Well-Traveled Aram, is a mentioned-only character in Horizon Zero Dawn, Horizon Zero Dawn: The Frozen Wilds, and Horizon Forbidden West.
Aram is a Carja scribe who authored a number of travel guide glyphs, namely Rumors of the Nora, Rumors of the Tenakth, A Guide to Ban-Ur and the Banuk, and A Guide to The Claim.
History
Sometime after the Liberation,[1][2] Aram began exploring the tribal regions neighboring the Sundom in the hopes of gathering knowledge about the other tribes to educate the Carja, visiting the Claim[1] as well as Ban-Ur.[2] In both expeditions, Aram was overwhelmed by the cultural differences, and found the experiences unpleasant.[1][2] Additionally, someone who witnessed Aram wrote a glyph describing a very different account[3] than Aram later wrote,[4] bringing the complete honesty of Aram's glyphs into question.
While he planned an expedition to the Sacred Lands, Aram only made it as far as Hunter's Gathering in the Valleymeet. He planned to embark on another expedition in order to reach the Sacred Lands, planning to be accompanied by many well-armored blazons and a female scribe, believing that she might allow for better parley between the Nora and Aram. Talking to several outlanders at Hunter's Gathering, Aram wrote a gylph detailing the rumors about the Nora he heard.[5]
Aram's books have inspired some Carja to follow in his footsteps and explore the lands beyond the Sundom. Unfortunately, this has led to the death of a woefully unprepared Carja who traveled to the Cut, wanting to explore Banuk territory.[6]
Before the events of Horizon Forbidden West,[3] Aram planned to travel to the Forbidden West in order to learn about the Tenakth, making the journey all the way to Barren Light. According to himself, Aram demanded the gates into No Man's Land be opened for him, but the Kestrels refused due to Aram's immaculate reputation, leading him to simply write about the rumors of the Tenakth,[4] while a member of Porguf's expedition wrote in a letter to their cousin that they met Aram in Barren Light, being insulted by him. Rather than demanding the gates be opened, they saw Aram asking the guards about No Man's Land, who told him about rumors regarding the Tenakth. After hearing what the guards had to say, Aram started talking about the risks and how valuable he was, to which the guards offered to open the gates for him, which Aram reacted dramatically to, annoying Captain Nozar enough to have Aram packed off back to Meridian.[3]
Personality
Despite his efforts to explore other tribes, Aram's efforts are hindered greatly by his own culture. His glyphs show disdain for the tribes he has visited and an elitist attitude consistent with many among the Carja. This is coupled with an arrogant and self-centered attitude that belies a rather cowardly nature.
Associated Datapoints
Horizon Zero Dawn
Scanned Glyphs
Horizon Zero Dawn: The Frozen Wilds
Text Datapoints - World
- #13 Last Request (mentioned only)
Horizon Forbidden West
Scanned Glyphs
- #6 Rumors of the Tenakth
- #17 Not for Everyone (mentioned/quoted only)
Trivia
- While Aram's age is unknown, a member of Porguf's expedition describes him as an "old fellow".[3]