Kadash

Kadash
by botanicaxu
Profession	Ardent Soldier (former)
Groups	Dalinar's elites (former), Kholin army (former)
Nationality	Alethi
Homeworld	Roshar
Universe	Cosmere

“Your father is not to be mocked or diminished. If his visions are true, then it is between him and the Almighty. All I can say is this: I know something of what it is to be haunted by the death and destruction of war. I see in your father’s eyes much of what I have felt, but worse. ”

—Kadash to Adolin Kholin

Kadash is an Alethi ardent. He was a soldier among Dalinar Kholin's elites, but changed his Calling to join the ardentia after witnessing the massacre at Rathalas.

Appearance and Personality

Kadash is a tall man, with a twisting scar that runs around the top of his shaved head. He wears the square beard and gray robes of an ardent.

Kadash is a man of deep faith and perseverance, which allowed him to rapidly climb the ranks of the ardentia. He is deeply embarrassed by the ancient failures of Vorinism, the Recreance and the Hierocracy, and often speaks of them to remind himself and others not to make the same mistakes. He is pleased with the way that Vorinism has changed since the defeat of the Hierocracy, that every man can now have a personal relationship with their god. As with many ardents, Kadash is deeply distrustful of any type of prophecy or foresight, believing it to be a thing of the Voidbringers. Kadash is horrified by the idea that the Radiants could potentially be returning.

Kadash is humble as well. Despite his high rank, he defers to lighteyes, regardless of their age and authority. Kadash believes that it is the duty of Dalinar and the other lighteyes to watch the ardents and ensure they do not rise above their station as they did during the Hierocracy. Kadash is very loyal to Dalinar, as well as the rest of his family. He has sworn oaths to serve Dalinar and has known the man for many years. For these reasons, Kadash is both unwilling and unable to speak ill of Dalinar due to his oaths, even when Dalinar claims that the Almighty is dead. Kadash is also concerned with the spiritual well-being of his congregation, particularly Adolin.

Even though many years have passed since Kadash left the military, he is still haunted by the memories of his time spent fighting and all the death and destruction he saw. He is also an observant man, he keeps his eyes and ears open to the events around the warcamps.

History

Elite soldier

Kadash was born as a lighteyes of an unknown dahn. He chose to become a soldier, and rose through the ranks to become Captainlord in Dalinar Kholin's army. Sometime during his career in the army, his head was injured in combat. Kadash survived, but the injury left a scar across his face and head from where the spear had hit him. He was one of Dalinar's elites, which meant that he sometimes served as a bodyguard for Gavilar.

He had been part of the Kholin army since before the unification of Alethkar. After all ten princedoms had been conquered, Kadash was part of the army's new campaign to secure the northern lands of Alethkar - defeating the Herdazians and claiming the Reshi isle of Akak, which had taken four years - proceeding to engage the Vedens further southwards. This eventually led to the battle at Rathalas. Once the walls of the city had been captured, Dalinar ordered Kadash and fifty of his elites to enter the city and soak the lower parts of The Rift with oil and ignite the entire city with burning arrows. While the elites held down Tanalan, the commander of the enemy forces, Kadash himself was just standing at the side of the city, looking down at the destruction. He was traumatized by the experience, and left the army after that day.

“A hardened soldier who had encountered something so vile that even he was shaken. He'd left to become an ardent the next day. ”

—About Kadash at The Rift

Joining the ardentia

After many years in the military, Kadash changed his Calling, ending his career as a soldier and joining the ardentia. Kadash also rose high within the ranks of the ardents, becoming the overseer of the Soulcasters and one of the ardents owned by Highprince Dalinar Kholin and his family. He served Dalinar loyally for many years, and trained and tutored his son Adolin Kholin during his childhood. After Szeth-son-son-Vallano's assassination of King Gavilar Kholin, Kadash spoke to some of Gavilar's surviving guards, but he believed their mentions of Szeth's Surgebinding to be the result of shock and trauma.

