Yezriar
| Yezriar | |
|---|---|
| Died | 1140[1] |
| Titles | Crown prince |
| Nationality | Alethi |
| Homeworld | Roshar |
| Universe | Cosmere |
Brightlord Yezriar is a crown prince of one of the Alethi princedoms on Roshar. He was killed by Dalinar early in Gavilar's unification war.[1]
Appearance and Personality[edit]
Yezriar is a high-ranking lighteyes. In battle, he wears steel plate armor with a helm and cape that is styled to resemble Shardplate. He rides a white mare and carries a sword and shield.[1] He is accompanied by an honor guard on the battlefield, and he seems to follow established military traditions and customs.[1]
History[edit]
In 1140, Gavilar invaded one of the Alethi princedoms that opposed his ambition to rule Alethkar. Gavilar's forces, led by Dalinar, pursued the local army from the south somewhere in the outskirts of the princedom.[1] During the pursuit, the locals set their own land on fire, desperately hoping to slow Gavilar's attack. However, Dalinar pressed his forces through the fires and caught up to a portion of the defending army, led by Yezriar. Yezriar's army included an archer with a blue face tattoo, presumably Teleb.[1][2]
Dalinar wanted to kill the most important person he could find. He knew that the highprince was fighting further north, but he vaguely recalled Gavilar mentioning a son. Torol Sadeas later mentioned the crown prince being a strategic threat.[1] Dalinar's soldiers quickly began to route Yezriar's defenses and Yezriar accepted Dalinar's challenge for a personal duel.[1] Jenin shot Yezriar's horse with an arrow; Yezriar fell, but quickly recovered to face Dalinar. Dalinar attacked aggressively, but one of his shield straps broke during the fight, allowing Yezriar a brief opportunity that he took advantage of to land several blows on Dalinar, including a gauntleted punch directly to his face. However, this further stirred the Thrill in Dalinar, who ferociously attacked with a poleaxe. Yezriar attempted to flee, but Dalinar tripped him and slammed the poleaxe through his chest.[1]
As he lay dying, Yezriar asked Dalinar why he had attacked their princedom, and was surprised to hear that Dalinar did not know and had simply followed Gavilar's orders. Dalinar had Dym end Yezriar's suffering by stabbing him with a sword through a gap in his armor.[1] Dalinar later told Teleb that he killed Yezriar in lieu of capturing him in order to discourage other lighteyes from resisting Gavilar's rule. Yezriar's father was also killed in the fighting, and his head was placed on a spear.[1]
Many years later, Yezriar's death was among the memories that Odium rekindled in Dalinar's mind to help demonstrate how much he had influenced Dalinar's life through the Thrill.[2] Dalinar thought of Yezriar as a better man than himself.[2]