Teft

Teft
by Ashley Coad
Abilities	Windrunner, Shardbearer
Groups	Knights Radiant (Windrunner), Bridge Four, Envisagers (formerly), Sadeas army (formerly), Kholin army
Residence	Urithiru
Nationality	Alethi
Homeworld	Roshar
Universe	Cosmere

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Teft is a darkeyed soldier and a Windrunner from Alethkar on Roshar. He is addicted to firemoss.

Appearance and Personality

by Shuravf

For more images, see /Gallery.

Teft is long past his twenties. He has tan skin, drooping cheeks, brown eyes with an epicanthic fold, and close-cropped, grizzled white-salted hair. He keeps a neat, short and square beard that is light brown mixed with patches of gray. Teft is often blunt and speaks in a matter-of-fact tone. He is also observant and thoughtful towards the other members of Bridge Four.

Teft has harbored a firemoss addiction since his time in Sadeas' army, which is a deep cause of personal shame and grief. Even after bonding an Honorspren, he harbors feelings of inadequacy and shame, believing that he is incapable of upholding the ideals of a Radiant due his past actions.

Attributes and Abilities

Surgebinding

As a Windrunner Teft has the ability to manipulate the Surges of Adhesion and Gravitation through his Nahel bond with his honorspren. By breathing in Stormlight, he gains superhuman strength, speed, agility, durability, stamina, and healing, as long as he has access to Stormlight. While his honorspren is present with him, his movements are enhanced by her, an effect which Kaladin describes as "being guided by the wind." This gives Teft a superior natural fighting talent, although it does not replace skill by itself. After Teft swore the third Ideal of the Windrunners, his honorspren gained the ability to become a Shardblade. Unlike the dead Blades left after the Recreance, he can summon it in the form of any weapon he chooses, as well as a shield, and transform it from one to another almost instantaneously.

Adhesion

Teft can manipulate the Surge of Adhesion, also known as the Full Lashing, to bind objects or creatures together using Stormlight.

Gravitation

Teft can manipulate the Surge of Gravitation to change the direction and strength of an object's gravitational attraction. This enables him to achieve a form of flight.

Resonance

As a Knight Radiant who has access to two Surges he also has a resonance. Windrunners, such as Teft, have an increased number of squires, more than any other order, as their resonance.

History

Early Life

Teft was born in Alethkar to a family that belonged to a cult known as the Envisagers. They believed if they could find a way to return the Voidbringers, the Knights Radiant would return as well. Envisagers purposefully put their lives in danger, hoping that they would manifest Surgebinding powers. Teft's mother died in one of these attempts. Teft reported the Envisagers to the citylord, after which a trial was held for them; all of them were executed, including Teft's father, whom he watched being hanged.

At some point Teft got married, though when and to whom is not clear; his wife had already died by the time he was a bridgeman.

Eventually, Teft joined the army as a spearman. He became a sergeant, and made his way to the Shattered Plains. He was sent to the bridge crews as a punishment, and after some camp infraction was transferred to Bridge Four.

Bridge Four

by Connor Chamberlain

Teft ended up in the bridge crews of Sadeas's warcamp on the Shattered Plains. He blamed himself for destroying the Envisagers. After committing an infraction, he was transferred to Bridge Four, where Kaladin befriended him. He ended up in Kaladin's inner circle along with Rock, actively helping him in his plans.

Teft was the first to suspect Kaladin might be able to use Stormlight, saving Kaladin's life in the process. He learned this by (amongst other things) pushing a dun sphere into Kaladin's hand, claiming it to be "for luck" just before Kaladin was to be left outside alone to face "the judgement of the Stormfather" by way of the highstorm. After the storm, the sphere Kaladin had been given appeared to still be dun, even though it should have been infused with light by the highstorm. That meant Kaladin had "stolen" the light that infused the sphere, which left Teft almost certain that Kaladin had the ability to use Stormlight and was part of the events the Envisagers had been waiting for. When Kaladin was recovering from his wounds and fever after the highstorm, Teft brought three small infused diamond spheres and pressed them into Kaladin's hand, waiting anxiously to see what would happen. When Teft had nearly lost hope of being right about the events and their meaning, Kaladin drew in a short powerful breath, infusing himself with Stormlight, and began to glow from the leaking Stormlight. Teft, knowing there was a healing effect to the Stormlight, repeated this treatment enough so as not to draw suspicion from the other bridgemen. Ten days after the hanging in the highstorm, Kaladin arose.

“An empty sphere after a storm, he thought. And a man who's still alive when he should be dead. Two impossibilities.”

—Teft musing on Kaladin's survival

These revelations sparked a heavy curiosity in Teft, prompting questions that indirectly asked if Kaladin was willing to discuss his use of Stormlight, or if he was aware of his own abilities. At one point, Kaladin was handed a bag of infused spheres. Teft then threw a surprise punch at Kaladin to cause a reflexive infusion, which worked, and led both Kaladin and Lopen to notice the soft glow coming from Kaladin's skin; Kaladin also noticed his familiar surge of strength and focus. After time passed and they were both certain of Kaladin's abilities. Teft, Lopen (who had also become privy to the secret), and, to some degree, Syl worked with Kaladin to help understand and trigger his newfound powers. He shared with Kaladin what he knew about Radiants and their ways from his youth in the Envisagers. He was also the one to tell Kaladin the words of the First Ideal. Kaladin seemed to almost (whether by instinct or experience is not clear) understand the meaning and reasoning behind the words, and once spoke them just before infusing himself with Stormlight. Later, after Kaladin spoke the Second Ideal and a thunder-like sound was heard, Teft understood it to be something in the world changing.

During his many conversations with Kaladin, Teft repeatedly stated that he wasn't trustworthy. This was most likely either because of the events that lead to the fall of the Envisagers or because of his firemoss addiction (which was not revealed until much later).

Kaladin discovered Teft had military experience and was a sergeant before becoming a bridgeman. He became invaluable to Kaladin's leadership by playing sergeant to Kaladin's captain and by taking command when asked, when ordered, or during times Kaladin was indisposed. His military experience was never divulged in great detail, as the history of bridgemen's personal lives seemed to be their most guarded secret.

Teft joined with the rest of Bridge Four as Dalinar Kholin's personal guard.

Notes

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