Difference between revisions of "Sylphrena"

Jump to navigation Jump to search
685 bytes added ,  3 years ago
m
(10 intermediate revisions by 4 users not shown)
}}
{{quote
| I bind things, Kaladin. I am honorspren. Spirit of oaths. Of promises. And of nobility.
| Sylphrena speaks to [[Kaladin]] about her nature{{book ref|sa1|67}}
}}
'''Sylphrena''', or '''Syl''', is an [[honorspren]] on [[Roshar]]. that'sShe bondedhas a [[Nahel Bond]] with [[Kaladin]], making him a [[Windrunner]].{{book ref|sa1|67}} She's is a [[splinter]] of [[Honor]]{{wob ref|3017}} and one of the last eleven remaining honorspren created directly by the [[Stormfather]]. Among her kinsmen, she's known as the '''Ancient Daughter'''.{{book ref|sa3|108}} At first, [[Kaladin]] believes her to be a [[windspren]]; she only reveals her true nature several months after the two first met.{{book ref|sa1|67}}
 
== Appearance and Personality ==
{{image|Kaladin and Syl by Audrey Hotte.jpeg|side=right|width=300px}}
 
=== Appearance ===
[[File:Kaladin and Syl by Audrey Hotte.jpeg|thumb|right|300px|<center><small>by {{a|Audrey Hotte}}</small></center> ]]
{{for|/Gallery|more images}}
 
In the [[Physical Realm]], Syl can take on a variety of appearances, including a ribbon of light,{{book ref|sa3|5}} a flurry of leaves,{{book ref|sa1|23}} flame,{{book ref|sa1|40}} or a small cloud.{{book ref|sa1|27}} However, she prefers the form of a young woman about a handspan tall, with an angular face and flowing hair that fade into mist behind her head.{{book ref|sa1|2}} She usually wears a long, flowing dress, of a girlish cut.{{book ref|sa1|9}} She will often augment it with various other articles of clothing, like a cap, a jacket or an umbrella, or swap it out for similar attire, like a [[havah]] with a [[safehand]].{{book ref|sa3|46}}{{book ref|sa3|5}} Regardless of her clothing, however, she always goes barefoot.{{book ref|sa3|91}} In any form she takes, her entire form has a uniform, blue-white color, and glows with faint blue light. While [[Kaladin]] and [[Lunamor]] can always see her, to others, she's invisible unless she wills herself to be seen.{{book ref|sa1|21}}
 
Syl is also able to appear as a shape-shifting [[Shardblade]]. She occasionally appears as a sword or shield, but most often manifests as a spear.{{book ref|sa2|86}} Common between all these forms are a physical makeup of glowing, silvery metal and glyphs engraved on the surface.{{book ref|sa2|86}}{{book ref|sa3|10}} As a Shardspear, the glyphs are swirling ones engraved along the spearhead.{{book ref|sa2|86}} She is able to appear in varying lengths, but typically appears with a cylindrical grip, unadorned save for a foot long helical swirl of metal right before the tip. The spearhead has a single serration at the base where it connects to the grip.{{file ref|Call_to_Adventure_cover.jpg}}{{file ref|Windrunner_by_Felix_Abel_Klaer.png}}{{file ref|The_Next_Ideal.png}}{{file ref|Bridge_4_poster_without_text.jpg}} As a Shardblade, Syl typically appears sleek and beautiful, with a Windrunner glyph centered on the blade. Lines running off the glyph towards the hilt are reminscent of her hair.{{book ref|sa3|10}}
 
In [[Shadesmar]], Syl is incapable of changing forms, or becoming invisible.{{book ref|sa3|97}} There, she is human-sized, looking like a pretty girl with blue-white skin.{{book ref|sa3|90}} She wears a dress but, like with her Physical Realm form, she is barefoot.{{book ref|sa3|91}} This being said, while she is humanoid, she does not share human biology -- her eyes are decorative rather than functional, and she sees the world in the same way spren without human features, like the [[Cryptic]]s, do.{{book ref|sa3|97}}
 
{{image|Cloud-Haired Syl by clarinking.jpg|side=left|width=350px}}
=== Personality ===
{{quote
| I know this because I am intelligent and articulate. You should compliment me now.
| Syl{{book ref|sa2|9}}
}}
 
Syl is generally cheerful and mischeviousmischievous, often making jokes and playing pranks on those around her. She's highly irreverent, and can be forgetful at times.{{book ref|sa3|10}} She's unflinchingly optimistic, always trying to see the best in people, and always believing that there's something good waiting in the future.{{book ref|sa1|11}} She does have a bit of a prideful streak, although she often plays it for laughs, calling herself a "tiny piece of god" and trying to trick [[Lunamor]] into building a shrine for her.{{book ref|sa2|9}} She's constantly curious about the world around her, and particularly people and how they look and act, often using her invisibility to spy on them at an uncomfortably close distance.{{book ref|sa1|17}} She has little sense of propriety in this regard -- at some point, she even snuck in to observe people being intimate with each other.{{book ref|sa3|10}}
 
