User:Jofwu/Shallan Davar

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History

The Davar children--Jushu, Balat, Shallan, Helaran, and Wikim--by Botanicaxu

Early Life (1156–1173)

Early Childhood

Shallan was born into the Davar household to Lin and her mother in mid-1156. She was the youngest of five children, with four older brothers: Helaran, Balat, Wikim, and Jushu. As the Davar household was a mid-level noble family, the patriarch, Lin, held the fourth dahn, while Shallan herself was of the fifth dahn. The Davar family's estates were located in Highprince Valam's territory in Jah Keved, north of Valath.

In some instances, Shallan recalls happy memories from her early childhood--such as a time when her parents loved to tell her stories. On the other hand, the mysterious dealings of her mother and the attention her family drew from the Cryptics suggests a more disquieting family life. By 1167 Shallan's mother had been associating with a certain group of "friends," including a man by the name of Dreder, who would occasionally visit the family's estates. These people were associated with the Skybreakers and at least one of their number--with whom Shallan's mother had an intimate relationship-- was a Skybreaker acolyte.

Pattern was eventually sent by his kind to form a Nahel bond with Shallan. Their early interactions with one another took place in the family's gardens, where Shallan would bring her daydreams to life by practicing Lightweaving. It is unclear whether these experiences were a means for Shallan to deal with a troubled childhood or simply the play of an imaginative young girl.

At the age of eleven, Shallan's mother discovered that her daughter was a Surgebinder. Her mother and a friend confronted Lin, trying to argue that something must be done about Shallan. The argument became a fight after the unfamiliar man drew a knife, apparently intended for Shallan. She watched as her father and the man struggled--her father scoring a cut on the man's arm before being pinned to the ground. Her mother seized the knife and moved for Shallan, prompting Shallan to summon Pattern as a Shardblade in self-defense. After killing both her mother and the associate, Shallan dropped the Blade and fell into a state of intense shock. Lin placed the Shardblade in his strongbox and held Shallan while singing "Sleep My Baby Dear" to soothe her. Though the Blade naturally vanished, Shallan began to associate it with her "Mother's soul" which she believed was held in the strongbox--an idea she clung to so firmly that the safe would visibly glow to Shallan's eyes. In the months that followed, Shallan began to repress her memories of her mother and these events. Her disassociation with the Shardblade and the truth of what had happened caused her bond with Pattern to weaken nearly to the point of nonexistence. In order to protect his daughter, Lin Davar allowed rumors to spread that he had murdered his wife and her lover--a secret he would share with few before his own death.

Cutting the Thorns (1168–1170)

After her mother's death, Shallan doesn't speak for five months. Instead of drawing as she normally does, all she draws is the scene from the room where her mother and her associate dies. Meanwhile, her father becomes violent and easily-enraged, verbally and physically abusing the members of the household.

Five months later, Helaran informs Shallan and Lin that he must leave as he has issues to attend to. Lin protests and during the confrontation, Helaran summons a Shardblade and threatens Lin with it. Shallan speaks for the first time in months, stopping the violence and asks Helaran to stay. Helaran is unable to stay, but he promises to return and check on Shallan.

A year later, around 1168, Shallan speaks normally again, although the Davar family is deteriorating. Helaran visits sporadically and briefly, bringing Shallan drawing materials and avoiding their father. Her father is still in a constant state of anger; her brother Balat is increasingly destructive, setting fire in the servants' building; and Jushu settles into a state of despair, choosing to get drunk and gamble away his money and jewels.

Around 1169, their father throws a feast for the Tavinar family, a nearby lighteyed family. During the feast, while Lin is announcing that he is to be married to Malise Gevelmar, he is interrupted by Redin, the bastard son of Highprince Valam. Under orders from Valam, Redin has come to investigate the rumors of Shallan's mother's death, but Redin doesn't have enough evidence to proceed against Lin for murder and is forced to leave.

Half a year later, the entire Davar family is at the Middlefest Fair. During the fair, Shallan attempts to bring happiness to her brothers, setting up Balat on a date with Eylita Tavinar, giving Wikim complicated highstorm equations to work on, and preparing a list of duels to show Jushu. It is during this festival that Shallan first meets Hoid, who is conversing with her father as he bears a message from Helaran. Hoid is shocked at discovering Shallan, realizing that she is a Surgebinder. Hoid seeks out Shallan afterwards and questions her about her powers. Shallan deflects the questions and Hoid tells Shallan a story about finding happiness even in the most adverse conditions. Hoid leaves after confirming that Shallan has not yet mastered her powers.

