Difference between revisions of "Jasnah Kholin"

|profession={{cat tag|Scholars|VeristitalianHistorian}}

|It strikes me that religion—inreligion—in its essence—seeksessence—seeks to take natural events and ascribe supernatural causes to them. I, however, seek to take supernatural events and find the natural meanings behind them. Perhaps that is the final dividing line between science and religion. Opposite sides of a card.

'''Jasnah Kholin''' is the queen of [[Alethkar]] on [[Roshar]].{{book ref|sa3|122}} She is a [[Surgebinder]] and [[Elsecaller]], with access to the [[Surge|Surges]] of [[Transformation]] and [[Transportation]], sometimes called "Elsecalling." {{book ref|sa2|epilogue}} She is the sister of the late King [[Elhokar Kholin|Elhokar]], daughter of the late King [[Gavilar Kholin|Gavilar]] and [[Navani Kholin|Navani]], niece of Highprince [[Dalinar Kholin|Dalinar]], aunt of royal heir [[Gavinor]], and cousin to [[Adolin]] and [[Renarin]]. She is known widely as a brilliant scholar and for her denunciation of [[Vorinism]].{{book ref|sa1|3}} She is a member of the [[Veristitalian|Veristitalians]], an order of historians dedicated to reconstructing unbiased and factual accounts of the past in order to better understand the present.{{book ref|sa1|28}} She is training [[Shallan Davar]] as her [[ward]].{{book ref|sa1|8}}

|You two are a pair of nails in the same door framedoorframe. Stern, hard, and storming annoying to pull free.

She has also been shown to have some sort of aversion to darkness, or at the very least shadows, as seen when she became uneasy while staring at a shadow. {{book ref|sa2|prologue}} AsJasnah brieflyseems mentionedto inhave onefaced some sort of hertrauma chapters,as Jasnaha seemschild; toDalinar havementions hadher a"lunacy" in conversation poorwith experienceGavilar whereand she washas memories of being locked in a dark room when she was a child, which taught her that even the people she loved could hurt her.{{book ref|sa3|49}}{{book ref|sa3|47}}

Jasnah can transport herself into and out of the Cognitive Realm of Shadesmar, along with at least her clothing and small physical objects. AsGoing ofall [[Wordsthe ofway Radiance]]into itthe hasCognitive notRealm yetappears beento revealedrequire whethera shereater candegree transportof otherscooperation intofrom Shadesmar,Ivory orand whatreturning to the limitsPhysical ofRealm herseems abilityto require something more that going to transportthe objectsCognitive isdoes not.{{ref|name=unpublished Shescene}}It is unclear whether she can transport other people or object into Shadesmar, though she did retrieve Shallan from Shadesmar after her ward entered with not enough Stormlight available to return.{{book ref|sa1|70}}

Jasnah was among the first to predict that the Parshendi were the Voidbringers and that the Desolation was coming,{{book ref|sa1|74}} along with organizations such as the [[Ghostbloods]] and the [[Diagram (literature)|Diagram]]. Until it was proven,{{book ref|sa2|81}} the theory relied heavily on metaphorical texts and folk tales, both thousands of years old and translated through many [[Wikipedia:Proto-language|proto-languages]].{{url ref|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proto-language|text=Proto-languages|site=Wikipedia|date=2006/01/27}}{{epigraph ref|sa1|32}}{{epigraph ref|sa1|35}}{{epigraph ref|sa1|38}} Her most substantial proof was the shadow, ash and flame references in her sources that she believed were refering to the red and black skin color of the Parshendi, as well as the reported sudden appearance of Voidbringers which she thought similar to the way the Parshendi assassinated her father, King Gavilar, apparently out of nowhere.{{book ref|sa1|72}}

In {{Rosharan date|1167}}, Jasnah attended the feast held in the [[Kholinar]] Palace after the signing of the Parshendi treaty. While walking to a meeting with an assassin named [[Liss]] with the intention of killing Elhokar's wife [[Aesudan Kholin|Aesudan]], she noticed her shadow pointing toward the light. She walked past Highprince [[Torol Sadeas|Sadeas]] and a [[Shinovar|Shin]] [[Szeth-son-son-Vallano|servant in white clothing]], and subsequently came across her father in quiet conference with [[Meridas Amaram]]. Once Amaram left, Jasnah asked Gavilar what he commanded Amaram, but Gavilar deflected the question and left hastily, leading her to wonder if he knew about her plans regarding Aesudan. Walking onward, Jasnah's shadow again acted oddly, and this time formed into a "man of midnight blacknes [with] a certain reflective cast, as if he were made of oil."{{book ref|sa2|prologue}} He carried an unsheathed sword. In panic, Jasnah went into [[Shadesmar]] for the first time. There, the shadowy figure sheathed its sword, and Jasnah fell into the sea of glass beads. Before she drowned, Jasnah managed to find the glass bead corresponding to the Kholinar Palace, and using that as her guide, willed herself to rise to the surface, standing on a platform of glass beads. From there, she formed the corridor she'd stood in before leaving the [[Physical Realm]], and when the shadowy figure stepped onto her platform with its sword drawn, she formed a statue of [[Talenel|Talenelat'Elin]]. She confronted the figure, and it saluted and bowed, then left. When Jasnah returned to the Physical Realm, all the spheres lining the hallway walls were dun. {{book ref|sa2|prologue}}

