House Kholin

House Kholin
by Isaac Stewart
Type	Family
Homeland	Kholin princedom, Alethkar
Era	Era of Solitude
World of Origin	Roshar
Universe	Cosmere

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House Kholin (/ˈχolɪnˈ/) is the ruling family of the kingdom of Alethkar on Roshar. Kholin princedom is their ancestral home, with Kholinar being their capital city.

History

Like all Alethi princes, the Kholins are descended from the Sunmaker Sadees. The title of the Kholin Highprince has been held by 34 generations. However, they did not begun their expansion until around roughly 1139, when Gavilar and Dalinar Kholin led a conquest against the other Highprinces of Alethkar, eventually consolidating the whole nation into a kingdom in the year 1148.

Unification War

In 1141, Gavilar led an attack on Rathalas in order to bring it under their rule. During the siege, Dalinar slew Brightlord Tanalan, successfully conquering the city and bringing the shardblade Oathbringer under Kholin ownership.

A year into the war, House Kholin looked for allies, and found them in Toh and Evi, a western Brightlord and his sister. Evi married into the Kholin family in order to secure an alliance, though they would remain merely betrothed into several years later.

Dalinar led an attack against Brightlord Kalanor , one of Gavilar's major enemies, who he had been maneuvering politically with each other for the two years prior to the attack. After a period of attacking smaller cities in his territory in order to weaken his authority, Dalinar managed to defeat Kalanor, claim his shards, and brought his region of western Alethkar under Kholin rule.

Rule of Alethkar

Gavilar Kholin took the Alethi crown, and married Navani, siring Jasnah in 1139, and Elhokar in 1147; while Dalinar, had Adolin in 1150 and Renarin in 1154 with Evi.

Around the year 1150, Gavilar sent Dalinar to the borders of Alethkar in order to fight Herdazians and Vedens as a gesture of Kholin strength, and to defend the security of the border. This was further needed due to the increased aggression of Herdaz under their new monarch. This helped him to become one of Gavilar's best generals, and also shaping the modern Alethkar-Herdaz border.

Around the year 1155, Dalinar Kholin led an attack against Akak and the Akak Reshi, and claimed the island for Alethkar.

Starting in an unknown year, Jasnah renounced Vorinism and became an infamous heretic and academic across all of Alethkar. Gavilar attempted to get Jasnah to marry Meridas Amaram until his death, although this never came to be.

Despite the Kholins gaining unquestionable control over Alethkar, the people of Rathalas continued to question their rule and rebel against them. Gavilar attempted to solve the issue diplomatically, but none of his attempts were able to quell the rebellion.

In the year 1163, Gavilar sent Dalinar and Sadaes to quell the rebellion in Rathalas, having run out of options. Dalinar suggested a peaceful solution, and Tanalan's son seemingly accepted the truce, he tricked Dalinar and buried him under rubble. In his anger, Dalinar burned the entire city of Rathalas to the ground, killing all of its inhabitants. The burning of Rathalas also brought about the death of Evi Kholin. The Kholin family worked to cover up the truth of Evi's death, and of the Burning of Rathalas.

In the year 1166, Gavilar and Dalinar came across a Parshendi patrol near the Shattered Plains.

Gavilar attempted to make a treaty with the Parshendi, though during a party in Kholinar Palace, he was attacked by and assassinated by Szeth, whom was hired by the Parshendi in order to stop Gavilar from bringing back their long gone gods. He gave the sphere of Anti-Voidlight to Szeth, shortly before dying from his wounds.

At an unknown period before his assassination, Gavilar began to come into contact with Thaidakar, Nale, and Kalak, for unknown reasons and to an unknown extent. He also somehow managed to find or create Anti-Voidlight.

War of Reckoning

Following Gavilar's assassination in 1167, Elhokar, as the sole male heir, succeeded the throne. Some time before his father's death, he had married Aesudan and had a single son, Gavinor in the early years of the War of Reckoning. In response to the assassination of Gavilar, the Vengeance Pact was issued between the Ten Highprinces, including Dalinar Kholin, starting the War of Reckoning. Following this, the Elhokar, Dalinar, Adolin, and Renarin moved to the Shattered Plains in order to assist in the war efforts, and with this the seat of power shifted to the Shattered Plains. Navani eventually moved to the Shattered Plains as well, after several years of remaining at Kholinar to assist Aesudan.

After Navani left, Aesudan began to fall into an abyss of decadence, and was corrupted by Ashertmarn and Yelig-nar. She threw lavish feasts, reveling in excess, increasing taxes, and allowing food sent in by farmers for the soldiers at the Shattered Plains to rot away. This turned the populace to turn against her, and made the city fall into decay.

An assassination attempt was made on Dalinar by Szeth, Gavilar's assassin, under the orders of Taravangian. This failed due to the assistance of Adolin and Kaladin.

Late into the War of Reckoning, Dalinar began to see visions left by Honor, which culminated in him creating a Nahel Bond with the Stormfather and becoming a Bondsmith.

