User:LadyLameness/Kharbranth

{!{settlement |map=kharbranth.jpg |region=Frostlands |world=Roshar |books=The Stormlight Archive }}{!{spoilers|book=sa3}}{!{update|book=sa3}} Kharbranth, City of Bells, is an independent city-state on Roshar, ruled by the King Taravangian. It is one of the five Vorin nations and home to the Palanaeum, the largest library on Roshar. Kharbranth is also known for the quality of its hospitals, and people come from all over the world to train in medicine. Colours of Kharbranthian royalty - burnt orange and white

Geography and Ecology

Location

Kharbranth is located on the western coast of the Frostlands, within a natural harbor that opens onto the Tarat Sea. One of the most protected cities on Roshar, Kharbranth has a southernly orientation and is naturally protected on both its eastern and western fronts. The honorspren capital, Unyielding Fidelity, is situated close to Kharbranth within the Cognitive Realm.

Residing within a natural wedge shaped lait that opens onto the sea, Kharbranth is built on unbroken stone and extends down the side of and into the surrounding mountain. While the city itself is well protected from the Highstorm, the mountain shielding it from the east bears the full force of the storm, leading to occasional cave-in's within the Conclave and rockslides on the stormside of the mountain. Bells can be found in multitudes throughout the city, supposedly to warn of the passing Highstorm, which has been said to be too gentle to notice otherwise. The regularity and presence of these bells has earned Kharbranth the nickname of the City of Bells. Clock bells are rung on the hour, through the day.

Famous for its crowds, the streets of Kharbranth are often packed during both the day and at night. The Ralinsa, the main thoroughfare made up of a series of switchbacks, connects the port and docks with the Conclave at the top of the mountain. The steepness of the pathways makes it difficult to use chull pulled carts to transport goods, and instead merchants will hire workers to carry their products through the city. Rickshaw's and palaquin's are available to hire for transport throughout the city.^{[citation needed]}

Buildings are constructed from either crem, daub, mud, or a combination of all three, blocky in nature and either built on top of, or carved out of the mountain. Each structure is painted vibrant colors, with each color symbolising the function of the building. Most buildings are either red or orange with fewer being painted blue or yellow. Violet colored buildings signify tailors or cloth merchants, while food can be purchased in green buildings. Dine-in restaurants are also commonly found in Kharbranth. Homes are painted in pastel colors and use different patterns than commercial buildings.

Notable Landmarks

The Conclave

The Conclave can be located at the top of the city and is built down into the surrounding mountain. The Conclave serves as both an official building and a residential abode, with a section of the building serving as the kings palace, and another as a residential wing for guests. Hidden deep within the Conclave is a secret hospital run by Taravangian and the Diagram. Terminally ill patients, as well as the extremely poor, are taken to this hospital to be killed, in the hopes that as they will deliver a Death Rattle as they die.

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The Palanaeum

The Palanaeum can be located within the Conclave. The Palanaeum is the largest known library on Roshar and contains over seven hundred thousand texts. Entrance to the Palanaeum is expensive, with the funds collected being used to finance Kharbranth's hospitals. The Palanaeum also doubles as Kharbranth's royal treasury and houses the city's store of emeralds.

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Kharbranthian Hospitals

Kharbranth's medical practices are well known throughout eastern Roshar, and at least parts of western Roshar, with the Kharbranthian royal colors and banner being synonymous with surgeons and the idea of healing. This reputation is well earned, with Kharbranthian surgeons providing unprompted aid following the Battle of Vedenar (1173), and both before and after the Battle of Thaylen City (1174).

Kharbranth is famous for both the number and quality of its hospitals, with medical care being available for both physical and psychological illnesses. Any who require assistance will be treated, regardless of eye color, social ranking, or nationality. Taravangian is a frequent visitor to the hospitals and is warmly welcomed by patients during their stay. During his visits, he will stop and speak with each patient individually, checking in on their care and wellbeing.

