User:LadyLameness/Lirin

LadyLameness/Lirin
by Jamie Knierim
Family Spouse Hesina Children Kaladin, Tien, Oroden
Residence	Hearthstone
Nationality	Alethi
Homeworld	Roshar

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Lirin is a darkeyed Alethi surgeon and citizen of the second nahn. He lives and works on the outskirts of Hearthstone within the kingdom of Alethkar. Lirin is married to Hesina and the father of Kaladin, Tien and Oroden.

As second nahn, Lirin and his family are full citizens of Alethkar, have the right to travel and the right of inquest. As well as this, Lirin's position as a surgeon grants him further legal protections such as immunity from enlistment.^{[citation needed]} Lirin's ancestors had not always been of such a high rank and the forefathers bought and worked their way up the social ladder throughout multiple generations.

Lirin’s home is built on the outskirts of Hearthstone and is larger than the normal household building due to the inclusion of his surgery room.

Appearance and Personality

Appearance

Lirin is balding, thin and bespectacled. His is diminutive and stands several fingers shorter than his wife. He rarely wears his glasses except when performing surgery as they are one of his most valued possessions and he fears breaking or damaging them as they would be difficult to replace.

Personality

Lirin is considered to be quite strange by the other townsfolk and they are often uncomfortable around both him and his family. While his wife attributes this reaction his learning and knowledge, Lirin finds that their hostility comes, at least in part, from their insecurities surrounding differences between his families social standing compared to that of the other townsfolk.

Regardless of their discomfort, the townsfolk of Hearthstone respect Lirin and appreciate the work he does. Lirin, in turn, cares about the people of Hearthstone, despite their aversion to him, and feels tied to the town through his connections with the other residents.

Lirin is stubborn and dislikes ambiguity, often becoming pessimistic when faced with uncertainty. While he prefers to not cause unnecessary strife or embarrassment, and will discount town gossip, he will confront those who pose a threat.

Lirin can be highly critical, particularly of those he does not agree with, and is a strong opponent to needless danger. He strongly aversive to violence,^{[citation needed]} and disagrees with the need for war, as well as the Calling of being a soldier. His explanations of the world are given with precision and are sometimes sterile in nature.

Lirin rarely drinks,{{book ref|sa1|31}, however his alcohol consumption increases after the death of Wistiow and the arrival of Roshone.

Beliefs

“The Heralds were sent to teach mankind ... They led us against the Voidbringers after we were cast from heaven.”

—Lirin to Kaladin

While Lirin believes in the teachings of the Heralds, this may only be because of their shared roots with the practice of medicine. He teaches his son Kaladin of their wisdom during his apprenticeship and is always carefully to outline the distinction between the Heralds and the Knights Radiant. According to Lirin, one of the fundamental tenets of the Vorin religion is the ability to climb in social rank. During his earlier years, Lirin did not believe in the existence of the Voidbringers. It is unknown as to whether Lirin believes that the Desolations have begun again, after his son brings news of the return of the Knights Radiant and the Voidbringers.^{[citation needed]}

History

During his youth, Lirin travelled to Kharbranth as a courier. During his travels, he had poor luck when meeting people from Thaylenah, all of whom tried to swindle him. After meeting his wife, Hesina, Lirin moved to Hearthstone and began a family.

Lirin was close friends with Brightlord Wistiow despite the difference in their social standing. Prior to Wistiow’s death, Lirin was supposedly bequeathed a large number of diamond broams to be used for Kaladin's education. Rumors surrounding the families acquisition of the sphere's began not long after Wistiow's death, with the other townsfolk whispering that they had been stolen by Lirin. Lirin did in fact, steal the sphere's, however, concrete evidence could never be procured to substantiate the rumors. When some of the townsmen tried to take the spheres, Lirin persuaded them to leave.

The new citylord, Roshone, took a disliking to Lirin immediately after his arrival in Hearthstone. Unable to successfully reclaim Wistiow's through legal channels, Roshone's led the townspeople to cease their donations to the family as well an inflate the price of their goods, pushing Lirin's family towards destitution. After the family lost access to all sources of income, Lirin met with Roshone, making a show suggesting he was beginning to yield to the citylord's demands. In order to curb his ire and deceive Roshone, Lirin and Hesina make out that their situation to be worse than it seems, occasionally spending Wistiow's sphere's and living living below their means, despite offers of financial aid.^{[citation needed]}

After a catastophic whitespine hunt, Roshone's son Rillir dies whilst in Lirin's care.^{[citation needed]} In retaliation, Roshone orchestrated the enlistment of Lirin's second son Tien, into the army of Highmarshal Amaram. Unlike his older brother or father, Tien is not immune from conscription on the basis of his profession. In an attempt to protect his brother, Kaladin also enlists, against the wishes of his parents.

