Az-Zure

Az-Zure was a Dread Gnome and the leader of the tribe in the time of Adin. Az-Zure was an early ally of Adin and was instrumental in helping the would-be king obtain the Emerald from her tribe.

History
Az-Zure was leading a group of Dread Gnomes that were defending Dread Mountain from Greers, green beasts and other threats of the Shadow Lord. When Adin arrived at the mountain, having been repelled from Tora, Az-Zure and her companions captured him, tying him to a post as bait for the last green beast. Adin attempted to explain himself, but Az-Zure refused to listen.

Before the Dread Gnomes could take their positions, the green beast they had been hunting surprised them, wounding Az-Zure. Adin slew the beast—his arrows were heavier than those used by the Dread Gnomes and could pierce the green beast's scales—and saved Az-Zure's life. In thanks, Az-Zure led Adin to the rest of her tribe so that he could tell them of the Belt of Deltora that he was creating. That same night, the Dread Gnomes agreed to follow him and added the Emerald to the Belt.

Adin later used Az-Zure's name when he returned to Del to try and earn the Topaz. Unconvinced that the people of Del would hand over their talisman to their simple blacksmith, Adin dressed in Mere clothing and referred to himself as the "Archer of Azzure", though his disguise ultimately failed.

Az-Zure later took part in the Battle for Deltora, commanding the Dread Gnome archers. Az-Zure and Padge were the first to notice the Torans approaching and frantically alerted Adin. Az-Zure presumably survived the battle, which ended quickly after the arrival of the Torans and the completion of the Belt of Deltora.

Physical appearance
Az-Zure was short and stocky, like all Dread Gnomes, and wore heavy winter clothing while on Dread Mountain. Her clothes were made of smooth, brown fur and she carried a short bow and quiver of arrows. Az-Zure's dark brown hair was relatively long and tied into two thick braids on either side of her head. She also had an off-white, horizontal stripe of war paint across the bridge of her nose.

Personality
Az-Zure was a very confident individual, sometimes to the point of overconfidence, such as when she insisted that the Shadow Army and the Ak-Baba would be no trouble during the Battle for Deltora. Though brave, she was not immune to fear; when the Shadow Lord's reinforcements arrived during the battle, Az-Zure and her archers were frozen with shock before being roused by Adin. She was also prone to greed at times and like all Dread Gnomes was very fond of gold and jewels. Az-Zure was not fond of Kin, referring to the creatures as "vermin".

Despite her faults, Az-Zure was a brave individual, willing to fight to the last for Dread Mountain and Deltora. She also held herself to a code of honour like many Dread Gnomes; when Adin saved her life, she offered him any help that he needed as a show of gratitude.

Abilities
Az-Zure was a highly skilled archer like most Dread Gnomes, able to slay Greers from a distance with ease, though the small size and light weight of her arrows made it difficult to harm more armoured targets. To compensate for this during the Battle for Deltora, Az-Zure used arrows tipped with oil-soaked rags which she lit on fire. She used these arrows to distract the Ak-Baba during the battle. She was also a skilled hunter and a capable leader, able to defend Dread Mountain with relative success.

Trivia

 * Az-Zure's name is most likely derived from "azure", a shade of blue. This relates to Adin's disguise as the "Archer of Azzure", for the Mere tribe is heavily associated with the colour blue, and Adin wore a Mere leather helmet as part of the disguise.