Private patient rooms, along with larger wards, can be found in some, if not all, of Kharbranth's hospitals. The wards are segregated by gender and resemble large hallways. Partitions can be set up around each bed to provide privacy for each patient. The hospital that Shallan is initially admitted to after being poisoned by Kabsal, is run by an ardent named Mungam.

The Great Concourse of Kharbranth

The Great Concourse of Kharbranth is a training school for surgeons and healers, which offers the best medical training available. Tuition to the Concourse is expensive and there are strict and rigorous entrance exams, which can be taken by those over the age of sixteen.

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Features

- May be older than the Last Desolation - at least one in world source claims it was built during the shadowdays - A small politically fragile city state but also a free city The city-state consists of only Kharbranth - Docks open to all regardless of nationality or status - Animals can be found around the docks (and presumably throughout the city): skyeels, crabs, haspers, mink - Considered by Captain Tozbek to be a 'safe city' - Long/Scenic and short/direct route from the docks to the Conclave - Strong smells to the city. Spicy scents of food, the pungent smell of alleyways. Shallan describes the city as not having a clean smell. - Noisy. A hundred voices called to one another, mingling with doors slamming, wheels rolling on stone, occasional skyeels crying. The ever-present bells tinkled in the background, louder when the wind blew.

- The city continues to function late at night and the streets are still busy and full of noise from voices and bells - Kharbranth has a theatre district

- Kabsal compares Kharbranth to Kholinar, believing them both to be made by the Almighty. - A cymatic of Kharbranth has not yet been found

- Blocky and colourful. A majority of the buildings are red and orange, with the occasional blue or yellow. - Buildings are grouped by colour which also indicates purpose - Violet for clothing, green for food. Homes are also painted but in pastel colours with a different pattern. - Constructed from some sort of mud/daub/crem - The Conclave, Palanaeum and King's Palace are located at the top of the city - Most buildings set directly on rock, while some are carved from it

- Kharbranth has a large number of hospitals that are frequently visited by Taravangian

Everything in the palace is built downwards It's possible to buy a map of the palace Taravangian's study is built underground. A large section of rock has been carved out and a window installed that overlooks the city and out to surrounding sea There is a passage from Taravangian's study to his secret hospital

Kharbranth has restaurants

“The only things Kharbranth has to sell are fish, bells, and information. The first two are hardly unique to us. But the third … well, the Palanaeum has the finest collection of tomes and scrolls on Roshar. ”

—Master Servant to Shallan

History

Early History

Kharbranth was formerly a pirate town in its early years, before becoming a real city over the course of decades.Template:Annotation ref It is culturally diverse, with people from all over Roshar both visiting and residing there.

Shallan, Jasnah, Taravangian

1173: Shallan arrived in Kharbranth on the ship, The Wind's Pleasure, searching for Princess Jasnah Kholin who had relocated to the city. Jasnah used the Palanaeum in her research of the Voidbringers.

Jasnah saves Taravangian's granddaughter after a cave-in following a highstorm. In exchange, she is granted access to the Palanaeum

After being initially denied her request for wardship, Shallan waited for the Brightwoman in the Veil, while Jasnah was within the Palanaeum. It is here that she first meets Kabsal, an Ardent who had come to the balcony also looking for Jasnah.

Jasnah was not initially impressed to see Shallan, snapping at her and sending her away. Not long after she apologised and after being further petitioned gave Shallan the chance to re-petition her once she had filled some of the gaps in her knowledge. Shallan met up with Yalb outside the Concave and on their way back to the Winds Pleasure, he inspires an idea in Shallan about how she could speed up her chances to re-petition Jasnah. They visit a Thaylen bookstore, where Yalb pretended to be a servant from a rival merchant to help bring down the price of Shallan's purchase. Heading back to the Palanaem, Shallan rented the balcony next to Jasnah's with the intent of cramming information. Jasnah joined her before she could begin and accepted Shallan as her ward, after first perusing her sketchbook and it's annotations.

