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Difference between revisions of "Aesudan Kholin"

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'''Aesudan Kholin''' is the queen of [[Alethkar]] and wife of [[Elhokar Kholin]].{{book ref|sa2|prologue}} She manages the kingdom in her husband's absence, while he wages the [[War of Reckoning]] against the [[Parshendi]] on the [[Shattered Plains]].
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'''Aesudan Kholin''' was the queen of [[Alethkar]] and wife of [[Elhokar Kholin]].{{book ref|sa2|prologue}} She managed the kingdom in her husband's absence, while he waged the [[War of Reckoning]] against the [[Parshendi]] on the [[Shattered Plains]].
   
 
== Appearance and Personality ==
  
== Appearance and Personality ==
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== History ==
  
== History ==
 
=== Early Life ===
  
=== Early Life ===
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Aesudan marries Elhokar some time before his ascension to the throne of Alethkar. Little of her life prior to that is known. As a princess of Alethkar, she attends the treaty signing feast with the Parshendi on the night that King [[Gavilar Kholin]] is assassinated by [[Szeth]].{{book ref|sa2|prologue}} On that same night, prior to the king's death, [[Jasnah Kholin]] meets with [[Liss]], an assassin that she had hired as one of Aesudan's maids. For unknown reasons, Jasnah instructs Liss to observe Aesudan and report back on her actions, but not to assassinate her unless Jasnah orders it. Ultimately Jasnah decides against that, but her reasoning remains unclear. Elhokar later states that his sister had spoken out against his decision to marry Aesudan in the past, and that she'd claimed Aesudan was too power-hungry. Elhokar, however, just took it for strength.
 +
Aesudan married Elhokar some time before his ascension to the throne of Alethkar. Little of her life prior to that was known. As a princess of Alethkar, she attended the treaty signing feast with the Parshendi on the night that King [[Gavilar Kholin]] was assassinated by [[Szeth]].{{book ref|sa2|prologue}} On that same night, prior to the king's death, [[Jasnah Kholin]] met with [[Liss]], an assassin that she had hired as one of Aesudan's maids. For unknown reasons, Jasnah instructed Liss to observe Aesudan and report back on her actions, but not to assassinate her unless Jasnah ordered it. Ultimately Jasnah decided against that, but her reasoning remains unclear. Elhokar later stated that his sister had spoken out against his decision to marry Aesudan in the past, and that she'd claimed Aesudan was too power-hungry. Elhokar, however, just took it for strength.
   
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At some point, Aesudan also gives birth to a son, [[Gavinor]], but exactly when this occurs is uncertain.{{book ref|sa2|1}}
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At some point, Aesudan also gave birth to a son, [[Gavinor]], but exactly when this occurs is uncertain.{{book ref|sa2|1}}
   
 
[[File:Unmade Influence by Soph Peralta.jpeg|thumb|right|200px|<center><small>by {{a|Soph Peralta}}</small></center> Under the influence of the [[Unmade]] ]]
  
[[File:Unmade Influence by Soph Peralta.jpeg|thumb|right|200px|<center><small>by {{a|Soph Peralta}}</small></center> Under the influence of the [[Unmade]] ]]
   
 
=== War of Reckoning ===
  
=== War of Reckoning ===
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When Elhokar ascends to the throne of Alethkar, he is immediately forced to leave [[Kholinar]] to fulfill the terms of the [[Vengeance Pact]] in what is to become known as the [[War of Reckoning]]. This leaves Aesudan ruling as regent on the throne of Alethkar.{{book ref|sa1|15}} The king's mother, [[Navani Kholin]], remains behind to advise Aesudan in her duties. However, Navani makes the judgement that Aesudan is sufficiently skilled to rule on her own, and leaves her for the Shattered Plains.{{book ref|sa1|22}}
 +
When Elhokar ascended to the throne of Alethkar, he was immediately forced to leave [[Kholinar]] to fulfill the terms of the [[Vengeance Pact]] in what became known as the [[War of Reckoning]]. This left Aesudan ruling as regent on the throne of Alethkar.{{book ref|sa1|15}} The king's mother, [[Navani Kholin]], remained behind to advise Aesudan in her duties. However, Navani made the judgement that Aesudan is sufficiently skilled to rule on her own, and left her for the Shattered Plains.{{book ref|sa1|22}}
   
