Sigzil

Sigzil
by Marie Seeberger
Abilities	Radiant squire for Order of Windrunners
Groups	Bridge Four, Worldsingers, Sadeas army (formerly), Kholin army
Residence	Urithiru
Ethnicity	Makabaki
Nationality	Azish
Homeworld	Roshar
Universe	Cosmere

Sigzil is an Azish lieutenant in Bridge Four on Roshar and a Radiant squire to Kaladin. He was previously apprenticed to Hoid and is now a full Worldsinger.

Appearance and Personality

by Shuravf

“My master trained me to ask questions, so I’m asking them. ”

—Sigzil

Sigzil is clean-shaven with dark brown skin and thick, curly black hair. He is considered average height in Azir, which makes him short compared to most Alethi. He has a Bridge Four tattoo on his forehead covering the place where he used to be branded with a slave mark.

Sigzil tends to be quiet and close-mouthed, though when he embraces his role as a Worldsinger he displays deep knowledge of a variety of cultures and speaks openly and volubly. He seems to enjoy deep conversations, especially when conducted one-on-one, and has a formal way of speaking. He also has a judgmental streak, particularly around disorderly people and when faced with other cultures' less organized and bureaucratic methods. Taking Hoid's teachings to heart, however, he does attempt to be more open-minded.

Despite being incredibly organized and studious, Sigzil thinks less of himself for failing the governmental service exams in Azir. Likely as a result of growing up in Azir, where everything is well-organized, he prefers a clear relationship between himself and whoever he works for, and is somewhat bothered by the fact that his relationship with Kaladin is not a simple one of a clerk and his captain. He also expresses the need to figure out exactly what Bridge Four's chain of command is in regards to Alethi affairs after the beginning of the True Desolation.

Despite his penchant for keeping this organized, Sigzil is not content with only being a clerk, and wants to be the "first into the sky," rather than spending all his time poring over ledgers. He is encouraging and optimistic to his friends.

Attributes and Abilities

Sigzil has been trained with the spear and spearman tactics by Kaladin, and he uses the weapon "acceptably." He can read and write the Azish script, though out of deference to Alethi ideals he sticks with using glyphs to record written reports as Bridge Four's clerk.

He has sworn at least the First Ideal of the Knights Radiant and is one of Kaladin's squires, which allows him to draw in Stormlight and use the Surges of Gravitation and Adhesion when Kaladin is within fifty miles.

History

Worldsinger

Sigzil was the first person in his family in generations to have a chance at passing the governmental service tests in Azir, which would have given him the opportunity to attend a "real" school, though he later came to consider that a "silly dream," since, as the son of a laborer, he had little time to study. Before taking the tests, however, he got into some sort of trouble and had to be rescued by Hoid, who took him on as an apprentice Worldsinger.

Hoid and Sigzil traveled to many places on Roshar together, including to Babatharnam, where Hoid had to pay to have Sigzil freed from prison on three separate occasions. While they were on the Shattered Plains, he attempted to kill someone and thought he was successful, though his victim actually survived. This event appears to be what caused him to be made a bridgeman. Sometime after Kaladin joined Bridge Four, he believed that Hoid thought he was dead.

Bridge Four

by Rachel J Corey

With other bridgemen

After Kaladin started trying to rehabilitate Bridge Four, Sigzil was abrasive and scornful of his efforts at first, among the loudest critics. He was also shy about his knowledge as a Worldsinger and walked off when Rock mentioned his being one. Over time, however, he began to warm up and tell stories about far-off places like Marabethia, Yulay, Babatharnam, and Shinovar.

After Kaladin was healed enough from being strung up in a highstorm to go on bridge runs again, he, Rock, and Sigzil observed a battle and discussed the tactics behind putting the bridgemen's lives in such danger. That evening, impressed by Sigzil's earlier analysis, Kaladin discussed with him the education in each of their pasts while the others got their stew. In the chasms one time while on duty, Sigzil happened on Teft's conversation with Kaladin and expanded on the First Ideal of the Lost Radiants. Those words stuck in Kaladin's head and gave him the courage to suggest training the men with spears in preparation for an escape attempt; Sigzil wholeheartedly agreed to the plan, as did the rest.

“I do not ‘give tales.’ I spread knowledge of cultures, peoples, thoughts, and dreams. I bring peace through understanding.”

—Sigzil, to Bridge Four in the chasms

One day after Kaladin had his beard shaved off for the first time since his time in Amaram's army, Sigzil discussed with him whether or not he would like to take the lighteyes' place and rule Alethkar. He brought up Babatharnam to illustrate the point that eye color was not the problem so much as people with power abusing it, then stalked off when Rock pointed out that he sounded like a Worldsinger.

Another time on chasm duty, Sigzil reluctantly agreed to fill his role as a Worldsinger and confirmed that what Kaladin had seen in his vision during a highstorm was real by telling about Sesemalex Dar, though he protested at the group's requests for "stories." He was the one to tell Kaladin about the Parshendi's reverence for their dead, planting the seeds for Kaladin's later idea about crafting armor from their corpses.

One night, when Kaladin went out wandering on the plains, he crossed paths with Hoid, who was playing his flute. Hoid told Kaladin the story of the Wandersail before telling Kaladin to take good care of Sigzil and to inform him that he had been graduated and was now a full Worldsinger. When Kaladin tried to ask Sigzil about Hoid, he refused to discuss his former master.

