Nightstar The Bright

Hello everyone, I am Nightstar The Bright. I really enjoy reading Brandon Sanderson’s books, sometime after I read them all I began editing the Coppermind.

Notable pages I created or heavily edited.

• Court of Gods
• The Iridescent Tones
• Listener
• Duladel
• Pahn Kahl
• Fjorden
• T'Telir
• Hallandren
• Idris
• Final Empire

- food - Veden saph, sapphire.

- Fashion - Lighteyes, both men and women, often wear clothing made from silk. Beards are eschewed by the nobility, although this doesn’t stop some from wearing them. Traditional clothing includes a skirt like garment called an ulatu, which may be worn with a shirt and a robe over the top, and mink pelts. Also Vakama.

Darkeyed women tend to wear simpler clothing, and tend to wear gloves on their safehand rather than large sleeves. This is done so that they are able to more easily perform household duties. Wearing a glove on the safehand in this manner is seen as immodest and an inherent sign of lower class, and therefore is not typically practiced by lighteyes.

- War and Dueling - Classical Veden ideals are that men should fight with swords, and no shields. Their sweeping methods of fighting are said to be an imitation of fighting with a Shardblade. The Vedens use drums to communicate on the battlefield.

- Marriage - Generally, marriages are arranged by the parents of the couple, or if the subjects are old enough, by themselves. If the family has many daughters, the women may court and decide on a suitor themself, but if this is not the case, a marriage will be arranged. It is a custom to buy gifts for family members of the couple, with boys often getting weapons and women jewelry.

- propriety- The Vedens generally follow Vorin propriety. Vedens are louder then the Alethi.

- Holidays - One of the most important Veden holidays is the Middlefest Fair.

- Architecture - The Vedens decorate gardens with cultivated vines and rows of shalebark. These plants are all cut and trimmed into shapes. Manors are built after the Veden ideal, tall, imposing, solitary, strong and towering. They are often built of square blocks and contain small windows, with the walls being dappled by dark lichen. Some people call these solitary estates the soul of Jah Keved. These estates are generally made up of a nice manor, a separate servants’ building, a guardhouse and a garden. The manors often have large dining halls for feasts, these halls have numerous tables, with a the most important one called the high table. The isolated estates of Jah Keved lack most of the more recent discoveries in architecture like storm cisterns.

- Politics - Some books tell of the soul of Jah Keved; isolated estates where each brightlord rules independently. There are also many hamlets, ruled by lesser brightlords. Lighteyes host feasts to display power, often to lesser lords. Daughters are expected to help with the family finances. All soulcasters belong to the king, who allows ardents to use them.

Lesser non landholding lighteyes. Hamlet lords —- 10 Lords of similar rank (Davar) — Highprince.

Highprince Boriar and Valam. And Jal Mala, Evinor and Abrial.

The Alethi have a long history of monarchies rising and falling, with few families able to retain authority for any significant period of time.

The first figure to unify Alethkar after the fall of Alethela was Sadees the Sunmaker in c.673, although his rule quickly collapsed after his death as Alethi territory was split between his ten sons, leading to another interregnum due to a proper heir not being selected before his passing. This interregnum lasted until Gavilar Kholin led a war of unification, once again bringing Alethkar under a single ruler by the year 1145.

While the king has power over the Highprinces, highprinces still retain a high degree of autonomy within their own princedoms, to the extent that they essentially function as their own sovereign nations. Therefore, the king is not an autocratic source of authority.

The monarchy's power over the highprinces, however limited, is primarily maintained through military strength and access to soulcasters, which he taxes highprinces for their rights to use. In part due to the limited power of the king, many people feel more connection and loyalty to their highprince or local lord than they do to the king themself, or to the institution of the monarchy.

The monarch has the right to promote individuals into the position of a classical Highprince if they deem it necessary, therefore consolidating inter-princedom national power in certain aspects of government into individuals. This right is controversial, and only began to be put into use late into the War of Reckoning in 1173, when King Elhokar granted highprince Torol Sadeas the position of Highprince of Information and Dalinar Kholin the position of Highprince of War.

