Kaladin

Kaladin
by Ben McSweeney
Family Parents Lirin, Hesina Siblings Tien
Born	1154
Abilities	Windrunner
Profession	Bridge Four
Birthplace	Hearthstone
Nationality	Alethi
Homeworld	Roshar

Kaladin was a young, dark-eyed Alethi man, a soldier and a slave on Roshar.

History

Kaladin was born and raised in the town of Hearthstone with his father Lirin, mother Hesina and brother Tien. He was trained by his father to be a surgeon and showed great talent in this field. He was going to be sent to Kharbranth in order to complete his training as a surgeon. However his brother was conscripted into service in Brightlord Amaram's army and Kaladin enlisted against his father's wishes in order to protect Tien. He rises to the rank of Squad Captain, earning the nickname "Kaladin Stormblessed" for his protection of his men and his luck in battle.

During one of his first battles, his brother Tien died in front of him after being used with the other messenger boys to soften the attack of the advancing enemy.

In another battle, Kaladin killed a Shardbearer to save the life of the army's leader, Amaram, but instead of claiming the fallen man's armaments, he gave them to one of his subordinates. Amaram, on the advice of his advisors and Restares laid claim to the priceless weapon and armor for himself, executed all witness to the event and branded Kaladin a slave.

As a slave Kaladin made numerous escape attempts, which ultimately caused him to be branded with the shash glyph to signify his dangerousness. He was eventually sold to the army of Highprince Sadeas by Tvlakv.

The Shattered Plains

In Highprince Sadeas' army at the Shattered Plains, Kaladin served as a bridgeman in Bridge Four. He attracted the attention of what he believed to be an unusual Windspren named Sylphrena. She followed him around, aiding him, and the two became good friends. A bond between Kaladin and Syl gave rise to Surgebinding abilities in Kaladin which he used periodically to protect himself and Bridge Four from Parshendi arrows during bridge runs, and later to secure Parshendi carapace which he used to anger the Parshendi and draw their fire away from the bridge crews.

His honor also attracted the attention of Highprince Dalinar when Kaladin rescued him and his army from certain death at great risk to himself and to his bridgecrew. At the end of the day Dalinar traded his Shardblade for all of Sadeas' bridgemen who were admitted into Dalinar's forces. Kaladin and Bridge Four were assigned to be Dalinar's Honor Guard and Kaladin himself was appointed as their Captain.

Kaladin's Judgement

Kaladin's Judgement happened after his attempt to save Bridge Four by trying to side-carry the bridge to use it as a shield against the Parshendi arrows.

Side Carry

Kaladin had been trying to figure out a way to protect his men from the hail of arrows that were encountered during each bridge run. His first thought was to give each man a shield to protect themselves, but since Sadeas had tried and abandoned this idea prior to Kaladin's time as bridgeman, he looked for another solution. Realizing that the bridge itself was as good as a shield, he trained his men to carry it in a way as to protect them during a volley of arrows. The maneuver he called "side carry right/left" worked as intended, but made the bridge crews less enticing targets to the archers and lead to the Parshendi firing at the bulk of the army, which was the very reason the shields were taken away to begin with. The attempt Kaladin made to save his men ended up costing Sadeas the battle, and many soldiers, leaving someone to answer for the events, and Kaladin became the main target.

The Hanging in the Highstorm

The punishment was to be left tied up, upside down, outside his barrack, all during a highstorm. This left his fate in the hands of the Stormfather. There was rarely if ever a survivor of this type of punishment, so in essence it was a death sentence. Just before being left alone, Kaladin told the men that he would survive, then told Syl after she asked how he knew that, that he was 'in for all,' meaning, that if he died the men would say "I knew it would happen." and nothing would change, but if he lived, it made him a miracle and he had predicted it. Which would inspire hope in the men. Leaving Kaladin before the highstorm met, Teft gave him a (dun) sphere as kind of a mojo.

“Carry a sphere with you into the storm, and at least you’ll have light by which to see.”

—Kaladin remembering an old saying

When the men of Bridge Four found Kaladin alive after the storm, they saved him and brought him into the barrack to patch him up. Teft found Kaladin still holding that sphere, but against all logic, that sphere was dun, as for spheres were stored outside in a highstorm to get infused with Stormlight.

“Teft stood up straight, holding the dun sphere. An empty sphere after a storm, he thought. And a man who's still alive when he should be dead. Two impossibilities. Together they bespoke something that should be even more impossible.”

—Teft's conclusions

Kaladin's Recovery

Because of this "impossibilities" Teft grow curious. He took three small infused diamond spheres and put Kaladin's hand around, then he waited, making him vow Kaladin had better not die, because Teft needed answers. And, eventually, Kaladin drew in a short, quick, powerful breath and the three spheres faded. Though a handful of events happened to save his life, after his own perseverance, the two main reasons were Teft further feeding him with Stormlight and Syl fighting off deathspren (which could have been hallucinations from his injured mind, or reality, either are possible) with a sword made of light. Teft brought infused spheres in such a way that it would have aided in Kaladin's healing, but not so much that it would have been noticed by the other bridgemen. That caused Kaladin raise from his injuries ten days after the judgment.

Appearance and personality

At the age of nineteen, fighting in Amaram's army Kaladin described as having dark brown eyes, a strong chin, and being fairly tall, with black Alethi hair that is shoulder-long and wavy. During his months of slavery and bridgeman status, he had a beard that he eventually shaved with the help of Rock.

His personality varied with the events of his life, as a child he was enthusiastic and had a strong sense of justice and responsibility, wishing at various stages to become a soldier to protect his country and a surgeon to heal the people of his town. In Amaram's army he became a strong and confident leader, leading his squad through the battles, he cared deeply for his men, bribing the armies surgeons to treat his men before all except the wounded lighteyes. After being sold into slavery Kaladin became frequently withdrawn and depressed, as it seemed to him that he lost everyone who he tried to save, he maintained a rebellious streak, making frequent escape attempts and possibly planning to kill the leader of the slave caravan with a poisonous leaf he found. After joining Bridge Four Kaladin attempted to gain back his former confidence and leadership from his soldiering days, and trying to inspire the other bridgemen. However the continual setbacks they suffered still left him sometimes depressed and pessimistic about their situation, Syl usually pulled him out of these episodes, offering him hope for the future. By the time Bridge Four rescued Dalinar's army Kaladin had more or less regained his former leadership and confidence, bolstered further by his new Surgebinding abilities.

The experience of being hung out in the highstorm might have changed something in Kaladin, too, as after that, he had a dream that he "was the storm." He blow all over Roshar and was told by a voice that he was the Child of Tanavast and that there was so much war on Roshar, because Odium reigns.

Powers & Abilities

Kaladin learned knowledge of surgery from an apprenticeship with his father and was an extremely skilled spearman, possibly the best in Brightlord Amaram's army. His training as a spearman included the performing of katas. Teft was surprised by the excellence of Kaladin's kata down in the chasms.

He is in the process of discovering the extent of his abilities as a Windrunner and has effectively used both a Reverse Lashing and Full Lashing as well as being able to inhale Stormlight which improves his speed, strength and healing.

Quotes

“We need soldiers, father. You'd have our borders violated by the Thaylens?”

—Kaladin on the necessity of war, slightly undermined by the fact that Thaylenah is an island.