Editing Aesudan Kholin
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{{character |
{{character |
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|image=Aesudan by Marie Seeberger.jpg |
|image=Corrupted Aesudan by Marie Seeberger.jpg |
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|family=[[House Kholin]] |
|family=[[House Kholin]] |
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|spouse=[[Elhokar]] |
|spouse=[[Elhokar Kholin|Elhokar]] |
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|children=[[Gavinor]] |
|children=[[Gavinor]] |
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|relatives=[[Hesina]]{{wob ref|10909}} |
|relatives=[[Hesina]],{{wob ref|10909}} [[Kaladin]], [[Tien]], [[Oroden]] |
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|bonded=[[Yelig-nar]] |
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|titles=Queen of [[Alethkar]] |
|titles=Queen of [[Alethkar]] |
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|residence=Kholinar |
|residence=Kholinar |
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|world=Roshar |
|world=Roshar |
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|universe=[[Cosmere]] |
|universe=[[Cosmere]] |
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|books=[[The Stormlight Archive]] |
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|introduced=[[Words of Radiance]] |
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}} |
}} |
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'''Aesudan Kholin''' is the queen |
'''Aesudan Kholin''' is the queen of [[Alethkar]] and wife of [[Elhokar Kholin]].{{book ref|sa2|prologue}} She manages the kingdom in her husband's absence, while he wages the [[War of Reckoning]] against the [[Parshendi]] on the [[Shattered Plains]]. |
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== Appearance and Personality == |
== Appearance and Personality == |
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⚫ | According to Navani, Aesudan is politically competent,{{book ref|sa1|22}} though she is not a terribly nice person. She acts like Navani to make her uncomfortable,{{book ref|sa1|61}} and she also laughs at Dalinar Kholin when he is drunk during the treaty signing party.{{book ref|sa2|prologue}} She is also incredibly out of touch with her people, living a life of excess while her people suffer.{{book ref|sa2|i|12}} The canceling of the Beggar's Feast exemplifies how little she cares for the common people. The throne easily has enough resources to continue the tradition, but Aesudan does not seem to care. |
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⚫ | |||
⚫ | For some reason, Aesudan is under the impression that the [[Almighty]] is displeased with her.{{book ref|sa2|i|12}} In order to gain his goodwill, she surrounds herself with many ardents, to whom she provides a vast array of luxuries: the finest foods, art, horseback riding, and leisure time. In return, the ardents promise her that living her life of wastefulness is the right thing to do, leading to an even greater disconnect between her and her people. |
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She has a slender figure and long black [[Alethi]] hair that she wears in a bun and adds to it all ten [[gemstone]]s as an accessory to make her stand out.{{book ref|sa4|prologue}} |
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<gallery caption="Images of Aesudan"> |
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⚫ | According to |
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Unmade Influence by Soph Peralta.jpeg | <center><small>by Soph Peralta</small></center> In ''[[Call to Adventure: The Stormlight Archive]]'' |
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Corrupted Aesudan by Marie Seeberger.jpg | <center><small>by {{a|Marie Seeberger}}</small></center> |
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⚫ | For some reason, Aesudan is under the impression that the [[Almighty]] is displeased with her.{{book ref|sa2|i|12}} In order to gain his goodwill, she surrounds herself with many ardents, to whom she provides a vast array of luxuries: the finest foods, art, horseback riding, and leisure time. In return, the ardents promise her that living her life of wastefulness is the right thing to do, leading to an even greater disconnect between her and her people. |
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⚫ | |||
</gallery> |
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However, this piety is newly-founded, as she viewed Ardent [[Rushur Kris]] as boring and being of lesser importance than the wives of highprinces and generals.{{book ref|sa4|prologue}} |
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After becoming the host of [[Yelig-nar]], Aesudan believes her corrupted guards to be [[Knights Radiant]] despite fully understanding the presence of an [[Unmade]] within her.{{book ref|sa3|84}} It is unclear how much she actively cooperated with the forces of [[Odium]] and how much they control her. |
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== History == |
== History == |
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=== Early Life === |
=== Early Life === |
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Aesudan |
Aesudan marries Elhokar some time before his ascension to the throne of Alethkar. Little of her life prior to that is known. As a princess of Alethkar, she attends the treaty signing feast with the Parshendi on the night that King [[Gavilar Kholin]] is assassinated by [[Szeth]].{{book ref|sa2|prologue}} On that same night, prior to the king's death, [[Jasnah Kholin]] meets with [[Liss]], an assassin that she had hired as one of Aesudan's maids. For unknown reasons, Jasnah instructs Liss to observe Aesudan and report back on her actions, but not to assassinate her unless Jasnah orders it. Ultimately Jasnah decides against that, but her reasoning remains unclear. Elhokar later states that his sister had spoken out against his decision to marry Aesudan in the past, and that she'd claimed Aesudan was too power-hungry. Elhokar, however, just took it for strength. |
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⚫ | |||
She was supposed to greet guests outside the [[Kholinar Palace|Palace]] but chose to enter the palace with Elhokar to speak with generals, highprinces, and the [[Alethi]] elite.{{book ref|sa4|prologue}} |