Jasnah wrote to Dalinar, telling him about how she had travelled to Kharbranth to seek knowledge on her current field of study. While the Palanaeum did not contain anything obvious, she had found hints and fragments of the information she sought.

Shallan spoke via spanreed with her brothers about her progress in securing Jasnah's soulcaster. She learned that the estate had been visited by members of the Ghostblood who had supplied her father with the soulcaster and now wished for its return. Later in the Veil, Jasnah joined Shallan while she studied and the two spoke about the nature of scholarship and historians until they were joined by the King, Taravangian. The three ate lunch together and Shallan sketched a picture of the King at his request. The King asked Jasnah about her soulcaster, however, she refused to answer his questions. They then discussed religion. Shallan was unable to give the King her drawing as she had unconsciously drawn cryptics in the background.

Shallan was sent to the Palanaeum proper by Jasnah to locate a copy of the book Dialogues. Shallan used this time to also locate Shadows Remembered, a book that she had previously seen Jasnah reading. Shallan was disappointed to learn it was a book about darkeyed children's stories. Later, Kabsal expressed his concerns to Shallan about her spiritual wellbeing and the effect that Jasnah's hearsay may have on her. Shallan denied that she was being influenced by Jasnah's lack of religious beliefs. Kabsal tried to convince Shallan to change to his Devotary and shows her the cymatics patterns that can be found in the structure og four of Roshar's major cities: Thaylen City, Kholinar, Akinah and Vedenar. Jasnah was not impressed by the cymatics patterns and Kabsal left shortly after she arrived. Jasnah warned Shallan that he was trying to obtain her soulcaster and would try and turn Shallan to get her aid in doing so.

Presented with the opportunity to switch the soulcasters, Shallan found she was unable to follow through. She went with Jasnah into the city late at night and the pair were attacked by criminals. She soulcast the four men, one into fire, one into quartz and two into smoke, saving both her and Shallan's life. Jasnah had deliberately taken them to a specific street where the criminals had been attacking, robbing and killing people. She had planned to dispatch of the men as a service to Taravangian who she felt had put himself in a more precarious position than he realised when he allied with her and allowed her access to the Palanaeum. After retiring to their rooms in the Conclave, Shallan switched the soulcasters while Jasnah was not looking, motivated by her revulsion over what Jasnah had done in the alley.

Alone in her room, Shallan contemplated morality and the different philosophical views of ethics, while recreating drawings of the encounter in the alley. By doing so she is not only forced to examine Jasnah's actions, but also her own; both in her plan to steal Jasnah's soulcaster but also her role in the death of her father. Lost in thought, she unconsciously drew a scene from her childhood; the death of her mothers lover. Spooked by the drawing, Shallan left her quarters, but was interrupted by a master-servant who had brought her spanreed which had activated. Shallan spoke with her brother and informed him that she had secured the soulcaster but would be unable to leave until she knew she would not be implicated. When a maid arrived to clean the rooms, Shallan transferred the soulcaster to her safe pouch and left to draw in the garden. After spending some time sketching, Shallan attempted to figure out how the soulcaster worked, however, was ultimately unsuccessful.

After two weeks of thought over the incident in the alley, Shallan gives Jasnah her philosophical conclusions over the Alethi princess' actions. Jasnah excused Shallan from her study for the rest of the day and Shallan retired to her room to again try to work the Soulcaster. While taking a break, she hears a disembodied whisper within her room. She quickly realises that the maid is in the main room doing her daily clean. Despite admitting to herself that the words had come from inside her room and had been softly whispered, she convinced herself that she had misheard the sounds of the maid cleaning and interpreted them as words. Shallan realised that the maid had gone into Jasnah's room by mistake to clean, despite strict rules not to. She sent the maid away to apologise to Jasnah then used the opportunity to snoop. In the room, she found several of Jasnah's journals - one on Urithiru, one on the voidbringers and one on New Natanatan, The Shattered Plains and the Unclaimed Hills. She is pulled away from searching by Kabsal, who arrived offering her lunch. In the gardens they flirted and talked about Shallan's father and soulcasting. Kabsal hid when Taravangian entered the gardens, and confessed he was supposed to be working instead of having lunch with Shallan. He left shortly after and Shallan returned to her rooms. Back in her rooms, Shallan found a note from Captain Tozbek of the Wind's pleasure advising that they would be returning to Kharbranth in a weeks time and would be able to take her back to Vedenar. Shallan returned to the Veil to join Jasnah in her study, wanting to make the most of the time she had left in the city to dedicate to scholarship.

