Difference between revisions of "Taravangian"
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{{character
|image=Taravangian by stinkypanda.jpg
|descendants=[[Gvori]], [[Karavaniga]], [[Ruli]], [[Taravangian's granddaughter|granddaughter]]
|abilities={{tag+|oldmagic
|titles=King of [[Kharbranth]]
|aliases=Vargo
|groups={{tag|
|'residence=[[Kharbranth]] (palace), {{tag|Urithiru|cat=Residents of Urithiru}}<!-- renting a room & plotting everyone's demise -->
|nation=Kharbranth
|books=[[The Stormlight Archive]]
}}
{{quote
|I am the monster who will save this world.
|Taravangian to Szeth{{book ref|sa1|
}}
'''Taravangian''' is the king of [[Kharbranth]]{{book ref|sa1|3}} and [[Jah Keved
== Appearance and Personality ==
|Taravangian to Dalinar{{book ref|sa3|86}}
}}
Taravangian is an aged man with a wrinkled, clean-shaven face. He has pale grey eyes and an open, kindly face.{{book ref|sa3|24}} He lives with perpetual aches in his body and other symptoms of old age.
He is popular among many for providing free access to city hospitals funded by an admittance fee to the [[Palanaeum]],{{book ref|sa1|7}} and he is known to visit the hospitals on a weekly basis.{{book ref|sa1|48}} Ruling Kharbranth with the help of a council,{{book ref|sa3|12}} he has been quiet and humble for his entire life, leading many people to believe he is slow witted.{{book ref|sa3|16}} People who know him better know he had a keen intelligence until his "illness" 5 years before the [[Battle of Thaylen Field]].{{book ref|sa3|21}} The illness is a consequence of a visit to the [[Nightwatcher]] who granted him great intelligence and great compassion, but cursed him to never have them at the same time. As a result, he wakes up every morning with a fluctuation of both. On some days, he cries and has compassion for everyone around him, while unable to have intelligent conversations,{{book ref|sa3|107}} while on others he is brilliant, yet easily speaks of killing singing children.{{book ref|sa3|i|5}}
Taravangian is a pragmatic man who considers it his duty to do whatever it takes to make a better world. When he poses a moral dilemma, asking what to do if three of four men are guilty of murder and one is unsure which is innocent, he says "To prevent murder to happen again … I must hang them and weep."{{book ref|sa3|28}} He believes religion fills gaps and brings a sense of comfort which prevents understanding. He trusts only the Diagram, which is the result of his raw intelligence.{{book ref|sa3|i|5}}
== Attributes and Abilities ==
Every morning he takes an intelligence test that he devised for himself on intelligent days. The test takes the better part of an hour and is made up of mathematical problems. A trio of [[stormwarden]]s consult regarding his answers and decide his intelligence for the day. The stormwardens as well as [[Mrall]], his head bodyguard, also decide if he is fit to rule and what restrictions he will be subject to. He is restricted to his room on both his worst and best of days because during both he tends to make irrational regulations. He also tends to be more compassionate the less intelligent he is. His intelligence changes during each night, regardless of whether he is asleep or awake.{{wob ref|11390}}
Taravangian has surprising knowledge of the [[Shin]] and the Shin language, which is rare outside of [[Shinovar]].{{book ref|sa1|71}} He also knows [[women's script]] and has solved [[Fabrisan|Fabrisan's Conundrum]].