• Helaran visits, Shallan speaks (WoR-19)
• Shallan and House Davar's brokenness (WoR-27)
• Tavinar family visits. Redin confronts Lin. (WoR-39)
• Middlefest Fair. Shallan tries to help her brothers. Wit encourages her. (WoR-45)
• Shallan saves Jushu. Lin becomes more harsh. (WoR-48)

The Perfect Daughter (1171–1172)

Shallan finally took action when Lin seemed bent on killing her brother Balat. She gave him poisoned wine and then strangled him with a necklace he had given her. It is only after his demise that Shallan and her brothers could attempt to come together as a family once more, banding together to cover up the truth of his death while also working to save the House from the many debts their father accrued.

• Shallan keeps quiet, Lin's new attitude (WoR-61)
• House Davar's fortune improving. Luesh, new guards (Ghostbloods) (WoR-61)
• Helaran's assassination ordered (WoR-61)
• Balat's axehounds killed (WoR-61)
• Malise beaten (WoR-61/65)
• Shallan convinces Balat to make plans to leave (WoR-65)
• Balat's plans discovered. Shallan kills her father (WoR-73)

The Plan (1172–1173)

• Discovery of the soulcaster (WoR-73)
• Speaking with Luesh
• Concocting the plan to steal Jasnah's soulcaster
• Reaching out to Jasnah
• Hiring Tozbek & chasing after Jasnah

Kharbranth (Shash 1173-Tanat 1173)

Petitioning Jasnah Kholin

• The Way of Kings Part 1 (TWoK-3/5/7/8 & Balat interlude)

Shallan spent several months chasing Jasnah across many cities, hoping to become her ward in order to steal Jasnah's Soulcaster. She finally caught up to Jasnah in Kharbranth, and attempted to convince her to take Shallan as her ward, failing twice and finally succeeding on the third attempt. Shallan is eventually able to steal Jasnah's Soulcaster only to discover that it is a fake. Shallan also discovered her own Soulcasting abilities after this theft.

During her studies with Jasnah, Shallan developed a friendship with the ardent Kabsal who accidentally poisoned both Shallan and himself during an attempt to assassinate Jasnah for the Ghostbloods. Shallan realized that her father also might have been a member of the same organization. After this realization and the revelation that the Parshendi and Parshmen were Voidbringers, she and Jasnah set off for the Shattered Plains to attain more information.

Wearing a Scholar's Mantle

• TWoK-29/33
• studies
• lunch with Taravangian and drawing a Cryptic
• relationship with Kabsal

Heart of a Thief

• The ethics lesson (TWoK-36)
• aftermath
• Stealing the soulcaster

Pretending a Little While Longer

• processing the lesson (TWoK-39)
• testing the soulcaster
• discussing the lesson (TWoK-42)
• Jasnah's research
• more Kabsal
• deadline to leave
• day before departure (TWoK-45)

Shadesmar

• TWoK-45
• drawing more cryptics
• Shadesmar and soulcasting
• cutting herself

Losing Everything

• Recovering in the hospital (TWoK-48)
• Shallan poisoned, Kabsal dies, stolen soulcaster revealed (TWoK-48)
• aftermath with Jasnah (TWoK-50)

Uncovering the Truth

• TWoK-70/72/74
• Shallan realizes Jasnah and she are Surgebinders
• Shallan reads Jasnah's notes about the Voidbringers
• Discussion of Ghostbloods

Journey to the Shattered Plains (Tanat 1173-Ishi 1173)

Shallan in the Shattered Plains by Michael Whelan

The Wind's Pleasure

Jasnah and Shallan have taken passage on the Wind's Pleasure, traveling to the Shattered Plains. Several days into the journey, Shallan spies a santhid - an elusive and ancient dweller of the ocean - moving alongside the ship. She wants to observe the santhid underwater in order to sketch it, but is dissuaded from the dangerous task by Captain Tozbek. Jasnah soon joins her, and detecting her ward's innattention to her reading, explains the nature of Shadesmar and spren to her. Shallan mentions the patterns of lines she has been noticing, and Jasnah details the measures she has taken to help House Davar: sending money to Shallan's brothers, communicating with her mother about the broken Soulcaster, and setting up a causal betrothal with Adolin Kholin. Finally, Jasnah gives Shallan words of advice on power and how even its illusion can be enough to create authority. Taking these words to heart, Shallan commands the captain to help her go overboard in order to observe the santhid.