List of Known Veden Monarchs

Alethi Monarchs
Name
NanHar
NanKhet
Siln Dynasty
Interregnum
Hierocracy
Sadees the Sunmaker
Interregnum
Hanavanar
Valam
Taravangian

Princedoms

by Isaac Stewart

Alethi Princedoms

Though it is ruled by a single king, Alethkar is divided into ten princedoms, each ruled by a lighteyed highprince. Each princedom is named after the family controlling it, and each has its own military, independent of one another - a remnant of the times prior to the reunification. While the highprinces do work together, the king has limited control over them, maintained less through tradition, and more through sheer military power and access to amenities like Soulcasters, which are heavily taxed. In addition, the ruling House Kholin controls the largest territory, as apart from their own princedom, they also hold an underpopulated stretch of land called the Eastern Crownlands.

Borders between Princedoms were largely, but not exclusively, defined by natural borders created by the Windrunner and Deathbend rivers, the Sunmaker mountains, and the Sea of Spears.

It is unclear what princedom Akak is a part of.

They have repeatedly fought with the neighboring Jah Keved, fighting for territory at their shared border. These wars tend to be pushed more by western Highprinces instead of by national efforts pushed forward by the crown. At the same time, marriage of lighteyes between nations is nothing seen as particularly out of the ordinary, nor is it forbidden by any religious tenants or national laws.

Through trade treaties, they are able to trade with Jah Kaved for cheap.

Highprinces

A highprince is the ruler of one of the ten princedoms that make up Alethkar. They essentially function as the leaders of sovereign nations, rather than simply as heads of administrative districts.

- Trade - Many things are traded through and in Northgrip. From there merchants bring goods to the rest of the country. Like in other Vorin countries, aside from Lighteyes, only darkeyes of the first and second Nahn can become merchants. Lighteyes engage in trade deals with each other, hoping to get favour with higher Dahn lighteyes. Raw shum is worth about 10 clearmarks a bag. A lord who wishes to make use of the roads for trade needs to pay for the patrols and maintenance of those roads. This money is given back to the villages where the materials are harvested or made. As with many other nations on Roshar, their economy was based upon glass spheres with cut polestones in their center, known simply as spheres. In the mint, they check sphere weights in order to see if they fell into the proper categories. The value of polestones, and thus the worth of sphere denominations in their economy, is based around the value of the substances a polestone can transmute another substance into. The Veden people cultivate shum and Breachtree, which they make into textiles.

The Market

Alethkar has some form of open market, though the amount of openness in the economy, that is the amount of government regulation in the market, is unclear.

- Caste system -

The Alethi culture is divided into two major castes, the lighteyes and darkeyes, separated by, as can be surmised, the color of a person's eyes. The lighteyes form the upper caste, with broader rights and privileges, while the darkeyes are the lower, working caste. Furthermore, each caste is subdivided into ten ranks, with the lighteyed ranks being called dahns, while the darkeyed ones are the nahns. Some nahns and dahns are hereditary, or stable, while others can only be held by attaining a particular position. The Alethi monarch, for example, is the only person in the country holding the first dahn.

There are many ways for a person to improve their rankings, such as through marriage or military service. A soldier who becomes an officer will almost automatically be raised to a proper dahn or nahn, along with their children. Holding land automatically entitles a lighteyes to at least the sixth dahn, regardless of their previous status, and becoming a Shardbearer entitles at least the fourth dahn.

Alethkar is generally a feudal nation. The Alethi monarch is served by ten highprinces, which have their own lower-dahn subjects, down to the citylords, who rule over individual settlements. Shardbearers stand slightly aside from this system, although many of them are either highprinces themselves, or in direct service to one highprince or another.

- Sexes - Like all Vorin nations, Jah Keved practices a division between the sexes. Women have safehands, covered either by a buttoned-up sleeve, typical of lighteyes, or a glove, typical of darkeyes. They are discouraged from picking up weapons and fighting. By contrast, men are forbidden to read.

Sex and Sexuality

Vorin culture is strictly oppossed to extra-marital sexuality, though this doesn't stop prostitution from being popular at Warcamps and cities, and in Urithiru. Though even those that make use of their services tend to look down on them for their occupation, and often physically abuse them.

They are accepting of homosexuality, and allow same-sex marriage, as long as the same oaths are spoken. This is due to the fact that their perception of marriage is rooted in the oaths itself, which a pair of any gender would be able to make without any issues. However, some see it as unbecoming of one's gender, but this seems to be an uncommon perception.

Incest is strictly looked down on, this includes the marriage of one's sibling's widow(er).^{[citation needed]}

Gender Roles

The Alethi have very strict gender roles that permeate nigh every aspect of their culture.^{[citation needed]} With most aspects of life, from art, to occupation, to cuisine, is defined by a strict masculine-feminine dichotomy.^{[citation needed]} Ardents, however, are essentially considered genderless and can persue both masculine and feminine activities.