He is responsible for Dalinar's knowledge of giving a spren what they want to capture them. This is key for his victory at the battle of [[Thaylen City]].{{book ref|sa3|100}}
== History ==
=== Background ===
When Taravangian was born, the surgeon said
He was childhood friends with [[Adrotagia]] and his nickname was Vargo.{{book ref|sa2|i|14}}
Taravangian
=== The Nightwatcher and the creation of the Diagram ===
Taravangian asked the [[Nightwatcher]] for "the capacity to save humankind." He was granted
On his day of greatest genius, "20 hours of lucid insanity"
The writing was transcribed and annotated into a book by [[Adrotagia]] and other scribes. The book came to be known as the [[Diagram (literature)|Diagram]]. Taravangian
One of the first things he
=== Kharbranth ===
{{image|Kharbranth characters.jpg|With Shallan , Kabsal, and Jasnah by|side=right|width=350px}}
During a [[
Jasnah recommended that the king and his staff move to the end of the hall to be out of range, however, Taravangian refused, and told her that he would not leave his granddaughter to go through the ordeal alone. The Alethi princess soulcast the stone into smoke, freeing the king's granddaughter along with the child's nursemaids and several palace servants. Taravangian offered to hold a feast as a way of thanking Jasnah, however, the princess declined, and instead requested to be taken directly to the Palanaeum so she could begin her study.{{book ref|sa1|5}}
The incident with Taravangian's granddaughter had been deliberately planned by the king. He suspected Jasnah was using means to soulcast that did not include the use of the fabrial she carried and intentionally engineered a scenario where he could observe her work. Despite his ulterior motives, he was concerned for his granddaughters wellbeing and did not want her to be harmed, despite putting her in a dangerous situation.{{wob ref|3242}}{{wob ref|8070}}
Weeks later, Taravangian joined [[Shallan]] and Jasnah for lunch on their balcony in the [[Palanaeum|Veil]]. In response to Jasnah's enquiry, he reported that his granddaughter had recovered from her ordeal, though now avoided the narrower passageways of the Conclave incase of a repeat incident. Curious, he asked the princess where she had acquired her soulcaster, however Jasnah declined to answer, telling him that her secrets were her own. Taravangian acknowledged her refusal and turned the subject towards Shallan and her artistic skills which had earned her quite the reputation in the Conclave and Palace. Shallan was all too happy to fulfil the king's request for a portrait, of which he intended to give as a gift to his granddaughter.{{book ref|sa1|29}}
While Shallan drew, the king struck up conversation again with Jasnah, this time about religion and the Jasnah's lack of faith. He had trouble understanding how she could differentiate between right and wrong when what was right was a dictate of the [[Almighty]]. Right and wrong, Jasnah argued, shouldn't be subject to the will of an unseen being. To her, morality and human will were as independent from religion as mathematics. Taravangian ultimately
Shallan, who had been engrossed in the conversation, went to finish her drawing of the king, however
After several people were killed in the
Weeks later, Taravangian visited Shallan in the hospital after her supposed suicide attempt. Taravangian visited the hospitals of Kharbranth at least once a week and was a welcomed sight for those admitted on the ward. During his visits he would sit and talk with each patient, checking on their progress
[[Szeth]], the [[Assassin in White]],
=== King of Jah Keved ===
The [[Diagram (literature)|Diagram]]
He is able to do so and orders Szeth to kill a number of world leaders, including [[Hanavanar]], the king of Jah Keved, as well as various other highprinces of Jah Keved.
The power vacuum in Jah Keved resulted in a devastating succession war, which wiped out all of the remaining highprinces. Taravangian arrived at the city in time for the death of the last Veden Highprince [[Valam]] who named him king of Jah Keved. His first step to uniting humanity was complete.
Taravangian is able to fulfill his plot without anyone suspecting his intervention. They believe he was given the title as an act of spite from Valam and accept Taravangian as King.{{book ref|sa3|12}}
=== Dalinar's coalition of Roshar ===
One of the
After this failure, Taravangian decided to move closer to Dalinar. He is the first and only King to answer and unite with Dalinar and moved to [[Urithiru]].{{book ref|sa3|12}} When he finds out no other King would be part of the coalition, he recommends invasion.{{book ref|sa3|24}} After his surprise on Dalinar's negotiation strategy, he agreed to follow him and eventually moved with him to Urithiru.{{book ref|sa3|58}}
Though he seems to work with Dalinar, he is secretly plotting to gain political advantage. He bursts the market by sending supplies via Jah Keved, he has his [[Knight Radiant]], [[Malata]] working the [[Oathgate]] and he sends merchant ships to Thaylen City with healers.{{book ref|sa3|29}} He shared their knowledge in [[fabrial]]s with [[Navani]],{{book ref|sa3|96}} and let them know of technology that will create half-shards.{{book ref|sa3|65}}
After having another brilliant day, he decides that the best action is to take Dalinar's place on the Coalition and after will push for its collapse. He believes this will make [[Odium]] meet his agreements and save "what he can, abandon the rest".{{book ref|sa3|i|5}}.
Though he was dismissed or not needed in the tactics meetings where the defences for Jah Keved were being planned, he was secretly plotting to find secrets that would destroy Dalinar. He sends his Radiant's spren [[Spark]] to spy on him and along with his scholars and other Diagram followers is able to pull off a very strong strategy.
