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</gallery>
== History ==
===Early Life (1153–1168)===
{{quote|In four years, I will bring him home safely. I promise it by the storms and the Almighty's tenth name itself. I will bring him back.|Kaladin's promise to his parents{{book ref|sa1|44}}}}
=== Amaram's Army (1168–1172) ===
====Natural talent====
Kaladin received his initial training under [[Tukks]], wherewho hetaught him learned the importance of controlled passion—to be passionate and to care without losing control of his emotions—a lesson that he doesdid not initially understand. {{book ref|sa1|27}}{{book ref|sa1|49}} During his training, Kaladin demonstrated a natural talentaptitude andfor learnedbeing a soldier, learning the spear faster than everyoneanyone else in his cohort, barely even needing instruction , much to Tukks’ surprise.{{book ref|sa1|27}} {{book ref|sa1|49}} ▼
{{quote|It’s good to care when you fight, so long as you don’t let it consume you. Don’t try to stop yourself from feeling. You’ll hate who you become.|Tukks to Kaladin on his first day of training{{book ref|sa1|27}}}}
==== Tien's Death ====
[[File: Tien%27s_death.jpg|250px|thumb|right|Kaladin after Tien’s death by [[User: Exmakina]] ]]
▲Kaladin received his initial training under [[Tukks]], where he learned the importance of controlled passion—to be passionate without losing control of his emotions—a lesson that he does not initially understand.{{book ref|sa1|27}}{{book ref|sa1|49}} During his training, Kaladin demonstrated natural talent and learned the spear faster than everyone else in his cohort, barely even needing instruction.{{book ref|sa1|27}}
Despite [[Amaram]]’s promise to [[Lirin]], the older messenger boys, including [[Tien]], were soon organized into several squads of reserve units to make up for a shortfall in recruitment. [[Dalar]] assured Kaladin that these squads would not see combat unless the army is in serious danger. Less than four months after his enlistment, Kaladin took part in his third real battle. Amaram’s army was attempting to hold a hilltop, but as the battle deteriorated, messenger boys were assigned to [[Sheler]]'s company. Hearing that the messenger squad was sent to the front, Kaladin ran recklessly through the battlefield in an attempt to reach his brother. On the southeast side of the hill, Squadleader [[Varth]] placed Tien and two other boys in the front lines, successfully using them as bait. Kaladin, killing a man for the first time during his run, reached Tien only after he had been killed. Weeping and bleeding from wounds taken during his run, he hugged Tien’s dead body until long past the end of the battle.{{book ref|sa1|67}}
==== Stormblessed ====
Kaladin sent a letter to his parents informing them of [[Tien]]’s death and his decision not to return to [[Hearthstone]].{{book ref|sa1|47}} He spent the next year driving himself to exhaustion every day on the practice yard, vowing vengeance and never letting another person die because of his lack of skill. He became the best spearman in his company and was rumored to be the best in the entire army.{{book ref|sa1|47}}{{book ref|sa1|63}} He eventually met [[Tarah]], the daughter of an assistant quartermaster, who coaxed Kaladin out of his single-mindedness, claiming it would burn him out. The two became romantically involved, but they separated soon after someshe time,was fortransferred whichto a scribe’s job in Mourn’s Vault. Kaladin blamed himself for their failed relationship, knowing that he’d been stupid not to send responses to her letters.{{book ref|sa1sa2|68}}{{book ref|sa3|62112}} He later joined the [[Takers]] under [[Tukks]]' leadership.{{book ref|sa1|2}} There, Kaladin met [[Durk]], who became a mentor to him. Durk was impressed with Kaladin’s abilities, considering him a natural born soldier, an artist with a spear.{{book ref|sa1|46}} EventuallyUnfortunately, every member of the Takers arewas eventually killed exceptwith forKaladin Kaladinbeing the lone survivor.{{book ref|sa1|2}} At the age of eighteen, Kaladin was promoted to squadleader, marking him the youngest one in the army and becoming known as Kaladin Stormblessed.{{book ref|sa1|2}}
==== Fighting the Shardbearer ====
InFour years later, in {{Rosharan date|1172|10}}, Kaladin fought his final battle in [[Amaram]]’s army. Prior to the battle, Kaladin met with a Squadleader [[Gare]] and two of his sergeants. Kaladin bribed Gare to transfer [[Cenn]], a young and inexperienced soldier, to Kaladin’s own squad, whom he entrusted to his sergeant [[Dallet]]. He also bribed the surgeons to give priority to his men. While bribing the surgeons, the money pouch stuck to his hand by what Kaladin assumed to be a [[windspren]], although it was actually his first meeting with [[Sylphrena]]. After consulting with Dallet, Kaladin went to the front lines to prepare for battle.{{book ref|sa1|47}}
{{sidequote
| We’re taking him. Imagine it Dallet. Real soldiers. A war camp with discipline and lighteyes with integrity. A place where our fighting will mean something.
| Kaladin to Dallet before attacking the battalionlord {{book ref|sa1|47}}
|rightleft|250px;}}
Once the signal to march was given, Kaladin’s well-disciplined squad used non-standard tactics to avoid taking any casualties. However, the larger battle didn’t go nearly as well. When the larger body of Amaram’s[[Amaram]]’s forces broke, Kaladin’s squad was left in the middle of the enemy. During the chaos, Kaladin single-handedly defeated six men to save Cenn, who had been stranded alone without the rest of the squad.{{book ref|sa1|1}} After treating [[Cenn]], Kaladin saw an enemy battalionlord and decided to kill him, hoping such a feat would get him transferred to the [[Shattered Plains]], where Kaladin believed the real fight and honorable men can be found. Kaladin and two of his subsquads executed their plan flawlessly, with Kaladin himself landing the killing blow on the enemy battalionlord.{{book ref|sa1|47}}
Immediately after, an unknown enemy, a full [[Shardbearer]], later revealed to be [[Helaran Davar]],{{book ref|sa2|52}}{{book ref|sa2|73}} appeared and cut through [[Amaram's]]’s army, killing [[Cenn]], [[Dallet]], and two more of Kaladin's men. Helaran continued on to attack Amaram, whose honor guard has abandoned him. Enraged, Kaladin and his twenty remaining men chased after Helaran. Helaran killed sixteen of Kaladin’s men before Kaladin finally managed to kill him, saving Amaram’s life. Amaram and [[Coreb]], one of Kaladin's men, urged Kaladin to claim Helaran’s Shards, as it was his right to do so by ancient tradition. However, Kaladin was disgusted by the thought of wielding the same Blade that claimed the lives of so many of his friends. Instead, Kaladin gave the Shards to Coreb and walked away.{{book ref|sa1|47}}
====Betrayal====
A few hours later, Kaladin was called to Amaram’s[[Amaram]]’s warcenter, where he met Amaram and a group of his men along with the four surviving members of his squad. After a short conversation, Amaram and his men ambushed Kaladin, killing the surviving members of Kaladin’s squad while Kaladin himself was restrained. Amaram apologized but said this was the only way to ensure secrecy. He informed Kaladin that he had thought it over for hours before finally being convinced by [[Restares]] that the best interests of Alethkar would served if he wielded the Shards himself. As an act of mercy and gratitude, Amaram spared Kaladin’s life and branded him with the “sas nahn” [[glyphpair]] to mark him as a slave to be sold.{{book ref|sa1|51}}
{{quote | It’s not about Alethkar! It’s about you! Storm it, you’re supposed to be better than the others! | Kaladin to Amaram after his men were struck down for the Shardplate {{book ref|sa1|51}}}}
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