She has a very strict code of ethics, despising deception and lies, although she eventually becomes more willing to be cunning.{{book ref|sa1|34}}{{book ref|sa3|17}} She believes that being a [[Windrunner]] is not about finding justice, and that the use of their power is only justified when protecting others.{{book ref|sa2|22}}{{book ref|sa2|18}} She can be very assertive and even angry when she perceive someone as acting in a wrong manner.{{book ref|sa2|18}}{{book ref|sa2|16}} However, she also believes in the "us versus them" duality in the war against [[Odium]], and becomes uneasy and confused when the lines grow blurry.{{book ref|sa3|31}} She can be rather forceful in her attempts to do what she thinks is right, even when it could hurt the emotions of others. She despises [[Shardbearer]]s.{{book ref|sa3|10}}
 
Syl is particularly focused on keeping [[Kaladin]] in a healthy mental state. She always tries to push him to keep going even when he's at his worst, and encourages him to let himself be happy.{{book ref|sa1|11}}{{book ref|sa2|86}} When he's in the depths of depression, she looks after him and tries to comfort him, often acting like his sounding board when he's unwilling to speak to others.{{book ref|sa3|91}} However, while her efforts are always well-meaning, she can sometimes try and force him to act her way, even when he's perfectly capable of disagreeing.{{book ref|sa3|10}}
 
== Abilities and Attributes ==
{{image|The_Next_Ideal.png|side=right|width=250px|As a Shardspear}}
 
Like other larger spren, Syl can change her form and choose who to show herself to, making her an excellent spy.{{book ref|sa3|97}} She can float or fly through the air, as well as walk sideways, and is particularly good at finding things.{{book ref|sa1|55}} She can also use [[Adhesion]] to stick things together. She generally uses this to play pranks on people, though she has also applied this ability to assist people.{{book ref|sa1|2}}{{book ref|sa3|77}} She's also, like all [[honorspren]], able to sense an oncoming [[highstorm]] days prior.{{book ref|sa3|20}}
 
=== Nahel Bond ===
{{quote
| I'm behind what is happening to you. I'm doing it. It's both of us. But without me, nothing would be changing in you. I'm . . . taking something from you. And giving something in return.
| Syl to [[Kaladin]]{{book ref|sa1|57}}
}}
 
As an honorspren, Syl has the capacity to bond with people, gaining higher sentience in the [[Physical Realm]] in exchange for granting her partner -- currently, [[Kaladin]] -- [[Windrunner]] abilities, including the [[Surge]]s of Adhesion and [[Gravitation]].{{book ref|sa1|57}} Beyond that, once her Surgebinder reaches the Third Oath, she is able to transform into a living, shape-shifting [[Shardblade]]. In this form, she's capable of communicating with [[Kaladin]] telepathically.{{book ref|sa2|86}}
 
However, there is a downside to this bond. When Kaladin strays from his Oaths and break them, Syl begins to lose her higher mental functions, to the point where she essentially dies.{{book ref|sa2|64}}{{book ref|sa2|69}} However, she is brought back once Kaladin returns to the path of the Windrunner and swears the Third Oath.{{book ref|sa2|84}}
 
== History ==
=== Creation and Early Life ===
{{quote
| Sylphrena is both old and young. Old of form, but young of mind.
| [[Notum]]{{book ref|sa3|108}}
}}
 
 
=== Meeting Kaladin ===
[[File:{{image|Honor is Dead by ThomasW.jpg|thumb|side=right|width=250px|<center><small>by {{a|ThomasW}}</small></center> Syl speaking with Kaladin for the first time]]}}
 
{{quote
| It seems that if you're worried about hurting people, you shouldn’t be afraid to help the bridgemen. What more could you do to them?
| Encouraging [[Kaladin]]{{book ref|sa1|11}}
}}
 
Leaving [[Shadesmar]] made Syl lose most of her cognitive ability. She became mostly mindless, acting much like her cousins, [[windspren]].{{book ref|sa1|2}}{{wob ref|4071}} However, she didn't forget her desire to accompany Kaladin, and followed him closly throughout his time in Amaram's army, during his battle with [[Helaran Davar]], and, later, as he was a slave. Initially, she only played pranks on him, but in time his proximity began to return her mind and intelligence.{{book ref|sa1|2}}{{book ref|sa1|57}}
 
