Difference between revisions of "Elhokar Kholin"
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Two days later, the King threw a party on his feasting islands. He sat at the main table, where he dined with several highprinces. Many of the attendants discussed the latest rumors that Dalinar Kholin wished to abandon the Vengeance Pact. At some point during the feast, Elhokar announced that he had appointed Brightlord [[Torol Sadeas]] to be [[Highprince of Information]] and had charged him with the investigation into attempt on Elhokar's life. When Dalinar came to question the king, he revealed the appointment had been Sadeas's idea.{{book ref|sa1|22}} |
Two days later, the King threw a party on his feasting islands. He sat at the main table, where he dined with several highprinces. Many of the attendants discussed the latest rumors that Dalinar Kholin wished to abandon the Vengeance Pact. At some point during the feast, Elhokar announced that he had appointed Brightlord [[Torol Sadeas]] to be [[Highprince of Information]] and had charged him with the investigation into attempt on Elhokar's life. When Dalinar came to question the king, he revealed the appointment had been Sadeas's idea.{{book ref|sa1|22}} |
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| − | A while later at another of the kings feasts, Sadeas proclaimed in front of Elhokar and the assembled lighteyes the results of his investigation. He had concluded that Dalinar was not involved but someone had tried to use him as a scapegoat.{{book ref|sa1|54}} |
+ | A while later at another of the kings feasts, Sadeas proclaimed in front of Elhokar and the assembled lighteyes the results of his investigation. He had concluded that Dalinar was not involved but someone had tried to use him as a scapegoat. Also an unknown individual had placed weakened gemstones in the king's Shardplate.{{book ref|sa1|54}} |
==== Watching the Duel ==== |
==== Watching the Duel ==== |
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Talk turned to the joint plateau assaults done by Dalinar and Sadeas, who argue about the use of the different types of bridges. Elhokar suggested a compromise where Dalinar used Sadeas's bridges for the march and only would join the battle after Sadeas had cleared a foothold. Dalinar reluctantly agreed.{{book ref|sa1|58}} |
Talk turned to the joint plateau assaults done by Dalinar and Sadeas, who argue about the use of the different types of bridges. Elhokar suggested a compromise where Dalinar used Sadeas's bridges for the march and only would join the battle after Sadeas had cleared a foothold. Dalinar reluctantly agreed.{{book ref|sa1|58}} |
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| + | ==== Dalinar's Fury ==== |
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| + | After Sadeas's betrayal at the [[Battle of the Tower]], Dalinar came to visit Elhokar in his sitting room. Elhokar started talking but Dalinar interrupted him by kicking him in the chest while still wearing his shardplate. When the king shouted for his guards, no one responded. Dalinar overpowered the king and pointed out that the guards were his men. Elhokar then admitted it he had cut his own saddle strap, in an attempt to draw attention to his safety. Dalinar then placed his hand on the king's chest and made clear that if he wanted Elhokar dead it would have already happened. Dalinar then ordered Elhokar to name him Highprince of War. He then laid out his plan for the future. Elhokar was astonished when Dalinar told him he was now courting his mother.{{book ref|sa1|69}} |
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| − | Later it became clear that Elhokar's deep fear of assassination had caused him to fake an assassination attempt on his own life by cutting the girth strap on his saddle,{{book ref|sa1|13}}{{book ref|sa1|69}} in order to trigger an investigation on those who wish him dead. Although this rash action placed suspicion on his uncle Dalinar, this method did yield results as it was found that weakened gemstones were placed in his Shardplate by an unknown individual.{{book ref|sa1|54}} |
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| ⚫ | |||
He was almost assassinated by [[Moash]] and [[Graves]] on multiple occasions. When [[Moash]] comes into the palace to kill Elhokar, he is saved by Kaladin who then speaks the third ideal of the [[Windrunners]].{{expand|needs more info of the events leading up to this and its aftermath, like the whole Lopen thing}} |
He was almost assassinated by [[Moash]] and [[Graves]] on multiple occasions. When [[Moash]] comes into the palace to kill Elhokar, he is saved by Kaladin who then speaks the third ideal of the [[Windrunners]].{{expand|needs more info of the events leading up to this and its aftermath, like the whole Lopen thing}} |
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Revision as of 12:38, 6 September 2020
| Elhokar Kholin | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Born | 1147[1][2] | ||||||||||||||
| Died | Siege of Kholinar 1174[3] | ||||||||||||||
| Abilities | Shardbearer | ||||||||||||||
| Titles | King of Alethkar | ||||||||||||||
| Nationality | Alethi | ||||||||||||||
