Difference between revisions of "User:King of Herdaz/Dalinar Kholin"

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Gavilar was present at Adolin's birth but brought Dalinar some bad news. He'd been unable to contain the situation at Rathalas. He'd decided not to send Dalinar to fight there, however, opting to send him instead to fight the Herdazians and Vedens on Alethkar's border as a gesture of Kholin strength.{{book ref|sa3|49}} Dalinar fought on the border against the Herdazians for four years, ensuring the security of Alethkar's border and gaining leadership experience and capability to match his personal prowess in combat, becoming known as his brother's best general. Unfortunately, for all that time, the princedom of Rathalas still refused to submit. Evi brought Adolin and their second son, [[Renarin]], to the battlefront. It was the first time Dalinar met Renarin, and he wasn't pleased to learn the meaning of Renarin's chosen name: "Like one who was born unto himself." Evi reminded Dalinar that he didn't answer many of her [[spanreed]] messages and he could have had input into Renarin's name if he'd wanted to. It bothered Dalinar that even so long after battle, even while interacting with his family, that the Thrill takes so long to fade.{{book ref|sa3|52}}

With Kaladin's help, the fight was won. The king offered Adolin a boon, but Kaladin took the opportunity to challenge Amaram. Elhokar demanded Kaladin's life for the insult, but Dalinar defended him, stating that if Elhokar were to execute Kaladin, then he would make an enemy of Dalinar. Afterward, Dalinar reprimanded Kaladin and ordered him to accept the time in prison Elhokar compromised on. He blamed Kaladin for losing them their chance to move against Sadeas, but thanked him for saving his sons' lives.{{book ref|sa2|58}}

 

 

==== The Expedition Sets Off ====

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==== Visions Revisited ====

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At first, she was skeptical that it was more than a dream but Dalinar told her how he came to realize that they were real and she seemed to accept what he said. Dalinar told her that he had brought her into his vision because he wanted to talk to her in person and through letters and spanreeds. He praised her efforts at organizing the people of the village and asked her if she would turn her back on the rest of the world. She replied that her nation was suffering and that she had a hard time believing that the Almighty had chosen him, a tyrant and murderer, to lead the Knights Radiant.{{book ref|sa3|34}}

 

Dalinar breathed in Stormlight to show her that he was a Radiant and repeated his claim that he was commanded to unite. She retorted that that was the same claim tyrants like [[Sadees]] and the Ardents of the [[Hierocracy]] used to justify their actions. Dalinar began growing frustrated and started raising his voice and shouting at her. He said that maybe allowing him and his armies into her cities was a risk, but she had no other choice, and if she did not act soon and make a united stand against the Voidbringers their world would be doomed. To Dalinar's surprise, Fen was not fazed by his outburst. On the contrary, she seemed to like being yelled at. She said that over the previous several months she had been hearing rumors that he had gone mad and then when she heard that he had predicted that a new [[Everstorm|storm]] would come she concluded that the rumors must have been true. Dalinar asked her what she thought when the storm came and she told him that it proved he was up to something, but she was not sure what it was. Dalinar asked her if she thought he was working with the enemy. She said that the voice on the other end of the spanreed was not the Blackthorn she knew and so had been sure, but after their conversation, she would reconsider. She asked Dalinar to let her finish the vision and the two of them parted ways. Afterward, the Stormfather did not think that Fen had been convinced but Dalinar thought that she would end up visiting Urithiru.{{book ref|sa3|34}}

 

{{image|Broken Oath by Antti Hakosaari.jpg|The [[Oathpact]], broken|side=right|height=350px}}

 