She did not speak to Kaladin until he found and kept the leaves of [[blackbane]], a strong poison. Kaladin was initallyinitially unwilling to respond, thinking he was going insane, but eventually gave in.{{book ref|sa1|2}}{{book ref|sa1|4}} From then on out, she would accompany him everywhere. During his first bridge run, she urged him to get up and move, and as he spiraled further down, beaten by the constant battles, she tried to keep up his spirits.{{book ref|sa1|6}} Eventually, however, she stated that she was unable to see him in this state any longer, and departed.{{book ref|sa1|9}}
 
Reminded of how Kaladin felt hope when he found blackbane, and unaware of its purpose, Syl left to look for more of the plant. By the time she returned, Kaladin was on the verge of suicide, and she found him standing on the edge of the [[Honor Chasm]]. When she finally managed, with significant difficulty, to bring him the leaf, Kaladin was initallyinitially amused that she'd thought a poison would make him feel better. In the ensuing conversation, she managed to convince him to give life another try.{{book ref|sa1|11}}
 
=== Bridge Four ===
[[File:{{image|Deathspren by Ashley Coad.png|thumb|side=left|width=250px|<center><small>by {{a|Ashley Coad}}</small></center> Keeping Kaladin safe from the [[deathspren]] ]]}}
 
{{quote
| Soon you'll hardly be a spren at all. You’ll be a little translucent philosopher. We’ll have to send you off to a monastery to spend your time in deep, important thoughts.
| [[Kaladin]] to Syl{{book ref|sa1|30}}
}}
 
=== Training a Windrunner ===
{{quote
| Something dangerous is coming.
| Upon seeing [[stormspren]]{{book ref|sa2|9}}
}}
 
It was around this time that Kaladin began backsliding on his oaths, causing Syl to worry about him.{{book ref|sa2|22}} Nonetheless, she stuck by him, and gave him a warning when [[Szeth]] was coming to assassinate Dalinar. She also immediately recognized Szeth as not a Surgebinder, despite his abilities.{{book ref|sa2|32}} Despite her increasing knowledge, though, she was still surprised at finding out that Kaladin could heal Shardblade wounds.{{book ref|sa2|33}}
 
Even as Kaladin's mental state continued to deteriorate, Syl still insisted that Dalinar could be trusted, and that Kaladin should open up to him, especially after learning about [[Moash]]'s plot to kill [[Elhokar]].{{book ref|sa2|41}}{{book ref|sa2|44}} Eventually, after a successful training in the chasms that saw Kaladin learn how to fly, and her sharing more information about Surgebinding, he was almost convinced, but his motivation evaporated when he saw that Dalinar made Amaram the head of the new Knights Radiant.{{book ref|sa2|52}}{{book ref|sa2|55}} Syl still managed to convince him that things would be different during [[Adolin]]'s four-on-one duel.{{book ref|sa2|57}} Unfortunately, she was wrong, and when Kaladin asked to challenge Amaram as a boon he was arrested.{{book ref|sa2|57}}
 
=== Death and Rebirth ===
[[File:{{image|Kaladin in WoR.jpg|thumb|side=right|width=200px|<center><small>by {{a|botanicaxu}}</small></center> Kaladin summoning Syl as a [[Shardblade]] ]]}}
 
After Kaladin was arrested, Syl was disappointed and subdued.{{book ref|sa2|57}} Soon, Kaladin began to abandon his Oaths in his mind, causing her to begin losing her sapience.{{book ref|sa2|64}} She became more childlike and easily distracted, losing her bond with Kaladin to the point where he could not draw upon [[Stormlight]]. Nonetheless, she retained enough presence of mind to remind him to say the words, and to provide him with one last breath of Stormlight when he fell into the chasms.{{book ref|sa2|68}}{{book ref|sa2|69}} It was then that she died, the strain on her bond too great to continue.{{book ref|sa2|74}}
 
=== The True Desolation ===
[[File:{{image|Thepathtohearthstone.png|thumb|side=left|width=250px|<center><small>by {{a|Ashley Coad}}</small></center> Syl coming to [[Hearthstone]] with Kaladin]]}}
{{quote
| The bond isn't about what’s right and wrong, is it, Syl. It’s about what '''you see''' as right and wrong.
| [[Kaladin]] speaking about fighting [[singer]]s{{book ref|sa3|31}}
}}
 
This fun ended when Syl and Kaladin came across a group of former [[Parshmen]], and Kaladin willingly gave himself up to see where this would go.{{book ref|sa3|14}} Noticing that there was a [[voidspren]] accompanying the group, Syl began to act like a windspren again in order to fool her.{{book ref|sa3|17}} This being said, as [[Yixli]] wasn't always present with the newly-minted [[singer]]s, she did have the time to discuss matters with Kaladin. During one such conversation, she admitted that she didn't know why killing singers didn't feel wrong to her when killing humans did.{{book ref|sa3|20}}
 