Jasnah hesitated in returning to the party after she heard the music in the dining hall stop abruptly. She ran into two "ambassadors from the west": the one with the birthmark on his right cheek was [[Nale|Nalan]],{{book ref|sa2|99}} and his companion is widely believed to be [[Kalak]], deduced after process of elimination.{{url ref|url=https://www.tor.com/2014/06/12/words-of-radiance-reread-prologue/|text=WordsOf ofthe Radianceother Reread:male Prologue|site=TorHeralds, [[Jezrien]] was already present as the beggar Ahu, [[Talenel]] was still trapped on [[Braize]], and [[Ishar]] is the God-Priest Tezim.com|date=2014/6/12}} Jasnah heard sudden screams and ran toward them, fearing for her family's safety. The sounds led to her father's chambers, and the way was littered with corpses with burned eyes and the walls marked by [[Shardblade]] cuts. She eventually reached a balcony and saw her father in his [[Shardplate]], called to him and made him hesitate. The balcony broke beneath Gavilar, and Jasnah saw the servant she'd seen before fall down with her father. The Shin man somehow changed direction in the air, and fell onto the wall, completely ignoring gravity. While crying to herself, Jasnah was approached by three Parshendi, [[Klade]], [[Gangnah]] and [[Varnali]]. They took responsibility for the assassination and told Jasnah they were sorry for her loss but explained that Gavilar had to be stopped from doing something dangerous. It is now known that Gavilar, as a [[Sons of Honor|Son of Honor]], was trying to bring back the Parshendi gods in the hopes that the [[Knights Radiant]] would return, reinstating the dominance of the Vorin church.{{book ref|sa3|prologue}}{{book ref|sa2|88}} Sadeas stumbled in, saw what happened, and ran toward Gavilar's corpse, where they found [[Szeth|Szeth's]] note to Dalinar written in Gavilar's blood, telling him to find the most important [[Immortal Words|words]] a man could say.{{book ref|sa2|prologue}} Jasnah later discovered that this was a direct quote from [[The Way of Kings (in-world)|''The Way of Kings'']] by [[Nohadon]].{{book ref|sa1|15}}

Jasnah was seemingly murdered by either the Ghostbloods or mercenaries working for [[Tyn]]. Stabbed through the heart, she was able to escape to Shadesmar using the [[Surgebinding#Transportation|Surge of Transportation]], then heal herself with Stormlight.{{tor ref|stormlight-archive-scene-after-words-of-radiance|textname=Tor.comunpublished Read a New Stormlight Archive Scene Set After Words of Radiance!|date=Aug 6th, 2014scene}} Jasnah reappeared in the [[Physical Realm]] after the summoning of the [[Everstorm]], meeting [[Hoid|Wit]]. She threatened him with a Shardblade, presumably her spren [[Ivory]]. She had gained knowledge during her time in Shadesmar, notably about the original [[Knights Radiant]].{{book ref|sa2|epilogue}}

After her travel through the Cognitive Realm, Jasnah returned to [[Urithiru]] to resume her fight against the [[Voidbringers]]. She attempted to rally the [[Vorin]] army, and took part in meetings with current Rosharan leaders. While she reunited with her former ward, [[Shallan]], Jasnah observed the girl's slow mental deterioration which Ivory also warned her about.{{book ref|sa3|53}} During this time, she also took notice of Renarin's strange behavior and began investigating his Nahel Bond and the proper spren for the [[Order of Truthwatchers]].{{book ref|sa3|53}}{{expand}}

[[File: Jasnah vs Thrill.jpg|400px|thumb|right|Jasnah fighting Thrill Berserkers <small><center>by {{a|Petar Penev}}</center></small> Jasnah fighting Thrill berserkers]]

== Quotes ==9

|Too many scholars think of research as purely a cerebral pursuit. If we </em>do<em> nothing with the knowledge we gain, then we have wasted our study. Books can store information better than we can—whatcan&mdash;what we do that books cannot is </em>interpret<em>. So if one is not going to draw conclusions, then one might as well just leave the information in the texts.</em>

|When we are young, we want simple answers. There is no greater indication of youth, perhaps, than the desire for everything to be </em>as it should<em>. As it has ever been. The older we grow, the more we question. We begin to ask why. And yet, we still want the answers to be simple. We assume that the people around us—adultsus&mdash;adults, leaders—willleaders&mdash;will have those answers. Whatever they give often satisfies us. ... Indeed, it seems to me that aging, wisdom, and </em>wondering<em> are synonymous. The older we grow, the more likely we are to reject the simple answers. Unless someone gets in our way and demands they be accepted regardless.</em>

|You will find wise men in any religion, Shallan, and good men in every nation. Those who </em>truly<em> seek wisdom are those who will acknowledge the virtue in their adversaries and who will learn from those who disabuse them of error. All others—hereticothersz&mdash;heretic, Vorin, Ysperist, or Maakian—areMaakian&mdash;are equally closed-minded.</em>

|Let the Vorin believe as they wish—thewish&mdash;the wise among them will find goodness and solace in their faith; the fools would be fools no matter what they believed.

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