Difference between revisions of "Kaladin"

 

== Appearance and Personality ==

Kaladin is a fairly tall man. He is muscular and has multiple scars on his body.{{ref|b|twok|c|6}} He has tan skin.{{ref|b|twok|prologue}} He has shoulder-length wavy black hair typical of an Alethi and dark brown eyes{{ref|b|twok|c|1}} with an {{wp|Epicanthic fold|epicanthic fold}}{{ref|?|979|86|Normal eyes on Roshar are those with an epicanthic fold}} that appear faintly colored amber when he is holding [[Stormlight]].{{ref|b|twok|c|38}} His face is square and firm with strong lines and a proud chin. He prefers to be clean-shaven but during his slavery he grows a long, scraggly beard.{{ref|b|twok|c|46}} He is branded on his forehead with a ''sas nahn'' [[glyphpair]] indicating his slavery and a ''shash'' [[glyph]] meaning ''dangerous''.{{ref|b|twok|c|2}}

 

In 1164, at age ten, Kaladin helped his father perform a surgery on a fifteen-year-old girl named [[Sani]], who had badly injured her [[safehand]]. He was late to the surgery because he was with [[Jam]], who had been showing Kaladin and Tien the quarterstaff fighting his father had been teaching him. Lirin admonished Kaladin for his tardiness when his son came to the surgery room, but said they would discuss it after the surgery. Lirin told him to wash his hands, claiming it was the wisdom of the [[Herald]]s that water repulsed [[rotspren]] and [[deathspren]]. Although Kaladin immediately went to wash his hands, he answered his father by saying that he'd heard that the Heralds were demons from an [[ardent]]. Lirin told him he was mixing Heralds with the Knights Radiant, and Radiants weren't demons, but betrayers. Once that done, the two removed the makeshift bandages on Sani's hand, and Kaladin saw they would have to amputate the girl's third finger. Lirin did the actual amputating, while Kaladin helped him as a nurse. They finished the surgery, able to save Sani's other four fingers, applied antiseptic and bandages. When they were finished, his father told Kaladin he still had to work on his nerves, and it was alright to care, as long as it didn't interfere with his ability to perform surgery. He asked why Kaladin was late, and Kaladin told him about Jam. The conversation shifted to Jam's father, and then surgery, with Kaladin trying, poorly, to impress they needed soldiers, and Lirin claiming they needed surgeons more. Eventually his father told Kaladin there were two kinds of people in the world; those who save lives, and those who take lives. After the conversation died down, Lirin quizzed Kaladin on surgery. He praised him when Kaladin answered perfectly, and announced he would like to send him to Kharbranth when he turned sixteen years old to train as a much better surgeon than Lirin.{{ref|b|sa1|c|10}}

 

In mid 1166, Kaladin told [[Laral Wistiow]], daughter of the Citylord and Kaladin's friend, that Lirin wanted to send Kaladin to Kharbranth. At age twelve, he was becoming interested girls for the first time, and he was attracted to Laral. She was angry that he hadn't told her about his father's intentions for two years and made her think he would join the army to win a Shardblade and become lighteyes. She tried to convince him to join the army by saying the Alethi had a noble heritage of soldiery. Kaladin's answer wasn't very enthusiastic, which prompted Laral to say that she hated speaking with him when Kaladin was moping around. Tien joined the two, and showed Kaladin a rock he had found, as was the younger brother's habit, to make Kaladin feel better, and somehow succeeded in boosting Kaladin's morale. Once Tien left, Kaladin and Laral saw a group of older boys who usually worked at farms, and, at Laral's prompting, went to meet them to see them. They found out the boys were talking about darkeyes becoming lighteyes by winning Shardblades. One of the boys, [[Jost]], claimed his father had won a Shardblade in the wastescum skirmishes in the north but it was stolen by someone else when his father was unconscious. Kaladin pointed out there weren't any Shardbearers in those battles. At Laral's provocations, Jost grew angrier and challenged Kaladin to a fight with quarterstaffs. At first, Jost easily overwhelmed Kaladin, but once he grew angry because he was in pain, Kaladin felt an [[Thrill|exhilaration]] and almost beat the older boy, but stopped at the last instant because he didn't want to hurt him. The other boy didn't have the same inclination, so he beat Kaladin to the ground. Laral left for her home without saying anything or helping Kaladin up. Kaladin asked Jost to teach him how to fight, but the older boy refused by saying that Kaladin should be what he is. Kaladin met with Tien, and he walked towards home thinking about what he wanted to be. When they got home, Lirin told Kaladin that Brightlord Wistiow was dead, and he had left them a goblet full of spheres so Kaladin would study to be a master surgeon in Kharbranth, then return home.{{ref|b|sa1|c|16}}

 

=== Amaram's Army ===

Despite Amaram's promise that Tien would work as a messenger boy, he was sent to battle after a few months where he was put in front of the advancing enemy to soften their attack. Kaladin tried to come to his help but he could only watch as his brother was killed by the enemy.{{ref|b|twok|c|67}} In his depression, Kaladin started obsessively training with the spear.{{ref|b|twok|c|68}} His drill sergeant was surprised with how fast Kaladin mastered the spear and soon he was known as one of the best spearman in Amaram's army.{{ref|b|twok|c|27}} He was promoted to the rank of squadleader, earning the nickname '''Kaladin Stormblessed''' for the first time. Kaladin's squad always lost fewest men of any squad in the army, which was credited to Kaladin's luck and his bribing the army's surgeons.{{ref|b|twok|c|1}}