[[File:{{image|Kaladin vs a Voidbringer.jpg|thumb|side=right|width=250px|<center><small>by {{a|Jules Aguimatang}}</small></center> Killing a [[Fused]] as a [[Shardblade]] ]]}}
 
The two eventually departed in a [[highstorm]] after seeing a [[Fused]] in [[Rathalas]].{{book ref|sa3|31}} Once back in [[Urithiru]], Kaladin focused on training his squires, with Syl accompanying him. At one point, she noticed some of her old [[honorspren]] acquaintances, and noted that they were not very fond of her, even though they had also began searching for bondmates.{{book ref|sa3|37}}
=== Journey Through Shadesmar ===
{{quote
| You'd better catch me before I scamper away! Wow! I’m feeling capricious today. I might just vanish again, off to where nobody can find me!
| Talking to the crew of ''[[Honor's Path]]''{{book ref|sa3|102}}
}}
 
Once in Shadesmar, Syl had a humanoid, and human-sized form, and began acting more like a physical creature.{{book ref|sa3|87}} Early on, her focus was on keeping Kaladin functioning in the face of his ongoing mental breakdown caused by the events of the palace battle.{{book ref|sa3|89}} Eventually, he felt good enough to ask her if she could carry a message to Dalinar, and she explained that she would lose her mind if she strayed too far from him in the [[Physical Realm]].{{book ref|sa3|91}}
 
[[File:{{image|Kaladin and Syl by cccrystalclear.jpg|thumb|side=left|width=250px|<center><small>by {{a|cccrystalclear}}</small></center> Trying to comfort Kaladin]]}}
 
During the journey south, towards a ship that could take them to [[Cultivation's Perpendicularity]], Syl shared some of the story of her past with Kaladin.{{book ref|sa3|95}} After they got aboard the [[Reacher]]s ship, she also mentioned that honorspren like her were not well-liked among other sapient spren, though she played it off by trying to get Kaladin and Shallan together.{{book ref|sa3|99}} It wasn't until the group began exploring the city of [[Celebrant]] that she finally revealed that there was a bounty on her head placed by her kin.{{book ref|sa3|102}}
 
Crossing the Perpendicularity, Syl returned to her semi-corporeal form, and accompanied Kaladin as a weapon in the [[Battle of Thaylen Field]].{{book ref|sa3|120}} After the battle, the two discussed once more the righteousness of fighting [[singer]]s, who were only trying to regain their home, with Kaladin deciding that he would still fight for humanity's survival and reassuring Syl that he would not kill her, or other sapient spren, ever again.{{book ref|sa3|121}} Eventually, the two went to rescue [[Skar]] and [[Drehy]], two of Kaladin's squires, who had managed to get Gavinor out of Kholinar.{{book ref|sa3|122}}
 
== Abilities and Attributes ==
[[File:Kaladin by Caio Santos.jpg|thumb|right|350px|<center><small>by {{a|Caio Santos}}</small></center> Empowering [[Kaladin]] ]]
 
Like other larger spren, Syl can change her form and choose who to show herself to, making her an excellent spy.{{book ref|sa3|97}} She can float or fly through the air, as well as walk sideways, and is particularly good at finding things.{{book ref|sa1|55}} She can also use [[Adhesion]] to stick things together. She generally uses this to play pranks on people, though she has also applied this ability to assist people.{{book ref|sa1|2}}{{book ref|sa3|77}} She's also, like all [[honorspren]], able to sense an oncoming [[highstorm]] days prior.{{book ref|sa3|20}}
 
=== Nahel Bond ===
{{quote
| I'm behind what is happening to you. I'm doing it. It's both of us. But without me, nothing would be changing in you. I'm . . . taking something from you. And giving something in return.
| Syl to [[Kaladin]]{{book ref|sa1|57}}
}}
 
As an honorspren, Syl has the capacity to bond with people, gaining higher sentience in the [[Physical Realm]] in exchange for granting her partner -- currently, [[Kaladin]] -- [[Windrunner]] abilities, including the [[Surge]]s of Adhesion and [[Gravitation]].{{book ref|sa1|57}} Beyond that, once her Surgebinder reaches the Third Oath, she is able to transform into a living, shape-shifting [[Shardblade]]. In this form, she's capable of communicating with [[Kaladin]] telepathically.{{book ref|sa2|86}}
 
However, there is a downside to this bond. When Kaladin strays from his Oaths and break them, Syl begins to lose her higher mental functions, to the point where she essentially dies.{{book ref|sa2|64}}{{book ref|sa2|69}} However, she is brought back once Kaladin returns to the path of the Windrunner and swears the Third Oath.{{book ref|sa2|84}}
 
== Trivia ==
Editors, Keepers
8,240

edits

Navigation menu