Service on the Shattered Plains

“I still find it incredible. Even after all these years. If we needed proof of the Almighty's hand in our lives, this is certainly it. ”

—Kadash on Soulcasting

Kadash accompanied Dalinar Kholin and his armies to the Shattered Plains to provide religious instruction while the War of Reckoning was fought. He worked in the main Vorin temple in Dalinar's warcamp. Adolin and Janala Lustow visited Kadash there in 1173. Kadash was concerned that Adolin had not made much progress with his Calling, but Adolin wished to speak to Kadash about Dalinar's visions and his growing concerns about Dalinar's sanity. The two spoke in private on the temple's central mound. Adolin told Kadash of Dalinars visions and asked Kadash if they could really be coming from the Almighty or if he was simply losing his mind. Kadash was unwilling to give a direct answer due to his loyalty to Dalinar, but he spoke about the Hierocracy, explaining that they too had spoken of visions, which the Sunmaker had claimed to be a fabrication. Kadash said that he felt that it was unlikely that the visions would come from the Almighty, and implied that Dalinar might be haunted by his experiences on the battlefield, but stopped short of actually saying that Dalinar was mad. Kadash told Adolin that he was the only one that could help his father and asked that Adolin return soon to discuss his Calling.

Later that year, Kadash proposed to Dalinar that they could Soulcast large blocks of stone for windbreaks on the eastern side of Dalinar's camp to allow it to expand onto the Shattered Plains. After debating the idea for several months, Dalinar agreed to the plan. Kadash accompanied the Soulcasters to the edge of Dalinar's warcamp to perform the Soulcasting. The Soulcasters had such a demand on their time that Kadash had taken them out during the day, to Soulcast concealed within an enclosed silk canopy. Adolin had seen them from a distance, and came to speak to Kadash. He confided in Kadash that Szeth had attempted to assassinate Dalinar and made use of the powers of the Radiants. Kadash was shocked at this, and disturbed by the idea that the Radiants could be returning. He agreed to do research into their abilities for Adolin so he could be better equipped to combat Szeth if he should return.

Service in Urithiru

After the Battle of Narak, Kadash moved to Urithiru. He came into conflict with Dalinar however, who had started saying that the Almighty was dead. He also refused to marry Dalinar and Navani, because the Vorin church saw them as siblings. When they eventually married through the Stormfather, Kadash was disappointed and afraid of what the ardentia might do to Dalinar.

When Dalinar visited a training room for soldiers and had a wrestling match with Aratin Khal, Kadash went there to check up on Dalinar but got challenged to a duel instead. Kadash declined at first, but accepted the challenge of his Highprince and former comrade-in-arms anyway. Even in a solo duel Kadash still had the instincts of a soldier, keeping watch on his sides. While they were sparring, Dalinar had a spanreed meeting with the Iriali queen. Kadash eventually lost the match to an invalid dueling strike.

Later, Kadash joined King Elhokar Kholin, Dalinar, and Navani on a trip to the Alethi warcamps on the Shattered Plains. They traveled to Shattered Plains via the Oathgate, and then were flown to the warcamps by Kaladin and his Windrunners. Once they arrived, Kadash visited his office in the camp monastery where he had kept most of his books and spanreeds in a wall safe, because he didn't have time to pack his belongings when the warcamps were left in haste for Urithiru ten weeks prior. These five spanreeds were linked to the leaders of Vorinism in Jah Keved, Herdaz, Kharbranth, Thaylenah and New Natanan, and all had been trying to contact Kadash with questions related to the Desolation, yet he did not answer them before scholars from the Palanaeum had finished sending him passages recently translated from the Dawnchant. Kadash also helped Dalinar to find the room in which Taln had been kept.

One of his projects in Urithiru was an attempt to farm on the city's garden balconies. The plants would not grow however, either because of the cold or the fact that few storms reached high enough.

Relationships

Dalinar Kholin

“I appreciate the man you have become; you should avoid reminding me of the man you once were.”

—Kadash about Dalinar

Kadash and Dalinar have known each other for years. They used to be comrades-in-arms during Dalinar's conquests to unite Alethkar, while Kadash was one of the highest ranked officers among Dalinar's elites, but they weren't particularly close back then. Kadash was a hardened soldier, but even after all he had been through he was horrified by the destruction of Rathalas ordered by his Highprince. He left the army and became an ardent that day, but remained loyal to Dalinar.

Years later Dalinar started having visions from the Stormfather in which got revealed to him that the Almighty was dead. Kadash has to be skeptical because Vorinism considers these claims to be heresy, but the ardent doesn't discard the possibility right away and makes an effort to gather all the facts. Because Kadash is rational and speaks his mind, Dalinar often visits him to discuss difficult matters. Kadash respects that Dalinar does not believe in the Almighty anymore, but wishes that he would make a pedantic statement like "I'm pleased with the work the Vorin church does, and support my ardents, even if I myself no longer have the faith I once did" so that they can move on.

Notes

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