While studying the death of King Gavilar Kholin, Shallan noted that he had been incredibly interested in the Parshendi people and their culture for a man who had never before been interested in scholarship. Jasnah confirmed her fathers interest in the Parshendi had begun from his first meeting with them, a fact many often overlooked. Shallan, unsure of why Jasnah had her studying Gavilar, asked her mentor why she had been set to study what the princess had lived through. Their conversation carried them to the topic of Urithiru and the Voidbringers. Unable to get many answers out of her mentor and wanting to make the most of her dwindling access to the Palanaeum, Shallan excused herself under the false pretense of finding a copy of Tifandor's biography of Gavilar. After finding little in the way of conclusive information about the Voidbringers, Shallan began to make her way back through the Palanaeum, intending to rejoin Jasnah, however ran into Kabsal who had been looking for her. On their way back to the Veil, Shallan asked him about the Voidbringers, leading the two to discuss Jasnah's research. Taking her study to be about undermining Vorinism and the devotaries, Kabsal expressed his anger at the way the ardents were treated, before getting his emotions under control. Shallan, knowing she couldn't continue to hide her plans to leave, told Kabsal of her intentions. After he requested a portrait from her, the two returned to the Veil, where Shallan had left her drawing materials. He quickly requested a second sketch, this one of both of them, paying her for it with one of the King's spheres. To the second drawing, Shallan added the forms of several Cryptics to the background. Panicking, Shallan hurried away from the alcove, running back towards her rooms in the guest quarters. Along the way she continued to take Memories, drawing them out quickly to show the spren following along after her. After locking herself in her room, she takes one final Memory and discovered the beings to be crowded around her. Frightened, she began to summon her shardblade before being interrupted by one of the Crytics speaking to her. Prompted by his words, she speaks a Truth and she is transported to Shadesmar, where she unwittingly soul casts the goblet on her desk into blood. Returning to herself in her room, she hears Jasnah in their shared common area, coming to find her and make sure she was alright. To hide the fact that she had soulcast, Shallan cut a gash in her arm to pretend that the blood was her own.

Two days later, Shallan found herself confined to a hospital bed. Unable to leave as she was believed to be a suicide risk, she drew; pictures of the Shadesmar, of herself trapped in her room and bleeding and the Cryptics. They continued to follow her, lurking at the edges of the hospital room and filled her with unease. During his visit, Taravangian granted Shallan's request for visitors and Jasnah joined her, not long after the King had left. Believing that Shallan had tried to kill herself from being overworked, Jasnah apologised and gave her the Book of Endless Pages, a central part of the Devotary of Sincerity. Shortly after, Kabsal joined the pair, bring with him - as always - bread and jam. This time he presented her with strawberry jam, rarely found on Roshar as it could only be produced in Shinovar. Jasnah examined the jar, subtly soulcasting it as she believed it to contain poison. Shallan insisted that the princess have some of the bread brought by the ardent even if she would not have any jam. Again, Jasnah soulcast the bread to remove any poison. Kabsal offered Shallan the jam, however it was no longer appealing and Shallan refused in disgust. Alarmed, Kabsal insisted that Shallan try it, eating a large glob to try and counteract the poison he had also ingested that had been sprinkled on the bed. When Shallan continued to refuse he tried to flee, however collapsed. The poison began to affect Shallan and Jasnah called for a garnet to be brought to her so that she could soulcast Shallan's blood, removing the toxin. Confused and drugged, Shallan tried to tell her that the princess' soulcaster was fake and pulled her safepouch from her safehand sleeve, revealing that she had stolen the soulcaster. As she faded to unconsciousness, Shallan felt the effects of Jasnah's soulcasting, purifying her body of the poison.

