Kalanor
| Kalanor | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||
| Died | Killed by Dalinar Kholin c. 1145[2] | ||||||
| Abilities | Shardbearer | ||||||
| Titles | Highprince | ||||||
| Nationality | Alethi | ||||||
| Homeworld | Roshar | ||||||
| Universe | Cosmere | ||||||
Kalanor is an Alethi highprince on Roshar. He is a ruler of a region of western Alethkar, including the lands that became known as Vamah princedom, until his death.[2]
Appearance and Personality
He is old and mostly bald. He is clean-shaven and has light grey eyes.[2] Dalinar implies that Kalanor's rise to power would not be described as peaceful, although the exact details are unknown.[2] He displays a snide attitude towards Dalinar.[2] He refers to himself as a king, although other Alethi do not regard him as such.[2]
Attributes and Abilities
His colors are silver and red, and his flag is a silver glyphpair stylized as mountains on a red background.[2] He rides a white Ryshadium and is a full Shardbearer. His Shardblade is known as Sunraiser and his Shardplate has a silver overlay.[2] Although he is aging, he is still a skilled duelist, and offers a serious challenge to Dalinar. He uses both Bloodstance and Windstance, and has an uncanny ability to dodge direct impacts to his Shardplate.[2]
History
He opposed Gavilar Kholin and was one of his major enemies during Gavilar's quest to unify Alethkar.[2] Dalinar mentioned that Kalanor and Gavilar had been maneuvering politically for two years.[2]
Gavilar told Dalinar that he needed Kalanor to fall at all costs, in order to bring an end to his line.[2] Gavilar wanted to take Kalanor's land and give most of it to Kalanor's cousin Loradar Vamah. Gavilar believed that Vamah would swear fealty to Gavilar.[2] The Kholins attacked smaller cities in Kalanor's region, undermining his authority and drawing him out from his strongholds to confront them in open battle.[2] Kalanor's army was the largest that the Kholins had ever faced at the time. They battled on a large, open plain; both armies were well-trained, but the Kholins used some new battlefield tactics that proved effective. Dalinar eventually joined the fight, killing hundreds of Kalanor's troops with his Shardblade. Kalanor, who had been hanging back from the battle with his honor guard, was forced to personally confront him.[2]
The two Shardbearers dueled, and Kalanor held his own; he was skilled at anticipating Dalinar's moves. Dalinar fought aggressively and eventually shattered a portion of Kalanor's Shardplate. Kalanor fled to the top of a rock formation in a clever attempt to even the odds; he thought he might still be able to win the duel by knocking Dalinar off the windy, slippery tower. Kalanor tried to draw out the fight, but the Thrill consumed Dalinar and he continued to attack, breaking Kalanor's helm; Dalinar became even angrier when he saw that Kalanor also felt the effects of the Thrill. Kalanor eventually slipped off the tower and hung onto the edge, but Dalinar stabbed him in the face with his Shardblade. Kalanor's body fell to the ground; some of his soldiers attempted to claim his Shards but Dalinar quickly killed them.[2]
After Kalanor's death, Dalinar was still so overcome by the Thrill that he nearly attacked Gavilar, but he recovered and gifted Kalanor's Shards to Gavilar to distract from his shame.[2] Gavilar later gifted the Blade (and presumably the Plate) to his son Elhokar, who was born several years later.[4]
When Dalinar confronted Nergaoul, the source of the Thrill, one of the first images he saw reflected in the red mist was Kalanor's corpse falling from the rocks.[5]
Trivia
- His name is presumably derived from the Herald Kalak, similar to Kaladin with a different suffix.[6]