Editing Vwafendal

|merge-family=y

|descendants=[[Waxillium]], [[Telsin]], [[Maxillium]], [[Tindwyl Ladrian|Tindwyl]]

|groups={{tag|Synod}}

|titles=Elder

|residence=The Village

|ethnicity=Terris

|world=Scadrial

|universe=[[Cosmere]]

|introduced=[[Shadows of Self]]

'''Vwafendal''' is a [[Terris]]woman who lives in [[the Village]] in [[Elendel]] in post-[[Catacendre]] [[Scadrial]]. She serves as an Elder of the [[Synod]]. She is also the maternal grandmother of [[Waxillium]] and [[Telsin Ladrian]].{{book ref|mb5|5}}

==Appearance and Personality==

Vwafendal is "stately", with dark skin and white hair that she wears in a braid.{{book ref|mb5|5}}{{book ref|mb6|prologue}} She wears [[Terris]] robes and she walks with a cane by choice.{{book ref|mb6|prologue}}{{book ref|mb5|5}} She does not yell, but she commands respect; younger Terris bow in her presence{{book ref|mb5|5}} and it is easy to sense her disapproval.{{book ref|mb6|prologue}} She is highly observant and was able to detect [[Wax]] lurking near her office.{{book ref|mb6|prologue}} Teenagers who attempt to sneak out of [[the Village]] try to account for her location, as she is the biggest threat to catch them.{{book ref|mb6|prologue}}

She is a staunch advocate for Terris tradition, including the need for rules and order.{{book ref|mb6|prologue}} She is insistent that the Terris can police themselves and that outside law enforcement is not necessary; she has a great deal of contempt for guns.{{book ref|mb6|prologue}}{{book ref|mb5|5}}

==History==

For years, Vwafendal told [[Wax]] (and presumably [[Telsin]]) that living in [[the Village]] among fellow Terris could change a person's life.{{book ref|mb5|5}} Wax and Telsin eventually came to live with her when they were fifteen and sixteen years old, respectively.{{book ref|mb6|prologue}} Their father had agreed to let them live there for one year, despite his brother [[Edwarn]]'s protests.{{book ref|mb5|5}} During this time, Vwafendal was already a well-respected Elder in the [[Synod]], and she maintained an office in the Synod Lodge. She also lived near the [[Elendel|Tin Gate]], one of the primary passages between the Village and the rest of Elendel, and she kept an eye on people passing through the gate.{{book ref|mb6|prologue}} She maintained a list of everyone in the city known to have [[Feruchemical]] blood.{{book ref|mb5|5}}

===Death of Forch===

One night, [[Kwashim]], [[Forch]], [[Idashwy]], and Telsin planned to sneak out to go drinking, and Wax tagged along. Idashwy had seen Vwafendal called to her office for an emergency, and the group thought that it would be easy to sneak out through the gate near her house. However, Wax learned that the emergency involved a constable, and his curiosity was piqued. He left the group to listen at one of Vwafendal's windows. He overhead Vwafendal and the constable discussing an "anonymous tip" with evidence regarding a potential arson committed by Forch. Vwafendal verbally sparred with the constable, insisting that the Terris would handle the matter internally. The constable placed a bullet on Vwafendal's desk to remind her of a shooting in The Village fifteen years prior, which incensed her.{{book ref|mb6|prologue}}

After the constable left, Vwafendal called Wax in from his hiding place outside (having glimpsed him in a mirror) and told him that she knew he was the one who tipped off the constabulary. She counseled Wax, who was lonely and having a hard time reconciling his old life with the rules of the Village. Although Wax was studious, his pragmatism caused him to struggle with his faith in Terris traditions. He was frustrated that Forch was not being dealt with in a more severe manner. Vwafendal told him that she would speak to some of the other youths about befriending him, and that he should worry about meditation and let the Synod do its job.{{book ref|mb6|prologue}}

However, Wax soon discovered that Forch had not sneaked into the city with the other teens. He searched the area and was shocked to find Forch in a storage hall dissecting a young boy he had kidnapped. After a struggle, Wax killed Forch, and immediately knew that his grandmother and the rest of the Village would hate him for bringing violence into the Village and for being right.{{book ref|mb6|prologue}}

===After Wax's Departure===

Wax left The Village and ended up in the [[Roughs]], and Vwafendal did not have contact with him for a number of years. After Wax returned to Elendel, he only grudgingly visited his grandmother a few times, knowing that they were likely to argue.{{book ref|mb5|5}} On one such visit, Wax was seeking information about some murders that appeared to have been committed by a [[Steelrunner]]. Vwafendal spoke to Wax inside a traditional thatched log hut where she had a firepit.{{book ref|mb5|5}} She and Wax expressed open contempt for each other's philosophies and lifestyles. Vwafendal claimed that she had changed in the last twenty years, but believed that Wax had not since he still did not know who he was.{{book ref|mb5|5}} Although she previously seemed to scoff at the idea that [[Twinborn]] should be feared,{{book ref|mb6|prologue}} she now thought of them as dangerous,{{book ref|mb5|5}} possibly owing to her experience with Forch (and Wax). She eventually told Wax that Idashwy, whom Wax knew in his youth, was the only Steelrunner she knows of that could have been involved in the murders. She hoped that Wax could apprehend her without killing her.{{book ref|mb5|5}} Wax later sent a letter to Vwafendal informing her that he had found Idashwy's corpse.{{book ref|mb5|7}}

==Relationships==

===Wax===

Vwafendal seemed to care for [[Wax]] in his youth, and she expressed empathy regarding his difficulty fitting in anywhere due to his mixed heritage. However, she was also steadfast in her adherence to [[Terris]] tradition, and believed that Terris people should live in a way rooted in that tradition rather than integrating into the modern society of [[Elendel]]. She told Wax to embrace his Terris side{{book ref|mb6|prologue}} and insisted on calling him by his Terris name, Asinthew.{{book ref|mb5|5}} Wax sometimes calls her "grandmother V".{{book ref|mb5|5}}

After Wax killed [[Forch]] and then went to the [[Roughs]] to become a lawman, a wedge was driven between Vwafendal and Wax that persisted for several decades.{{book ref|mb5|5}} She still despises guns and blames Wax for the events surrounding Forch's death. Wax is unapologetic and tells her to hate him if she must; they are barely able to be civil with one another.{{book ref|mb5|5}}

===Wayne===

Due to his dislike of [[the Village]], Wax usually sends [[Wayne]] there whenever they are seeking information. Wayne claims that Vwafendal likes him.{{book ref|mb5|5}}

===Wax's Father===

When Wax was in Vwafendal's hut, some childhood memories come back to him, and one of the memories is of his father and grandmother arguing.{{book ref|mb5|5}} Wax notes that his grandmother had long wanted her grandchildren to live in the Village, and she was likely frustrated by the reluctance of Wax's father to allow them to do so.{{book ref|mb5|5}} She also seems to speak of him with disdain when explaining that she believes "Asinthew" to be Wax's true name, claiming that his father "did not have the right" to name him.{{book ref|mb5|5}}

{{complete|[[User:Big Smooth|Big Smooth]] ([[User talk:Big Smooth|talk]]) 23:37, 9 October 2019 (UTC)}}