Difference between revisions of "Tien"

|booksfirst appeared=[[The StormlightWay of ArchiveKings]]

'''Tien''' is the second son of [[Lirin]] and [[Hesina]] and brother to [[Kaladin]] and [[Oroden]].{{book ref|sa1|16}}{{book ref|sa3|7}} Tien is two years Kaladin’s junior{{book ref|sa1|16}} and eighteen years older than Oroden.{{book ref|sa3|7}} He is pressed into Highmarshal [[Amaram]]’s army, where he is killed during battle.{{book ref|sa1|67}}

Before he died, Tien bonded a [[Cryptic]] and swore at least the first oath.{{wob ref|10278}}{{wob ref|10622}}{{wob ref|11157}} As a Lightweaver, he could access the [[Surge]]s of [[Illumination]] and [[SoulcastingTransformation]], had [[Resonance|enhanced mnemonic abilities]] and experienced color and light differently to those around him.{{wob ref|11531}} Tien's perception of someone could also cause slight alterations to their mood.{{wob ref|11531}} Tien attracted a Cryptic due to his hiding belief that he was not a good person, as he knew people saw him as a burst of sunshine and he didn't want them to see differently.{{wob ref|15236}}

As a young boy, Tien often spent time with his brother [[Kaladin]]. The pair were friends with [[Laral]], the daughter of Brightlord [[Wistiow]], and also spent time around the other children in the town; when he was eight, he and his brother hung out with [[Jam (Hearthstone)|Jam]], one of the other boys in the town. Jam’s father had been teaching him how to use a quarterstaff and the other children of the town were intrigued to find out what he had learnt. Tien’s father, [[Lirin]], did not approve of his sons spending time with the older children in the town, particularly if it interfered with Kaladin’s duties as surgeon’s assistant.{{book ref|sa1|10}}{{book ref|sa1|16}}

Tien often played with Kaladin and Laral, climbing rocks and searching the area for wildlife. On the day of Wistiow’s death, Tien spent time collecting rocks and looking for [[lurg]]s with his two friends. He presented his brother with one of the rocks he had found; a weathered stone that contained a hidden pattern of colored strata. Tien showed his older brother how the pattern would reveal itself when water was applied to the rock face. Kaladin attempted to return the stone to Tien, however, his brother insisted that he keep it. Tien often found rocks that he would pass along to Kaladin, in the hopes that they would help to lift his mood.{{book ref|sa1|16}}

Eighteen months after the arrival of Roshone, Tien’s father met with the Brightlord. [[Hesina]] was tasked with distracting her two sons, to keep them away from the meeting. Tien had found a new rock, that he shared with his mother and brother while the three prepared the evening meal. He found the rock fascinating as it changed color when viewed from different angles. Hesina, suggested that the change was caused by the spren of the rock and the three spoke further about spren and souls. Tien disagreed with his mother, explaining that he thought the change was caused by light instead of spren. During the conversation, Kaladin snuck away to join his father at Roshone’s manor. After the dinner, Lirin admitted to Kaladin that the spheres had been stolen, and requested that Kaladin did not inform his brother of what he had learnt.{{book ref|sa1|37}}

Tien and Kaladin often spend time together as children and play pranks on the other members of their family.{{book ref|sa1|16}} During their childhoods, they would wrestle for fun as well as play catch and climb rocks with [[Laral]].{{book ref|sa1|16}}{{book ref|sa3|5}} Of the three of them, Laral was always the better climber.{{book ref|sa1|16}}

Many years later, when Kaladin is attempting suicide after [[Teft]]'s death, [[Dalinar]] uses his Bondsmith abilities to Connect Kaladin to a "memory" of Tien, showing Kaladin a vision similar to ones Dalinar has seen. In the vision, Tien manages to convince Kaladin that his friends' deaths aren't his fault, and that Kaladin was able to help them in their difficult times, and that's what matters. This leads Kaladin to speak his Fourth Ideal.{{book ref|sa4|110108}} It is unclear if this is actually Tien's soul, or if it is simply a memory of him.