Navani Kholin

Navani Kholin
by Exmakina
House Kholin Spouse Gavilar (deceased), Dalinar Children Elhokar, Jasnah
Born	ca. 1113-1123
Profession	Artifabrian
Nationality	Alethi
Homeworld	Roshar

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Navani Kholin is a Brightlady of Alethkar on Roshar. She is King Gavilar Kholin's widow and the mother of Jasnah and King Elhokar. She is also sister-in-law to Dalinar Kholin and aunt to Adolin and Renarin Kholin.

Appearance

Navani is a stately woman with intricately woven black hair. She has violet eyes and her black hair is streaked with grey. She has a warm, feminine voice and the confidence to verbally spar with Wit. Her scent is that of the sweet floral of her perfumed soap. Navani often wears rubies in her hair and a blood red dress, with her lips painted red. She is known as one of the most beautiful women in Alethkar. Dalinar believes there isn't a woman in all of Roshar to match her beauty.

• Images of Navani
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  Portrait sketch by User: Sheep

• 

  in Vorin havah with fabrial by User: Sheep

• 

  demonstrating fabrial by User: Sheep

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  with Ardent and fabrial by User: Sheep

• 

  in Vorin havah by User: Sheep

• 

  with Dalinar Kholin during a highstorm by User: Sheep

Personality

Navani challenges Alethi protocol, but one does not reprove Navani Kholin, even if one is king. Give her five minutes in a city and she'd know anything and everything of significance about which was being gossiped. She doesn't presume to make judgements, but she does enjoy pointing out the obvious. Nevertheless, Navani is excellent at keeping secrets.

Character

Much like her daughter, she is a political creature; intrigue makes her blossom like a rockbud in calm wet air.

The older Navani grows, the worse she becomes at maintaining a brightlady's proper tranquility. Once, she'd obeyed such proprieties. She remembers being a young woman, playing the games expertly, delighting in ways to manipulate the system. She often saw - and sees- patterns in things.

History

Background

Navani is the widow of King Gavilar Kholin, who was Dalinar's brother. For many years prior to their marriage, it was uncertain just which of the two brothers she would marry. She played them off one another, fanning each their desires, before finally choosing the elder son. (They'd both known all along that she'd choose Gavilar. It had still hurt Dalinar anyway.) With Gavilar dead, Navani is to be treated as sister to Dalinar by him. He refers to her as Mathana, the formal Alethi term for an older sister. (She is only 3 months his senior, but the term is still applicable.)

Navani is also the mother of Jasnah, another renowned scholar, as well as the new king, Elhokar.

She'd remained in Alethkar for many years after most of the nobility had moved to the Shattered Plains, where she was to aid the queen in protecting the king's interests there, thereby fulfilling her duty to the people. She later realized that the Alethi government had essentially moved to the Shattered Plains, and eventually did so too.

Returning to the Shattered Plains

Navani's return to the Plains from Alethkar is three-fold: she brought word that the Vedens have perfected the half-shards, she wishes her son to be protected, and she needs to speak with Dalinar.

Relationships

Gavilar

Navani chose Gavilar over Dalinar because Dalinar frightened her all those years ago. (Dalinar's intensity scared Gavilar too.)

Dalinar

When Navani returns to the Shattered Plains from Kholinar, she frequently speaks with Dalinar, and later becomes romantically involved with him, which is unusual, because in the eyes of Alethi society, she is now considered to be Dalinar's sister. Part of what Navani finds intriguing about him is that he's begun to be the person the others all claim to be. Part of what she now finds to be fascinating is Dalinar's 'intensity' that frightened her back then, but he's now wrapped it in armor.

Navani believes Dalinar to be a kind man. Telling him so, she expresses that she's compelled to find him to be fascinating while she admits that she's taking advantage of him - a little; she's not toying with him.

Nevertheless, he put his honor in Navani's power by standing up for her.

Shallan

Navani originally disliked Shallan for bringing the news of Jasnah's death - even though it was certainly not her fault - to her.^{[citation needed]} Adolin her nephew remains betrothed to Shallan.^{[citation needed]}

Attributes and Abilities

Navani Kholin is a renowned engineer, scholar, artifabrian and is heavily involved in the creation of new fabrials. She is one of the artifabrians who created the Grandbow as well as a type of painrial. Many of her inventions, such as the painrial, are used in the war against the Parshendi, making her incredibly valuable to the Alethi. Navani also discovers that the language which Dalinar speaks during his visions is the Dawnchant.

Notes

See Also

• Navani's notebook
• Navani's journal

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