Sigzil's change of attitude towards Kaladin was made very apparent during the Battle of the Tower when Kaladin told the bridge crew to run away but to leave him behind; Sigzil was the first to speak up, flatly refusing to leave him. He was overawed by Kaladin's skill with the spear as Kaladin defended the bridge against the Parshendi just after he spoke the words of the Second Ideal and talked him into giving them a demonstration of drawing in Stormlight while they sat around the fire that evening in Dalinar Kholin's warcamp. He immediately began thinking analytically about Kaladin's powers, plying him with questions to see how much he could quantify the powers he had experienced, and devising experiments to be able to do just that.

Lieutenant

by paintweaver

After Dalinar secured the lives of the bridgemen and Bridge Four transfered to Dalinar's army, Kaladin promoted Sigzil to the rank of lieutenant and appointed him the bridge crew's clerk, since he was the only member of Bridge Four who could read glyphs. He joined with the rest of the crew when they got "freedom" and "Bridge Four" glyphs tattooed on their foreheads over their slave brands.

Sigzil devised experiments to measure and document the extent of Kaladin's Windrunner abilities and finally put them into practice the day Kaladin, Teft, Rock, Lopen, and he led the first group of forty bridgemen into the chasms to train them. When he realized there were too many variables for his experiments to be meaningful, however, they changed tactics and practiced fighting against Kaladin to give him an opportunity to put his abilities to practical use.

Sigzil sent regular reports to Kaladin detailing the status of their troops and supplies, as well as creating routes for Kaladin and Teft to take the trainees on patrol beyond the warcamps. He also continued meeting with Rock and Lopen in the chasms to help Kaladin gain control over his powers, during those times using his own former master's training to ask pointed and analytical questions about how the Parshendi gained control over a Shin assassin and who might have sabotaged Elhokar's railing.

He, Lopen, and Peet sometimes went to the market on nights off, accompanied at times by Teft or Moash. Sigzil, who liked to be informed, listened to the criers' news and bought some chouta on the way to the tavern one night when Kaladin was with the group. He brought up the topic of housing the married men of Bridge Four as they watched Peet conversing with Ka. When the Horneater Peaks came up in conversation, he started telling the others about them until Rock took over and told them the Horneaters' version of their creation. Sigzil recognized Hoid when Rock mentioned meeting a white-haired god coming up from the peak ocean.

The day of Adolin's duel against four others, Sigzil was one of forty guards Kaladin brought to guard the Kholins during the duel, and he spent the time before the event trying and failing to convince Kaladin to reveal his powers. After Kaladin was lost in the chasms on the expedition to take Shallan to see a chasmfiend chrysalis, Sigzil took shifts with the others awaiting his return. When he had a shift with Teft, he taught him to play michim. Teft revealed more about his past then than he had at any other time, feeling prompted to speak by Sigzil's quiet attentiveness. Immediately after Kaladin's return, Sigzil and most of the rest of Bridge Four went with Dalinar's army on the expedition to discover Urithiru and end the war with the Parshendi.

During the Battle of Narak, Sigzil was one of the bridgemen who manifested the ability to use Stormlight. Sigzil and the other members of Bridge Four who survived the battle waited for Kaladin on the plateau that served as Narak's Oathgate. He walked Kaladin through using Syl as a Shardblade to activate the platform, taking them to Urithiru.

Windrunner Squire

by Jamie Knierim

“I don’t want to be huddled over a ledger when Bridge Four takes to the air. I want to be first into the sky. ”

—Sigzil

Bridge Four went on scouting trips to explore Urithiru, and Sigzil was part of the group on one of these missions when they found Sadeas' body. Later, he approached Kaladin about many administrative issues the crew was facing, such as the need for a real scribe, the problem of how to accommodate the bridgemen as they pursued relationships, and their place in the army as budding Windrunners. He attempted to convey the idea of why he felt some responsibility for the others' religious beliefs and social views by telling Kaladin Hoid's story about Mishim, but failed to get the point across. As they discussed the possibility of recruitment, Kaladin led him to the quartermaster's office to pick up the royal emerald reserve so Bridge Four could practice drawing in Stormlight. Kaladin told him he was glad Sigzil had failed the exams in Azir, and Sigzil realized he felt the same; the realization liberated him.

Kaladin, after deciding to recruit more members to Bridge Four, gathered the potential Windrunner squires together and assigned Sigzil three squads of bridgemen to talk them through the process of drawing in Stormlight. After some time of working with the recruits, Rock noticed smoke on the horizon; Bridge Four went to investigate and discovered a caravan, including Rock's family, recovering from a Voidbringer attack. Later, Sigzil organized experiments measuring the effect of the Surge of Gravitation with all of Bridge Four and measuring the distance away from Kaladin where their powers began to fade. He practiced flying with Basic Lashings with the rest of the crew regularly. One practice session, Sigzil admitted to being one of the members of Bridge Four who had come to Rock to discuss how they felt they didn't fit in with the rest.

After Kaladin left on the expedition to Kholinar, Dalinar lent Jezrien's Honorblade to Bridge Four so they could continue to practice, albeit one at a time, with their Windrunner powers. Sigzil drew up a rotation for them, changing possession daily as an added measure of security. He was among the group that accompanied Dalinar to Thaylen City to check on Amaram's progress helping rebuild the city and to meet with Queen Fen and the other monarchs who had joined their coalition. After the theft of the Honorblade and Teft's subsequent swearing of the Third Ideal, Bridge Four transferred to the middle of the Battle of Thaylen Field using Thaylen City's Oathgate and defended the platform until the close of the battle. Afterwards, the group was tasked with flying wounded up to the Oathgate from the triage stations.

Trivia

• Sigzil has not been off Roshar, despite being Hoid's apprentice.

Notes

This page is probably complete!

This page contains most of the knowledge we have on the subject at this time.
It has yet to be reviewed.