Difference between revisions of "Shallan Davar"

[[Kaladin]], accompanied by two of his squires, [[Elhokar]], [[Adolin]], Shallan, and her retinue, arrivearrived in Kholinar in order to open the [[Oathgate]] and defend the city from the Fused. The group met at the shop of tailor named [[Yokska]] and learned that the [[Aesudan|queen]] had been acting erratic due to the supposed influence of a dark spren. Due to the disruption of the entire chain of command, a new [[Azure|highmarshal]] of the Wall Guard assumed control, bringing some semblance of order to the city, and a strange group known as the [[Cult of Moments]] now ruled the city. While the conversation occurred, Shallan, through random acts designed to embarrass and injure herself, learned that the spren in Kholinar have taketaken a strange appearance. The king later tasked Shallan, accompanied by Kaladin, to send a letter to the queen with the use of her Lightweaving abilities. Before sneaking into the palace, Shallan shared her Veil persona towith her retinue, much to their shock.{{book ref|sa3|62}} Inside the palace, Veil discovered the royal guards were not acting like themselves and iswas soon stabbed by the captain when she demanded that she personally delivereddeliver Elhokar's letter to the queen. When the guards moved to dispose of her body, Veil pretended to be dead but slowly healed herself using stormlightStormlight. While playing dead, she noticed a strange black [[Sja-anat|figure]] with glowing circles for eyes in a mirror that should have held her reflection. Veil iswas deposited in a waste room holding several corpses and sneaked out of the palace using Illumination to disguise herself. Still in shock from her near murder, she sent Pattern to retrieve Kaladin so they could return to the safehouse.{{book ref|sa3|63}}

After recovering from her experience in the palace, Shallan and her companions regroupregrouped in Yokska's kitchen and discussed their next plan. Tasked with finding a way to infiltrate the Cult of Moments, Shallan, disguising herself as Veil, scrounged for information. During her exploration of the city, Veil encountered an urchin named [[Grund]] that had been abandoned because of his physical disfigurement. In exchange for information, Shallan gifted food to the boy and others willing to provide intel. As Veil began to doubt her actions taken to provide for the poor citizens in Kholinar, she encountered [[Wit]] retelling the story of [[Mishim]].{{book ref|sa3|67}} Once finished, Wit led Veil to an inn and he complimented Shallan on her skills with [[Illumination]]. While talking, they discussed the meaning of power, eventually giving Shallan the advice she needed to infiltrate the [[Cult of Moments]]. After this, he left her with the bill for the food he ate, much to her displeasure.{{book ref|sa3|68}} Through the information she gathered, Shallan learned that a group known as the Cult of Moments, under the thrall of the [[Unmade]] [[Ashertmarn]], guardguarded the Oathgate, and that the only way to join their ranks iswas to bring food to their grand feasts after receiving an invitation. Assuming the persona, Swiftspren, Shallan attempted to attract the Cult of Moments through displays of Illumination and philanthropy. Eventually, she received an invitation from the Cult of Moments after a grand heist at a local mansion.{{book ref|sa3|72}}{{book ref|sa3|74}}

|Your other minds take over, he whispered, because they look so much more appealing. You’ll never control them until you’re confident in returning to the one who birthed them. Until you accept being you.

Despite her charitable actions, Shallan unwittingly caused the death of Grund after the boy iswas attacked by the [[Grips]], a group that had been stealing the food given to him.{{book ref|sa3|80}} Following the murder of the urchin, Shallan iswas scarred by the experience and was left revisiting traumatic memories from her past. In an attempt to ease the pain, she shifted through several personas using Illumination in an attempt to search for a personality that could repair the damage she hashad habitually caused. She soon came to the conclusion that the past actions she took to aid others only left things worse in her wake. Huddled, in [[Muri]]'s abode, Shallan encountered Wit. Through his retelling of [[The Girl Who Looked Up]], Wit advised her to not to regret her actions and to accept herself if she wisheswished to take control of her personas. Shallan later regrouped with her companions, and Kaladin soon arrived with [[Azure|Highmarshal Azure]] and her army.{{book ref|sa3|82}}

While discussing their findings, Kholinar was later attacked by the Voidbringers and the enthralled soldiers of the city. Shallan, accompanied by Adolin, searched for the lingering presence of two of the Unmade at the Oathgate platform.{{book ref|sa3|83}} On their way to the control building for the ancient fabrial, an undulating black mass blocked their path to the entrance. After finding her Shardblade could not destroy the mass, Shallan touched it as she did with [[Re-Shephir]]. Inside the mass, she iswas overwhelmed by a Ashertmarn's voice as it attempted to convince her to engage in sensual self-indulgence. When Shallan iswas inundated by the various personalities she's had created in the past, she hearsheard Wit's voice in her mind and iswas advised to take control of them rather than fear them. As she felt herself nearly being consumed, the black mass soon evaporated and Adolin proclaimed that Shallan had defeated the Unmade, despite her feeling as if she had failed. As she entered the building, Shallan saw the black figure she observed previously when infiltrating the royal palace, and it identified itself as [[Sja-anat]]. The Unmade claimed they arewere not Shallan's enemy and warned her not to operate the Oathgate, as it was compelled to corrupt the [[Oathgate spren|spren]] of the platform so it would not function properly.{{book ref|sa3|84}} After Elhokar was seemingly murdered by [[Moash]], Shallan and her group were overwhelmed by enemy forces. At the urging of Adolin, Shallan beginsbegan to activate the Oathgate platform. Unsure of what to do, Shallan asked Pattern whether they should trust Sja-anat, but the spren was unable to discern whether the Unmade was lying or not. Sja-anat insisted that Shallan should not use the fabrial but noticed that she still did not trust it, so the Unmade promised that they willwould refrain from killing them all while traveling through the Oathgate. In order to avoid being attacked by the deranged cultists, Shallan utilized the fabrial to transport Azure, Adolin, Kaladin, and herself along with their spren. {{book ref|sa3|85}} When they awakened, they found themselves in Shadesmar, whichand Azure grunted about her dislike for the strange realm.{{book ref|sa3|87}}