Jushu Davar

Jushu Davar
by botanicaxu
House Davar Parents Lin Davar, mother Siblings Helaran, Balat, Wikim, Shallan
Born	c. 1154
Residence	Urithiru
Nationality	Veden
Homeworld	Roshar
Universe	Cosmere
First Appeared	Words of Radiance

Asha Jushu Davar is a lighteyed Veden on Roshar. He is the fourth son of Brightness Davar and Lin Davar. His siblings are Helaran, Balat, his older twin Wikim, and Shallan.

Appearance and Personality

by Marie Seeberger

Jushu is lighteyed and presumably has the characteristic red hair of the Davar family. He grows rather plump during his periods of living in excess; he is known to drink a lot of wine. He has scars on both wrists.

He shares some resemblance to his twin brother Wikim, but they would not be mistaken for one another. Although they both have sunken eyes, Wikim is noticeably thinner than Jushu. Jushu also wears his hair longer than Wikim and looks older than his twin. Jushu loses some weight during the Veden civil war, but he retains the same complexion and still looks much different than Wikim. In Urithiru, Jushu grows a beard, further differentiating himself from his twin.

Jushu was a happy, smiling child, and as he grew up he remained quicker to laugh than his twin. Even in his darkest moments, he will engage in gallows humor with Shallan as a coping mechanism.

Jushu has problems with addiction; Balat believes he was driven to vice by years of suffering their father’s brutal temper. Shallan also thinks Jushu is a good man that could not be blamed for his vices. He is addicted to gambling, and will wager anything available to him, including any gemstones in his clothing. His addiction causes him to lie and steal in order to get money or credit to fund his gambling, although he has been able to restrain himself somewhat in order to help his family. He drinks wine heavily, especially while gambling, and is also seen rubbing a plant between his fingers which is likely highly addictive firemoss. Wikim believes that Jushu will inevitably destroy himself.

Attributes and Abilities

Jushu likes duels and wishes he could participate in them. Shallan has a fantasy in which she sees Helaran sparring with Jushu and teaching him swordsmanship, but it is not clear if this ever happened in reality.

He has some understanding of the political machinations among Veden lighteyes.

History

by zoethatcher art

With his parents and siblings

“He loved Helaran, and none of us are him, so we don’t matter. Helaran is never here! He betrayed Father, almost killed him. And still, he’s the only one who matters.... ”

—Jushu, on his father's favoritism of Helaran

Early Life

Jushu was born as Van Jushu, the youngest of the Davar brothers; he and Wikim are fifteen months older than Shallan. Little is known of his youth, but he felt that his father always favored Helaran and Shallan over his other children, and recounted that Lin only ever had curses for him. Jushu was subjected to many fits of Lin's temper, and was bitter towards his father.

Jushu believed the cover-up story that Shallan had seen Lin kill his wife, Jushu's mother. He was not aware of the true sequence of events, and was the person that comforted Shallan on the night of their mother's death. His father soon remarried, and Malise Gevelmar became his stepmother.

As Jushu became a teenager, Lin's anger and neglect took its toll, and Jushu began gambling and drinking heavily. Around 1168, he showed up drunk to a feast held by Lin for other lighteyes, which was sure to anger Lin. He was present when Shallan saw her mother's "soul" in a strongbox, although he could not see anything. About a year later, he attended another feast at the Davar estate, and engaged in some friendly banter with his siblings. After Redin interrupted the feast seeking someone to testify against Lin, Jushu seemed to consider it, but quickly lost his nerve.

Gambling Debts

As the years went on, Jushu's gambling problems persisted. If any type of alcohol or wagering was available, his family assumed that he would be partaking in it. He would steal items from his father and sell them to fund his habits.

Jushu became known as Asha Jushu after his father officially disowned Helaran. Lin tasked him with checking on the outer Davar lands around 1170. However, Jushu fell in with a bookmaker named Mill and spent his time drinking and gambling; he eventually took out a line of credit in the family name. When Jushu was unable to fulfill his debts, Mill and several thugs took him captive and traveled to the Davar estate to collect. Lin, who was secretly running out of money, declined to pay the debt of nearly one hundred emerald broams. The men beat Jushu severely, then bound him and forced him to walk behind their carriage. Shallan convinced Balat and Wikim to give her their engraved daggers; she offered them to Mill along with her aluminum necklace to try and pay off his debts. Mill told Shallan that she had only accounted for about half of the debt, but she was surprisingly able to convince him to release Jushu. Shallan told Jushu that his brothers deserved credit for saving him, and he was very thankful.

After the incident with Mill, Balat assumed that Jushu's addiction caused him to resume gambling, although he was trying to be smarter about it. Shallan still considered Jushu to be "a mess".