Going against these prescribed roles is often seen as unnatural or downright blasphameous.

Their conception of gender roles is deeply rooted in Arts and Majesty, an ancient work of Rosharan literature that defines certain topics and practices as feminine or masculine.

- Religion -

Alethkar is one of the five great Vorin Kingdoms, with vast majority of their populace worshipping the Almighty. The worship is mostly carried out by the priests, called the ardents. The ardents, while influential, are not free -- rather, they are slaves to various lighteyes. Unlike most other professions, ardentia is open to both men and women, and to people from all social castes. Ardents are considered genderless from a social standpoint, and as such, many of the Vorin taboos regarding gender and gender roles do not apply to them. They are also the only people permitted to use Soulcasters.

Unlike other varieties of Vorinism, the Alethi are not required to be personally devout, or to perform religious ceremonies. While each citizen is supposed to pick their Calling and Glory -- their goal in life, and the aspect of the Almighty they wish to emulate -- the actual religious part of the religion is handled by the ardents, who perform the requisite rituals and prayers for their masters, so as to reassure them of their righteousness. The Alethi themselves rarely interact with the Almighty, save for an occassional glyphward or prayer.

! The following part is a rework of the Jah Keved page !

Jah Keved is one of the five Vorin Kingdoms on Roshar, situated in the eastern half of the continent. Its capital is Vedenar. Someone from Jah Keved is called a Veden person.

Geography and Ecology

by Isaac Stewart

Jah Keved on the world map

Located in eastern Roshar, Jah Keved is the second largest state on the planet, claiming around 5,553,000 Km². It shares its eastern border with Alethkar and Herdaz on three rivers, while in the west, it is bordered by Tu Bayla and Triax. North to south, the country stretches across the entire continent, between the Reshi and Tarat Seas.

Though verdant, Jah Keved doesn't possess many major rivers. The country's most notable geographical feature are the Horneater Peaks in the east, which form an important strategic barrier against the Alethi.

Flora and Fauna

Jah Keved contains a wide variety of animals and plants. Common species include axehounds and chulls, both of which are domesticated. There are also many species of cremlings and small sarpenthyn. Aside from that, there is a relatively large number of horses in Jah Keved, although these are extremely expensive. Much of Jah Keved is overgrown, especially with vines, so much so that it is hard to walk without tripping. Going into a wooded area often requires a machete. There are also many rockbuds, a number of which have blossoms and vibrant green vines. The jella tree is a common species, and shalebark grows on nearly everything.

Notable Locations

Regions

• Horneater Peaks - Massive mountains on the eastern side of the country, the Peaks are the home of the Unkalaki people. Despite their high altitude, the mountaintops are habitable thanks to a series of hot lakes known as the Horneater Oceans.
• Bavland - A small mining region, known for being dusty.

Cities

• Elanar
• Kneespike - A city in Bavland.
• Vedenar - The capital city of Jah Keved. Much of it was destroyed during the civil war of 1173. It is the site of the country's Oathgate.
• Valath - The location of the Holy Enclave, the center of Vorin faith.
• Silnasen - The main city of the Siln people.
• Northgrip - The largest city located on the northern coast.

Villages

• Bornwater - A mining town in Bavland.
• Staplind - A settlement in Bavland.
• Ironsway - A town in Bavland.

Other

• The Silent Mount - A mountain where the Vanrial, an order of artists, live.
• Cultivation's Perpendicularity - Roshar's only stable perpendicularity, located somewhere in the Horneater Peaks.
• Jokasha Monastery - Home of the Vorin Devotary of the Mind.

History

by Isaac Stewart

Map of the Silver Kingdoms

The Heraldic Epochs

During the Silver Kingdoms era, the territory now occupied by Jah Keved belonged to the kingdom of Valhav. Since that time, the countries of Tu Bayla and Triax have splintered off, though Jah Keved still holds vast majority of Valhav lands, including what was presumably its capital, Vedenar, along with its Oathgate. They also managed to expand to include much of mainland Rishir, and parts of western Alethkar.

Era of Solitude

For a long time, Jah Keved was the largest country on Roshar.

Siln Dynasty

According to scholar Natata Ved, the dynasty before the Siln dynasty was ruled by the king NanHar, who invaded the area that would come to be Triax, but died in the invasion. Following his death, his brother, NanKhet, succeded the throne and was a tyrant that survived six assassination attempts. First his sister attempted to kill him to put her husband on the throne, following this their son tried to kill him, then NanKhet’s cousin, then his brother, an uncle, and finally his own son. This eventually led him to invite his entire household to a feast, where he killed and burned every member. The exact veracity of this history is questionable, due to the historical method only being in its infancy when Natana Ved wrote her record, two centuries after the events she described.