Shallan woke after being poisoned in a guarded private room in the hospital. Informed that Shallan had awoken, Jasnah went to speak with her and demanded to know who Shallan had been working with the steal the soulcaster. Shallan denied working with the ardentia and told her former mentor about her fathers death and her family's desperate need for money to pay off his debts. She learned that Kabsal had died from the poison he had ingested and had been using Shallan as a way to get close to Jasnah and assassinate her. Arrangements had been made by Jasnah for Shallan to return to Jah Keved, more than Shallan believed she deserved. Jasnah left, leaving Shallan to contemplate and wallow in her guilt.

Confused, Shallan drew out the scenes, first of Jasnah when she had inspected the jam then of her eating the bread. The more Shallan pondered the events in the hospital ward, the more confused she became. Why did she scoop the jam from the jar to smell it? It had smelt terrible, yet she hadn’t reacted to it at all. She had reacted to the bread, Shallan remembered. She didn’t have a Memory of the moment, but in her sketch the bread Jasnah had eaten looked as if it had been melting . Shallan left the hospital to find Jasnah, travelling through the city to the Concave and then onto the Palanaeum. She ignored Jasnah’s hostility when she reached the Veil balcony, telling the princess that she believed the fabrial she had stolen to be fake and showing her a drawing she had done of Shadesmar. Jasnah tried to dismiss Shallan, telling her she was being delusional. To prove to Jasnah that she knew the princess’ secret, Shallan called on Pattern to help her transition into the Cognitive Realm and admitted to what she did to her father. The spren accepted the confession as a Truth and Shallan’s mind was transported to Shadesmar. She was saved by Jasnah before she sank too far below the surface of the beads and returned to her body in the Physical Realm. Shallan petitioned Jasnah to become her ward again, and after some initial resistance on the princess’ part, Jasnah accepted Shallan back and shared her research on the Voidbringers.

After slaughtering his way through Jah Keved, Szeth travelled to Kharbranth to assassinate King Taravangian, the last person on the list of names he had been given. Travelling to the palace under the guise of being a porter, he used is shardblade to gain access to the King's quarters, subduing the guards who had been tasked with protecting Taravangian. The King did not acknowledge Szeth when he declared his intent to kill him, instead commenting on the havoc the Shin man had caused. Szeth realised that Taravangian had been the unknown master who had tasked him to kill and cause panic. After checking on his injured guards and calling for medical aid, Taravangian took Szeth to a large room filled the sick and dying. He was horrified to find that the healers, instead of caring for the patients were killing them. Taravangian explained that the dying could see things that the rest of them couldn't and the cost of killing those who were already sick or unwanted would be worth the death rattles that they could produce. Taravangian added Dalinar Kholin's name to Szeth's list, and insisted that the Highprince be killed quickly before he had time to unite the Alethi.

Confused by Jasnah's earlier comment about not being good at soulcasting organics, Shallan probed the older woman for more information about how she had soulcaster he blood and saved her life. Jasnah mentioned briefly it was due to blood being one of the Essences, where as the jam had been more complex. When Shallan asked her if she also saw cryptics, Jasnah told her that there was more than one order of Knights Radiant that had the ability to soulcast. Jasnah had assumed that like herself, Shallan would be of the Elsecaller order, however, now understood that while they shared a surge, they could access it through nahel bonds with different types of spren. Jasnah explained her work on the Voidbringers, giving Shallan her notes to look over who came to the same conclusion her mentor had: that the parshmen were the Voidbringers and they had been enslaved by the humans.