Next Dalinar asked the Stormfather to bring him, Navani, and Jasnah into the [[Dalinar%27s_visions#Broken_People|Broken People]] vision so they could learn from the past. First Dalinar entered on his own, and then fought through a group of wild men, losing an arm in the process. After a [[Stoneward]] helped Dalinar and his companions reach safety he let his Stormlight heal his arm and asked the Stormfather to bring in the women. Navani was quickly distracted by a Regrowth fabrial, and after a brief discussion with Dalinar praising his bravery in sharing the visions instead of hiding them, Jasnah went off in another direction to investigate on her own. After she pestered the Radiant with the fabrial to let her look at it, Navani and Dalinar walked through the battlefield together. Dalinar asked the Stormfather to include Navani in his responses and they discussed the events of Aharietiam as they explored together. When they reached the place where the nine Honorblades had been stuck into the ground in a circle by the surviving Heralds they stopped walking and Dalinar demanded to know the full story. The Stormfather then related the story of the [[Oathpact]] and the [[Last Desolation]] as he remembered it.{{book ref|sa3|38}}

 

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He told them how the ten [[Heralds]] went to [[Honor]] and created the Oathpact to seal the [[Fused]] in [[Damnation]] to prevent their immediate rebirth. He told them how after millennia of repeated Desolations, the Heralds had given up and had abandoned [[Talenel]] in Damnation to hold off the Voidbringers on his own. Dalinar realized, and the Stormfather confirmed, that the madman who had come to Kholinar with a Shardblade had indeed been the Herald Talenel, broken after four and a half millennia, coming to warn humankind of the coming Desolation. The Stormfather told Dalinar that with Taln's return and the other Herald's betrayal the Oathpact had been weakened to the point of destruction. Navani asked the Stormfather if this was what had caused the [[Recreance]] but the Stormfather said that that was a deeper secret and refused to tell it to them, saying that it would cause Dalinar and his Radiants to abandon their oaths as their predecessors had. Dalinar protested that he would not abandon his oaths no matter what but the Stormfather said there was no way he could know that and still refused to tell him. Dalinar worried that not knowing this secret would come back to bite them later, but he knew that there was nothing for him to do about it but wait.{{book ref|sa3|38}}

 

Soon afterward, Dalinar convened a meeting with Navani and the other Radiants to discuss what he had learned and its implications for their plans. Kaladin argued that the common singers were innocent and that they should not be fighting them and instead focusing their efforts on the Fused. Jasnah pointed out that he was being naive and that the events of the past showed that they could not come to a peaceful arrangement with them. Kaladin mentioned that Elhokar had asked him to accompany him on a mission to liberate Kholinar and rescue [[Aesudan]] and [[Gavinor]]. Dalinar suggested that he take three of his [[squire]]s, the king, and Adolin as backup and fly with the next highstorm to liberate and unlock the Oathgate that was in the city. Jasnah interjected and said that they were being too narrow-minded and needed to have a broader approach. She said that while retaking Kholinar was a worthy short-term goal, they needed to come up with a plan to deal with the problem of the parshmen and the Fused. Jasnah told them that their best option would be to find the Heralds and kill them, sending them back to Damnation, in the hope that their return would restore the Oathpact and prevent the Fused from reincarnating in the Everstorm. When Kaladin protested she said that the alternative was that they exterminate the parshmen to deny the Fused their hosts. Dalinar interrupted their argument and said that while locating the Heralds would be a good idea, they did not know enough about the mechanics of the Oathpact to justify her plan. They decided that Jasnah would be responsible for locating the Heralds while Kaladin trained his Squires to be aerial scouts and Navani researched the Unmade. They then had a general discussion about which of the other Rosharan kingdoms they should approach next.{{book ref|sa3|39}}

 

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At the next highstorm, Dalinar had the Stormfather bring Emperor [[Yanagawn]] of Azir into the vision of the [[Last Desolation]]. In the beginning of the vision, Dalinar kept his distance from the boy, felling any hostile soldiers who came near, to allow him to experience the vision for himself. He silently watched the young emperor question the soldiers of [[Feverstone Keep]] about what was happening. After they both witnessed Jezrien announce that they had defeated the Voidbringers for good and ended the war, Dalinar approached Yanagawn and revealed himself. At first, Yanagawn didn't believe Dalinar that he had brought into Dalinar's vision and instead believed that as emperor of Azir the Heralds would speak through him. Dalinar ignored his claim and used the battlefield as proof that they needed to work together. As they walked away from the battlefield the emperor told Dalinar what he been taught about [[Sadees]], the Sunmaker. The viziers had told him about how when Sadees had conquered Azir he had massacred the populace. As Dalinar was trying to tell Yanagawn that he was different from his ancestor, to the Stormfather's surprise, [[Lift]] entered the vision and interrupted them. After a brief exchange, Yanagawn told Lift that Dalinar was trying to convince him to trust him. Lift told him not to trust Dalinar, took the emperor, and vanished. After they departed the Stormfather was in a state of shock and Dalinar was forced to sit out the remainder of the vision in silence.{{book ref|sa3|42}}