| Homeworld | Roshar | ||||||||||||||
| Universe | Cosmere | ||||||||||||||
“Perhaps the liar here is me—lying to tell myself I could do this, that I could be a fraction of the man my father was. ”
—Elhokar[4]
Elhokar Kholin is the king of Alethkar on Roshar, and the nephew of Dalinar.[5]
Appearance and Personality
“I will figure this out. I will be a king to be remembered. ”
—Elhokar[6]
Elhokar is Alethi, with tan skin and epicanthic folds over green eyes.[7][fn 1] He keeps himself clean-shaven. His face is considered very handsome, with full lips, a broad forehead, and a firm chin. He bears some resemblance to his father, though Elhokar has fewer scars than Gavilar did.[5]
Elhokar is deeply paranoid, fearing assassins every since his father was killed by one, and thus wears his Shardplate far more often than other Shardbearers.[8] Due to Elhokar's youth and paranoia his ability to rule was questioned by those under his rule and he maintained a weakened authority over the ten Highprinces. He also has a strong complex about being compared to his father. He vacillates between extremely spoiled, demanding respect for the sheer fact of being a king, and fearful, keenly aware that he does not measure up as a ruler.[6] He lacks the spine or accomplishments to stand up to Dalinar when the latter starts to take more and more power, and the highprinces often talk around him, with Elhokar himself serving more as a unifying figurehead than a true leader.[9] He has a habit of surrounding himself with sycophants and people intent on using him for their own purposes.[10][11] Perhaps related to that, he seems to have very low self-esteem. Furthermore, his paranoia was furthered by his ability to see strange creatures in mirrors.[8]
While Elhokar is by no means an exceptional leader, he does have some potential, albeit deeply-buried. Despite his own uncertainty in his ability to rule, he's capable of making decisive action and manages to control the Highprinces, if just barely. He displays a certain sense for politics, and can display startling insight into the minds of others.[12] Over time, he comes to acknowledge his own flaws and take steps to rectify them, starting by trying to learn by example from Kaladin and becoming more selfless.[4] He's also a devoted husband and father, and though he can't spend much time with his family, he cares for them dearly.[11]
Attributes and Abilities
“I see their faces in mirrors. Symbols, twisted, inhuman. ”
—Elhokar Kholin[8]
By the time of his death, Elhokar is a budding Surgebinder of the Order of Lightweavers, although he passes away before he can finish stating the First Ideal.[11] In the months or years leading up to his death, he's been seeing Cryptics, in their Shadesmar form, in mirrors.[8] He seems to have also spotted a Physical form of a Cryptic at some point -- possibly the spren that intended to bond with him.[13]
He's a Shardbearer, with both a Shardblade and Shardplate. His Blade is called Sunraiser; it's long and thin, with a large crossguard and the ten basic glyphs etched up the sides of the blade.[14][5] He also owns several other sets of Plate and Blade, including Gavilar's Firestorm and his Shardplate. Those are often loaned out for training and duels to lighteyes that don't have their own.[15][16]
He has a fondness for maps; he's constructed a massive gallery of them in the Pinnacle, often studies them, and even draws his own when necessary.[17][18]
History
![[16]](#cite_note-Shardplate.jpeg-17){kind=link}
War of Reckoning
After the assassination of Gavilar, Elhokar vows to avenge his father by waging war against the Parshendi, who claimed responsibility for the king's death. He makes the highprinces swear to the Vengeance Pact to help him in his conquest, thereby managing to keep his kingdom together for now. During the early years of the war, Elhokar sent messengers to the Parshendi asking for explanations, but no answers came.[19]
Chasmfiend Hunt
Several years after the start of the war, in 1173, Elhokar lead an expedition including Dalinar, Sadeas, Adolin, Renarin and many other lighteyes and a thousand soldiers on to the shattered plains for a greatshell hunt. When they close on the hunting grounds, the king galloped of in his shardplate to a rock formation with a good vantage. Dalinar was forced to chase after him. At the summit, they discussed Elhokar's fear of assassination. When the huntmaster placed the bait one plateau over, the Chasmfiend climbed onto the viewing plateau.[5] Elhokar lead the assault on the creature together with Dalinar. He went to distract the beast so the others could fight it. Suddenly his saddle girth broke, and Elhokar fell to the ground. Dalinar urged him to get away from the fight, but Elhokar charged the Chasmfiend instead. In the skirmish, the king got knocked of his feet by the beast. Only the timely arrival of Dalinar, who caught the beast's claw, saved his life. Glory spren appeared when Elhokar held the captured gemheart up.[14]
During the march back, Elhokar discussed the war with Dalinar and Sadeas. As Dalinar has not won any gemhearts recently, the king encouraged him to start using faster bridges like Sadeas's. The king asked Dalinar to look into his saddle strap. Although Dalinar ensured him that he took the investigation very seriously, the king kept expressing that he felt Dalinar doubted him.[19]
