Editing Balat Davar

|spouse=[[Eylita]]{{book ref|sa4|13}}

|first appeared=[[The Way of Kings]]

{{quote

|Am I a coward, Scrak?

|Balat to his axehound{{book ref|sa1|i|2}}

}}

'''Balat Davar''' is a [[lighteyed]] [[Veden]] on [[Roshar]].{{book ref|sa1|i|2}} He is the second oldest child of [[Lin Davar]] and his [[Shallan's mother|mother]] and one of [[Shallan Davar]]'s older brothers. As the second heir in the line of [[House Davar]], he is originally known as '''Tet Balat Davar'''. He becomes known as '''Nan Balat Davar''' after his father disowns his older brother [[Helaran Davar|Helaran]] and strips him of his position as first son and heir.{{book ref|sa2|45}} He is married to [[Eylita Tavinar]].{{book ref|sa4|13}} He is a guardsman in [[Urithiru]]. He is friends with [[Mraize]], though only knows him as a guardsman named Gobby.{{book ref|sa4|13}}

== Appearance and Personality ==

{{image|Balat by Marie Seeberger.jpg|side=left|width=250px}}

Balat is a young man, twenty-three years old as of {{Rosharan date|1173}}. He has a round face and a haunted look. He is the tallest among his surviving siblings.{{book ref|sa3|122}} Balat walks with a cane and suffers from pain in his bad leg{{book ref|sa1|i|2}} from an injury caused by his [[Lin Davar|father]] smashing his leg with a poker.{{book ref|sa2|73}}

It is implied that as a boy, Balat liked starting fires, one of which almost burned down the servants' building.{{book ref|sa2|27}} He also had a habit of cruelty towards animals.{{book ref|sa2|19}} As an adult, he still likes killing animals, though never people; the pain of whatever he kills seems to lessen his own pain. He does so cruelly, for example ripping the legs off of a [[cremling]] one by one.{{book ref|sa1|i|2}} This interest in death is magically enhanced.{{wob ref|3333}}

He is close to and fond of [[Scrak]], his pet axehound.{{book ref|sa1|i|2}}

Balat believes that [[House Davar]] is deeply damaged and a "family of cripples" as a result of the death of his [[Shallan's mother|mother]] and the following events. He sees himself as the only one who is normal and unscathed by these events.{{book ref|sa1|i|2}}

{{image|Davar family by zoethatcher art.jpg|side=right|width=400px|With his parents and siblings}}

Because Balat was born the second son of [[Lin Davar]], he grows up known as Tet Balat. He grows up bitter towards his father, believing that he had killed Balat's mother and her lover.{{book ref|sa2|39}} He relieved his anger by torturing animals; it's likely he abused an [[axehound]] pup that his older brother [[Helaran]] gave him as a gift.{{book ref|sa2|19}}

Nan [[Helaran]] confronted Lin Davar, and left the house. Though there was no immediate change for Balat or his brothers, they seemed to constantly grieve his absence, and no one else dared to openly challenge Lin. When asked for evidence against Lin by a representative of the [[highprince]], Balat wanted his father to be taken but did not dare speak.{{book ref|sa2|39}}

At one of his father's feasts, Balat met [[Eylita Tavinar]], the daughter of a Brightlord of lower [[dahn]] than his father.{{book ref|sa2|35}} With the help of Shallan, they started writing and later dating.{{book ref|sa2|45}}

Several years later, due to Helaran and Lin growing further apart, Lin started calling Balat "Nan Balat," as if he were the eldest son of the family. When Lin received a threatening message from Helaran at [[Middlefest Fair]], he officially disinherited Helaran and changed the title of Tet Balat to Nan Balat.{{book ref|sa2|45}}

The first time Balat confronted his father was when [[Lin]] decided to forbid Balat's engagement with Eylita, whom he disapproved of because of her lower station. Lin Balat preferred that Balat marry the Highprince's daughter, who was in her fifties. Balat mentioned to his father that he saw Helaran, which made Lin even more angry. As punishment, [[Lin]] sent a servant to kill Balat's beloved axehound pups.{{book ref|sa2|61}}

Looking at his dead pups, Balat confirmed to himself that he was not as strong as Helaran and wasn't capable of taking care of his family. Shallan helped him make a plan to escape with Eylita with Helaran's help, under the condition that they take their stepmother [[Malise Gevelmar]] with them.{{book ref|sa2|65}} When they couldn't contact Helaran, Balat decided to only take Eylita and go to the Highprince to testify against his father for his mother's death. Though his father had gained much more power and the accusation might not be as well received, Balat decided that he had to take the risk, as he couldn't be a coward anymore.{{book ref|sa2|73}}

On the day Balat was to go to the Highprince, Malise revealed Balat's plan and was beaten and killed by Lin. Lin summoned Eylita before she and Balat could escape, and he sent a guard to kill Helaran.{{book ref|sa2|73}}

When Balat found out that his father had called for Eylita, he confronted him again. This time, however, his father was cold and aggressive. The confrontation turned to violence. Balat was not skillful enough to hurt Lin, but he broke his father's hidden [[Soulcaster]]. Lin injured Balat's leg, but before he could hurt him further, he was tricked into drinking poisoned wine by [[Shallan]], paralyzed, and strangled with her necklace.{{book ref|sa2|73}}

Nan Balat ran the affairs of House Davar in Lin's place while Shallan pursued [[Jasnah Kholin]] for a wardship. He communicated with [[Shallan]] via [[Spanreed]]. They barely managed economically, and they knew someone would discover their father's death before long. Some men visited Balat and demanded the return of his father's Soulcaster.{{book ref|sa1|29}}

Jasnah at first stepped in to help House Davar,{{book ref|sa2|1}} but everything was lost during the upheaval in [[Jah Keved]]. By the order of [[Mraize]], Balat and his brothers were saved and taken to [[Urithiru]] as a "gift" to Shallan for her services to the [[Ghostbloods]].{{book ref|sa3|122}}

{{image|Davar Siblings by Marie Seeberger.jpg|side=right|height=300px|With his siblings and [[Scrak]]}}

In the past, Balat resented [[Shallan]] for being untouched by the brutality of his father, but he also knew he couldn’t truly hate her. He considered her shy, quiet and delicate.{{book ref|sa1|i|2}} Shallan tries to help Balat, along with the rest of her brothers. She helps him get closer to Eylita{{book ref|sa2|45}} and later encourages him to plan an escape with her.{{book ref|sa2|61}} She potentially saves his life by stopping their father.{{book ref|sa2|73}}

After Shallan leaves, they keep in touch via spanreed. Balat and his other brothers are used by [[Mraize]] to keep Shallan on his side.{{book ref|sa3|21}}

Though Balat seems to care for his brothers, he doesn’t step up to protect or help them. This is shown when Jushu is taken by debtors. However, Balat gives [[Shallan]] his knife to help get Jushu back.{{book ref|sa3|45}}

Balat is sure his father killed his mother and her lover. He resents his father's cruelty, to the point where he wishes for the Highprince to take him.{{book ref|sa2|39}} Balat is always afraid of stepping up to him. It is only Lin's disapproval of Eylita that pushes Balat to confront him. Lin cripples Balat with a poker.{{book ref|sa2|73}}

*His cruelty to animals, which he uses for soothing aches, is being magically enhanced by unspecified forces on Roshar.{{wob ref|3333}}