Varl is a major character in Horizon Zero Dawn and Horizon Forbidden West. He is a Nora Brave, the son of War-Chief Sona and the older brother of Vala, whom Aloy competed against in the Proving. In the aftermath of the Proving Massacre, in which Varl lost his sister, Varl formed a bond with Aloy as they pursued the party responsible. He would later join her at the Battle of the Alight, and accompany her into the Forbidden West. Growing up as the son of legendary Nora War-Chief Sona, Varl was con