Plotting a Strategy
Elhokar was visited by Dalinar and Renarin in his palace. Elhokar had a private conversation with Dalinar on the balcony. They discussed the lack of progress in war. Dalinar expressed his worry that the war was going on too long and had put too much strain on the kingdom. Elhokar countered that it was Dalinar who had proposed the strategy in the first place. He asked his uncle if the latter thought him a poor king, which Dalinar vehemently denied. Elhokar added that Dalinar started to sound more and more like Gavilar in his last days. Dalinar relented, and agreed that they could not just leave, but needed a better way to fight together. He brought up the old specialized highprince positions, suggesting he be made Highprince of War. The king considered and rejected the idea, fearing a revolt by the highprinces. He then warned Dalinar that he had been acting erratic lately, including his fits during the storms. In the end Elhokar told Dalinar that if he showed the others were willing to work with him, the king would name him Highprince of War.[20]
The King's Feasts
Two days later, the King threw a party on his feasting islands. He sat at the main table, where he dined with several highprinces. Many of the attendants discussed the latest rumors that Dalinar Kholin wished to abandon the Vengeance Pact. At some point during the feast, Elhokar announced that he had appointed Brightlord Torol Sadeas to be Highprince of Information and had charged him with the investigation into attempt on Elhokar's life. When Dalinar came to question the king, he revealed the appointment had been Sadeas's idea.[2]
A while later at another of the kings feasts, Sadeas proclaimed in front of Elhokar and the assembled lighteyes the results of his investigation. He had concluded that Dalinar was not involved but someone had tried to use him as a scapegoat. Also an unknown individual had placed weakened gemstones in the king's Shardplate.[21]
Watching the Duel
Elhokar went to watch the duels, accompanied by Sadeas and Dalinar. Dalinar and Sadeas discussed The Way of Kings, with Dalinar quoting one of the stories from memory while Elhokar mostly watched the duels. When the duel between Adolin and Resi began, they all paid attention. Elhokar remarked that Adolin was very good, better than Gavilar or even Dalinar. After the duel, the discussion focused on the war. Elhokar accused Dalinar of continuously making references to peace, while claiming to have given up the argument for abandoning the war. The king pressed on, and Dalinar confessed that if he would have had the power he would have taken the armies back to Alethkar. Elhokar then started to question who was behind Gavilar's assassination, was it really the Parshendi, or was someone using them as a distraction. He mentioned real villains in his own camp, that he saw their faces in mirrors. Talk turned to the joint plateau assaults done by Dalinar and Sadeas, who argue about the use of the different types of bridges. Elhokar suggested a compromise where Dalinar used Sadeas's bridges for the march and only would join the battle after Sadeas had cleared a foothold. Dalinar reluctantly agreed.[8]
Dalinar's Fury
After Sadeas's betrayal at the Battle of the Tower, Dalinar came to visit Elhokar in his sitting room. Elhokar started talking but Dalinar interrupted him by kicking him in the chest while still wearing his shardplate. When the king shouted for his guards, no one responded. Dalinar overpowered the king and pointed out that the guards were his men. Elhokar then admitted it he had cut his own saddle strap, in an attempt to draw attention to his safety. Dalinar then placed his hand on the king's chest and made clear that if he wanted Elhokar dead it would have already happened. Dalinar then ordered Elhokar to name him Highprince of War. He then laid out his plan for the future. Elhokar was astonished when Dalinar told him he was now courting his mother.[22]
Later events
He was almost assassinated by Moash and Graves on multiple occasions. When Moash comes into the palace to kill Elhokar, he is saved by Kaladin who then speaks the third ideal of the Windrunners.[expand]
After recovering from the attempt on his life. Elhokar moves to Urithiru and gives his blessing to Dalinar and Navani's marriage.[23] He later tries to abdicate in favor of Dalinar, but they settle on the title of Highking, giving Dalinar authority over Elhokar and his kingdom. They agree to keep this unofficial until Kholinar has been freed and they are sure Elhokar still has an Alethkar to rule over.[4]
Death
Shortly before his death, Shallan sketches Elhokar as a righteous and proud king and Elhokar, moved by the drawing, is inspired to be a good ruler for his people, despite all the faults he finds within himself. He is clutching this drawing when he is killed, using it as inspiration to become a Radiant. Unfortunately for the king, he is stabbed to death while speaking the First Ideal, unable to complete the words in time to save himself.