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However, either Navani makes a crucial misjudgment or the Unmade corrupted Aesudan after Navani's departure, because Aesudan inadvertently begins to turn the populace against herself.{{book ref|sa2|i|12}} She throws lavish feasts, reveling in excess, and allows food sent in by starving farmers for the soldiers on the Shattered Plains to simply rot away. She also cancels the [[Beggar's Feast]]s. This is perhaps due in part to her sycophantic [[ardent]]s who simply tell her that she is always on the right path. However, one of the ardents assigned to her retinue, a young woman named [[Pai]], refuses to look past the queen's flaws and performs an act of civil disobedience. She goes before the Common Throne of the [[People's Hall]] and inks the [[glyphs]] of the [[Ten fools|ten foolish attributes]] before the Throne, as well as a paragraph below each glyph, explaining how Aesudan exemplifies each of these traits, denouncing not only the queen but the government itself. Pai is executed, but Kholinar erupts in riots the next day.{{book ref|sa2|interlude|12}}
+
However, either Navani made a crucial misjudgment or the Unmade corrupted Aesudan after Navani's departure, because Aesudan inadvertently began to turn the populace against herself.{{book ref|sa2|i|12}} She threw lavish feasts, reveling in excess, and allowed food sent in by starving farmers for the soldiers on the Shattered Plains to simply rot away. She also canceled the [[Beggar's Feast]]s. This was perhaps due in part to her sycophantic [[ardent]]s who simply told her that she was always on the right path. However, one of the ardents assigned to her retinue, a young woman named [[Pai]], refused to look past the queen's flaws and performed an act of civil disobedience. She went before the Common Throne of the [[People's Hall]] and inked the [[glyphs]] of the [[Ten fools|ten foolish attributes]] before the Throne, as well as a paragraph beside each glyph, explaining how Aesudan exemplified each of these traits, denouncing not only the queen but the government itself. Pai was executed, but Kholinar erupted in riots the next day.{{book ref|sa2|interlude|12}}
   
 
=== The Siege on Kholinar ===
  
=== The Siege on Kholinar ===
−
Following the summoning of the [[Everstorm]] and the rallying of a Voidbringer army, Kholinar is surrounded by [[Fused]] and [[Singers]], who use spren to locate and punish any use of [[fabrial|fabrials]], preventing communication via [[spanreed]]. [[Elhokar]], [[Kaladin]], [[Adolin]] and [[Shallan]] are sent by [[Dalinar]] to infiltrate the city and save Aesudan and [[Gavinor Kholin]]. When Elhokar finally gets into the palace and speaks with her, she claims that Pai the Ardent tried to overthrow her, that her queen's guard are all Knights Radiant, and that she has figured out how to bond spren. They learn that she is under the influence of the [[Unmade]] [[Yelig-nar]] and [[Ashertmarn]].{{book ref|sa3|84}} After part of the infiltration team flees Kholinar via a corrupted [[Oathgate]], Aesudan's fate is unknown (Odium says that "the power consumed her" but it is not clear what he means by this{{book ref|sa3|118}}) but [[Drehy]] and [[Skar]] are revealed to have saved [[Gavinor]]{{book ref|sa3|122}} and [[Yelig-nar]] finds a new vessel in [[Amaram]] during the battle of [[Thaylen City]].{{book ref|sa3|118}}
 +
Following the summoning of the [[Everstorm]] and the rallying of a Voidbringer army, Kholinar was surrounded by [[Fused]] and [[Singers]], who used spren to locate and punish any use of [[fabrial|fabrials]], preventing communication via [[spanreed]]. [[Elhokar]], [[Kaladin]], [[Adolin]] and [[Shallan]] were sent by [[Dalinar]] to infiltrate the city and save Aesudan and [[Gavinor Kholin]]. When Elhokar finally got into the palace and spoke with her, she claimed that Pai the Ardent tried to overthrow her, that her queen's guard were all Knights Radiant, and that she had figured out how to bond spren. They learned that she was under the influence of the [[Unmade]] [[Yelig-nar]] and [[Ashertmarn]].{{book ref|sa3|84}} After part of the infiltration team fled Kholinar via a corrupted [[Oathgate]], Aesudan's fate was unknown (Odium said that "the power consumed her" but it is not clear what he meant by this{{book ref|sa3|118}}) but [[Drehy]] and [[Skar]] are revealed to have saved [[Gavinor]]{{book ref|sa3|122}} and [[Yelig-nar]] found a new vessel in [[Amaram]] during the battle of [[Thaylen City]].{{book ref|sa3|118}}
   
 
== Trivia ==
  
== Trivia ==

Revision as of 12:20, 30 August 2020

Aesudan Kholin
200px
by ERROR: page 'File: Corrupted Aesudan by Marie Seeberger.jpg ' does not exist
House Kholin
Spouse Elhokar
Children Gavinor
Relatives Hesina,[1] Kaladin, Tien, Oroden
Titles Queen of Alethkar
Residence Kholinar
Nationality Alethi
Homeworld Roshar
Universe Cosmere

Aesudan Kholin was the queen of Alethkar and wife of Elhokar Kholin.[2] She managed the kingdom in her husband's absence, while he waged the War of Reckoning against the Parshendi on the Shattered Plains.

Appearance and Personality

by Kyle Pearson
With Ashertmarn

According to Navani, Aesudan is politically competent,[3] though she is not a terribly nice person. She acts like Navani to make her uncomfortable,[4] and she also laughs at Dalinar Kholin when he is drunk during the treaty signing party.[2] She is also incredibly out of touch with her people, living a life of excess while her people suffer.[5] The canceling of the Beggar's Feast exemplifies how little she cares for the common people. The throne easily has enough resources to continue the tradition, but Aesudan does not seem to care.