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⚫ | |||
On that same night, prior to the king's death, [[Jasnah Kholin]] met with [[Liss]], an assassin that she had hired as one of Aesudan's maids. For unknown reasons, Jasnah instructed Liss to observe Aesudan and report back on her actions, but not to assassinate her unless Jasnah ordered it. Ultimately Jasnah decided against that, but her reasoning remains unclear. Elhokar later stated that his sister had spoken out against his decision to marry Aesudan in the past, and that she'd claimed Aesudan was too power-hungry. Elhokar, however, said he needed someone with strength.{{book ref|sa3|67}} |
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She was present at the private ceremony for Gavilar's interment.{{book ref|sa3|105}} |
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⚫ | |||
⚫ | |||
=== War of Reckoning === |
=== War of Reckoning === |
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When Elhokar |
When Elhokar ascends to the throne of Alethkar, he is immediately forced to leave [[Kholinar]] to fulfill the terms of the [[Vengeance Pact]] in what is to become known as the [[War of Reckoning]]. This leaves Aesudan ruling as regent on the throne of Alethkar.{{book ref|sa1|15}} The king's mother, [[Navani Kholin]], remains behind to advise Aesudan in her duties. However, Navani makes the judgement that Aesudan is sufficiently skilled to rule on her own, and leaves her for the Shattered Plains.{{book ref|sa1|22}} |
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However, either Navani |
However, either Navani makes a crucial misjudgment or the Unmade corrupted Aesudan after Navani's departure, because Aesudan inadvertently begins to turn the populace against herself.{{book ref|sa2|i|12}} She throws lavish feasts, reveling in excess, and allows food sent in by starving farmers for the soldiers on the Shattered Plains to simply rot away. She also cancels the [[Beggar's Feast]]s. This is perhaps due in part to her sycophantic [[ardent]]s who simply tell her that she is always on the right path. However, one of the ardents assigned to her retinue, a young woman named [[Pai]], refuses to look past the queen's flaws and performs an act of civil disobedience. She goes before the Common Throne of the [[People's Hall]] and inks the [[glyphs]] of the [[Ten fools|ten foolish attributes]] before the Throne, as well as a paragraph below each glyph, explaining how Aesudan exemplifies each of these traits, denouncing not only the queen but the government itself. Pai is executed, but Kholinar erupts in riots the next day.{{book ref|sa2|interlude|12}} |
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=== The Siege on Kholinar === |
=== The Siege on Kholinar === |
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Following the summoning of the [[Everstorm]] and the rallying of a |
Following the summoning of the [[Everstorm]] and the rallying of a Voidbringer army, Kholinar is surrounded by [[Fused]] and [[Singers]], who use spren to locate and punish any use of [[fabrial|fabrials]], preventing communication via [[spanreed]]. [[Elhokar]], [[Kaladin]], [[Adolin]] and [[Shallan]] are sent by [[Dalinar]] to infiltrate the city and save Aesudan and [[Gavinor Kholin]]. When Elhokar finally gets into the palace and speaks with her, she claims that Pai the Ardent tried to overthrow her, that her queen's guard are all Knights Radiant, and that she has figured out how to bond spren. They learn that she is under the influence of the [[Unmade]] [[Yelig-nar]] and [[Ashertmarn]].{{book ref|sa3|84}} After part of the infiltration team flees Kholinar via a corrupted [[Oathgate]], Aesudan's fate is unknown (Odium says that "the power consumed her" but it is not clear what he means by this{{book ref|sa3|118}}) but [[Drehy]] and [[Skar]] are revealed to have saved [[Gavinor]]{{book ref|sa3|122}} and [[Yelig-nar]] finds a new vessel in [[Amaram]] during the battle of [[Thaylen City]].{{book ref|sa3|118}} |
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When Elhokar finally got into the Palace and spoke with her, she claimed that Pai the ardent tried to overthrow her, that her [[Queen's Guard]] were all [[Knights Radiant]], and that she had figured out how to bond spren. They learned that she was under the influence of the [[Unmade]] [[Yelig-nar]] and [[Ashertmarn]].{{book ref|sa3|84}} It is unclear if Aesudan survived consuming Yelig-nar,{{book ref|sa3|118}} although, the Unmade later found its way to [[Thaylen City]] and was used by Highlord [[Meridas Amaram]].{{book ref|sa3|118}} |
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== Relationships == |
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=== Navani Kholin === |
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[[Navani]] views Aesudan as talented in politics but pretty much nothing else.{{book ref|sa1|22}}{{book ref|sa4|prologue}} And blames Aesudan for what happened at [[Kholinar]] and especially what she did to [[Gavinor]]'s mental and physical health, but also puts part of the blame on her own shoulders for leaving the capital in the first place.{{book ref|sa4|16}}{{book ref|sa1|22}} |
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Aesudan is generally sour against Navani. Though the later tries to consider it as not a personal affront but as the prerogative of every woman to feel threatened by her mother-in-law.{{book ref|sa4|prologue}} |
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=== Jasnah Kholin === |
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[[Jasnah]] spoke against [[Elhokar]]'s marriage to Aesudan, and viewed her as power-hungry. But the then-prince saw he needed her strength.{{book ref|sa3|67}} |
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For unknown reasons, Jasnah hires [[Liss|an assassin]] to observe Aesudan and report back on her actions, and to not assassinate Aesudan unless ordered, which she decided against later.{{book ref|sa2|prologue}} |
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== Trivia == |
== Trivia == |
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== Notes == |
== Notes == |
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