Line #298 Characters/Warbreaker


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15	This is about the characters from Nalthis, the planet that Creator/BrandonSanderson's standalone novel ''Literature/{{Warbreaker}}'' takes place on.
16
17	For characters from the other planets in the Cosmere, see Characters/MistbornTheOriginalTrilogy, Characters/WaxAndWayne, Characters/{{Elantris}}, Characters/TheEmperorsSoul, and Characters/TheStormlightArchive.
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19	For characters who influence the entirety of the Cosmere, see Characters/TheCosmere (Warning: All spoilers on that page are '''unmarked''').
20
21	'''Warning'''. As this novel is based on a theme of reversals of expectation, nearly all of the characters are [[WalkingSpoiler Walking Spoilers]]. Therefore, all spoilers are '''UNMARKED'''.
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23	-----
24
25	[[foldercontrol]]
26
27	!!Idris
28
29	[[folder:Siri]]
30	!!Princess Sisirinah, a.k.a. "Siri"
31
32	The youngest daughter of King Dedelin. Siri was forever neglected and ignored until Vivenna's 22th birthday. King Dedelin was supposed to send Vivenna to marry the God King, but the treaty stated that he had to send "his daughter". Taking advantage of this, King Dedelin sent Siri instead. Once in the Court of the Returned, Siri is married to the God King.
33	----
34	* ArentYouGoingToRavishMe: Feels disappointed when nothing happens on her wedding night, then [[LampshadeHanging realizes]] how ridiculous that is. Her frustration is understandable given the hours she's left in an uncomfortable position waiting for anything to happen; weeks later, when it appears that Susebron is finally making a move, she's quite frightened.
35	* CoyGirlishFlirtPose: Tries to pull this off on one occasion, but can't keep a straight face and bursts into giggles.
36	* DamselInDistress: Due to not being forced into the same high-stress situations in terms of physical harm that Vivenna was throughout the book, she largely plays this role in the climax, though she does try to force some authority over the situation and does find out the identity of the BigBad.
37	* DeadpanSnarker: As her husband notes:
38	-->'''Susebron''': That was sarcasm. She likes it.
39	* FishOutOfWater: A RebelliousPrincess forced into the PrincessClassic role.
40	* KaleidoscopeHair: The royal locks grant her this. She gradually gets control over their colors.
41	* MistakenForSpies: As a seemingly unimportant 3rd daughter who Hallandren spies never gathered information on, many in the court worry that Siri is actually a highly trained agent of some kind. Only Lightsong is able to correctly infer that there was an entirely mundane reason for her being sent.
42	* OhCrap: In the climax of the story, when she figures out that Bluefingers is evil.
43	* PerfectlyArrangedMarriage: With God King Susebron.
44	* RebelliousPrincess: However, she is forced into the role of a PrincessClassic.
45	* TheSmartGuy: She's a very smart heroine, and is able to see through the lies and treachery of Hallandren (eventually).
46	* TheUnfavorite: Although he claims otherwise, King Dedelin really does love Vivenna more than he loves Siri.
47
48	[[/folder]]
49
50	[[folder:Vivenna]]
51	!!Princess Vivenna
52
53	The eldest daughter of King Dedelin. Vivenna was meant to be sent to T'Telir, capital of Hallandren, to marry God King Susebron on her 22nd birthday. However, King Dedelin exploited a loophole in the treaty and sent his youngest daughter, Lady Sisirinah. Determined not to be useless, Vivenna heads to T'Telir to save her sister from the God King.
54
55	Once there she ends up in the company of mercenaries Denth and Tonk Fah, who are trying to aide weaken Hallandren so that Idris can survive the looming war. Vivenna teams up with them to save her sister and homeland.
56	----
57	* ActionGirl: Once Vasher teaches her Awakening.
58	* TheAtoner: After she learns the war between Idris and Hallandren wasn't inevitable and she'd been tricked into helping start a war, she teams up with Vasher to undo her mistakes and save her people.
59	* BecameTheirOwnAntithesis: From a pious daughter of Austre who abhors Awakening to a powerful Awakener herself. Since this process helped teach her humility it wasn't a bad thing.