Having read through Jasnah's notes and been convinced that he mentor was correct in her findings, Shallan and Jasnah spoke on the implications of the discovery. Jasnah was convinced that the Parshendi and her fathers death were linked to the parshman. In times long past, after periods of peace the voidbringers - the parshmen, thought Jasnah - would invade and bring with them death and destruction. The were the reason for the Desolations and humanity had not just enslaved them to end the constant fighting but overtime forgotten who they were and intergrated them into every aspect of their society. Shallan realised with horror the chaos that would ensure if all the parshmen of the world were to suddenly revolt. Jasnah enlisted Shallan's help in furthering her research, collecting and collating more information on the Desolations, the Heralds and the Voidbringers. Having exhausted the Palaneaum's resources, Jasnah told Shallan that they would head towards the Shattered Plains so that they could gain further information about the Parshendi. Jasnah acknowledged that there were others looking for the information they sought; a group known as the Ghostbloods, of whom Kabsal had been apart of and who had been behind the assassination attempt. Shallan recognised the symbol of the group as the same one that her father's steward had worn as a pendant. Realising that this group was likely the same one who had insisted on the return of the Soulcaster, Shallan told Jasnah that her father may have been apart of the Ghostbloods.

Shallan and Jasnah leave for the Shattered Plains aboard the Wind's Pleasure, who had been delayed after reaching Kharbranth.

Dova is left in charge of the Death Rattles when Taravangian travels to Jah Keved to take control of the country. The Death Rattles had become more infrequent and Taravangian suspected that Moelach had moved westward, drawn away from Kharbranth. Taravangian decided to continue with the killings, finding that the cost of further life would be worth the risk if more Death Rattles were revealed.

Shallan used palanquin's extensively during her stay in Kharbranth.

Navani had been in contact with the Palanaeum to try and gain more information into the Old Magic after she learnt of Dalinar's visit to the Nightwatcher. She found it frustratingly difficult to get information as the Palanaeum was being swamped with requests for research into the Voidbringers from all over Roshar. She was able to gain the information she sought through a combination of Taravangian's upcoming visit to Urithiru and old debts she could call upon.

Lirin and Kaladin

As a youth, Lirin travelled to Kharbranth as a .... He is later trained to be a surgeon by Vathe, a man who lives in a village near Hearthstone who had been trained by the surgeons in the Great Concourse of Kharbranth.

Lirin sometimes regretted leaving Kharbranth and returning to Hearthstone.

Lirin desired to send his son Kaladin to Kharbranth to train as a surgeon at the Great Concourse of Kharbranth when he turned sixteen. Lirin and his wife Hesina stole a large number of spheres from the deceased citylord of Hearthstone, claiming to have been given them by Brightlord Wistiow on his deathbed, in order to fund Kaladin's study in Kharbranth.^{[citation needed]} After the arrival of Roshone in Hearthstone, Lirin and Hesina wrote to the surgeons in Kharbranth with a plea to let their son take the entry tests early. Their request was denied. Lirin considered escaping Hearthstone and taking his family to Kharbranth after Roshone cut off all their means of income, however, decided instead to stay and continue to oppose the Brightlord. Ultimately, Kaladin, never got the chance to use the spheres as he followed his brother to the army in the hopes of protecting Tien, thus trading being a surgeon for being a soldier.

After the Everstorm

After the Battle of Narak, Dalinar sent messages to the other kingdom's on Roshar in warning. Only Taravangian responded

Kadash mentioned to Dalinar after his wedding that he had tried to placate the councils of Kharbranth and Jah Keved who were worried about Dalinar's intentions with refounding the Knights Radiant. This became much harder after Dalinar began saying the Almighty was dead.

Taravangian sent a message to Dalinar, responding to the missive sent out by the Alethi to the many rulers of Roshar's kingdoms. In his communication he told Dalinar that he had located the Veden Oathgate and a Radiant - Malata - had approached him at the suggestion of her spren. He would see if the Oathgate could by opened using her Shardblade and if so would join Dalinar in Urithiru and combine their forces.

