn't care for her, but because his entire worldview disagrees with her opinions, leading to him dismissing them.
Like Parent, Like Child: Beta, an onlooker with a limited viewpoint, interprets Rost as not having loved his adopted daughter. Aloy debunks this theory- her relationship with Rost was positive, it's just that they were both proud, asocial people who had difficulty demonstrating affection and understanding the need to do so. (The norms of their culture also contributed to the gap.)
Mentor Occupational Hazard: As to be expected of a mentor figure, he dies.
Mountain Man: Post-apocalyptic example, he lives in exile with his adopted daughter and provides for himself out of what he catches, while also providing for a few of the older tribal members who can't look after themselves.
Not Enough to Bury: Subverted. According to Teersa, there was "very little" of him left after his death via explosion. However, the Nora still gave the parts of him they could find a proper burial.
Papa Wolf: He's incredibly protective of his adoptive daughter, Aloy. Despite saying he'll have to stay out of Aloy's life after she becomes a Nora, it turns out he was watching over her during the Proving, and puts up a hell of a fight to save her from Helis, sacrificing his own life in the process. This goes for his biological daughter, as well, whom he avenged by hunting down and murdering the twelve outlanders who killed her, even though he believed it meant he'd never set foot in the Sacred Lands again.
Parental Substitute: He's the closest thing Aloy has to a father.
Parents as People: Rost and Aloy shared a loving father/daughter relationship and he trained Aloy so well, she became the best hunter and survivalist out of all the Nora. However, Rost's deep love and respect of the Nora, their laws, and religion left him unable to truly empathize with Aloy over her frustration and pain at being an outcast for no apparent reason. This is probably aggravated by Rost himself having welcomed being an outcast, so he doesn't see it as much of an issue personally. As a result, he was unable to help her emotionally adjust, leaving her with significant emotional turmoil over her position in life when she grew up.
The Quiet One: He speaks as little as possible and doesn't explain himself until absolutely necessary, much to Aloy's frustration.
Real Men Wear Pink: A burly Viking-esque hunter whose compassion and patience is just as important to the narrative as his courage.
Aloy: (while hunting) Rost always said, "patience".
Religious Bruiser: A very devout Nora who will bend certain rules (acting as an infant's mother when it's time to name her, whistling to signal some tribesfolk but not openly talking to them, "Survive") but believes in them utterly. This puts him in some conflict with Aloy, who's hurt and frustrated by many of the things that he quietly accepts and supports.
Roaring Rampage of Revenge: He begged the Matriarchs to name him Death-Seeker, so that he could leave Nora lands and kill the men who'd murdered his wife and daughter.
Secretly Selfish: He didn't consider that Aloy might one day want to join the Nora, because her doing such would leave him alone again.
Skeptic No Longer: Rost is initially dismissive of Aloy's Focus and only reluctantly allows her to keep it, not believing her when she says it's showing her things. When she maneuvers undetected through a field of machines by knowing where they will patrol and rescues Teb, he concedes "it is no plaything."
Sweet and Sour Grapes: He was content with dying in obscurity, but as the guy who saved the Anointed's life and raised her from birth, that isn't going to happen. (Although knowing Rost, he might have preferred the former, because it's traditional.)
Tragic Keepsake: His lost daughter's necklace, which in turn becomes this to Aloy after he dies saving her from Eclipse.
Training from Hell: Adminsterer of grueling training to Aloy (who submitted to this entirely voluntarily). It's the reason why Aloy is such a deadly combatant against both machine and human: she was trained by the only Nora Death Seeker brave to not die upon completing his quest.

Nakoa

Voiced by: Caroline Amer (English)^note

Action Girl: A capable hunter whom trekked beyond the Nora's Sacred Lands in order to hunt down her father's murderer. She also helps out Meridian's defenses in the climax, deeming Helis just as big of a threat like Zaid was.
Arch-Enemy: Considers Zaid to be her greatest enemy for murdering her father.
Asskicking Leads to Leadership: The other slaves look to Nakoa for guidance because her unwavering warrior's spirit gave them hope during their captivity. It's implied that the group stick together even after being freed because they don't want to be without her leadership.
Back for the Finale: Happy to help, stating that Helis is much like Zaid and was nearly as feared during the Red Raids.
Braids of Action: Nakoa is a very capable hunter whom sports a large and elaborately braided ponytail.
Cultural Rebel: Reinforcing her status as an outcast of the Nora, Nakoa shows no tribal prejudice against the Carja.
Dehumanizing Insult: When she finally drives a spear into Zaid's gut, Aloy says that she could have drawn out his death. Nakoa responds that her father taught her to end an animal's suffering quickly when she hunts, implying that Zaid is an animal.
Determinator: Absolutely nothing would stop this girl from getting revenge on Zaid, much to her family's dismay.
Revenge: Her father's murder is her motivation for leaving the Sacred Lands.
You Can't Go Home Again: After killing Zaid, she cannot go back to the Nora because she is considered exiled for leaving in the first place. She claims she doesn't mind and doesn't want to go back anyway, and focuses on helping victims from Zaid's slave trade. Apparently some of this was sour grapes and trying to make the best of her situation. In the endgame she's heard about the Nora opening up their borders somewhat and is excited and happy at the prospect of coming home and seeing her brother again.
You Killed My Father: Witnessed her father being killed by Zaid during the Red Raids, instilling in her a desire for vengeance against her father's killer.

Characters / Horizon Zero Dawn - The Nora

The Nora