For some reason, Aesudan is under the impression that the Almighty is displeased with her.[5] In order to gain his goodwill, she surrounds herself with many ardents, to whom she provides a vast array of luxuries: the finest foods, art, horseback riding, and leisure time. In return, the ardents promise her that living her life of wastefulness is the right thing to do, leading to an even greater disconnect between her and her people.

History

Early Life

Aesudan married Elhokar some time before his ascension to the throne of Alethkar. Little of her life prior to that was known. As a princess of Alethkar, she attended the treaty signing feast with the Parshendi on the night that King Gavilar Kholin was assassinated by Szeth.[2] On that same night, prior to the king's death, Jasnah Kholin met with Liss, an assassin that she had hired as one of Aesudan's maids. For unknown reasons, Jasnah instructed Liss to observe Aesudan and report back on her actions, but not to assassinate her unless Jasnah ordered it. Ultimately Jasnah decided against that, but her reasoning remains unclear. Elhokar later stated that his sister had spoken out against his decision to marry Aesudan in the past, and that she'd claimed Aesudan was too power-hungry. Elhokar, however, just took it for strength.

At some point, Aesudan also gave birth to a son, Gavinor, but exactly when this occurs is uncertain.[6]

by Soph Peralta
Under the influence of the Unmade

War of Reckoning

When Elhokar ascended to the throne of Alethkar, he was immediately forced to leave Kholinar to fulfill the terms of the Vengeance Pact in what became known as the War of Reckoning. This left Aesudan ruling as regent on the throne of Alethkar.[7] The king's mother, Navani Kholin, remained behind to advise Aesudan in her duties. However, Navani made the judgement that Aesudan is sufficiently skilled to rule on her own, and left her for the Shattered Plains.[3]

However, either Navani made a crucial misjudgment or the Unmade corrupted Aesudan after Navani's departure, because Aesudan inadvertently began to turn the populace against herself.[5] She threw lavish feasts, reveling in excess, and allowed food sent in by starving farmers for the soldiers on the Shattered Plains to simply rot away. She also canceled the Beggar's Feasts. This was perhaps due in part to her sycophantic ardents who simply told her that she was always on the right path. However, one of the ardents assigned to her retinue, a young woman named Pai, refused to look past the queen's flaws and performed an act of civil disobedience. She went before the Common Throne of the People's Hall and inked the glyphs of the ten foolish attributes before the Throne, as well as a paragraph beside each glyph, explaining how Aesudan exemplified each of these traits, denouncing not only the queen but the government itself. Pai was executed, but Kholinar erupted in riots the next day.[8]

The Siege on Kholinar

Following the summoning of the Everstorm and the rallying of a Voidbringer army, Kholinar was surrounded by Fused and Singers, who used spren to locate and punish any use of fabrials, preventing communication via spanreed. Elhokar, Kaladin, Adolin and Shallan were sent by Dalinar to infiltrate the city and save Aesudan and Gavinor Kholin. When Elhokar finally got into the palace and spoke with her, she claimed that Pai the Ardent tried to overthrow her, that her queen's guard were all Knights Radiant, and that she had figured out how to bond spren. They learned that she was under the influence of the Unmade Yelig-nar and Ashertmarn.[9] After part of the infiltration team fled Kholinar via a corrupted Oathgate, Aesudan's fate was unknown (Odium said that "the power consumed her" but it is not clear what he meant by this[10]) but Drehy and Skar are revealed to have saved Gavinor[11] and Yelig-nar found a new vessel in Amaram during the battle of Thaylen City.[10]

Trivia

  • If Dalinar had chosen to abdicate his title of highprince, he would have returned to Alethkar to aid Aesudan by leading the fighting against Reshi and Veden border incursions.[12]
  • Due to the fact that Elhokar cannot use Aesudan as a scribe while he is on the Shattered Plains and she is at home, Brightness Lalai, Torol Sadeas's cousin, serves as a stand-in.[13]
  • The Ghostbloods believe that Bordin, one of Dalinar's most trusted servants, is left behind in Alethkar to spy on Aesudan.[14]

Notes

  1. ↑ Legion Release Party
    — Arcanum - 2018-09-19#
  2. ↑ a b c Words of Radiance prologue#
  3. ↑ a b The Way of Kings chapter 22#
  4. ↑ The Way of Kings chapter 61#
  5. ↑ a b c Words of Radiance interlude I-12#
  6. ↑ Words of Radiance chapter 1#
  7. ↑ The Way of Kings chapter 15#
  8. ↑ Words of Radiance interlude I-12#
  9. ↑ Oathbringer chapter 84#
  10. ↑ a b Oathbringer chapter 118#
  11. ↑ Oathbringer chapter 122#
  12. ↑ The Way of Kings chapter 52#
  13. ↑ The Way of Kings chapter 28#
  14. ↑ Words of Radiance chapter 63#
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