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Difference between revisions of "Shallan Davar"

Shallan Davar (edit)

Revision as of 00:36, 17 July 2018

131 bytes removed ,  5 years ago
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Image doesn't really relate to Shallan, so it was removed.
m (History through WoR mostly finished)
m (Image doesn't really relate to Shallan, so it was removed.)
Shallan's true mission constantly loomed before her, however. As she worked to earn Jasnah's trust, action would soon be demanded, and though Jasnah certainly proved to be a difficult woman to please, she was far from the harsh apostate from whom Shallan had imagined she would be stealing. After two months as Jasnah's ward, Shallan received word via spanreed from her brothers, who faced increasing pressure from their creditors. Nan Balat further confided that Luesh had been found dead and that his associates were demanding the return of the Soulcaster behind veiled threats. On top of the added urgency, this would require Shallan to learn how to use the device in addition to stealing it. Though she took great efforts to study Jasnah's technique with the Soulcaster, the woman used it sparingly where Shallan could see.{{book ref|sa1|29}}{{book ref|sa1|33}} As Sallan took greater care to observe Jasnah, she also took secret interest in the woman's private research. While the princess sometimes gave Shallan work to do which was related, such as a scholarly investigation into the death of King [[Gavilar]], she never revealed the nature of her studies. Shallan was, however, able to catch glimpses of the books that Jasnah was reading. Eventually, Shallan went searching for a copy of one such book only to find that it was merely a collection of folktales and children's stories.{{book ref|sa1|33}}
 
[[File:Jasnah Soulcasting.jpg|175px|thumb|right|Jasnah Soulcasting criminals--by [[Coppermind: Artist/Grant Hansen|Grant Hansen]]]]An opportunity to steal the Soulcaster finally arrived soon after Jasnah began using Shallan as her bathing attendant. One evening, as the women conversed over the nature of Gavilar's early interactions with the [[Parshendi]] while Jasnah soaked in her bath with eyes closed, Shallan moved to swap their Soulcasters. Heart beating wildly, Shallan froze up and found herself unable to make the exchange. As she glumly attended to Jasnah while contemplating her weakness, the two began discussing the philosophy of morality. Having decided that Shallan's studies had been too academic of late, Jasnah became suddenly inspired to teach Shallan a hands-on philosophy lesson. She dressed and, despite the late hour, they made their way out of the Palanaeum and into the city itself. They walked the [[Ralinsa]] towards the theater district until coming to a dark side street which provided the most direct path. Jasnah explained that several murders had happened along this street in the previous two months and that the city watch had done nothing. After defending their right to use the road safely, Jasnah led them down the side street and revealed the gems of her Soulcaster. Four men with knives soon attacked, but as Shallan screamed in panic Jasnah swiftly Soulcasted one man into fire, another into quartz, and the final two into smoke as they ran. They returned to the Conclave on a palanquin. Shallan, shocked and horrified by what Jasnah had done, argued with her tutor over the ethics of the encounter. Jasnah defended her actions then tasked Shallan with researching the various philosophies involved and building her own case on the matter. As Shallan helped Jasnah undress and prepare for bed, she suddenly spotted another opportunity to swap the Soulcasters. Galvanized by her disgust at what Jasnah had done with the device, Shallan checked that Jasnah wasn't looking and performed the theft unnoticed.{{book ref|sa1|36}}
 
{{quote|There will be times when you must make decisions that churn your stomach, Shallan Davar. I'll have you ready to make those decisions.|Jasnah Kholin{{book ref|sa1|36}}}}
Shallan
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