Difference between revisions of "Dalinar Kholin"

He found Taravangian sitting by the hearth outside his study and took him to the tactics meeting taking place up in the Gallery of Maps. When he arrived Aladar, who was leading the meeting, greeted Dalinar and asked him if he was feeling better. Dalinar replied that he had been meditating and started to ask Aladar about their plans for the war. He was interrupted by Fen who demanded to know why he had abandoned them. Dalinar first tried to explain that he had taken his excommunication from the Vorin church poorly, but then admitted that he had not done the right thing. This satisfied Fen and the others and the meeting proceeded, returning to their discussion of how to fortify Jah Keved. As they were discussing how to defend the land near the [[Horneater Peaks]] Dalinar noticed Navani entering the room and called for a break to consider what had been discussed.{{book ref|sa3|107}}

 

 

As the meeting concluded Fen approached Dalinar and asked him to recant his heresy for the sake of preserving their unity and prevent a religious collapse but he refused. After he left the meeting Dalinar went and found [[Kadash]]. He tried to tell Kadash that he was releasing him and all of his ardents from his service so they would no longer have to serve a heretic, but Kadash refused. He told Dalinar that his people needed the ardents, whether or not Dalinar himself believed they did. Kadash then tried to convince Dalinar to release a statement of support for the Vorin church even if he himself no longer believed, but Dalinar walked away. Once he had gotten far enough away from Kadash Dalinar called out to the Stormfather and asked him if the Voidbringers had a highprince or another sort of leader. The Stormfather told Dalinar that there was one and Dalinar asked the Stormfather to arrange a meeting between them during the next highstorm.{{book ref|sa3|107}}

When Dalinar arrived in Thaylen City he was met by [[Meridas Amaram]] who reported on the work his men had done to secure the city. Amaram tried to convince Dalinar to give him command of the fight to liberate Alethkar but Dalinar commanded him to continue his work in Thaylen City and Amaram walked away. After discussing the problem of merchants and bankers leaving Thaylen City with Fen Dalinar spoke with the Stormfather about what Odium had almost done to him. The Stormfather told Dalinar that Odium could have [[Splinter|Splintered]] him but held himself back out of fear of causing Cultivation to strike back at him. Dalinar asked the Stormfather who the other Bondsmith spren were, and the Stormfather told him that the [[Nightwatcher]] was one, but he refused to tell Dalinar about the [[sibling|third]] who slumbers. They discussed Honor's state at the time of the [[Recreance]] and then Dalinar left to go to the meeting.{{book ref|sa3|111}}

 

 

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{{image|Dalinar_by_Ralf_Melevo.jpg|side=left|height=300px|Dalinar resisting Odium}}

 

Odium started showing Dalinar visions of things he had done in the past while under the Thrill and telling him again and again that the things he had done were not his fault, but Dalinar pulled The Way of Kings close to his chest and refused to give in. Odium then sent him back into his memories of what happened at the Rift. Dalinar begged for mercy but Odium told him that he would keep reliving it until he gave in and admitted that it had not been his fault. Odium then had a bolt of lightning blast Dalinar's book from his hands and he dismissed its author, Nohadon, as a long dead failure. Dalinar fell to his knees and he heard the Stormfather whimpering in his mind. Dalinar tried to look away from the vision but there was nowhere to turn as he was surrounded by the vision. Dalinar tried to think of something that would distract him from his pain, but the only thing available was the Thrill. He remembered how he had always needed the Thrill to keep him going. He slumped over and as he heard Evi weeping he thought about how he had never deserved her. As he was crying, he felt the sound of the Stormfather's weeping leave his mind as Odium pushed the great spren away, leaving Dalinar feeling alone. Odium knelt beside Dalinar and told him that he was not alone and never had been as Odium had always been with him. As the Thrill surged within him Dalinar realized that he was a fraud just like Amaram. His veneer of honesty hid the murderer who killed women and children beneath a facade of honor. As Odium begged him to let go and give him his pain Dalinar trembled with pain and clawed at the ground as he thought of how he had failed his family. He thought of he could not live with all of this pain, and tore out his fingernails to try and distract himself but it did not help him forget the agony of his true self.{{book ref|sa3|118}}

 

 

Odium turned to Dalinar and told him that the pain was over and that it was time to claim his new position as head of Odium's forces. While he huddled in too much pain to breathe or think he felt something inside his clenched fist and he opened it revealing a single [[gloryspren]]. This triggered a thought in Dalinar's head. He realized that the most important step a man could take was always the next step he took. Agonized and trembling, Dalinar forced his mouth open and spoke one sentence.{{book ref|sa3|118}}

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Dalinar ordered Renarin to secure the Oathgate, unlock it, and bring the reinforcements waiting in Urithiru through the portal and into Thaylen City. He told Shallan to [[Illumination|Lightweave]] up an army for Amaram's soldiers to fight. He told her that they should be easier to deceive as they were currently under the thrall of the Thrill. He asked Jasnah to use her [[Transformation|Soulcasting]] to repair the hole in the city's wall. Dalinar told Kaladin that he would serve as his bodyguard during the battle, defending him from Amaram. He told Lift to take Szeth and bring him the ruby that the Fused had taken. Dalinar started to walk toward the water and told Kaladin that they were going to go stop the Thrill.{{book ref|sa3|119}}

The Thrill recognized Dalinar and was happy to see him. As he walked through the mist, he saw times when the Thrill had been with him and times when it had withdrawn. He realized that the Thrill had no actual intent, let alone a malevolent one. He saw that the Thrill was simply the primal desire and urge to fight. The Thrill returned all of the memories of himself that Dalinar hated. He realized that while once he had gone to the Nightwatcher to forget what he had done, he no longer wanted to lose those memories. He told the Thrill that he welcomed it and that he accepted who he had been. As his vision became tinged with red Dalinar thanked the Thrill for giving him strength when he needed it. As he watched himself walk towards Rathalas on his way to burn the city, Dalinar told the Thrill that he ''understood'' it.{{book ref|sa3|120}}

 

 

Dalinar began walking back to the city, with Kaladin and [[Lopen]] each supporting one of his arms, leaving a trail of [[exhaustionspren]] behind him. Navani ran out of the city and took over from the bridgemen walking Dalinar the rest of the way. As they walked Dalinar told her how he had realized that the two months of pain from his memories had been exactly what he needed to experience in order to stand up to Odium. He thanked her for inspiring him, saying that her broken fabrial hanging from his arm had reminded him how to trap the Unmade. He showed Navani the ruby containing [[Nergaoul]] and told her that he wanted her to keep it safe and study it to figure out what had enabled it to trap a spren as powerful as an Unmade. Dalinar then asked Navani to teach him how to read and write.{{book ref|sa3|121}}