 

Later, when Renarin sat in on a meeting of scribes who, led by Jasnah and Navani, were attempting to figure out the workings of the city, Dalinar came and joined them to provide a boost of support and self-esteem for his son.{{book ref|sa3|44}}

 

Later, Dalinar had his first experience with controlled flight when Kaladin and his squires transported him, along with Navani, Kadash, Elhokar, and [[Rushu]], back to the warcamps. The trip had two goals- so Kaladin could test flying as a group before his mission to Kholinar with Elhokar, and so Dalinar could inspect and assess their situation at the warcamps. After Brightness [[Jasalai]] led them on a short tour of the warcamp they discussed the logistics of maintaining a permanent Alethi presence on the Plains. After they finished they received word from Fen, whom Dalinar had recently sent into one of the visions unsupervised, saying that she would be willing to come and visit Urithiru. Dalinar then promised to send her a Radiant to open her Oathgate and transport them to the city.{{book ref|sa3|50}}

 

Afterward, Dalinar went to the monastery to look for the madman who had been kept there. He had a conversation with Kadash in the monastery about what Kadash and the rest of the Vorin church would do if Dalinar could prove that the Almighty had died. When Dalinar tried and failed to enter the room where the madman had been kept he asked the Stormfather if he could use [[Tension]] to get in, but the Stormfather told him that he was not ready yet. Dalinar then went outside the building where he found that someone had cut a hole in the wall with a Shardblade. When he inspected the scene all he found was a dart tipped with [[blackbane]] poison. Dalinar then had Kaladin use his [[Sylphrena|Shardblade]] to cut open the ardents' archives room and told him about his mission to Thaylen City. He then gave Navani the records he had retrieved for her as well as the dart he had found and then returned to Urithiru.{{book ref|sa3|50}}

 

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At the next highstorm, Dalinar brought Navani, Jasnah, Yanagawn, and a group of his viziers and scribes into the [[Dalinar's visions#A Highway to the Sun|Highway to the Sun]] vision. Jasnah pointed out that the vision seemed to have taken place during the [[False Desolation]]. Dalinar tried to explain to the young emperor what was happening in front of them as the boy was hesitant to go near the action. He told Yanagawn that he had brought him into the vision since if they would not join forces then the least Dalinar could do for them was give him the information he had so their scholars could work through it. Yanagawn told him that he did not have any real power as the viziers were the ones who truly ran the country. Dalinar let Yanagawn hear Honor's message and watched the emperor and his other companions fade away. However, for him, the vision did not fade. Instead, [[Odium]] appeared before Dalinar as the Stormfather's presence faded away.{{book ref|sa3|56}}

 

{{sidequote

|Dalinar looked at it, baffled, then up at the old man. In Odium's eyes, he could see that violet-black fire. Deep, deep within. The figure with whom Dalinar spoke was not the god, it was merely a face, a mask.