After Tien's death, Kaladin send a letter to his parents informing them that he failed to keep his brother safe and that he would not be returning home at the end of his enlistment. Kaladin does not receive a reply.

After the disappearance of his sons, Lirin has a third child with Hesina. They named him Oroden.^{[citation needed]}

After the Everstorm struck Hearthstone, Lirin treated the wounded and was reunited with Kaladin.^{[citation needed]} He refused to leave the town because he felt he was needed there, especially if there was a Desolation.^{[citation needed]}

Attributes and Abilities

Surgery and teaching

“The children of the men and women whose lives we save. That's who tells stories of surgeons.”

—Lirin to Kaladin

Lirin trained as a surgeon under Vathe in the town of Shorsebroon near Hearthstone. Lirin is a decent surgeon,, both steady and calm under pressure, though if he was to live in a larger city he would likely only be a medical assistant rather than a surgeon in his own right.

He is particular about keeping time during his surgeries and is the only person in the town to own a fabrial clock. As well as this, Lirin is conscious of the quality of light he uses when treating patients and before his death, has a goblet of spheres on permanent loan from Brightlord Wistow. He has lived and worked in Hearthstone for long enough that the other citizens sometimes hold him to expectations that are impossible to reach, and will react in anger when he is unable to work miracles.

Lirin does not charge for his work as a surgeon, instead relying on donations from his patients and their families. He is meticulous about the cleanliness of his surgery and his family spends large amounts of time keeping both the rooms and the medical tools clean.

Relationships

Kaladin

“There are two kinds of people in this world, son. Those who save lives. And those who take lives.”

—Lirin to Kaladin

Kaladin was trained by Lirin as a surgeon’s assistant and showed a great aptitude in the field of medicine. He is proud of his sons work as a surgeon and believes with training and dedication, Kaladin can far surparse him in skill. During his childhood, Kaladin’s parents were at odds over how much time he should spend studying verses having a traditional childhood. Whether due to, or despite these disagreements, Kaladin is granted two hours a day by his father where he is not required to study.

Throughout his training, Kaladin often struggles with the emotional burden of losing patients.^{[citation needed]} While Lirin sympathises with his sons need to care, he also is resolute in his teachings that there is such a thing as caring to much. Nevertheless, he is proud of his son's abilities.

“You have to learn when to care, son. ... And when to let go. You'll see. I had similar problems when I was younger. You'll grow calluses.”

—Lirin to Kaladin

Kaladin admires his fathers bravery and his ability to stand up to those who outrank him. He is proud to be his fathers son, though questions the morality of some of LIrin's choices.

Lirin doubts Kaladin's ability to cause harm to others and is deeply disappointed when confronted with the fact that his son has become a killer.^{[citation needed]} He believes that a value cannot be put on a persons life - a belief he tries very hard to pass onto his children.

Lirin hope to send Kaladin to study in Kharbranth, where he could further his training under medical scholars. After the arrival of Roshone, Lirin and his wife request for Kaladin to take the entry tests early, however their request is denied. Despite warning Kaladin (during one of his gloomier moments), against becoming stuck in Hearthstone, Lirin has always hoped his son would return home after completing further study.

Hesina

• 

  Lirin and his wife Hesina by User: Sheep

Lirin loves his wife, and occasionally regrets the sacrifices she made to move with him to Hearthstone. They do not, however, always see eye to eye, and Lirin finds Hesina's religious beliefs frustrating.

Lirin does not get along well with Hesina’s parents and as such they are not often spoken of around Kaladin or his brother.^{[citation needed]} Lirin's introduction to his wife's parents went quite poorly.

Roshone

“The lighteyes don't care about life ... So I must. ... We have to be better than they are.”

—Lirin to Kaladin

There is a great deal of animosity between Lirin and the citylord of Hearthstone, Brightlore Roshone. Roshone's resentment of Lirin, while initially stemming from his relocation to the farming town, is further fuelled by Lirin's stubbornness as well as the death of Roshone's son.^{[citation needed]} In turn, Lirin dislikes Roshone's pettiness and condescending attitude and find him to be greedy and a bully. He thinks of Roshone is greedy Roshone wishes to break Lirin's will^{[citation needed]} instead of simply drive him away and would not make it easy for the family to move away from Hearthstone.

Notes

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