Editing Aesudan Kholin

|spouse=[[Elhokar]]

|relatives=[[Hesina]]{{wob ref|10909}}, [[Kaladin]], [[Tien]], [[Oroden]]

|first appeared=[[Words of Radiance]]

'''Aesudan Kholin''' is the queen regent of [[Alethkar]] during the reign of her husband, King [[Elhokar Kholin]].{{book ref|sa2|prologue}} She manages the kingdom in her husband's absence, while he fights the [[Parshendi]] on the [[Shattered Plains]] during the [[War of Reckoning]].

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}}

According to her mother-in-law, [[Navani Kholin]], Aesudan is politically competent, but lacking in other talents.{{book ref|sa1|22}}{{book ref|sa4|prologue}} And 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.

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.{{book ref|sa2|i|12}}

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}}

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.

Aesudan married [[Elhokar Kholin]] some time before his ascension to the throne of [[Alethkar]]. Little of her life prior to that was known. As a princess of Alethkar, she attended the treaty signing feast with the [[Parshendi]] on the night that King [[Gavilar Kholin]] was assassinated by [[Szeth]].{{book ref|sa2|prologue}}

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}}

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}}

At some point, Aesudan also gave birth to a son, [[Gavinor]], around {{rosharan date|1170}}.{{book ref|sa2|1}}

When Elhokar ascended to the throne of Alethkar, he was immediately forced to leave [[Kholinar]] to fulfill the terms of the [[Vengeance Pact]] in what became known as the [[War of Reckoning]]. This left Aesudan ruling as regent on the throne of Alethkar.{{book ref|sa1|15}} The king's mother, [[Navani Kholin]], remained behind to advise Aesudan in her duties. However, Navani made the judgement that Aesudan is sufficiently skilled to rule on her own, and left her for the [[Shattered Plains]].{{book ref|sa1|22}}

However, either Navani made a crucial misjudgment or the [[Unmade]] corrupted Aesudan after Navani's departure, because Aesudan inadvertently began to turn the populace against herself.{{book ref|sa2|i|12}} She threw lavish feasts, reveling in excess, and allowed food sent in by starving farmers for the soldiers on the Shattered Plains to simply rot away. She also canceled the [[Beggar's Feast]]s. This was perhaps due in part to her sycophantic [[ardent]]s who simply told her that she was always on the right path. However, one of the ardents assigned to her retinue, a young woman named [[Pai]], refused to look past the queen's flaws and performed an act of civil disobedience. She went before the Common Throne of the [[People's Hall]] and inked the [[glyphs]] of the [[Ten fools|ten foolish attributes]] before the Throne, as well as a paragraph beside each glyph, explaining how Aesudan exemplified each of these traits, denouncing not only the queen but the government itself. Pai was executed, but [[Kholinar]] erupted in riots the next day.{{book ref|sa2|interlude|12}}

Following the summoning of the [[Everstorm]] and the rallying of a [[Voidbringer]] army, Kholinar was surrounded by [[Fused]] and [[singers]], who used [[Secretspren#Voidspren|secretpren]] to locate and punish any use of [[fabrial]]s, preventing communication via [[spanreed]].{{book ref|sa3|69}} Elhokar, [[Kaladin]], [[Adolin Kholin]] and [[Shallan Davar]], alongside their [[spren]], were sent by [[Dalinar Kholin]] to infiltrate the city and save Aesudan and Gavinor Kholin. They talked with Adolin's tailor [[Yokska]], who explained what happened in the city in the intervening time. Aesudan had the [[Palace Guard]] retreat into the palace and the City watch to barricade into their barracks. At some point during the riots, the queen send out proclamations declaring all parshmen to be Voidbringers and ordered their execution. When a group of [[lighteyes]], including [[Kaves Kholin]], went to the palace to challenge the queen, they never came back.{{book ref|sa3|62}}

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}}

== Relationships ==

=== Navani Kholin ===

[[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}}

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}}

=== Jasnah Kholin ===

[[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}}

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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