The True Desolation

In 1173, during the War of Reckoning, Navani attempted to court Dalinar, picking up their mutual interest in each other from their younger days, that had only been allowed to lapse because Dalinar had stepped aside in favour of Gavilar. Their courtship was frowned upon by the ardentia but nevertheless maintained and culminated in them being married in Urithiru by the Stormfather, as no ardent was willing to perform the rites. Afterwards, Dalinar was titled a highking, giving up his claim to the princedom and making Adolin the Kholin highprince.

After gaining access to Urithiru and the Oathgates, Dalinar founded the Coalition of Monarchs in an attempt to mount a resistance against Odium's army. Dalinar, Navani, and Jasnah are major leaders in this coalition. The first monarch he reached out to was Yanagawn of the Azish Empire, though they were initially recalcitrant and refused to take up any invitation.

They went to attempt to ally with Queen Fen of Thaylenah after they were refused by Yanagawn, though she too refused they invitations initially. The rulers of Yezier, Tashikk, and Tukar refused as well. Though Taravangian of Jah Kaved and Kharbaranth accepted their invitation, and was the first to do so, and thus he quickly became an important member of the coalition.

The Siege of Kholinar claimed the life of Elhokar at the hands of Moash, but his child and heir, Gavinor, was rescued by Skar and Drehy. Around the time of Elhokar's death, his wife perished as well, being consumed by the power of Yelig-nar, with whom she had entered a bond shortly before and proved unable to control the overwhelming power of the Unmade within her. Kaves Kholin was also found dead during the siege.

After the Battle of Thaylen Field Dalinar asked Adolin to be king, but as he did not believe himself to be capable, Jasnah was crowned queen instead.

When Shallan Davar becomes Jasnah's ward, in order to protect Shallan's family from their creditors and political adversaries, Jasnah orchestrates a causal betrothal between her ward and Adolin. This eventually culminated in their marriage after the battle of Thaylen Field, bringing together House Kholin and House Davar.

Six months after the Battle of Thaylen Field, Jasnah and Dalinar met with Relu-na and his son Talik in order to create an alliance with the Reshi.

Jasnah, Dalinar, and Renarin went to a military expedition in Emul against Tukar and the Voidbringers, in order to gain Emul as an ally. While Adolin and Shallan went to Lasting Integrity as a delegation to convince the Honorspren to once again start bonding to humans to create Windrunners. Upon arriving, they tried Adolin for the crimes of the Recreance.

Dalinar negotiated with Odium, setting the conditions of the Contest of Champions based upon the document written by Jasnah and Wit, which would decide the fate of Roshar.

Military

House Kholin has access to a large and powerful military, during the War of Reckoning and before the Battle of Narak, they were primarily stationed at the Kholin Warcamp at the Shattered Plains. After the battle and the start of the True Desolation, most moved into Urithiru.

With their military might, they were capable of taking over the disunified Alethi provinces, bringing them together into a single unified Alethkar over years of conquest.

Bridge Four

Bridge Four was a former bridge crew that became Dalinar Kholin's honor guard, guarding the highprince and his family, and a military unit in the Kholin army. They are a very powerful and important part of the army, containing a large amount of Knight's Radiant and Squires, and being trusted with important tasks not entrusted to ordinary soldiers.

Kaladin is in the position of Captain.

• Rock - lieutenant and quartermaster, in charge of food for the battalion
• Lopen - second lieutenant to Rock
• Teft - lieutenant in charge of training
• Sigzil - lieutenant and clerk
• Skar - lieutenant
• Moash (former) - lieutenant

Renarin Kholin is also a member of Bridge Four, having joined into it of his own will.

Shards

The Kholins have access to six known Shardblades, four of which being Dead Shardblades, and two of which are Radiant Shardblades.

• Oathbringer
• Mayalaran
• Sunraiser
• Renarin's Unnamed Shardblade
• Glys
• Ivory

They also have access to multiple sets of Shardplate, all unnamed.

• Dalinar's unpainted set
• Adolin's Kholin Blue set
• Elhokar's Gold Set
• Jasnah's set

Iconography

The Kholins are distinguished by the colours white, and a deep shade of blue, which they use for their uniforms, often referred to as 'Kholin Blue'. These are the official colours of the Kholin household.

Dalinar Kholin's crest takes the form of the words khokh and linil formed into the shape of a tower and a crown, respectively. This crest is emblazoned upon the armor, clothing, and banners of Dalinar's army and servants.

Elhokar Kholin's crest uses the same words as Dalinar's, but they are shaped into a crown and sword, instead of a tower and crown.

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  House Kholin glyph
  by Isaac Stewart

• 

  Personal Crest of Dalinar Kholin
  by Isaac Stewart

Family Tree

House Kholin family tree

Dalinar's father

Unknown

Gavilar

Navani

Dalinar

Evi

Kaves Kholin

Jasnah

Elhokar

Aesudan

Shallan

Adolin

Renarin

Gavinor

Key		Parents/Children		Siblings		Ancestors/Descendants		Marriage		Partnership/relationship
		Deceased

Notes

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