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Difference between revisions of "Dalinar Kholin"
→Appearance and Personality
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== Appearance and Personality ==
=== Appearance ===
Dalinar is an aging but powerfully-built man in his fifties, with a warrior's face. He has black hair that is gray in the temples, and blue eyes.{{book ref|sa1|12}} He is often described as the opposite of handsome, with numerous bruises and an "unfortunate" face. His nose has been broken at some point during his youth, and it's been crooked ever since.{{book ref|sa2|38}} He has numerous old scars on his chest and arms, a remnant of hundreds of battles fought, to the extent where doctors are worried about his ability to use his sword arm.{{book ref|sa2|83}} When he owns Shardplate, he chooses to wear it as an unpainted slate grey color, without any unnecessary decoration or adornment.{{book ref|sa1|12}}
=== Personality ===
{{quote
| I'm a man of extremes, Navani. I discovered that when I was a youth. I’ve learned, repeatedly, that the only way to control those extremes is to dedicate my life to something.
| Dalinar to [[Navani]]{{book ref|sa1|64}}
}}
==== Young Blackthorn ====
In his youth, Dalinar was heavily addicted to the [[Thrill]], to the point of turning to other drugs, like [[firemoss]], when it wasn't possible.{{book ref|sa3|49}} Back then, he cared for little more than battle, often ignoring strategy and tactics in favor of rushing into battle.{{book ref|sa3|11}} While initially, he sought equal combat, over time the Thrill corrupted that desire, to the point where eventually he relished in the murder of common soldiers, and found fighting other Shardbearers to be a chore.{{book ref|sa3|3}}{{book ref|sa3|26}} Over time, Dalinar managed to temper that hot-headedness to become a keen strategist and logistician, although he retains his desire to be at the forefront of a fight to this day.{{book ref|sa3|52}} At the time, he also had an overblown sense of personal pride, willing to pushing thousands of people for a small subset of them ambushing him.{{book ref|sa3|76}}
The death of his wife, [[Evi]], changed everything. Dalinar began to drink heavily, often ignoring his family or acting with outright hostility towards them, and doing only the most perfunctory of social functions.{{book ref|sa3|88}} Though he was, at times, aware of how horrid his actions were, it seemed he was unable to temper them, even after making conscious effort.{{book ref|sa3|94}}{{book ref|sa3|105}} It wasn't until a visit to the [[Nightwatcher]], where his memories of Evi and the events at the [[Rift]] were pruned by [[Cultivation]], that he managed to get past this.{{book ref|sa3|114}}
==== Honorable General ====
In the present day, Dalinar Kholin is a man defined by duty, striving to act in a honorable and righteous manner.{{book ref|sa3|122}} He is, however, keenly aware of his own failings in this regard, and his tendency towards the extreme. He seeks out causes that he can believe in and which he can dedicate himself to, such as the [[Alethi Codes of War]] or ''[[The Way of Kings (in-world)|The Way of Kings]]''.{{book ref|sa1|64}} He considers the latter in particular to be a particularly important part of his current self, as it was the book that began to heal him following his brother's death, and it's this book he constantly refers to for advice.{{book ref|sa3|105}}{{book ref|sa3|115}}
Dalinar considers himself wholly a soldier and general with no talent for back-room politicking.{{book ref|sa1|69}} He is unflinchingly honest and straightforward, preferring to speak plainly rather than engage in delicate diplomatic dance.{{book ref|sa3|12}} He has a bad habit of trusting people, such as [[Sadeas]] and [[Amaram]], based on prior association, to the point of ignoring even the most obvious alarm signs.{{book ref|sa3|69}}{{book ref|sa3|58}}
