Balat Davar

Balat Davar
by botanicaxu
House Davar Parents Lin, mother Siblings Helaran, Wikim, Jushu, Shallan
Born	1150
Residence	Urithiru
Nationality	Veden
Homeworld	Roshar

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Balat Davar is a lighteyed Veden on Roshar. Balat is born into House Davar as the second oldest child of Lin and his mother. Originally known as Tet Balat Davar, he becomes Nan Balat Davar, taking on the title for the first son and heir to House Davar after his father disowns his older brother Helaran. He is betrothed to Eylita Tavinar.

Appearance and Personality

Balat is a young man twenty-three years old as of 1173. He has a round face and a haunted look that shadowed him. He is the tallest among his surviving siblings.

It is inferred that as a boy, he liked starting fires. One of these almost burned down the servants building. He is also known to have cruel habits towards animals.

As an adult he still liked killing animals, not people. Never people. The pain of whatever he killed seemed to ease up his own pain. He did so with cruelty, enjoying each step. An example is ripping legs of a small crab one by one. Scrak was his axehound pet, which he was close and fond of.

Balat's father smashes Balat's leg with a poker and causes him an injury that leaves him walking with a cane. . Balat still feels a constant, latent ache.

He believes that House Davar is deeply damaged and a "family of cripples" as a result of the death of his mother and the events that followed it. He sees himself as the only one who is normal and unscathed by these events.

History

Childhood

Balat is born as second son to Lin Davar and his mother. Because of this, he grows up as Tet Balat. Still a child by the time he reaches adulthood, he grows up with bitterness towards his father believing he cold bloodedly killed his mother and lover. His anger and escape seems to be relieved by torturing animals. it's likely he abused an axehound pup that his older brother Helaran gave him as a gift.

Becoming Nan Balat

Nan Helaran confronts his father and leaves the house. Though there is no immediate change for Balat or his brothers, they seem to constantly grieve his absence as no one else dared to confront his father. Not even when the highprince sends his bastard son to their manor and asks someone to speak against him. Balat did want them to take his father, but didn't dare speak.

At one of his father's feasts, he meets Elyta Tavinar. She is the daughter a Brightlord who held less political influence than his father did. With the help of Shallan, they start writing and later dating.

Several years later, as Helaran and his father grow further apart, his father starts calling him Nan Balat as if he was the eldest son of the family. However, it was not until the Middlefest Fair when his father received a threatening message from Helaran that he decides to disinherit him and officially change the title of Tet Balat to Nan Balat.

Though Balat seems to care for his brothers, he doesn’t really step up to protect or help them. This is shown when Jushu is taken by the people he owed money to. However, Shallan is able to get to him and he gives her his knife to help her get him back.

Confrontation with Lin Davar

The first time Balat really confronted his father was when Lin decided not to back up his engagement with Eylita. His father disapproved on the marriage as he believed she was lower station, he preferred his marriage to the highprince's daughter, who was on her fifties. Balat mentions to his father that he saw Helaran, which makes him even more angy. As a result of this first confrontation Lin sent to kill his axehound puppies who Balat had actually cared for

Looking at his dead puppies, he confirms to himself that he is not as strong as Helaran and doesn't consider himself capable of taking care of his family. As a result, Shallan helps him make a plan to escape with Eylita using Helaran's help under the condition of taking their step mother Malise with them.

They were never able to contact Helaran. Because of this, Balat decides to only take Eylita and go to the Highprince and talk against his father accusing him of killing his mother. Though his father had gained much more power since his stepson's visit and the accusation might not be as well received as before; Balat decides this is a risk to take, as he can't be a coward anymore. He was not going to run and would stop his father.

On the day he was to run, his father finds out not only that Helaran had been assassinated, but also that Balat planned to run away. He summons Eylita before Balat was able to meet after killing Malise, who after being beaten up, spoke of the escape plan.

Lin's death and Aftermath

When Balat finds out his father called for Eylita, he went to confront him again. This time however, his father was cold and aggressive. The confrontation turned to violence, but Balat was not skillful enough even to hurt him (he broke his father's hidden Soulcaster though). His father however managed to injure his leg, but was unable to hurt him further as Shallan tricked him into sipping some poisoned whine, which paralyzed him. She had to kill him with her necklace knowing that is he survived, he would not have mercy.

After his father's death and with the Soulcaster broken, they made a plan. Shallan pursued Jasnah Kholin and would try to steal her Soulcaster and Nan Balat ran the affairs of House Davar in the stead of his dead father. He communicated with Shallan via Spanreed and kept up to date with her progress. They slightly managed economically, but knew the lies would not last long before being found. Some men visited and in private with him, they implied they knew of his Father's Soulcaster and suggested strongly to return it to them.

Jasnah Kholin steps in to help their house but upon the rebellion in Jah Keved they lost everything. By order of Mrazie he and his brothers are saved and taken to Urithiru to meet with Shallan as "gift" for her services to the Ghostbloods..

Attributes and Abilities

Balat doesn't have any outstanding ability. He doesn't have any magical attribute nor is good at dueling even if he had taken lessons before. He doesn't have any particular strength in politics, finance nor social skills. His animal cruelty is magically enhanced by a moving force on Roshar.

Relationships

Shallan

At times, Balat had hated Shallan for being left alone/untouched by the brutality of his father; but he also knew he couldn’t truly hate her. He considered her shy, quiet and delicate. Shallan worries and tries to help her brothers. In the case of Balat she helps him get closer to Eylita and later encourages him to plan an escape with her. She ends up possibly saving his life by stopping his father.

Though Balat seems to care for his brothers, he doesn’t really step up to protect or help them. This is shown when Jushu is taken by the people he owed money to. However, Shallan is able to get to him and he gives her his knife to help her get him back.

After Shallan left, they kept in touch, they care for each other, but cannot do protect the other one. Mraize used Balat and her other brothers to keep her on his side.

Helaran

When Helaran leaves the house for the first time he doesn't think Balat is ready to lead their brothers. However, several years later, before leaving to the war at Alethkar, he does ask him to watch over his family. Balat considers Helaran to be strong and brave and doesn't consider himself to be as good as he.

Lin Davar

Balat is sure his father killed his mother and lover. He resents for becoming a cruel man with him and his siblings to the point he wishes the Highprince to take him. . Balat is always afraid of stepping up to him. It is only his disapproval of Eylita that triggers Balat to confront him; the aftermath of it is his father crippling him and almost killing him.

Quotes

“ “Am I a coward, Scrak?” ”

— Balat to his axhound

Trivia

• His cruelty to animals used for soothing aches is being magically enhanced by unspecified forces on Roshar.

Notes

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