He ultimately only led for three months, and after his death, the Siln Dynasty rose to power and replaced his familiy as the rulers of Jah Keved.

The Hierocracy (??? - c.673)

For more information, see Hierocracy.

For more information, see Sadees.

In c.673, the Hierocracy was overthrown by the Alethi conqueror known as Sadees the Sunmaker in a conflict that would come to be known as the War of Loss.^[expand]

Alethi War of Unification

For more information on the Alethi War of Unification, see Alethkar.

After Gavilar Kholin unified Alethkar into a single state, the Veden fought a number of small border wars against the Alethi, testing their defenses. Though they were eventually pushed back by the forces led by Dalinar Kholin, small conflicts between Alethi and Veden highprinces continued for many years. Nonetheless, the country remained the main oasis of stability in the region.

Veden Civil War (1173 - 1174)

This changed, however, on Tanatesev 1173, when Szeth assassinated the Veden king, Hanavanar, along with a number of highprinces. This plunged the country into a chaotic civil war, with at least seven different factions hoping to claim Vedenar and crown their leader king. The situation was further worsened by the presence of the Unmade Nergaoul, known better as the Thrill, leading Veden soldiers to fight with unprecedented degree of drive and brutality.

The civil war lasted for a few months, with the final confrontation being the battle at Vedenar. Highprince Valam emerged victorious, becoming the new king. However, he quickly passed the crown to king Taravangian before ordering his illegitimate son, Redin, to kill him. Given Valam's poor health and his insinuations shortly before his death, it's possible he was being poisoned by the Diagram to achieve this, as it was them who instigated the civil war by sending Szeth.

The True Desolation (1173 - )

For more information, see True Desolation.

Under Taravangian's leadership, Jah Keved was, alongside Kharbranth, the first country to ally with Urithiru. Fearing that it would be overrun by Voidbringers, the king requested - and was granted - aid from other members of the coalition.. However, following the revelations of the Eila Stele, the country broke off from the alliance as part of Diagram's plan to undermine Dalinar.

Though king Taravangian pledged himself to Odium, Jah Keved was not part of his deal. However after the Battle of Thaylen Field Taravangian began preparing Jah Keved to switch sides. He did this by promoting people Odium could control, putting his troops into position to betray Dalinar ,and subtly indicating to his followers that the war was a problem for Alethkar and Azir. When Taravangian gave the order the Vedens turned on the Coalition of monarchs and joined Odium.

Politics

Government

Much like Alethkar or Kharbranth, the population of Jah Keved is divided into darkeyes and lighteyes, with the latter holding power. A number of weaker, lower-dahn noble houses owe fealty to a group of Highprinces, who in turn owe fealty to a king. Prior to the civil war, known Veden Highprinces were Valam, Abrial, Boriar, Evinor and Jal Mala.

Over the year 1173, most of the country's political structures have either fallen into chaos or outright disintegrated. Opening with the death of the then-king Hanavanar at the hands of the Assassin in White, the ensuing civil war has claimed the lives of all the Veden Highprinces, either through assassination or open warfare. The nominal victor of the war, Valam, passed the Veden crown to king Taravangian of Kharbranth, who has a claim to the throne through his mother.

Following the civil war, Taravangian appointed two new highprinces to replace the ones lost. The two men are brothers, the elder of which is named Nan Urian.

International relations

As the largest country prior to the unification of Alethkar, Jah Keved has strong influence on the culture of other Vorin states. The centre of Vorin church, the Holy Enclave, is located in the Veden city of Valath. Valath is also the location of one of Roshar's major spanreed hubs, adding to the city's importance.

In the decades prior to the True Desolation, Jah Keved fought a number of small border wars against Alethkar. Though they were initially pushed back out of Alethi territory by forces led by Dalinar Kholin, the skirmishes and battles between Veden and Alethi highprinces continued for over a decade. Despite that, the two kingdoms appear to have good diplomatic relations, and a marriage between their lighteyes isn't seen as anything out of the ordinary.

Military

“ We talk of Jah Keved's weakness, but that’s relative. They still have a huge standing army, strong fortifications. If the enemy wades into Jah Keved now, while solidifying their own power, it will drain their resources and stall their conquest. ”

— Dalinar Kholin on the Veden military

Though not as militaristic as their eastern neighbors, Jah Keved is thought to possess the most Shards of any country other than Alethkar, including about twenty Shardblades.