During a meeting with all the other kingdoms' representatives where they determine the enemy would strike Thaylen City, he struck by leaking three facts.{{book ref|sa3|111}}
1) [[Elhokar]] had sworn to Dalinar as High King, and though this was meant to be as an [[Alethkar]] political tactic, some other kingdoms felt threatened that Dalinar would ask the same from them.
2) Reveals Dalinar's vision where Odium threatens to destroy the world. This causes conflict concerning the use powers that can't be controlled, in this case, Dalinar's.
3) The translation of the [[dawnchant]] proving that the [[voidbringers]] are really the humans, putting the war's legitimacy in question.
=== Battle of Thaylen Field and Aftermath ===
Taravangian was decided to ensure Dalinar's failure at
Much to Taravangian's surprise, Dalinar and his allies win the battle. He comes clean on several points, including his plotting to take the throne of Jah Keved, his usage of Szeth, and knowledge of the Desolation. He however kept to himself the existence of the Diagram and that he brought the singers to Urithiru. Though Dalinar would never again trust him as before, this does clear the air and their relationship is not fully broken.{{book ref|sa3|121}}
Eight days after the battle, on a day of below average intelligence, he received a vision from Odium, who took a tall form reminiscent of the [[Shin]] with a scepter in his hand. Taravangian tried to convince Odium that he only wanted to serve him and begs him to visit him another day, but Odium sees through him immediately and orders him not to prostrate himself. He then asked Taravangian why he would be inclined to speak with the king on a day of intelligence, thereby allowing him to negotiate from a position of power, declaring that such an event would never happen.
Taravangian then offered a deal to Odium, knowing the god couldn't afford to face Dalinar directly again for fear of losing a previously declared contest of champions. The agreement would trade his help by sharing the Diagram's information (though he could not read [[Renarin]]'s participation) and giving him the Honorblade in exchange for sparing the people of Kharbranth (the city itself, any humans born into it, and their spouses).{{book ref|sa3|
== Relationships ==
; [[Adrotagia]]: Taravangian's head scribe and closest friend. Even on his days of genius he is aware of her intelligence. He has real fondness for her. They are childhood friends.
; [[Malata]]: She is a Veden bodyguard and [[Dustbringer]]. She works for him and follows his lead, however she had said she "is not his" and they were there because her spren [[Spark]] suggested visiting [[Urithiru]] now that it has been rediscovered.{{book ref|sa3|27}}
; [[Odium]]: Taravangian is fully aware of Odium's power. On the day Taravangian created the Diagram, he drafted out plans to save humanity from Odium. But on the same day, he also anticipated his direct confrontation with Odium after the Battle of Thaylen Field, and wrote down instructions for the future and dumber version of Taravangian on that day to follow. He explained that after the contest of champions was agreed, Odium would need people to do his bidding lest he get pressed into a duel he may lose. Taravangian makes a deal with Odium, trading the help of the [[Diagram (group)|Diagram]] and the Honorblade in exchange for sparing the people of Kharbranth. Odium comments on his drive, saying, "Your passion does you credit".{{book ref|sa3|122}}
; Taravangian's Grandchildren: Taravangian has three grandchildren who write to him. They are oblivious to the Diagram and his plans. The eldest is [[Gvori]], accepted at the school of storms, [[Karavaniga]], the middle accepted forwardship and little [[Ruli]]. He has another [[Taravangian's granddaughter|granddaughter]] whom he arranged to become trapped in a rockslide in an attempt to see [[Jasnah Kholin]] use her [[Soulcaster]]. Despite his ulterior motives, he was concerned for her wellbeing and did not want her to be harmed, even though he put her in a dangerous situation.{{wob ref|3242}}
== Quotes ==
{{quote
|Nightwatcher,
|Taravangian reflecting alone{{book ref|sa3|121}}
}}
== Trivia ==
* What happens to Taravangian increases multiple types of intelligence, not just raw 'processing power'. Someone tapping enough feruchemical zinc could achieve something similar but not quite the same.{{wob ref|3845}}
* Taravangian was
== Notes ==
{{holder
|title=King of [[Jah Keved]]
|prev=[[Valam]]
|this=
|next=
}}
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