Because if Dalinar had to confront the true force behind those smiling eyes, he would go mad.

|Dalinar on Odium{{book ref|sa3|57}}

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Dalinar, thinking strategically, tried to get Odium to divulge his plans. Dalinar asked Odium why he could not just leave them Roshar alone and leave. Odium asked him if he was serious and [[Intention|Intended]] to truly release him from his bonds and set him free. He told Dalinar that if that were to happen he would begin by killing [[Cultivation]] and destroying the remnants of Honor, after which he would significantly alter their realm. Dalinar asked Odium if he would accept a challenge of champions, but Odium declined, saying that he did not need to take the risk since he knew that Dalinar would free him. Dalinar told Odium that now that he had seen him, he was no longer afraid of him. Odium smiled and let Dalinar glimpse a fraction of what he truly was. After it ended Dalinar found himself lying on the ground, completely overwhelmed, with Odium standing over him. It was then that Dalinar realized that the man he was speaking to was a mere mask of Odium's true infinite being. He knew that if Odium's true power were to be unleashed upon Roshar the entire planet would be destroyed in an instant. Odium sensed something nearby and told Dalinar that they would meet again. After Odium left Lift appeared and told Dalinar that she would convince Gawx to go to Urithiru.{{book ref|sa3|57}}

==== Diplomacy ====

{{image|Diplomat 2 by Marie Seeberger.jpg|side=right|width=350px|Dalinar riding through [[Thaylen City]]}}

 

After Kaladin and Shallan returned from Thaylen City, having unlocked the Oathgate, Dalinar had Malata transport him, Navani, and Taravangian through the portal to meet with Fen. When he arrived, he was struck by how much damage the Everstorm had done to the city. When he met Fen she offered to give him a tour of the city.{{book ref|sa3|58}} After being led through six temples Dalinar told Navani that this was boring him and she explained why Fen was bringing them to the temples and Dalinar realized that as a leader he also had to be a diplomat. When they arrived at the temple of [[Battah]] Fen, after a hesitation, let them inside to see the field hospital that had been set up there to care for the people who had been injured by the Everstorm and the escaping parshmen. Taravangian asked Fen if he could bring his surgeons to her city and she accepted his offer. Dalinar tried to offer her troops to help rebuild but Fen would not respond. Dalinar realized that Fen was not an absolute authority in Thaylenah and as long as the merchants of the city suspected Dalinar of trying to conquer the city she could not allow him to bring any soldiers into the city.{{book ref|sa3|59}}

 

{{sidequote

|I don’t want your life, son, I don’t want your city or your kingdom. If I’d ''wanted'' to conquer Thaylenah, I wouldn’t offer you a smiling face and promises of peace. You should know that much from my reputation.

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Fen excused herself saying that she had to meet with her council. While Dalinar waited he decided to provoke a fight to show that he did not intend to conquer the city. He started asking [[Kdralk]] questions about the city's defenses triggering the lad's ire. Dalinar asked him to fight him in a duel with longswords and alternating advantage with Kdralk going first. Dalinar dodged the boy's sword for the duration of the fight until he allowed him to strike him in the chest. Dalinar pulled out the sword and let his Stormlight heal him. The boy told Dalinar that it was his turn to take the sword but Dalinar declined to fight him saying that he had already been bloodied. He told Kdralk that if he had been trying to conquer his city he would not be walking around exchanging pleasantries, he would bring an army. To Dalinar's surprise he suddenly felt a rush of shame. He realized that this bullying method of getting his way was the way of the Blackthorn not the Bondsmith. He walked away to be alone with his thoughts leaving behind an awed crowd. As he was walking he heard a voice in his head, the same one he heard in his visions that always told him "''Unite Them''". He soon realized that this was different, he was hearing hundreds of voices speaking to him together. He realized that he was hearing the spren of the shattered temple and its desire to be whole again. He started gathering the stones of the temple and using his Surgebinding to fuse them back together.{{book ref|sa3|59}}

 

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After Dalinar had finished fixing the front wall of the temple he asked a nearby scribe to write to Urithiru telling Renarin to come. By the time Fen had returned Kdralk and the other soldiers had started gathering the broken stones so Dalinar could fuse them back together and healed people were streaming out of the field hospital. Dalinar explained to her that they needed her help since if they were alone, they could not win. He told Fen that he needed

her strengths to complement his own. Dalinar convinced her to join him and his coalition in Urithiru and she gave him advice on how he could convince the Azish to join his side.{{book ref|sa3|59}}

 

