Editing Beard

|died=[[Battle of Kholinar]] {{Rosharan date|1174}}{{book ref|sa3|84}}

|profession=Guardsman

|nation=Alethkar

|first appeared=[[Oathbringer]]

}}

'''Beard''' is an eccentric member of the [[Kholinar Wall Guard]] in [[Alethkar]] on [[Roshar]]. He is a part of [[Noro]]'s squad, Platoon Seven, Squad Two.{{book ref|sa3|73}}

Beard's nickname is strange because he doesn't actually have any type of beard, although he has hairy hands.{{book ref|sa3|70}} He is short, stocky, and [[lighteyes|lighteyed]].{{book ref|sa3|70}}{{book ref|sa3|84}}

Beard is very talkative and tells outrageous stories, most of them claiming that he performed some heroic action or met with royalty. He claims to have learned to [[Soulcast]] from the King of [[Herdaz]], performed secret missions for [[Amaram]], learned to cook flatbread in the [[Horneater Peaks]], and received a knife as a personal gift from the [[Blackthorn]].{{book ref|sa3|70}}{{book ref|sa3|73}} His friends mostly ignore him and often have to tell him to be quiet, or he will always be launching into another story.{{book ref|sa3|70}}{{book ref|sa3|73}} He is aware that he annoys people, but it does not seem to bother him.{{book ref|sa3|81}} Beard's fellow squad members mostly feign annoyance at his stories, and actually seem to get along with him well; he appears to be a competent soldier.{{book ref|sa3|79}} He is briefly dejected when he learns that [[Kaladin]] actually knows [[Dalinar]] since it undermines his claim that he once swam in the [[Purelake]] with the Blackthorn, but he quickly changes the story to include the [[Prime Aqasix]] instead.{{book ref|sa3|81}} His storytelling and his tendency to address Kaladin by an obscure slang nickname ("Kip") reminds Kaladin of [[Lopen]].{{book ref|sa3|73}}{{book ref|sa3|121}}

{{sidequote

|When in the service of the merchant lords of [[Steen]], I once had to swim across an entire vat of dye in order to save the prince’s daughter. When I was done, I still wasn’t as colorful as that preening [[cremling]].

|Beard, upon seeing a disguised [[Adolin]]{{book ref|sa3|73}}

|side=right|size=350px

}}

Beard is of the tenth [[dahn]], the lowest rank of [[lighteyes]]. He views 'middlers', lighteyes who are above the eighth dahn, but not quite highlords, as useless. During a patrol, he insults [[Adolin]], who was disguised as a middler, mocking the extraordinary amount of colorful clothing that Adolin was wearing.{{book ref|sa3|73}} He also blames [[Kholinar]]'s slow disintegration on Queen [[Aesudan]]'s execution of [[Pai]].{{book ref|sa3|73}}

Beard initially seems to be an atheist, declining to wear a [[glyphward]] in battle and saying that he "knows a lot about telling which stories have been made up" and that nobody is watching over him.{{book ref|sa3|73}} Seeing Kaladin kill a [[Fused]] seems to restore his faith,{{book ref|sa3|79}} and Beard wears the [[glyphward]] 'Fortune' on his arm during the final stand of the Wall Guard.{{book ref|sa3|84}}

== Attributes and Abilities ==

Beard is a professional soldier who is trained in the use of a pike and a tower shield.{{book ref|sa3|73}}{{book ref|sa3|79}} He is familiar with the defensive formations needed to defend the walls of Kholinar.{{book ref|sa3|73}}

== History ==

After [[Kaladin]] joined Noro's squad, Beard assumed he was a fellow low-ranking lighteyed soldier.{{book ref|sa3|70}} Beard easily befriended Kaladin and helped him to become familiar with the [[Kholinar Wall Guard]]'s system.{{book ref|sa3|73}} He appreciated that Kaladin was able to see the best in people.{{book ref|sa3|81}} He displayed strong loyalty to his post and to Highmarshal [[Azure]], guarding the secrets of her gender and her [[Soulcast]]ing operation.{{book ref|sa3|70}}{{book ref|sa3|73}}

Beard was present when Azure inspected the Wall Guard's barrack.{{book ref|sa3|78}} He also saw Kaladin killed a [[Fused]] on [[Kholinar]]'s walls, and, unlike the other members of the squad, just grinned when Kaladin revealed himself to be a [[surgebinder]] who carried a [[Shardblade]].{{book ref|sa3|79}} At Kaladin's request, Beard and the rest of Noro's squad were present when [[Azure]] revealed how [[Ithi]] and her sister were supplying the army with food through their [[Soulcast]]ing operation hidden in an [[aluminum]]-lined chamber in one of the city's [[windblades]].{{book ref|sa3|81}}

Beard was part of Kaladin's guard of about fifty soldiers when they entered [[Kholinar Palace]] to confront [[Aesudan]] and find [[Elhokar]].{{book ref|sa3|84}} Beard took part in the chaotic fighting that ensued, and was rammed through with a spear by [[Sah]].{{book ref|sa3|84}} Beard was quickly avenged by [[Noro]] before he, too, was killed.{{book ref|sa3|84}} Kaladin later regretfully thought about Beard when he saw [[Lopen]] telling stories.{{book ref|sa3|121}}

{{complete|[[User:Big Smooth|Big Smooth]] ([[User talk:Big Smooth|talk]]) 17:07, 19 March 2020 (UTC)}}