Dieno

Dieno
by triflingshadows
Family Spouse Unnamed wife (deceased) Children Unnamed son (deceased)
Aliases	The Mink
Profession	Soldier
Nationality	Herdazian
Homeworld	Roshar
Universe	Cosmere

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For the Mokian advisor, see Mink (Alcatraz).

“You... don't know our gancho, Brightlord. This is exactly how he treats dangerous situations. ”

—One of the Mink's bodyguards, on his habit of disappearing randomly

Dieno enne Calah (Old Herdazian for "Dieno the Mink," with "enne" being an honorific implying greatness), often known as the Mink, is a general in command of a group of soldiers and refugees at the Alethi-Herdazian border after the initial singer occupation of Alethkar.

Appearance and Personality

“Many a locked room reveals a hidden path to escape, after all. ”

—The Mink

The general is a middle-aged, darkeyed Herdazian man. He has brown skin and a touch of grey in his thin mustache. He is described (albeit in unflattering terms and by an adversary) as having a too-wide smile, a flat nose, and a missing tooth. He has a lean build but possesses a power to it. He has scars around his wrist that results from manacles.

He talks in a straightforward manner, not afraid of pointing out truths. But he is also quick to assess the situation and his honesty generally won't offend people. He is easygoing with his soldiers and officers, and enjoys sneaking away in unexpected circumstances. He has a habit of plotting escape routes whenever he enters a space.

Attributes and Abilities

“You don't survive like the Mink has without learning to wiggle out of situations others could never escape. ”

—A Herdazian soldier discussing Dieno enne Calah's evasiveness

He is an excellent battlefield general. He defended Herdaz for one year against the singers' invasion, despite the lack of allies and resources. He takes over most of the actual field commanding from Dalinar after joining the coalition, and successfully reclaimed Emul.

He is an escape artist who is fond of testing his skills against the best manacles that his officers can find. He was able to avoid detection by the Fused, and is said to have escaped various situations under nearly impossible circumstances.

He is not afraid of heights.

He is one of the few non-ardent men from a Vorin kingdom who can read.

History

by Marie Seeberger

At some point in his life, the general was chained at a beach somewhere near the Alethi-Herdazian border where an enormous greatshell nicknamed "the hog" resides. He was able to unshackle himself in under a minute and escape being eaten by the creature. It is unclear whether he was there as a prisoner condemned to be fed to the hog, or he simply wanted to test his skills at escaping.

His son and wife were killed during Dalinar's campaign against Herdaz.

At one point, the soldiers in the general's company catch Sheler, an Alethi soldier, harassing and stealing from the local populace. As punishment, the general gives Sheler three options: death by the sword (doled out by the women he harassed), having his knees smashed with a hammer and left for the highstorm, or wrestling "the hog."

Some time after the singer occupation of Alethkar began, the general gained command over a group of soldiers and refugees at that same area of the border.^[expand]

After Jasnah Kholin's duel with Ruthar, Dalinar noted that, in contrast to the others in the room, the general appeared amused by the whole thing, and half expected him to start clapping.

Trivia

• In the Rosharan ecosystem, minks tend to scavenge and skulk in the shadows, and they are colloquially used as a metaphor for sneaky or secretive people. In the game of pieces, the player who takes the role of the mink controls hidden information that the other players cannot see. This cultural view of minks is presumably the source of Dieno's nickname, although this has not been explicitly confirmed.

Notes

This article is still missing information. Please help The Coppermind by expanding it.