User:Rasarr/Kalak

To Kalak

{{character
|image=Kalak Endsheet.png
|abilities={{tag+|Cognitive Shadow}}, {{tag+|Shardbearer}} <small>(formerly)</small>
|titles={{tag+|herald}}, Patron of the [[Order of Willshapers|Willshapers]]{{nosnippet|, the High Judge{{book ref|sa4|78}}, The Holy One{{book ref|sa4|94}} }}
|aliases=Kelek, Kellai, [[Stormfather]]{{book ref|sa3|i|1}}{{nosnippet|, Restares{{book ref|sa4|78}} }}
|world=Roshar
|universe=[[Cosmere]]
|books=[[The Stormlight Archive]]
}}
{{spoiler|sa4}}
{{update|sa4}}

For the glyph named after Kalak, see Glyphs/Index#Kalak.

“I am a blur. A smear on the page. A gaunt stretch of ink, made all the more insubstantial with each passing day. ”

—Kalak

Kalak, also known as Kelek in Vorinism, is one of the ten Heralds of the Almighty on Roshar, and the patron of the Order of Willshapers. Like all Heralds but Taln, he abandoned the Oathpact at Aharietiam. Currently, he lives in the honorspren city of Lasting Integrity, acting as their High Judge. Mraize also claims that Kalak leads the Sons of Honor under the name Restares.

Appearance and Personality

by botanicaxu

“It's so hard to decide. To do anything really… ”

—Kelek

Though not from Alethkar, Kalak appears Alethi. He's a short man, with thinning, wispy hair, a round face, and a small nose. When he wishes to appear serious, he puts on a set of violet robes; ordinarily, however, he dresses more casually. Vorin artwork tends to present him as a young man, though in person, he looks more like a city administrator.

Back in the early Desolations, he was known for being decisive and authoritative, and he would often be approached whenever problems appeared for counsel. However, as Desolations wore down on him, he became terrified of dying and returning to Braize to be tortured. By Aharietiam, he has vivid, painful memories of the torture that sometime cause him to briefly lose his grip on reality. When given the choice to abandon the Oathpact, he's aware and terrified of the consequences. However, by this point his fear of torture far outweighs his sense of duty.

By the True Desolation, this develops into a paranoid, but also erratic behavior. Kalak vacillates often, and finds making even the simplest decisions difficult. He often follows what the crowd wants instead of his own internal moral compass. He seems to have trouble focusing, or at least paying attention to time, even when others are waiting for him. He believes humans to be dangerous; he's unsettled by their presence, with Bondsmiths, and people associated with them, seeming to provoke the strongest reaction. A visit into a human city makes him jittery to the point where he runs away at the sight of another person. It's likely for this reason that he prefers to live in Lasting Integrity. Even there, however, unexpected commotion can quickly make him panic. In this state, he is near-insensate, crying, covering his ears and curling on the floor. He recovers into his normal state extremely quickly, though, and with no outward sign that he's been disturbed.

Kalak is keenly aware of the fact that he and his fellow Heralds are mentally unwell, and does not hide this fact. He is extremely pessimistic, believing that the cause of Roshar is already lost, and feels immense guilt for causing spren to bond with humans, leading them to what he believes to be their doom. He is obsessed with the idea of leaving the Rosharan system altogether; to this end, he initially aligns himself with Gavilar, assisting his research. After Gavilar's death, he continues the project of his own, hoping to unmoor himself and leave the entire cycle of Desolations behind.

At the same time, Kalak does have some determination still in him. He can be snarky, and will dryly mock people he considers stupid. He can still exercise some measure of authority, and can sometimes make snap decisions when truly needed. When faced with the possibility of his own death, he's calm and composed. For all that he fears humans, he sympathizes with them, and is at the very least willing to hear them out and give them some chance, even if he doesn't believe that they can succeed. He is willing to offer information, though it's unclear how much.

Attributes and Abilities

by Isaac Stewart

Kalak's glyph

Herald

For general information about Heraldic powers, see Herald#Abilities.

“He is not the type to fight unless cornered, but once pushed, there are few beings as dangerous on this planet. ”

—Mraize

Kalak is a Cognitive Shadow which can persist after death and take on a human body, though how this body comes about is unknown. While on Roshar, he doesn't age, and can only die by violent means; and after death, he travels to Braize, where he is caught by the Fused and tortured until he or another Herald breaks. When this happens, they are all returned to Roshar and a new Desolation begins.

Prior to the Last Desolation, Kalak wielded an Honorblade, making him a Surgebinder. The Blade granted him control over the Surges of Transportation, allowing him to travel to and from Shadesmar, and Cohesion, whose exact function so far is unclear. Additionally, Kalak could use Stormlight to heal himself. Mraize considers him a highly dangerous figher, especially when cornered. Kalak himself is not nearly so confident, and thinks that his inability to decide would make him easy prey, should anyone chose to attack him.

