Valam
| Valam | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||
| Died | Ishab 1173[1] | ||||
| Abilities | Shardbearer | ||||
| Titles | Highprince of Jah Keved, King of Jah Keved | ||||
| Nationality | Veden | ||||
| Homeworld | Roshar | ||||
| Universe | Cosmere | ||||
“So the night will reign, for the choice of honor is life... ”
—Valam's final words, likely a Death Rattle[1]
Brightlord Valam is a Veden highprince on Roshar who later becomes king.[2][1] Valam princedom notably includes the lands of House Davar.[2]
Appearance and Personality[edit]
“I'm making this idiot my heir. Ha! Let the other highprinces chew on that. ”
—Valam, on Taravangian[1]
Valam's appearance is not known until he is on his deathbed, at which point he has lost his hair and has extremely sunken cheeks. He seems to be intelligent, but also domineering and vengeful. He treats his bastard son Redin particularly poorly.[1]
Attributes and Abilities[edit]
He possesses a Shardblade. He is not seen using it, but he still has it when he dies.[1] The subsequent fate of his Blade is unknown.
History[edit]
Valam was a powerful aristocrat. He had ten landed lighteyed men who led noble houses in his princedom. Each of these nobles constantly tried to curry his favor by contributing economically to the princedom through various methods, such as Revilar's textiles and Lin Davar's mining.[3][4] They also feared him; he employed Redin as a ruthless enforcer and assassin.[5][1] Valam spent most of his time in the capital of Vedenar, only occasionally visiting his distant princedom.[6][3]
House Davar's Decline[edit]
House Davar was one of the houses who pledged fealty to Valam. After the death of Shallan's mother, the house was in turmoil and began to decline financially.[5] By this time, Valam was likely in his seventies (his daughter Sudi was a widow in her fifties)[7] and his health was failing him. He no longer provided the Davars with the same protection as he once did.[2] Additionally, Redin suspected that Lin had killed his wife and would have likely removed him if he had any proof.[7] Revilar sensed Lin's weakness and forced him into a terrible business deal. Lin, who was becoming increasingly unstable, also disowned his heir Helaran.[3]
These factors presumably led to Lin striking a deal with the Ghostbloods, with Luesh secretly using a Soulcaster to artificially create valuable mineral deposits on Davar land, significantly improving the family's previously dire financial situation.[8][5] Lin was able to leverage the restored name of House Davar to gain political influence in the princedom; he even considered forcing his son Balat to marry Sudi Valam despite a thirty year age difference.[7] Lin was likely positioning himself to become highprince,[9] but his death ended any threat to Valam's reign.
Veden Civil War and Death[edit]
“Through my storming heart! I won't lie here and let Taravangian coax my own servants into poisoning me. Do it, boy! Or can’t you do a single thing that—”
—Valam ordering Redin to kill him[1]
Despite Valam's age and ill health, he participated in the war of succession that followed the murder of King Hanavanar and six Veden highprinces by Szeth.[6] He was closely monitored by both the Ghostbloods and the Diagram, with reports indicating that his health was failing.[10][1] He commanded a significant military force that laid siege to Vedenar. The other remaining highprinces attempted the same tactic, leading to months of brutal combat, spurred on by the Thrill.[1] The battle all but destroyed the city,[10] but Valam became the king of Jah Keved.[1]
His reign was short-lived, however, as his physical condition continued to decline and he began coughing up blood. He was visited on his deathbed by Taravangian, who had been sending aid to the city. Valam was lucid until the end and expressed some regret for his ambition to become king. He saw through aspects of Taravangian's plan, realizing that he had surreptitiously built his own case to become the Veden king and would probably soon have him poisoned, if he hadn't already. Taravangian's actions had indeed been laid out in the Diagram as a step towards unifying the world. Despite Valam's disdain for Taravangian, he named him the heir to the throne. He then ordered Redin to kill him with a knife through the heart, angrily chastising his son when he hesitated. His final words were a Death Rattle, surprising Taravangian.[1]
Mrall mentioned that Valam's treatment of Redin was cruel; Taravangian noted that forcing his son to commit patricide destroyed any claim he could have made to the throne.[1]
Notes[edit]
| Preceded by Hanavanar |
King of Jah Keved |
Succeeded by Taravangian |
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Words of Radiance interlude I-14#
- ↑ a b c The Way of Kings chapter 3#
- ↑ a b c Words of Radiance chapter 45#
- ↑ Words of Radiance chapter 73#
- ↑ a b c Words of Radiance chapter 39#
- ↑ a b Words of Radiance chapter 31#
- ↑ a b c Words of Radiance chapter 61#
- ↑ The Way of Kings chapter 7#
- ↑ The Way of Kings chapter 29#
- ↑ a b Words of Radiance chapter 34#