One night on the journey, their ship is attacked and Shallan sees Jasnah stabbed in the chest. She smells smoke in the cabin. Using lightweaving she creates an indistinct human form, which the attacking men chase. She then entered Jasnah's cabin and observed a large amount of blood on the floor, but no body. She assumes the men removed Jasnah's corpse. She hears sounds above and Pattern tells her that the ship's crew are being executed. Out of desperation Shallan attempts to soulcast the hull of the ship. With a huge amount of stormlight and the help of pattern she reached into shadesmar and soulcasted the Wind's Pleasure into water to escape.

• Santhid
• Pattern
• Causal
• more research
• attack, Jasnah's "death", and soulcasting ship

Tradesman Tvlakv

• waking up on the beach
• joining Tvlakv
• learning about Stormlight
• through the end of the battle?

Tyn's Apprentice

• aftermath of battle
• learning from Tyn
• encounter with Kaladin
• lait
• arrival at Shattered Plains
• killing Tyn

The Shattered Plains (Ishi 1173)

• better title?
• how to break this down? Don't like what I have here, with things in parallel.
• where does research on Stormseat, Lightweaving, etc. fit in?

A New Woman

• meeting of highprinces
• getting settled

The Ghostbloods

• everything about working with Ghostbloods
• first meeting
• spying on Amaram
• delivering findings
• Iyatil and Taln mission

Adolin Kholin's Betrothed

• dates with Adolin
• convincing Adolin to bring her out on the plains
• Jasnah's research?

Discoveries

• better title?
• journey out onto the plains
• return through the chasms with Kaladin

To the Center

• better title?
• two sections?
• journey to Narak
• revealing her powers to Dalinar
• opening the Oathgate

Urithiru (Ishi 1173-Jes 1174)

Shallan's surrealist sketch of Urithiru by Isaac Stewart

The Darkness Within

Adolin and Shallan build their relationship while in the tower city. Adolin begins to teach her how to use a shardblade. Shallan cannot bring herself to use the blade so she creates a new personality, one she calls Brightness Radiant or just Radiant, to take on while using the shardblade.

Dalinar asked her to learn as much as she can about her powers. She begins to better control her creations and can now cause them to move. She puts on a play for Pattern using just her illustions. She uses Veil to become knowledgable about the darkeyes society in the city. Recently Sadeas was killed, and then another person just like him was killed the same way. Shallan investigates as Veil, and learns that there have been severel double murders and later discovers that whatever is copying the murders is copying all violence. She uses her guards to try and figure out the problem. She discosers that the violence copier is the Unmade Re-Shephir. With Adolin and Bridge Four's help she attacks the Unmade. She forces the Unmade out of Rep-Shephir.

• WoR epilogue
• OB Part 1
• dealing with aftermath of her last Truth
• early murder investigations
• Mraize (or maybe in next section)

Midnight Mother

• Investigation of murders
• hunting the dark spren
• Re-Shephir

Jasnah's Return

After Jasnah comes back and Shallan realizes that she is still her ward Shallan begins to dislikes it. She schemes on ways to get out of it. As Veil she meets Ishnah who was once a spy and begins to learn from her. She begins to realize her way out of Urithiru and convinces Elhokar to let her go and help take back Kholinar.

• dealing with the aftermath of Re-Shephir and the return of Jasnah
• Ishnah and training her men to be spies
• speaking with Elhokar

Kholinar (Jes 1174-Nan 1174)

During her period switching between Shallan, Veil and Radiant, Shallan has an identity crisis that borders on schizophrenia, unable to determine which version of her is really herself. She enjoys Veil's carefree attitude, describing her as someone who doesn't "hurt", but also enjoys being Radiant for the simple focus and time with Adolin.