Dalinar decided to give Jezrien's Honorblade, which he had hidden away, to Bridge Four so they could practice their Surgebinding while their captain was away. While he was retrieving it, he had a conversation with the Stormfather about the Heralds and their current situations. The Stormfather told Dalinar that he was not like an ordinary Bondsmith. He had the powers that Ishar, Binder of Gods, before he became the Herald of Luck. He told Dalinar that there were only three Bondsmith spren but not say who they were. Dalinar then took the Blade to Bridge Four and gave it to them with instructions that they use it to continue their training.{{book ref|sa3|64}}

 

Dalinar then went to his rooms where Navani and Fen prepared him for his visit to Azimir. Fen gave him a packet of papers which she, Navani, and Jasnah had written as well as a spanreed to communicate with the tower and Navani handed him a box containing his lunch. As he was walking to the Oathgate he used [[Adhesion]] to break up a fight between some of Sadeas and Aladar's soldiers. Dalinar realized that Sadeas's soldiers were getting worse and resolved to come up with a solution to their continued disobedience and brawling. He decided that as a temporary measure he could have them work in Thaylen City repairing the damage the Everstorm had wrought to keep them busy and out of trouble. Jasnah then transported him through the Oathgate, which Lift had unlocked for him, to Azimir.{{book ref|sa3|64}}

 

{{sidequote

|1="You are not what I expected, Blackthorn," Noura said.

"And what did you expect?"

"An animal," she said frankly. "A half-man creature of war and blood."

Something about that struck him. An animal … Echoes of memories shuddered inside of him.

|2=Noura and Dalinar{{book ref|sa3|65}}

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{{image|Communion of Snacks by Marie Seeberger.jpg|side=right|width=300px|Speaking with [[Lift]]}}

 

When Dalinar arrived in Azimir and emerged from the Oathgate control building he found himself surrounded by a contingent of armed and armored Azish soldiers. He declared that he was unarmed and handed over his first attack, a four-page essay written by Queen Fen arguing about the economic value of the Oathgates. While the [[vizier]]s and [[scion]]s were reading the essay Dalinar tried, and succeeded, to use Spiritual Adhesion to forge a [[Connection]] with a nearby servant and understand what the Azish were saying. The viziers noticed this and were impressed, but after further deliberations, they decided that Fen's essay was not persuasive enough. Upon hearing this, Dalinar reached into his packet and gave the viziers Navani's six-page essay which contained schematics and details of many of the fabrials they had developed. As they were in the middle of reading Navani's essay Dalinar reached into his packet and retrieved the third and final essay, ''[[Verdict]]'', written by Jasnah. The viziers were extremely impressed by Jasnah's writing and it persuaded them to bring his arguments before the Prime and his council. They then led him to a waiting room for him to sit in while he waited for their decision. While Dalinar was pacing in the waiting room Lift arrived and ate his lunch. After a bizarre conversation with Lift, Noura returned to tell Dalinar what they had concluded. He said that while Jasnah's essay had been a work of art, in the end it was Navani's more sincere paper which had persuaded Azir to come to Urithiru and join the coalition. He told Dalinar that representatives from [[Emul]], [[Tashikk]], [[Yezier]], [[Alm]], [[Desh]], and [[Liafor]] would be joining them as well. As Dalinar was reentering the Oathgate building, Noura told him that he had expected Dalinar to be more of a savage than he was. Dalinar told him that he had changed from the man he once had been. This conversation triggered a wave of recovered memories to flood through Dalinar. The memories of Evi and what had happened at the [[Rift]] overwhelmed him, and when he arrived in Urithiru he stumbled and collapsed to the floor.{{book ref|sa3|65}}

 

==== Memories Recovered ====

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{{image|Dalinar vs The Blackthorn.jpg|side=left|width=300px|Dalinar remembering what he did to [[Evi]] and [[Rathalas]]}}

 

