Floran Gelb

Author: Joinyce al'Torani

FLOHR-an GEHLB

General

Gelb is a thin man who is often described as having a wiry figure with a long-nosed, narrow face. His actions are shaky and nervous, always dry-washing his hands, or wetting his lips. Something about him looks raged (TEotW, Ch. 24; TSR, Ch. 38; Ch. 46).

He's lazy and will take any opportunity to slack off on his job. He wants gold, but doesn't want to have to work for it, and is also very greedy about it. This also makes him untrustworthy. He'll lie to get what he wants.

Timeline

• Floran Gelb is a crewman on Bayle Domon's ship, the Spray, and is supposed to be the night watchman when Rand, Mat and Thom jump aboard the ship fleeing Trollocs in Shadar Logoth. When Rand jumps on the ship his boot hits the top of Gelb's head, which leads Gelb to claim that they are Darkfriends. Domon yells at him for being lazy and lying about sleeping while being on watch (TEotW, Ch. 20).

• The crew upon the Spray is blaming Gelb for the Trollocs attacking the ship because he had not been keeping watch like he should have been. He takes every opportunity to try and tell his story blaming Rand, but no one believes him nor do they listen. He keeps trying to claim that Rand, Mat and Thom are in league with the Trollocs. Because of his stories no one wants anything to do with him and he is forced to do solitary and filthy jobs on the ship (TEotW, Ch. 24).

• Once the Spray reaches Whitebridge Domon kicks Gelb off of the ship for having slept through his watch. He searches for support among the crew, but finds none (TEotW, Ch. 26).

• The Seanchan woman Egeanin hires him and his men in Tanchico to hunt for items lost at Falme, mainly a'dam, sul'dam and damane. He keeps finding girls he thinks match the description, but none of them are actually the missing women. Egeanin thinks he is just trying to get her money without doing the real work. He tells Egeanin that he has found two of the missing sul'dam and will bring them soon (TSR, Ch. 38).

• Mistaking Nynaeve and Elayne for two missing sul'dam, Floran Gelb and his men try to attack them to take back to Egeanin. However, Egeanin herself is watching and knows that the girls are not who she is looking for and fends off Gelb and his men (TSR, Ch. 46).

Relationships

Gelb hates Rand because of what happened that first night on the Spray. He believes that Mat, Rand and Thom are Darkfriends and is always shooting them dirty looks. No doubt he blames them for the losing his job. Although he hates Mat and Thom it is Rand he dislikes the most because Rand landed on Gelb's head (TEotW, Ch. 20; Ch. 24; Ch. 26).

Bayle Domon distrusts Gelb because of the way he slacks off on the ship. No one on that ship likes Gelb. Domon fires the man (TEotW, Ch. 26).

Egeanin does not like Gelb much more than Domon does. She thinks he is just after her gold and cannot do a job properly (TSR, Ch. 38; Ch. 46).

Quotes

"I fought him, but then the Trollocs came. He's in league with them, Captain. A Darkfriend. In league with Trollocs." (Gelb to Bayle Domon; The Eye of the World, Chapter 20).

"Gelb licked his lips nervously. 'You said... Back in the beginning, you said you'd have a few coins for those as could do special sorts of work.' A muscle in his cheek twitched; his eyes darted as if someone might be listening at the lace-carved wall around three sides of the table, and his voice dropped to a hoarse whisper. 'Stirring up trouble, as it were? I heard a rumor -- from a fellow who's body-servant to Lord Brys -- about the Assembly, and choosing the new Panarch. I think maybe it's true. The man was drunk, and when he realized what he had said, he nearly fouled himself. Even if it isn't, it would still rip Tanchico wide open.'" (Gelb to Egeanin; The Shadow Rising, Chapter 38).