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{{character
|spouse=[[Hashal]]
|merge-family=y
|profession={{cat tag|Soldiers|Army captain}}
|groups={{tag+|army|Sadeas}}
|nation=Alethkar
|books=[[The Stormlight Archive]]
}}
Brightlord '''Avarak Matal''' is
== Appearance and
He is nearly as tall as [[Kaladin]], but he is spindly with delicate hands. He wears a sword at his side, but Kaladin believes that it is mostly there for fashion
== History ==
===Becoming Captain of the Bridge Crews, {{Rosharan date|1173|8|7}}===
Matal was made captain of the Sadeas [[bridge crew]]s after [[Lamaril]]'s execution following the disastrous "side carry" battle.{{book ref|sa1|43}} Matal's wife [[Hashal]] claimed that he had asked to be assigned the captaincy of the bridge crews in order to see to it that they were run smoothly and efficiently; Kaladin assumed this was a fabrication since the position was not prestigious.{{book ref|sa1|43}}
Matal rarely addressed the crews directly, instead allowing Hashal to deal with them using his authority.{{book ref|sa1|43}}{{book ref|sa1|46}} He rarely spoke when Hashal was present, and only took personal command on the battlefield where women were not allowed; for example, he would give the bridge crews orders to form up and run before a plateau assault.{{book ref|sa1|64}}
===Success on the Battlefield, {{Rosharan date|1174|9|4}}===
Matal later gives [[Kaladin]] and [[Bridge Four]] permission to leave [[Shen]] behind on bridge runs due to his foul temper and behaviour after he saw how they were going to treat the corpses of the [[Parshendi]].{{book ref|sa1|63}}▼
During a Sadeas plateau run, Kaladin attempted to divert the attention of the [[Parshendi]] from the bridge crews by dressing in [[singer]] remains and using himself as bait. Matal screamed loudly at Kaladin when he realized something unexpected was happening since Kaladin's previous attempt at innovation had resulted in Lamaril's execution. Kaladin's covert use of [[Surgebinding]] allowed the risky strategy to succeed, and the crews suffered almost no casualties. Torol Sadeas approached after the battle and Matal assumed he would be angry; to his credit, he took responsibility for Kaladin's actions. However, Sadeas assumed that Matal had approved the plan beforehand and was pleased that his risk paid off, stating that he would likely be compelled to give Matal a promotion. Matal was extremely angry at Kaladin for putting his life on the line, but did not discipline him since he knew he could not afford to lose him.{{book ref|sa1|62}}
▲Matal later
Matal is later seen shouting orders when the horns sound before the [[Battle of the Tower]].{{book ref|sa1|64}} During the battle itself, Matal stays back from the fighting. [[Kaladin]] sees him speaking to the rear guard across the chasm from where [[Bridge Four]] is and he then takes off at a run to alert the bridge crews that they will be retreating from the battle.{{book ref|sa1|66}}▼
===Battle of the Tower, {{Rosharan date|1174|9|6}}===
After retreating from the battle, Matal was directing the [[bridge crew]]s back towards the Sadeas war camp. He eyes [[Kaladin]] and [[Bridge Four]] before shouting at them to cross, until [[Kaladin]] convinces him to allow them to follow later at their own pace (as they have their own bridge to cross with). Matal agrees, as this will likely lead to them being hunted down by [[Parshendi]], and thus he can rid himself of [[Kaladin]].{{book ref|sa1|67}}▼
▲Matal
▲After retreating from the battle, Matal
After the battle concluded, Kaladin observed Matal furiously focusing on Bridge Four while the highprinces debriefed. Kaladin assumed that Sadeas would have Matal executed, based on Lamaril's fate.{{book ref|sa1|69}}
== Notes ==
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