Elhokar is slain in Kholinar while trying to escape to the city's Oathgate with Adolin, Kaladin, Shallan, Skar, Drehy, and Azure. During their escape, the city is invaded by a parshmen army and several Fused. The army kills almost the entire Wall Guard, but it is Moash who slays Elhokar, by stabbing him through the chest and eye. Immediately before his death, Kaladin hears the king begin to mutter the First Ideal, and sees the king start glowing with Stormlight, but the king was not able to finish the words before he was run through by Moash. Later, Hoid rescues a Cryptic hiding near the scene of his death.[24] His body was eventually burned with honors.[25]
The king's son, Gavinor, survives and remains in Kholinar with Drehy and Skar while the others are transported to Shadesmar. The former three, along with Vathah, Red, Ishnah, and a local merchant managed to escape and send for help via spanreed. They are rescued by Kaladin after a scribe sent by Dalinar informs him of their location.
Development
As a character, Elhokar is almost as old as Dalinar, and the two had always been nephew and uncle. In the earliest story featuring him, Elhokar, along with proto-Jasnah, is kidnapped when the proto-Gavilar is killed, leaving Jared (the early version of Dalinar) to take the reins of the kingdom. After the prince and the princess are rescued, Jared retains control, taking the time to teach Elhokar how to be a proper ruler.[26]
The next known incarnation of Elhokar appears in The Way of Kings Prime, the first draft of what would become The Stormlight Archive. There, Elhokar participates in the same battle as Merin (proto-Kaladin). Sheneras, the eldest of Dalinar's three sons (since written out) dies to protect him, and when that is not enough, Merin steps in and saves his life, winning Shards in the process.[27] This version of Elhokar is already established as a bad king; at the end of The Way of Kings Prime, Dalinar is forced to kill him. Brandon, however, decided to leave him alive for a short while, deciding that the interplay between the two would be more interesting.[28]
Nonetheless, Elhokar had always been intended to die, even if the circumstances around his death changed.[29] In the final version of the story, Brandon killed him off in order to showcase Moash's descent into villainy.[30]
Trivia
- If Elhokar had lived long enough to speak his first Truth, it would be to admit that he was a bad king.[31]
Notes
| Preceded by Gavilar Kholin |
Monarch of Alethkar |
Succeeded by Jasnah Kholin |
- ↑ Brandon's Blog 2017
— Arcanum - 2017-11-01# - ↑ a b The Way of Kings chapter 22#
- ↑ Brandon's Blog 2017
— Arcanum - 2017-10-27# - ↑ a b c Oathbringer chapter 12#
- ↑ a b c d The Way of Kings chapter 12#
- ↑ a b Words of Radiance chapter 80#
- ↑ Miscellaneous 2014
— Arcanum - 2014-08-26# - ↑ a b c d e The Way of Kings chapter 58#
- ↑ Words of Radiance chapter 38#
- ↑ Words of Radiance chapter 62#
- ↑ a b c Oathbringer chapter 84#
- ↑ Words of Radiance chapter 56#
- ↑ Oathbringer chapter 74#
- ↑ a b The Way of Kings chapter 13#
- ↑ Words of Radiance chapter 16#
- ↑ Shallan's sketchbook - Shard sketches
- ↑ The Way of Kings chapter 24#
- ↑ Oathbringer chapter 67#
- ↑ a b The Way of Kings chapter 15#
- ↑ The Way of Kings chapter 18#
- ↑ The Way of Kings chapter 54#
- ↑ The Way of Kings chapter 69#
- ↑ Oathbringer chapter 4#
- ↑ Oathbringer epilogue#
- ↑ Stuttgart signing
— Arcanum - 2019-05-17# - ↑ It's Here
— Brandon's website - 2010-8-31# - ↑ The Way of Kings Prime chapter 1#
- ↑ Skyward Pre-Release AMA
— Arcanum - 2018-10-29# - ↑ Emerald City Comic Con 2018
— Arcanum - 2018-03-01# - ↑ FanX Spring 2019
— Arcanum - 2019-04-19# - ↑ Skyward signing Seattle
— Arcanum - 2018-11-10#
- Footnotes
- ↑ In The Way of Kings Elhokar is described as having yellow eyes. For Words of Radiance however Brandon changes them to green, so that they would match the color of Gavilar's to emphasize the family resemblance between father and son.