Taravangian along with a consort of people including Malata and Adrotagia, Kharbranth's head scribe, arrived at Urithiru. Prior to the visit, Navani got in contact with the Palanaeum as she was after information on the NIghtwatcher and the boon and curse. She had difficulty as ever since the Everstorm, the Palanaeum had been inundated with requests for research into the Voidbringers. Taravangian's visit to Urithiru, as well as a favour owed to her, got Navani access to the information she had been after. Dalinar lets Taravangian and Adrotagia join him in hearing the response of Tezim in the hopes that it would allow them to feel as if they were part of the alliance and as their insight might have been of use to Dalinar.

The leaders of Vorinism across the five Vorin nations hold a meeting via spanreed where they discuss the Desolation and the Everstorm the day that Dalinar and Kadash return to the warcamps and go to the monastery buildings.

Taravangian commandeered 20 merchant ships to sail his healers to Thaylen City to help with the wounded. He said he could get 10 more ships from Kharbranth to join the make shift navy that the coalition form to protect Thaylen City from attack. Moelach moved on from Kharbranth to settle in the Horneater Peaks. Joshor followed the Unmade to gain the Diagram access to the Death Rattles again. Taravangian assigned Dova the task of leaking information on Dalinar and the coalition

During the Battle of Thaylen City, Teshav mentions to Renarin that Malata is the only Radiant at Urithiru still who can open the Oathgate, but she, along with the entire Kharbranthian contingent, haven't been contactable since Urithiru was attacked. Teshav says that the Singers attacked them first to cripple the Alethi forces retreat.

Kaladin flies from Thaylen city to Kharbranth after the battle, and stops there for the night before continuing on to Alethkar. He requisitioned gemstones from the Kharbranthian royal treasury before he moved on.

Misc

Dalinar considers seeking help in Kharbranth when he is unsure if he is losing his mind. He mentioned to Adolin that if he went through with his plan to stand aside as Highprince he would then travel to Kharbranth to seek help.

Rock suggests that Bridge Four could travel to Kharbranth after escaping from the warcamps.

Rushu spent several weeks in contact with scholars in Kharbranth (using an information station) looking for information on the use of gemstones in the hilt of Shardblades after querying why Blades can still be dismissed and summoned when the gems had gone dun. The scholars in Kharbranth (presumably the Palanaeum) were able to find fragment from several decades post Recreance that mentioned that the ability to bond the blades became possible after the addition of gemstones (which had initially been added as ornamentation)

Politics

- Vorin ranks - Taravangian would be on the level of first dahn (?) but does not use the ranking system as it would negatively affect foreign relations - find WOB and confirm Jasnah would rank higher? - confirm against WOB

Kharbranth was strong allies with Jah Keved, Alethkar and Natanatan following the Recreance because of their shared religion.

- Taravangian is a beloved King to the dark eyed citizen's of Kharbranth because of his dedication to building and maintaining a large number of hospitals. Lighteyes, however, find him dull and not a fantastic politician. - Taravangian gained enemies by welcoming Jasnah to Kharbranth

- Several murders occur in the same street near the theatre district, however, the city watch takes no action to prevent further death, despite several reprimands from Taravangian. This may be due to backroom deals between the commander of the city watch and his cousin who is a politically influential lighteyes in the city. There is also rumors that the criminals are bribing the watch. - Jasnah worries about the trouble she may bring Taravangian through his alliance with her.

Taravangian also visits the hospitals in Kharbranth frequently and is well liked by the patients. The landlords and houselords involved in the political court of Kharbranth complain about how often the King spends in the hospitals but also exploit the political freedom that it allows them

The council of Kharbranth were weary of Dalinar's intentions with refounding the Knights Radiant. Kadash tried to reassure them that Dalinar only meant well

Taravangian rules Kharbranth along side a governing council. Taravangian agrees to combine his forces with Dalinar after the Alethi wrote to the rulers of Roshar to try and unite them.