Lin's Death

“Does it feel odd to anyone else to be this rich? How many deposits of valuable stone are there on our lands? ”

—Jushu

After Luesh became the Davar house steward around 1172, the Davar family's financial situation quickly turned around, as Luesh was secretly a Soulcaster and member of the Ghostbloods. Jushu enjoyed the newfound wealth, although it may have enabled him to start using firemoss. He was, however, the only sibling who questioned the origin of the suddenly plentiful ore deposits found on their lands.

Jushu was aware of Balat's plan to run away with Eylita Tavinar. When Lin discovered the plan and summoned Eylita to their house, Jushu, Wikim, and Shallan watched as Lin and Balat argued and eventually came to blows. Shallan was the first to notice that Lin had killed Malise, and she poisoned him with blackbane. As the fight continued, Jushu and Wikim were horrified by Lin's attacks on Balat, but they did not enter the room until Lin suddenly collapsed. Jushu found the broken Davar Soulcaster in Lin's pocket and was confused, thinking that his father was performing blasphemy. When the twins realized that Lin was still alive, they could not finish the job and left it to Shallan.

Aftermath and Shallan's Departure

After their father's death, the siblings began to understand the previous source of their wealth and the urgency of their financial situation. Lin had overextended himself with various business deals, and the Ghostbloods wanted satisfaction from the Davar family for breaking their Soulcaster. Their outlook was bleak; the family's debts were such that Shallan believed they would be stripped of their titles and possibly enslaved. For a time, they pretended that Lin was still alive, but they knew this was unsustainable.

Shallan left Jah Keved with a plan to try and steal Jasnah's Soulcaster as a replacement, while Jushu helped Balat sell their possessions to keep their family afloat. Jushu's experience in selling goods stolen from Lin to fuel his gambling allowed him to "mask" the reason behind the selling. Jasnah eventually learned of Shallan's predicament and sent the brothers some money while also offering Navani's help to possibly fix their broken Soulcaster; her brothers were excited by this new plan. However, the Davar Soulcaster was lost in the sinking of the Wind's Pleasure.

Move to Urithiru

As historic events began occurring across Roshar, Shallan felt guilty about abandoning her brothers. She lost contact with them after losing her spanreed on the Wind's Pleasure and became increasingly worried after learning of the Veden civil war. After Urithiru was discovered, she wrote them a number of letters telling them to come live with her there, but she did not receive any response. Shallan eventually learned from Mraize that the Davar lands had fallen and that he was bringing her family to Urithiru; her service to the Ghostbloods as Veil would fulfill the debt of the broken Soulcaster.

Mraize fulfilled his promise and Jushu, Wikim, Balat, and Eylita arrived in Urithiru after the Battle of Thaylen Field. Jushu's clothes were worn and he had lost some weight. The family reunited with Shallan and attended her wedding to Adolin Kholin.

Jushu and his brothers were given quarters near Shallan's in Urithiru. Shallan visited often, but she felt some regret about the way that she perceived Jushu and the rest of her family after having changed so much since leaving her childhood home. Jushu had to be watched constantly to ensure that he did not steal things and pawn them for gambling money. He unknowingly befriended Mraize, who was posing as a guardsman named Gobby.

Relationships

Lin Davar

Lin always had a temper, and Jushu's parents would fight even when he was a small child. Jushu believes Lin's story that he was the one who killed his mother. Lin often screamed at Jushu and mistreated him, much like he did with Balat and Wikim; this only became worse as Lin became increasingly unstable over the years. Jushu was particularly jealous of the love that Lin showed for Helaran. As Jushu entered adulthood, Lin thought of him as a worthless drunkard, although he still assigned him certain important tasks. Their relationship was presumably not reparable after Lin declined to help Jushu with his gambling debts and several thugs beat him senseless.

Shallan

Shallan believes that Jushu harbors some resentment towards her due to Lin's favoritism, although he does not seem to lash out at her. He usually laughs at her jokes, even if they are not that funny. Shallan never forgets that Jushu held her on the night that their mother died. She cares for Jushu, and she believes that he is a good man that was broken by Lin's actions. She tries to distract him from gambling by suggesting that he watch duels instead, since she knows that he is interested in swordplay. She often thinks about Jushu and her other brothers after leaving Jah Keved and she feels responsible for them. After Lin's death, Jushu and Shallan no longer bond over defying him, and Shallan worries that they could drift apart. However, she does not fully trust Jushu due to his ongoing addictions, and cannot always tell if he is being genuine. They still attempt some banter, but their interactions become more awkward.

Notes

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This page contains all the knowledge we have on the subject at this time.
Big Smooth (talk) 23:14, 7 April 2021 (UTC)