Scholar

“Old Thaidakar has always wanted my secrets. ”

—Kalak

Kalak has some level of cosmere awareness -- he knows about other worlds, is familiar with the Ghostbloods, and seems aware of Thaidakar's condition. After Gavilar Kholin's death -- and thus, the end of the king's experiments with transporting spheres -- he apparently continued to search for a way to leave the system, and seems to have made significant progress during that time. A year into the True Desolation, he believes that he is on the cusp of success. The Ghostbloods seem to agree, as they wish to steal him away for Thaidakar to learn about his state as a Cognitive Shadow.

Kalak also seems to have some engineering knowledge, as he assists Shallan and Adolin in opening the box containing Ala without killing the seon. He's additionally familiar with metalworking and smithing, as at the start of each Desolation, it was his duty to re-teach humanity how to cast bronze for weapons. He knows more than Shalash about how the Oathpact, and by extension Cognitive Shadows, function, as he is able to diagnose what went wrong in the Fused's attempt to capture Jezrien.

Other

He used to be known for his decision-making skills; even today, the honorspren place him in position of their High Judge, likely because of this past association. However, though the honorspren obey his verdict, he does not have much actual power over their leadership. Using his mental instability as an excuse, the honorspren can imprison him in his quarters with no apparent consequences, and Kalak either cannot or does not wish to resist them.

Mraize claims that Kalak is Restares, the leader of Sons of Honor. Should this be the case, Kalak has the capacity to set up and organize a large group of people; it's unclear how he communicates with them between Shadesmar and Physical Realm. However, with the Sons of Honor crumbling after the Everstorm began -- with the last known group answering to Ialai -- it's likely his influence with them, and the influence they wield, has waned. If he is Restares, it would also confer on him significant acting ability, as Gavilar does not seem to realize that the two are one and the same.

History

by Micah Epstein

Jezrien leaving the Oathpact

Herald of the Almighty

“Jezrien, I can't return this time. I can’t. ”

—Kalak

Kalak was born on Ashyn, and made the journey to Roshar when his home planet was destroyed by the overuse of Surges. When a war between humans and the native singers started and the Fused began to appear, he, along with nine others, was made Herald by Honor. He volunteered; it's unknown how many of the others did the same. During the Desolations, his particular speciality was teaching people craftsmanship, mainly smithing bronze.

At Aharietiam, Kalak was late to the appointed meeting place for all the surviving Heralds. There, he found only Jezrien, awaiting him, uncertain whether or not Kalak had perished. When Kalak confessed to his fear of returning to Braize, as was the Heralds' duty in-between the Desolations, Jezrien told him about Ishar's plan to abandon Taln to the Oathpact. Though initially apprehensive, Kalak agreed readily enough, out of fear of the tortures. He and Jezrien left their Honorblades along with the others, and departed in opposite directions.

The Recreance and the Era of Solitude

“We weren't supposed to get worse. Am I getting worse? I think I feel worse. ”

—Kalak

It's unknown how Kalak spent most of the four and a half thousand years between the Last Desolation and the True Desolation. He appears to have been at least distantly involved with the Knights Radiant. Shortly before the Recreance, he and Nale were both present for Ba-Ado-Mishram's inprisonment, and he knew the truth of what caused the Recreance. At some point afterwards, he grew to regret what happened with the Unmade, but he either didn't seek out her gemstone to release her or did not succeed in finding it.

Many centuries later, Kalak apparently became somehow involved with the Sons of Honor; it's unknown if he founded them or if he took them over. Under the name Restares, he became the leader of the group, gaining the attention of the Ghostbloods. Through Sons of Honor, Kalak became familiar with Gavilar, and encouraged, along with Nale, his work on transporting spheres across long distances, hoping to find a way out of Rosharan system. The two of them were both present at the night of Gavilar's assassination, and met with the king to see the results of his work, with Kalak complaining about the slow pace of progress. While walking down a palace corridor, Kalak expressed his fear for Shalash's sanity, as well as the sanity of the remaining Heralds, himself included. Nale rebuked him, but before the two could discuss it, they bumped into Jasnah, and Kalak fled from her.

At some point after the assassination, Kalak moved to Lasting Integrity and either assumed or resumed the duties of their High Judge.

The Trial of Adolin Kholin

The Diplomatic Mission

“Boy, you're doomed. You realize that, right? Tanavast is dead. Like, completely dead. The Oathpact is broken somehow. The only thing left is to try to get off the ship before it sinks. ”

—Kalak to Adolin

Following the death of Ialai Sadeas, Mraize gave Shallan the mission to track down Restares, pointing her towards the city of Lasting Integrity. Shortly after, an diplomatic mission to that very city was proposed, and Shallan volunteered to go, with her husband Adolin Kholin joining as the expedition's leader. Meanwhile, Kalak left the city for a longer while on a patrol. Prior to his departure, he ordered the honorspren not to tell anyone about his identity or nature; as such, they maintained that the High Judge was merely a rare type of spren.

