Beryl
| Beryl | |
|---|---|
 by Jove
| |
| Born | c. 1153-54[1] |
| Abilities | Lightweaver |
| Bonded With | Ornament |
| Groups | Knights Radiant (Lightweavers), Unseen Court[1] |
| Ethnicity | Alethi |
| Homeworld | Roshar |
| Universe | Cosmere |
“I think we all hide pain to an extent. ”
Beryl is a Knight Radiant on Roshar. She independently develops Lightweaving powers during the True Desolation, and is recruited to the Unseen Court by Shallan Davar. She is bonded to Ornament.[1]
Appearance and Personality
Beryl is a tall darkeyed Alethi woman with long legs and delicate, supple fingers. Her luxurious dark hair, perfectly tan skin, and stately bearing give her a resemblance to Jasnah Kholin.[3][2][4] Even when Beryl is not intentionally Lightweaving, Veil believes that she instinctually uses her powers to enhance her appearance.[2] She is a few years older than Shallan, putting her in her early twenties when she joins the Knights Radiant.[1] She seems to eschew the traditional Vorin havah in favor of other styles of dresses and skirts.[2][4]
Beryl is relatively introverted and relaxed. She has a sunny disposition, and is generally optimistic.[2] She is eager to learn about her powers and practices diligently.[3] She seems confident that she will be able to overcome any obstacles in her training,[3] although she does experience some self-doubt about interacting with important people.[4] She is introspective, and seems to be at peace with herself and her past.[2] Like many Lightweavers, her personality has a tendency to shift to match whatever face she is wearing.[1]
Attributes and Abilities
Beryl is a Lightweaver and shares a Nahel bond with Ornament, who usually stays inside of her shirt, out of sight.[1] Beryl has not yet spoken the necessary Truths to use Ornament as a Shardblade.[2]
She can instinctively Surgebind to change her appearance to look like someone else. She sometimes makes subtle changes to her own features subconsciously.[2] However, Beryl has not learned how to Lightweave anything other than her own appearance. She has attempted to replicate the methods used by other Lightweavers, but she is not good at drawing (like Shallan) or shifting her mindset to think like the object of an illusion (like Vathah).[3]
She is skilled at using Soulcasting and finds that by carrying around lavis seeds it is easier to transform things into lavis grain. She has shown Vathah this trick and he agreed it was easier to Soulcast with the seeds.[2]
She has some training in swordfighting.[1]
History
Beryl was once a prostitute in the warcamps on the Shattered Plains.[1] At sometime while still a prostitute she bonded the Cryptic Ornament to become a Lightweaver.[2] Using her newfound abilities she began to change her face to match the faces of her clients' loved ones. A rumor of a prostitute changing one's face in the warcamps eventually led Shallan to Beryl, where she was recruited about three months prior to the expedition to Lasting Integrity.[1]
Beryl then became an apprentice in the Unseen Court, where she was trained to use her powers and fight. Beryl was one of the five Lightweavers brought on the mission to capture Ialai Sadeas in the warcamps.[1]
Beryl showed great interest in being one of the three Lightweaver apprentices to go on the mission to Lasting Integrity when Shallan told her and the rest of the Unseen Court. However, Shallan chose to bring Vathah, Ishnah, and Stargyle instead of Beryl. [1] Then right before the party was set to leave Urithiru Stargyle’s wife became ill and he backed out of the trip, letting Beryl take his place on the expedition into Shadesmar. [5] During the trip there Shallan temporarily believed Beryl was the spy for Mraize and the Ghostbloods, particularly after she feeds her a tidbit about a corrupted gloryspren and Mraize repeats it.[6]
After Adolin, Shallan, and Pattern were let into Lasting Integrity, Beryl and everyone else except Godeke, Felt, and his wife Malli left for the Oathgate to tell Dalinar what had happened.[7]
Trivia
- Shallan refers to Beryl as a "Surgebinding savant", but the cosmere term savant is not known to be used on Roshar, so Shallan is presumably referring to the fact that Beryl showed an innate talent in Lightweaving before receiving any training.[2]