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After eight days of hiding in his chambers tortured by the memories of what he had done, Dalinar emerged back into public to join the crowd of people waiting for news from Kholinar. They had received word that Kaladin and his group were attempting to liberate the Oathgate. While Dalinar watched the combined army crammed on the Oathgate platform awaiting their transportation he asked the Stormfather how he could be bonded to a man who had committed such atrocities, but the Stormfather did not understand what the problem was. He said that he himself had burned cities before, but now with the insight their bond had given him he could see a difference.{{book ref|sa3|86}}

 

Dalinar went into the common room where the other leaders were waiting for the news and sat down next to Taravangian next to the heatrial. Dalinar thanked him for leading the Azish, who had arrived the previous day while Dalinar was still incapacitated, on their tour of the tower. Dalinar spoke with Taravangian about their previous discussion about morality and asked him how someone could live with themselves after making such a compromise. Taravangian explained to him that as leaders it was their duty to bear the responsibility for injustices that happen under their rule.{{book ref|sa3|86}}

 

After Dalinar finished speaking with Taravangian they received word from Kholinar that the mission had failed and that they were unable to unlock the Oathgate. The writer at the other end of the spanreed did not tell them what had happened to Elhokar, Kaladin, Shallan, Adolin, and the others leaving the residents of Urithiru in the dark, not knowing what had befallen them.{{book ref|sa3|86}}

 

When the time came for the first meeting with all of the members of the coalition, Dalinar still feeling haunted and weary from what happened in Azir, asked Navani to lead the meeting in his place. Throughout the meeting Dalinar sat in his chair, gazing imperiously at all present with little participation in the debate. When the meeting took a recess Navani sat down with Dalinar and told him that he needed to get out of the tower and take a break. They decided that Dalinar would go to Vedenar to assess the situation over there before they sent in troops to aid Taravangian and his people.{{book ref|sa3|96}}

 

{{sidequote

|It seemed that Dalinar had been four people in his life. The bloodlusty warrior, who killed wherever he was pointed, and the consequences could go to Damnation.

The general, who had feigned distinguished civility—when secretly, he'd longed to get back on the battlefield so he could shed more blood.

Third, the broken man. The one who paid for the actions of the youth.

Then finally, the fourth man: most false of them all. The man who had given up his memories so he could pretend to be something better.

|Dalinar reflecting on his past.{{book ref|sa3|100}}

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As Dalinar toured Vedenar he tried to distract himself but he was unable to and his mind kept wandering back to what he had done at Rathalas. Eventually, Navani was led away from him and Dalinar made his way to a gazebo to look upon the ruins of the city by himself. As he gazed upon the remains of the civil war, he smelled smoke and heard phantom weeping, things he remembered feeling before he went to the Nightwatcher. Eventually, Taravangian arrived carrying a [[half-shard]] to show Dalinar. They discussed how the fabrials were made and Dalinar, suddenly overwhelmed by the moral implications of 'enslaving' spren inside fabrials, tried to change the subject. They discussed the morality of what [[Sadees]], Dalinar's ancestor, had done to Roshar. Taravangian argued that they would be better off if Sadees had succeeded in his quest of conquering all of Roshar as it would have left them better equipped to fight off the Voidbringers as a unified force. Dalinar was uncertain that this would have justified the slaughter and death such a conquest would have required, and he said that in any case, they could not change the past. Taravangian started to explain to Dalinar how artifabrians trapped spren in gemstones for fabrial, but Dalinar became overwhelmed again and hastily left the king's presence.{{book ref|sa3|100}}

 

Dalinar made his way to the [[stormshelter]]s outside the city walls where he inspected the city's troops, a process which seemed to calm him down. At the end of his inspection, he came to a tent filled with wounded soldiers. One of them, [[Geved]], told Dalinar what fighting in the Veden civil war had been like. As he listened to Geved's description of the battle he recognized that the Thrill had been involved, and he began to feel the Thrill inside him. This was the first time in a very long time that Dalinar had felt the Thrill within himself. He realized that throughout his time on the Shattered Plains when the Thrill had been fading from within him it had not been because he had been working to overcome it, rather the Thrill had left him.{{book ref|sa3|100}}

 

{{sidequote

|If you become that first man again, it will stop hurting. In your youth, you did what needed to be done. You were stronger then.