Out of all the rulers that were initially contacted by Dalinar, Taravangian as the only one who had agreed to listen to him.

Adrotagia is the head scribe of Kharbranth A scribe was left running Kharbranth in Taravangian's absence It is rumored that either this scribe or Adrotagia are the true powers that run the city state and Taravangian is kept only as a figure head. Dalinar found that it made sense for Kharbranth to have a congenial figure head, as the city state was meant to be unassuming and neutral

Taravangian's ability to govern Kharbranth is determined based upon the level of intelligence that he awakes with each day. When he is either too dull or too intelligent, he is unable to affect policy, and on days of extreme, he is not permitted to interact with others. Initially he had only placed a limit on control of policy for days of dullness, however, after a day of high intelligence )where he had proposed a number of changes to fix problems within the city, one which included limiting those who could have children based on their IQ), he changed his rules to restrict access and power on days at both ends of the bell curve. On the day that he had solved the Fabrisan Conundrum, he had had to be locked in the Palace to prevent him telling the outside world about his condition and ordering those of low intelligence to commit suicide for the good of the city.

Adrotagia is in attendance at scholar meetings in Urithiru

Military

Kharbranth has only a small army, as the Diagram requires the city state to be unassuming and unthreatening.

Kharbranth is deliberately unassuming and unthreatening and doesn't wage war

Kharbranth does not have a true navy but has a number of merchant ships it can commandeer if need be

Kharbranthian ships (that were docked in Jah Keved?) are sent to Thaylen City to help defend against the Singer attack. Dalinar notes that some of the faster ships of the combined Urithiru fleet fly Kharbranthian flags.

Culture

- Kharbranth owns no soulcasters

- Kharbranth has no human slaves

Peoples

People

` - Wide variety of people and cultures. - Jah Keved - shirts and trousers that lace at the front for men, skirts and colourful blouses for women - Tashikk - clothing of single sheet wraps - ?? - ankle length coats, open at the front - Natanatan - gloved hands and slightly bluish skin - ?? - tall stately people dressed in robes of black - ?? - Men with beards bound in cords, looking rodlike

- Kharbrathian's prefer soup for their lunch

- Palanquin's are available for use in Kharbranth. Shallan used them extensively during her stay in the city.

Religion

Kharbranth is a Vorin nation

The ardents hold a lot of sway in the city but so does Taravangian. He is not worried about them when he enlists Jasnah to help soulcast a rock and save his granddaughter.

"The king keeps careful track of his ardents"

There are none from the Devotary of Sincerity in Kharbranth

Notable Citizens

• Taravangian

Taravangian goes for walks at midday and often walks through the gardens.

He also visits the hospitals in Kharbranth frequently and is well liked by the patients

Taravangian is a beloved monarch He is known for his work building and maintaining the hospitals in Kharbranth It is widely known that Kharbranth will accept all who are in need of medical care He keeps a strict daily schedule

Taravangian was good friends with Gavilar as well as to Alethkar during Gavilar's reign Taravangian has always been known as a humble man, who kept to himself and had been of keen intelligence prior to his 'accident' According to Navani, Taravangian had always had a sense of earnestness and melancholy, though Dalinar did not remember it.

Taravangian can write and read Vorin women's script. He was raised and trained as a noble. He is connected to Veden royalty through a marriage in his mothers side of the family. Highprince Valam (of Jah Keved), named Taravangian his heir shortly before his death

• Adrotagia

• Dova

Dova is an ardent in Kharbranth who discovered the work being done by the Diagram to collect the Death Rattles. She joined their ranks and helps oversee the Death Rattle collections. Taravangian was surprised that their work would attract an ardent. Taravangian believes (or tells Dalinar) that Dova is Battah'Elin. She told Taravangian about the approach of the Desolation.

Dukar is one of Taravanian's stormwardens that administers his daily tests.

See Also

All chapters added.

Notes

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