Sah

Sah
by Marie Seeberger
Children	Vai
Died	Siege of Kholinar 1174
Species	Singer
Residence	Kholinar
Homeworld	Roshar
Universe	Cosmere
First Appeared	Oathbringer

“I don't have traditions, Or society. But still, my 'freedom' is that of a leaf. Dropped from the tree, I just blow on the wind and pretend I'm in charge of my destiny. ”

—Sah

Sah is a singer on Roshar. A former parshman, he was freed from a village near Hearthstone when the Everstorm first passed. He was one of Kaladin's captors when the Windrunner first surrendered to the singers. He was later forced to join the Voidbringer forces and fought in the Siege of Kholinar.

Appearance and Personality

Sah is tall and has the marbled skin of a singer. He has rough hands. After being freed, he usually wears workform, with hair strands and dark, thick red beard strands. He initially wears the same simple smock he wore as a parshman.

He is gentle and introspective; he tries to avoid conflict, but he sometimes has outbursts of anger. He cares for his daughter and wants nothing more than the chance to protect her. He is deeply resentful of humanity for keeping him and his people enslaved; he is even willing to fight humanity if necessary, as he is scared that they could take away his newfound freedom. However, he is also wary of the Fused and upset about being forced to fight for them.

Attributes and Abilities

Like other singers on Roshar, Sah wore slaveform and lived as a parshman prior to the coming of the Everstorm. After the storm, he presumably regains his latent singer abilities, and chooses to wear workform. He speaks the Alethi language with a native darkeyed accent. He owns a set of the cards used to play the Rosharan card game despite not knowing exactly how to play, as he was unable to grasp the rules while in slaveform; he later learned some of the rules from Kaladin. Sah's daughter Vai treats his cards like a favorite toy.

He had not trained in battle prior to the Siege of Kholinar, but he receives some training from Moash. He proves to be a capable fighter.

History

Sah was a household slave at a brightlord's manor somewhere in Sadeas princedom in Alethkar, within a few days journey from Hearthstone. The name "Sah" is common among Alethi darkeyes, His duties as a slave included serving drinks at dinner. He had a mate, but she was taken from him and sold to be a breeder when she gave birth to his daughter, Vai.

“I have spent my entire life living in a fog, every day knowing I should say something, do something to stop this! Every night clutching my daughter, wondering why the world seems to move around us in the light—while we are trapped in shadows. They sold her mother. Sold her. Because she had birthed a healthy child, which made her good breeding stock.

Do you understand that, human? Do you understand watching your family be torn apart, and knowing you should object—knowing deep in your soul that something is profoundly wrong? Can you know that feeling of being unable to say a single storming word to stop it?
They may have taken your freedom, but they took our minds.

”

—Sah to Kaladin

He escaped along with his daughter during the Everstorm, when his Connection and Identity were restored and he was freed from slaveform. He joined a group led by the singer Khen and the Voidspren Yixli. While in this group, he played a card game with Khen. They traveled to Revolar by the guidance of Yixli, and captured Kaladin along the way. Sah was tasked with guarding Kaladin and had several conversations with him about the enslavement of the singers; he found it difficult to trust Kaladin and the rest of humanity. Kaladin soon freed himself from his bonds, but he stayed with the group and taught them how to survive while on the run and formed a particular friendship with Sah.

After Kaladin abruptly left to avoid a Fused, Sah's group was blamed for harboring a spy. Khen believed that Voidspren and the Fused were systematically framing common singers in order to augment the infantry of the Voidbringer army. They were enslaved with the humans and put to work hauling lumber and building ladders. Sah was angry over their treatment, including his daughter being taken away, but didn't know what to do about it when Khen berated him. Moash, who had also been captured by the Fused, defended Sah and his group from overzealous overseers, and discussed their treatment with Leshwi. Later, he taught them how to fight, for as part of their punishment they would be among the first to assault Kholinar.

At the Siege of Kholinar, Sah and his group of singers assaulted the palace, where he and Kaladin recognized one another. In the ensuing melee, Sah killed Beard, a member of the Kholinar Wall Guard, with a spear. Sah was killed by Noro in turn.

Relationships

Kaladin

“Thank you for what you're showing us, but don’t expect me to be happy that I need you for it. This just reinforces the belief within you, maybe even within myself, that your people should be the ones who decide upon our freedom in the first place. ”

—Sah, to Kaladin

Sah initially finds it difficult to trust Kaladin, largely due to his general anger at humanity. Kaladin empathizes with him, and shared his history as a slave. The two seemed to quickly open up to each other, and Sah was able to help Kaladin understand the complicated feelings of the freed singers. Sah felt betrayed when Kaladin finally revealed himself to be a Surgebinder. Kaladin and Sah were shocked to see each other at the battle of Kholinar Palace, and Kaladin froze upon seeing two groups of his friends killing each other.

Khen

Although the singers that captured Kaladin do not have a clear leader, Khen and Sah seem to be influential in the group. They are friends, and attempt to play cards together. They speak to each other in a frank manner; Khen is more impulsive and outspoken than Sah, sometimes seemingly goading him into action. However, she listens to his opinion when he does speak up.

Notes

Footnotes

References

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Big Smooth (talk) 21:49, 16 November 2020 (UTC)