Dalinar Kholin is a character from the series The Stormlight Archive. He is a Highprince of Alethkar, and is one of the four central characters in The Way of Kings. Dalinar Kholin is a Shardbearer for the majority of The Way of Kings, who chooses to wear his Shardplate in its original slate grey colour without any adornment or decoration. His Shardblade is called Oathbringer. He rides a Ryshadium horse named Gallant. Dalinar is nicknamed the “Blackthorn”, and is one the greatest generals of the Alethi. Due to his prowess in battle he has won many Shardplates and Shardblades in battle, and has gifted his King Elhokar Kholin with one of each. Dalinar must be restrained during highstorms because of the apparent fits that he enters into when they arrive. It is later revealed that the visions he sees during highstorms have been sent by Honor, also known as the “Almighty” on Roshar.
Family
Widower of Shshsh, brother of Gavilar Kholin, brother-in-law of Navani Kholin, father of both Adolin and Renarin Kholin, uncle of both Jasnah and Elhokar Kholin.
Dalinar begins to court his sister-in-law, Navani, who pursues and attempts to seduce him in The Way of Kings. Despite initial excuses that their marriage would be improper and frowned upon by those around them, Dalinar relents and admits his love for her. It is revealed that they courted when they were younger, but Dalinar’s “intensity” frightened Navani and she decided to marry his brother instead.
Dalinar was formerly married, but he was cursed by the Old Magic and can no longer remember her name. Whenever someone says her name, Dalinar hears only the sound of the wind, and if he ever encounters the name in any other manner, he cannot retain it in his mind.
Plot
During the assassination of Gavilar Kholin, Dalinar Kholin was in a drunken stupor, and was therefore unable to aid his brother. Dalinar considers himself to be at fault for the King’s death and underwent a radical change in personality. He began to read The Way of Kings, a book that his brother was fond of and began to adhere to the Alethi Codes of War that his brother attempted to make him follow. Had Dalinar been following the first Code, “Readiness”, then he would have been sober enough to aid his brother against the assassin. After the death of Gavilar Kholin joined forces with the new king, Elhokar and the other Highprinces to pursue the Parshendi under the Vengeance Pact.
Dalinar Kholin’s adoption of the Codes has caused the other Highprinces to underestimate him, as he no longer possesses the thirst for battle that made him one of the most feared generals in Alethkar. He and his brother Gavilar Kholin managed to conquer all of the other Highprinces and force them to crown Gavilar as their King. Despite sporadic heroic acts such as saving Elhokar’s life from a chasmfiend, Dalinar begins to lose his influence over the conquered Highprinces, as rumours of his fits during highstorms circulate.
Dalinar Kholin is charged by his nephew King Elhokar Kholin to investigate a suspected assassination attempt on the King’s life. This involved the girth strap on his saddle being cut so that he would fall from his horse in battle, and weakened gemstones being placed in Elhokar’s Shardplate so that the armor would easily crack and break. When Dalinar fails to uncover anything of use, Elhokar names Highprince Sadeas the Highprince of Information, and requests him to investigate. This accelerates Dalinar’s loss of power and suspicion is cast upon him for the assassination attempt. Later, after investigation, Dalinar realises that the “assassination attempt” was a fabrication and confronts his nephew. The King admits cutting the girth strap but maintains that he had nothing to do with the weakened gemstones.
Dalinar Kholin is of the belief that the war on the Parshendi has become nothing but a game to the Highprinces and seeks to unite them as the Highprince of War. However the King will not grant him this title unless Dalinar can prove that it is possible for the Highprinces to productively work together. One by one the Highprinces reject Dalinar’s pleas that they join forces, until Dalinar and Highprince Sadeas become friends and they decide to try working together. However this alliance is a ploy used by Highprince Sadeas to attempt to kill Dalinar. Sadeas withdraws from a battle that they enter together, leaving Dalinar and his men stranded and surrounded by an overwhelming number of enemy troops. Dalinar is rescued by Kaladin and the other members Bridge Four, but not before he has his armies severely weakened and almost dies at the hands of a Parshendi Shardbearer.
Despite Dalinar Kholin’s prowess in battle, the battle against the Parshendi marks the first time that Dalinar loses the “Thrill”. The “Thrill” appears to be a term for the bloodlust that a warrior experiences during a battle. This loss of the “Thrill” during battle causes Dalinar to question why he is fighting and whether the alternative methods of settling the Alethi dispute with the Parshendi could yield better results. The Highprinces view Dalinar’s wish for a more peaceful existence as a sign of weakness rather than wisdom, and prompt him to talk to the King about his beliefs. When Dalinar explains to the King that he is not afraid of battle, but would prefer to approach it in a different manner, Elhokar listens to him for the first time, and Dalinar finally feels that he is making progress.
Dalinar Kholin is plagued by visions of the Knights Radiant during highstorms which he believes to be sent by the “Almighty”. When Dalinar begins to make important decisions based on the visions his son Adolin questions the wisdom in trusting dreams. Dalinar expresses his belief that the visions are true and Adolin questions his father’s sanity. The realisation that even those close to him think that he has lost his wits results in Dalinar going through a period of self-doubt, and the he considers abdicating his position as Highprince to save House Kholin from being destroyed by foolish decisions. However at the suggestion of his son Renarin, Dalinar enlists his sister-in-law and scholar Navani to investigate whether the dreams are true or a result of an addled mind. Navani concludes that the gibberish that Dalinar speaks during the fits is actually Dawnchant, a now (apparently) dead language, and therefore that the visions are real.
After Dalinar Kholin is rescued by Kaladin, he promises to free the Bridge Four bridgemen from their slavery at the hands of Highprince Sadeas. When Sadeas refuses to sell the Bridge Four bridgmen, Dalinar offers his “priceless” Shardblade in exchange for all of Sadeas’ bridgemen. He appoints Kaladin as the Captain of all of the bridgemen, who will be trained as recruits to replenish Dalinar’s armies. He also gives Kaladin his cloak, marking the new Captain as one of Dalinar’s men. Dalinar also decides to give his son Renarin Kholin his Shardplate, fully relinquishing his Shards to fulfill his promises to those around him and maintaining his honor.
Another highstorm hits and Dalinar Kholin experiences another vision in which he realises that the “Almighty” who speaks to him in his visions is unable to hear what Dalinar says. Dalinar’s misinterpretations of the visions are now explained, and the last chapter concerning Dalinar in The Way of Kings ends with the “Almighty” admitting that he is dead and that Odium has killed him.