Dalinar cares little for social propriety, considering the opinions of others to be wholly irrelevant to himself so long as they don't actually impede his actions.{{book ref|sa3|12}}{{book ref|sa3|67}} He doesn't, however, deal well with not being in control; the idea of events important to him being out of his control is distressing to him, and he has a bad habit of going over regular chain of command to claim power for himself.{{book ref|sa3|65}}{{book ref|sa3|4}}
He can be somewhat egalitarian in his assessment of others, in particular soldiers, and will often promote men regardless of eye color or social status, but rather based solely on the skill they display.{{book ref|sa3|3}} This extends beyond the [[Vorin]] ranks system, as Dalinar is willing to give a chance to people he doesn't associate with miliary, like [[Parshmen]] or women, if he considers their skills valuable or if they are recommended to him by someone trustworthy.{{book ref|sa3|46}}{{book ref|sa3|117}} This doesn't mean he's entirely free of bias, however, and when the worlds of the court and the military collide, he can often end up referring back to the established social order, possibly without fully realizing it.{{book ref|sa2|62}}
<gallery caption="Images of Dalinar">
TheWayOfKings.png | <center><small>by [[Michael Whelan]]</small></center>On ''[[The Way of Kings]]'' cover
Dalinar Allen.jpg | <center><small>by [[Coppermind: Artists/Alex Allen|Alex Allen]]</small></center> On the cover of Graphic Audio's ''[[The Way of Kings]]'' part 2
Kholin Crest.svg| <center><small>by [[Isaac Stewart]]</small></center> Dalinar chapters header
Dalinar.jpg | <center><small>by [[User: Exmakina]]</small></center>
DalinarPortrait.jpg | <center><small>by [[User: Sheep]]</small></center>
Dalinar Portrait by Grant Hansen.jpg | <center><small>by [[Coppermind:Artists/Grant Hansen|Grant Hansen]]</small></center>
Dalinar by Grant Hansen.jpg | <center><small>by [[Coppermind:Artists/Grant Hansen|Grant Hansen]]</small></center> Riding into battle
Dalinar by Gama.jpg | <center><small>by [[Coppermind:Artists/Gama|Gama]]</small></center>
Dalinar by horizonproblems.jpg | <center><small>by [[Coppermind:Artists/horizonproblems|horizonproblems]]</small></center> Joining the [[Realmatic Theory|Three Realms]]
Dalinar by Linnéa Sandberg.png| <center><small>by [[Coppermind:Artists/Linnéa Sandberg|Linnéa Sandberg]]</small></center>
Dalinar by Esther Schrader.jpg| <center><small>by [[Coppermind:Artists/Esther Schrader|Esther Schrader]]</small></center>
Dalinar by Dwayne Wingert.jpg| <center><small>by [[Coppermind:Artists/Dwayne Wingert|Dwayne Wingert]]</small></center>
Dalinar by Marianne Eie.jpg| <center><small>by [[Coppermind:Artists/Marianne Eie|Marianne Eie]]</small></center>
Dalinar by Ralf Melevo.jpg| <center><small>by [[Coppermind:Artists/Ralf Melevo|Ralf Melevo]]</small></center> Refusing to be [[Odium]]'s champion
Dalinar by HW Lee.jpg| <center><small>by [[Coppermind:Artists/HW Lee|HW Lee]]</small></center>
Dalinar Portrait by Marie Seeberger.jpg| <center><small>by [[Coppermind:Artists/Marie Seeberger|Marie Seeberger]]</small></center>
Dalinar and Navani by Marie Seeberger.jpg| <center><small>by [[Coppermind:Artists/Marie Seeberger|Marie Seeberger]]</small></center> With [[Navani]]
Dalinar and Navani by Linnéa Sandberg.png| <center><small>by [[Coppermind:Artists/Linnéa Sandberg|Linnéa Sandberg]]</small></center> With [[Navani]]
Young Dalinar Portrait by Nat Rodgers.jpg| <center><small>by [[Coppermind:Artists/Nat Rodgers|Nat Rodgers]]</small></center> Young Dalinar
The Blackthorn by jurassicpencil.jpg| <center><small>by [[Coppermind:Artists/jurassicpencil|jurassicpencil]]</small></center> Young Dalinar as the Blackthorn
The Blackthorn by Hirgonn.jpg| <center><small>by [[Coppermind:Artists/Hirgonn|Hirgonn]]</small></center> The Blackthorn
The Blackthorn by Harry Shea-Pelletier.jpg| <center><small>by [[Coppermind:Artists/Harry Shea-Pelletier|Harry Shea-Pelletier]]</small></center> The Blackthorn
Odium's Champion by Cara Stratton.jpg| <center><small>by [[Coppermind:Artists/Cara Stratton|Cara Stratton]]</small></center> Dalinar's vision of himself as [[Odium]]'s champion
</gallery>
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