Lem
| Lem | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||
| Profession | Miner (formerly) | ||||||
| Residence | Diggen's Point | ||||||
| Homeworld | Lumar | ||||||
| Universe | Cosmere | ||||||
| First Appeared | Tress of the Emerald Sea | ||||||
“Lem was the human equivalent of a deep, pure well, always full of water when you needed it. He'd offer what you needed and ask nothing in return. ”
—Hoid[1]
Lem is a citizen of Diggen's Point on Lumar. He is married to Ulba and has two children, including Tress.[2]
Appearance and PersonalityEdit
He has a mustache, and once had powerful arms. Due to a leg injury, he walks with a limp and uses a cane for support.[3][4]
Lem is a kind, wise man. He is known around town as someone that will help someone unconditionally in almost any situation.[1] He loves pie, and often eats a lot of it while contemplating difficult predicaments.[4]
HistoryEdit
Lem was a former miner, but he suffered a leg injury in an accident and was forced to stop working due to the resulting chronic pain and loss of balance.[3][4] He tried to assist the family with household chores, but he could barely walk. This left him with little to do other than practice darts.[1] He did help Ulba knit socks that were sold to sailors, but with the expense of yarn they only turned a meager profit.[2]
Lem was not initially aware of Tress's infatuation with Charlie, and was not a fan of the duke or his son.[3] However, once Tress confessed her love for Charlie to her parents, both Lem and Ulba supported her decision to ask the duke to pay the Sorceress's ransom.[3] After this failed, Tress presented a plan to her parents to save Charlie herself. This gave Lem pause, but he ultimately approved since he knew Tress must have considered all other options.[4]
Lem played a key role in Tress's escape from Diggen's Point. He visited an inn and talked to a few of his friends that he'd helped in the past. Lem had walked Rod home after a night of heavy drinking, he helped Jule repair his roof after a windstorm, and there were dozens of other examples of Lem's selflessness. The townspeople knew that Lem never asked for a debt to be repaid, and therefore his desire to help Tress must be extraordinary. Even though he did not explicitly ask for help, his message was understood, and Gremmy, Sor, Gret, and Brick all agreed to help with the plan to infiltrate the Oot's Dream.[1]
Tress sent her family letters during her journey, but her parents were still uncertain if they would see her again until she arrived back at Diggen's Point. Lem, Ulba, and their son had a reserved cabin on the Two Cups and departed with Tress following the king's declaration that the citizens of Diggen's Point were permitted to leave.[5]
RelationshipsEdit
TressEdit
He loves Tress and puts a large amount of faith in her judgment since he knows she is very intelligent and thoughtful.[3][4] He has had a longstanding feeling that she is destined for great things beyond their island.[4] Tress loves Lem and greatly respects his opinions and advice.[6][4]
UlbaEdit
Lem and Ulba have a close relationship and spend most of their time together at home, usually knitting socks to make money.[2] They both love their children and have a similar parenting style. Ulba is a bit more risk-averse than Lem, as he had to convince her to allow Tress to leave the island and attempt to save Charlie.[4]