Is this leadership? To cry each night? To shake and tremble? Those are the actions of a child, not a man.

Give me your pain.

|Odium speaking to Dalinar as he tried to escape the Thrill.{{book ref|sa3|100}}

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Dalinar's composure collapsed again, and he dashed away, desperate to be away from all of the people. He made his way to the city walls and reflected on his past as he walked along the fortification. He was interrupted by a Veden soldier who wanted to know why an Alethi man was spying on the city's walls. Dalinar felt the Thrill surge within himself, urging him to attack the man. He dashed away trying to escape from the Thrill, but it did not work. He tried sucking in Stormlight to push it away, but it only made it worse. As he made his way to the Oathgate, trying to slow his pace and keep his head up, he heard voices in his head telling him to give up responsibility for what he had done. He lost all composure and began charging through the city trying to get to the Oathgate and the escape it provided as fast as he could. When he arrived at the Oathgate he found Navani and a number of ardents, [[Curates]], members of the [[Holy Enclave]] in [[Valath]] wearing blue robes and holding ornate staves waiting for him. The ardents announced that they could no longer tolerate his claims that the [[Almighty]] had died, and they were proclaiming that he was to be excommunicated and considered anathema to all good Vorin people. As the ardent began outlining his heresies Dalinar felt the Thrill surge within him, urging him to kill the man standing before him. Dalinar fled, dashing for the control building before he could do the man any harm. Dalinar then, despite the Stormfather's protests, reached into the Spiritual Realm and forced something into the Oathgate, activating it without a Shardblade.{{book ref|sa3|100}}

 

Dalinar stumbled from the Oathgate in a daze, ignoring everyone around him. As he walked, he heard Evi's voice in his mind telling him to accept who he was and not try to escape it. He made his way to his room and picked up ''The Way of Kings'', but he could not read it and it could not help him. He dropped the book and, almost unconsciously, made his way to Adolin's room. He searched the room until he found the bottle of strong violet wine Adolin kept for special occasions. He realized that he was turning back to the way he was before he went to the Nightwatcher but he decided that it would be worth it if it meant he wouldn't start killing people again. He drank from the bottle and drifted away.{{book ref|sa3|100}}

 

After three days of drinking away his problems, Dalinar experienced a strange dream. He woke up in a room that he recognized from one of his earlier visions but was not quite the same as he remembered it. He tried asking the Stormfather why he had brought him into the vision, as they had agreed that with Odium's intrusions the visions were too dangerous, but there was no response. He found [[Nohadon]] behind him sitting at a desk covered in piles of papers. Dalinar assumed that he was writing his magnum opus, ''[[The Way of Kings (in-world)|The Way of Kings]]'', but Nohadon corrected him and told him that he was simply writing a shopping list of ingredients he needed to bake Shin bread. Nohadon perceived that had been having a hard time and brought Dalinar with him on his trip to the market to take his mind off of his troubles. After haggling with a grain merchant, Nohadon told Dalinar that he had learned how to bake Shin bread from a woman who had hosted him near [[Shin Kak Nish]]. He told Dalinar that his life, like the woman's life, was unfair.{{book ref|sa3|103}}

 

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Dalinar told him about his struggles with trying to convince the monarchs to join with him and how he wanted to be able to force them to listen to him. Nohadon asked him why didn't force them if it was for their own good, and Dalinar replied that he was trying to follow Nohadon's example from ''The Way of Kings''. Nohadon replied that he had done that after trying and failing to force people to work with him. They then discussed how having morals and standing by them comes with a cost. Dalinar heard thumping outside the building they were in and when he went outside to check what it was he found a [[Thunderclast|massive skeletal stone creature]]. The Thunderclast reached a hand out to Nohadon who touched it, stilling the great creature. Nohadon asked Dalinar what this part of his nightmare represented, and Dalinar told him that it represented his pain and hypocrisy. Nohadon told him that hypocrisy can mean that a person is changing and it is not necessarily a bad thing. His words resonated within Dalinar and he remembered that he himself had said those words. When he woke up Dalinar realized that it had been a dream, not a vision, and suddenly remembered the events of Gavilar's funeral.{{book ref|sa3|103}} <!--This section is written terribly and is incomplete, as I've gotten fed up with this chapter and given up. I'll let whoever reviews this take care of it.-->