When Kalak returned, Adolin approached him, asking for a trail by witness, and for Kalak to preside over it. Though initially spooked by the presence of a human, and son of a Bondsmith to boot, Kalak eventually agreed. Sekeir attempted to convince him not to give Adolin the time of day, but Kalak rebuked him, annoyed that despite haiving spent years in Lasting Integrity, the honorspren did not help Kalak get off-world. However, the Herald refused to keep the trial in private, and openly admitted to Adolin that he did not believe the other man stood any chance of winning. He also suggested that Adolin should rather focus on leaving Roshar altogether, as winning against Odium was, in Kalak's opinion, impossible.

At the same time, Mraize convinced Shallan to murder Kalak as a way to help Adolin succeed in the trial. Kalak, aware that someone would be sent to kill him, though unaware of who precisely, composed a message to his killer in the journal, mocking them for thinking they could capture a Herald and begging that they release Ba-Ado-Mishram.

The First Day

“So we're arguing over even the definitions? This doesn’t bode well. ”

—Kalak

On the first day of the trial, Kelek was impatient to begin, fully ready to convict Adolin and have him sent to execution; the news that the honorspren wouldn't actually execute Adolin came as a surprise to him. After hurrying Sekeir along to being as soon as possible, and making sure he understood the terms of the trial correctly, Kelek began to listen to the witness testimonies.

After Amuna's testimony, Kalak admitted that the Stormfather choosing to bond again was a sign heavily in Adolin's favour. After a longer break, however, when made everyone wait as he ate a fruit and made notes, Sekeir pressured him to admit that Stormfather's recent erratic behavior made the great spren's opinion untrustworthy. Next came Blended's testimony; following it, Kalak pointed out to Adolin that an inkspren electing to side with honorpren on any matter was not a good look for humans. Finally, Notum was brought out to read a pre-made testimony. However, he broke away from it to protest and side with Adolin. This caused a good amount of agitation among the honorspren, which in turn made Kalak panic. He curled up and covered his ears, trembling.

After Notum was led out, Kelek quickly return to a state of calm, and explained to Adolin that he's stepped into an old argument between spren. When Adolin pointed out that the first day of the trial went well for him, Kalak was unconvinced. He explained to Adolin that he did not believe men truly changed, and further elaborated that some spren believe they should side with Odium, and that Adolin's arrival could, in Kalak's opinion, tip the scales in favour of that.

“You were warned about this trial multiple times, human. They have made their choice.”

—Kalak

On the second day, Kelek arrived after Adolin, having changed into a more formal set of robes. He was similarly wishing to hurry things up, but seemed to be taking his responsibility more seriously, threatening to have one honorspren removed for breaking the rules and guiding the trial along. As one of the spren grew far too agitated, Kalak had him actually dragged out of the forum. However, the trial still ended with a loss to Adolin as Testament was brought to prove the modern Radiants would still kill their spren

Assassination Attempt

“I thought it would be the man, your husband, who came for me. ”

—Kalak to Shallan

It was this day that convinced Shallan to go ahead with her plan of killing Kalak.

Relationships

Honorspren

“Hold on; I don't care what you think. ”

—Kalak to Sekeir

Other Heralds

(nale, jezrien, taln)

Culture

by Isaac Stewart

“They see us as divinities. They rely upon us, Jezrien. We're all that they have. ”

—Kalak

In the Era of Solitude, Kalak is basically unknown by his true name. In Iri and Rira, he's called Kellai, while in Vorinism, he is known as Kelek. The latter came about due to a vowel shift in the Vorin language family.

Vorin tradition associates him with the number 8 (kak), the Essence of Foil, and the Attributes of Resolute and Builder. In the countries following the religion, he's one of the most revered and commonly-prayed-to Heralds alongside Jezrien, with his name being an extremely common expletive. Other than by itself, it can also be found in phrases such as:

• "Kelek preserve us"
• "Kelek's breath"
• "what in the name of Kelek"
• "for Kelek's sake"
• "Kelek knows"
• "what in Kelek's tongue"
• "Kelek speed their way"
• "swear to Kelek himself"
• "thank Kelek"
• "Kelek, Jezerezeh, and Heralds above"
• "Kelek’s own truth"
• "Kelek help him"
• "the honest-by-Kelek’s-own-breath truth"

Even further east, in New Natanan, Kalak is often equated with the Stormfather. The name Kaladin is derived from Kalak. The glyph for "Eternal" is also called kalak. Whether Kalak was named after kalak or the other way around, however, is unknown.

Trivia

• Though his name became "Kelek" due to linguistic drift, Kalak is one of three Heralds, alongside Shalash and Pailiah, whose names are symmetrical under Vorin rules.
• Kalak is one of the only three Heralds so far to have a viewpoint in The Stormlight Archive, the others being Shalash and Taln, as the prelude is written from his perspective. However, unlike the other two, he isn't slated to have his own book.
• Kalak's portrait used in the chapter arches is called the Maker by the Dragonsteel Entertainment staff.

Notes

{{partial}}
{{Stormlight}}
[[category: viewpoint characters]]