Teft

Teft
by Ashley Coad
Abilities	Windrunner, Shardbearer
Profession	Soldier Bridgeman (formerly)
Groups	Knights Radiant (Windrunner), Bridge Four, Envisagers (formerly), Sadeas army (formerly), Kholin army
Residence	Urithiru
Nationality	Alethi
Homeworld	Roshar

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Teft is a darkeyed soldier and a Windrunner from Alethkar on Roshar.

Appearance and Personality

He is long past his twenties. He has tan skin, drooping cheeks, brown eyes with an epicanthic fold, and close-cropped, grizzled white-salted hair. He keeps a neat, short and square beard that is light brown, mixed with patches of gray.

Teft has harbored a firemoss addiction since his time in Sadeas' army which was a deep cause of personal shame and grief for him. Even after bonding a Honorspren, he harbored feelings of inadequacy and shame, believing that was incapable of upholding the ideals of a Radiant due his past actions. With the encouragement of Bridge Four and his spren he was able to overcome this and swear his third ideal.

• Images of Teft
• 

  Portrait by Ashley Coad

• 

  Teft portrait by User: Therustyrobot

• 

  Teft using firemoss by Matthew Johnson

History

Early Life

Teft was born in Alethkar to a family that belonged to a cult known as the Envisagers. They believed if they could find a way to return the Voidbringers, the Knights Radiant would return as well. Envisagers purposefully put their lives in danger in order to manifest Surgebinding powers. Teft's mother died in one of these attempts. Teft reported the Envisagers to the citylord, and a trial was held for them with all of them being executed, including Teft's father whom he watched being hanged.

Eventually, Teft joined the army as a spearman. He became a sergeant, and made his way to the Shattered Plains. He was sent to the bridge crews as a punishment, and after camp infractions transferred to Bridge Four.

Bridge Four

Teft ended up in the bridge crews of Sadeas's warcamp on the Shattered Plains. He blames himself for destroying the Envisagers. After committing infraction he was transferred to Bridge Four, where Kaladin befriended him and he ended up in his inner circle along with Rock, actively helping him in his plans.

Teft was the first to suspect Kaladin might be able to use Stormlight, saving Kaladin's life in the process. He learned this by (amongst other things) pushing a dun sphere into Kaladin's hand, claiming it to be "for luck" just before Kaladin was to be left outside alone to face "the judgement of the Stormfather" by way of the highstorm. After the storm the sphere Kaladin had been given appeared to still be dun, even though it should have been infused with light by the highstorm it was left outside during, leading Teft to muse, "An empty sphere after a storm, he thought. And a man who's still alive when he should be dead. Two impossibilities." That meant Kaladin had "stolen" the light that infused the sphere, which left Teft almost certain that Kaladin had the ability to infuse Stormlight and that Kaladin was part of the events the Envisagers had been waiting for. When Kaladin was recovering from his wounds and fever after the highstorm, Teft brought three small infused diamond spheres and pressed them into Kaladin's hand, waiting anxiously to see what would happen. When Teft had nearly lost hope of being right about the events and their meaning, Kaladin drew in a short powerful breath, infusing himself with Stormlight and began to glow from the leaking Stormlight. Teft, knowing there was a healing effect to the Stormlight, repeated this treatment enough as to not draw suspicion from the other bridgemen. Ten days after the hanging in the highstorm, Kaladin arose. These revelations sparked a heavy curiosity in Teft, prompting questions that indirectly asked if Kaladin was willing to discuss his use of Stormlight, or if he was aware of his own abilities. At one point, Kaladin was handed a bag of infused spheres, Teft then threw a surprise punch at Kaladin to cause a reflexive infusion, which worked, and led both Kaladin and Lopen to notice the soft glow coming from Kaladin's skin. Kaladin also noticed his familiar surge of strength and focus. After time passed and they were both certain of Kaladin's abilities. Teft, with the aid of Lopen, (seeing as he had become privy to the secret) and to some degree Syl, worked with Kaladin to help understand and trigger his new found powers. He shared with Kaladin what he knew about Radiants and their ways, from his youth in the Envisagers. He was also the one to tell Kaladin the words of the First Ideal. Kaladin seemed to almost (whether by instinct or experience is not clear) understand the meaning and reasoning behind the words, and once spoke them just before infusing himself with Stormlight. Later, after Kaladin spoke the Second Ideal and a thunder-like sound was heard, Teft understood it to be something in the world changing.

During his many conversations with Kaladin, he has repeatedly stated that he isn't trustworthy. This is most likely either because of the events that lead to the fall of the Envisagers, or because of his firemoss addiction (which was not revealed until much later).

Kaladin discovered Teft had military experience and was a sergeant before becoming a bridgeman. He became invaluable to Kaladin's leadership, by playing sergeant to Kaladin's captain, taking command when asked, ordered, or during times Kaladin was indisposed. His military experience was never divulged in great detail, as the history of bridgemen's personal lives seemed to be their most guarded secret.

Teft joined with the rest of Bridge Four as Dalinar Kholin's personal guard.

Teft is a Firemoss addict, a fact he hides (unsuccessfully) from the rest of Bridge Four.

Notes

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