Prior to the civil war, each Veden highprince maintained their own military. However, it appears that following Taravangian's crowning, the surviving units have all been folded under his command. As the last battle was fought over Vedenar, most of Veden troops are stationed in storm bunkers at the city's outskirts. The civil war was catastrophic for them - many units suffered over 50% casualties - yet even with those losses the Veden military boasts an enormous number of soldiers and powerful fortifications. Entering their territory without sufficient preparations is generally considered to be a horrid idea bound to mire the potential assailant in years-long conflict, and a massive drain on resources.

Jah Keved is known for their raiding tactics. The army operates in smaller raider groups, about four thousand strong, backed by a powerful main force. Those raiders are highly mobile, capable of harrying the enemy while avoiding direct confrontation. Their generals are noted to be excellent, even by Alethi standards.

A major focus of the Veden strategy is the defense of the strip of land between Horneater Peaks and Alethkar. Though narrow and underpopulated, it's a verdant, rich land that can be used as a staging area for any invasion of Jah Keved.

Following the fall of central and northern Alethkar to the Voidbringers, large number of Alethi soldiers withdrew to either Jah Keved or Herdaz in hopes of escaping the flying Fused.

Culture

by Dan dos Santos

Veden man wearing the latest fashion

Jah Keved is comprised of at least four distinct ethnic groups - Veden, Siln, Bav and Unkalaki.

Veden

“While your food sits well in my stomach, the amount of bowing and scraping you show ardents made me uncomfortable. ”

—Kabsal on the people of Jah Keved

The Veden people are typically associated with pale skin and violet eyes. Their language belongs to the Vorin family, and is close enough to that of Alethkar to be mutually intelligible for both sides. The Alethi are also close to Vedens in fashion.

The Veden are by and large Vorin, worshipping the Almighty and the Heralds. They appear to be more religious than average Vorins, with higher importance being placed on the trappings of the faith, such as the safehand and the strict division between masculine and feminine arts. In particular, they are noted to be highly respectful and reverent of the ardents, and extremely traditional in the particulars of the doctrine.

In Veden families, the sons have two-part names, with the latter part being their given name, while the former references their order or birth. The first four sons are called Nan, Tet, Asha and Van. Should one of the sons die or be disinherited, his younger brothers all move up a level; for example, Tet Balat becomes Nan Balat. The numerals are used mainly in formal context; siblings usually drop them when talking among themselves.

When a Veden couple marries, the spouses retain their family names. The children of the couple all use the surname of only one parent; it's unclear whether it's always the father's, or if it depends on the parents' relative dahns.

Siln and Bav

The Siln people live in and around the southern city of Silnasen. They are noted as being less technologically advanced than the rest of the country, with highly ritualized warfare. Their apparent independence from Veden rule may stem from the fact that they were once a sovereign city-state.

The Bav people live in Bavland, a small region in the south-western corner of the country. They are mostly miners, and have their own language and culture largely separate from that of the Veden.

Unkalaki

For more information on the Unkalaki people, see Unkalaki.

The Unkalaki - or Horneaters, as they are called by outsiders - live on top of the mountains known as Horneater Peaks. They are one of several peoples with Singer ancestry, and have some attributes that set them apart from other Rosharan humans, such as their unusually strong teeth (which is where the "Horneater" nickname comes from) and the ability to occasionally hear the Rhythms. Red hair is also a typically Unkalaki feature, and are a mark of Horneater ancestry on a person from outside the Peaks.

Though the Horneater Peaks are nominally part of Jah Keved, the Unkalaki have their own language, system of beliefs and government, and don't seem to see themselves as Veden citizens. However, the Veden still claim the right to levy troops from among them in times of war.

Notable citizens

For a full list, see :Category:Veden.

• Shallan Davar, the first Lightweaver of the new generation of Knights Radiant
• The rest of the Davar household, including the father, Lin, as well as his four sons Wikim, Jushu, Balat and Helaran
• Malata, the Dustbringer Radiant in service of the Diagram
• Valam, the former Veden Highprince-turned-King and the liege lord of the Davars
• Hanavanar, the previous Veden king, whose death caused the Jah Keved civil war

Trivia

• At 5.5 million square kilometres of land, Jah Keved is a little over half the size of the United States.
• Szeth hid one of Gavilar's black spheres somewhere in Jah Keved.