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He found Taravangian sitting by the hearth outside his study and took him to the tactics meeting taking place up in the Gallery of Maps. When he arrived Aladar, who was leading the meeting, greeted Dalinar and asked him if he was feeling better. Dalinar replied that he had been meditating and started to ask Aladar about their plans for the war. He was interrupted by Fen who demanded to know why he had abandoned them. Dalinar first tried to explain that he had taken his excommunication from the Vorin church poorly, but then admitted that he had not done the right thing. This satisfied Fen and the others and the meeting proceeded, returning to their discussion of how to fortify Jah Keved. As they were discussing how to defend the land near the [[Horneater Peaks]] Dalinar noticed Navani entering the room and called for a break to consider what had been discussed.{{book ref|sa3|107}}

 

 

As Dalinar looked over the room he heard a voice in his head saying ''Unite them'' but the Stormfather insisted that he did not know who was speaking those words. Dalinar noticed the Azish fleet arriving in the harbor and asked Yanagawn to update him on the status of their troops. Fen took charge of the meeting and started to discuss the situation in her city. As they finished discussing the defenses of the city and the Azish began outlining their guidelines for the coalition Dalinar noticed Renarin suddenly leaving the meeting. He turned and saw a scribe bring Jasnah and Navani a sheaf of papers. The Stormfather rumbled in Dalinar's mind and he had a sudden feeling of impending danger. Suddenly spanreeds around the room began flashing and writing. Fen read over one of her scribes' shoulder that the Everstorm had just hit Shinovar, four days earlier than expected. Dalinar suggested, and the others agreed, that it was a good time to take a break from the meeting. Dalinar began to feel relieved that the looming disaster he had felt coming had not been so bad, but the Stormfather told him that the disaster had not come yet. Dalinar realized that there was more to the message they had all received and asked Navani and Jasnah what it was. They told him that there had been a breakthrough in translating the [[Dawnchant]] and they had been sent a translation of the [[Eila Stele]] which described the [[First Desolation]] from the perspective of the [[Dawnsingers]]. After Navani finished reading it Dalinar was confused by the way the writer described the Voidbringers as not having shells. He realized that the person writing the stele was not a human, but rather a parshman, and therefore the humans were the invaders, not the singers.{{book ref|sa3|111}}

 

{{sidequote

{{sidequote

|Blame me, Dalinar. It wasn't you! You saw red when you did those things! It was my fault. Accept that. You don’t have to hurt.

Let me have the pain, Dalinar, give it to me, and never feel guilty again.

|Odium to Dalinar{{book ref|sa3|118}}

After he arrived in Narak, Dalinar took a report on the situation in the Shattered Plains from the battalionlord in charge of the city. He instructed the officer to make it known that [[Ialai]] had killed herself and told him that they could begin a full occupation of the warcamps.

 

=== Gavilar ===

Dalinar's relationship with his family is complicated. He idealizes his brother, and, as a younger man, was frequently willing to make sacrifices in Gavilar's favor. However, he also heavily envied him, mostly when it came to Gavilar's wife, [[Navani]], although such moments of envy were often accompanied by an intense sense of shame.{{book ref|sa3|26}}

=== Jasnah ===

Dalinar's relationship with [[Jasnah]] is perhaps the best among his relatives. The two bond together over ''The Way of Kings'', and respect each other's knowledge and opinions.{{book ref|sa3|105}} Dalinar considers Jasnah to be the most trustworthy person in his family, often wishing that she would come to the Shattered Plains with him.{{book ref|sa1|22}} Jasnah likewise is willing to aid her uncle, offering heartfelt advice when needed.{{book ref|sa3|56}}

 

== Quotes ==