Yarda

Yarda
Family Children Parlin
Profession	General
Religion	Austrism
Nationality	Idrian
Homeworld	Nalthis
Universe	Cosmere

“War is coming, Your Majesty. I feel it in the winds and read it in the reports of our spies. Hallandren still considers us rebels, and our passes to the north are too tempting. They will attack.”

—Yarda and King Dedelin discussing war

Yarda is the general of the Idrian armies. He is a burly man and had a thick beard. He is also an old friend of King Dedelin. Dedelin referred to him as "a harsh man born of harsh winters," but also as good of a man as Dedelin had ever known. Yarda would not hesitate to send one soldier to die if it meant that the rest of the army was in a better position to attack. Conferences with Yarda and Dedelin usually lasted hours.

Parlin is Yarda's son. Dedelin often wished Parlin could marry his daughter, Vivenna, but this was not possible, as Dedelin had made a treaty with Hallandren to send his daughter on Vivenna's twenty-second birthday.

Idrian Military Outlook and the Treaty

“We can't stop the war, Your Majesty. But... we can slow it.”

—Yarda recommending King Dedelin to honor the treaty with Hallandren and send Vivenna there.

Yarda and Dedelin could see no long term solution against Hallandren. Every year more voices in Hallandren called for an assault on what they called "rebel Idrians." Yarda said that Idris's northern passes were a target too good for Hallandren to pass up. Additionally, with Hallandren and Idris's split following the Manywar, Hallandren wanted a royal daughter to reintroduce the traditional royal bloodline into the Hallandren monarchy.

Dedelin had hoped that Vahr and his Pahn Kahl soldiers would draw Hallandren's attention away from Idris, but Vahr was eventually captured, and had only served to make Hallandren more focused on its enemies.

Idris was not ready for war. Yarda was aware that Hallandren's army consisted of forty thousand Lifeless. The general said that the Idrian troops had not recovered from Vendis raids in the previous fall, and fires in the granary in the current winter made matters even worse. Yarda insisted that Idris's best defense against Hallandren was the snow, and that the war could not be fought on Hallandren's terms.

Instead, Yarda relied on the treaty with Hallandren. Yarda knew that sending Vivenna would be hard for Dedelin, but it would be an important delaying tactic. Yarda tried to persuade Dedelin to go through with the treaty, suggesting that Hallandren might not harm Vivenna if they sent her. Yarda did not believe that, however.

Yarda knew that if they could delay long enough, the Idrian snows would be on their side. He was convinced he could bring the nation of Tedradel to Idris's aid, as they hated Hallandren since the Manywar. Yarda also wanted to try and rile up Vahr's rebel faction in Hallandren. At the very least, it would delay war and Idris would have more time to gather supplies. Dedelin disagreed, thinking that giving them someone of royal blood would give them an even stronger claim on the Idrian highlands. Yarda countered that maybe Hallandren would wait for an heir to be born before their army came.

Dedelin decided to not send Vivenna, but instead send Siri to placate Hallandren. He knew sending the wrong daughter would anger Hallandren, but at least they would not immediately attack.

Vivenna knew that Yarda would be better suited to rule during wartime than Vivenna, which made her feel like she was useless when Dedelin did not send her to Hallandren.

Notes

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Chaos2651 (talk) 12:49, 3 September 2016 (MST)