60	* BigSisterInstinct: The reason she came to Hallandren was to save her little sister from the God King. At least, that's what Vivenna tells herself. In reality, while she does love her sister and wants to help her, Vivenna couldn't stand the idea of not being special when she spent her entire life training for a role that was given to her sister instead.
61	* BreakTheHaughty: Her time on the run, starving and impoverished on the streets while making tough decisions that go against her religion to survive, quickly makes her realize how little moral high ground she has when judging her fellow Idrians for doing the same in Hallandren.
62	* CondescendingCompassion: She acts this way to Jewels after she finds out she's a drab who gave up her Breath to one of her gods. Vivenna thinks that's the reason for her being a {{Jerkass}} but Jewels just laughs in her face and tells her that giving up her Breath and using the money to save her family was an honor.
63	* DarkAndTroubledPast: While not exactly abusive or traumatic, Vivenna's devout upbringing did not exactly mesh well with her also being groomed to marry a man her religion considered an undead abomination. This has left her with...issues.
64	* DimensionalTraveller: [[spoiler:Has shown up on [[Literature/TheStormlightArchive Roshar]] in Literature/{{Oathbringer}}. How she got there is yet to be explained but she's apparently searching for Vasher and/or Nightblood]]
65	* FallenPrincess: From when Vasher first kidnaps her onward.
66	* HolierThanThou: Due to her strict religious upbringing, she views Hallandren and its people as decadent, and looks down on the native Idrians who've been "corrupted," i.e. forced to adapt, to life in a place with different cultural mores. After finding herself in a similar position to the latter group, she grows out of this and tries to become less judgmental.
67	* {{Hypocrite}}: She judges other Idrians for going against their religion's teachings, only to do so herself when forced into a tight spot. She at least recognizes her own hypocrisy and learns from it over time.
68	* IJustWantToBeSpecial: The real reason she admits for wanting to save Siri and possibly take her place. She spent her entire life training to martyr herself as the God King's bride, and couldn't bare the thought of Siri doing it, rendering Vivenna herself unimportant.
69	* InstantExpert: {{Downplayed}}. While true instinctive Awakening doesn't come until the Sixth Heightening (which Vivenna has only a fraction of the breaths required for), holding several hundred Breaths does make it a lot easier for her to learn to Awaken.
70	* {{Jerkass}}: Her overly opinionated, self-righteous and condescending attitude can be downright nauseating at times. Fortunately, she gets over it eventually.
71	* KaleidoscopeHair: The Royal Locks of Idris grant her this. In contrast to Siri, she gradually loses control over their colors.
72	* NiceJobBreakingItHero: Her attempts to stop Hallandren from attacking her country just convinced the Court of Gods that Idrian agents were trying to undermine their authority.
73	* PrincessClassic: But forced into the position of a RebelliousPrincess.
74	* PrincessInRags: During her time in the slums alone for two weeks as a Drab following her revelation of Denth's true colors.
75	* SecretlySelfish: While she did want to help Siri, her reasons for going to Hallandren were really based around her self-esteem issues.
76	* ThatManIsDead: In the epilogue, she considers the Vivenna who was raised to marry the God King to have died during her time in the slums.
77	* TookALevelInBadass: In her appearance in [[spoiler: ''Literature/{{Oathbringer}}'']], she's able to mobilize an entire militia force to defend the city of [[spoiler: Kholinar from the Voidbringers]].
78	* {{Tsundere}}: [[{{Deconstruction}} Deconstructed]] with her relationship with Parlin. Their fathers originally wanted them to marry, but Vivenna thinks of Parlin as an idiot who has a crush on her and treats him poorly. However, when she sees him flirting with Jewels, [[GreenEyedMonster she gets jealous]], and when she confronts him on it, Parlin, in the least malicious way possible, tells her he only came to help Siri, was never in love with her and asks why he would ever choose to be with someone who goes out of their way to make him feel stupid? This floors Vivenna who realizes Parlin is a far better person than her.
79	* UnwittingPawn: Denth uses her to spark a war.
80	* WrongGenreSavvy: She thinks she's in a situation to prepare for a war and inspire her people to make themselves better. Instead, her inspiration provokes them to try to go to war.
81
82	[[/folder]]
83
84	[[folder:Dedelin]]
85	!!King Dedelin
86
87	The King of Idris. His main role in the story is deciding to send Siri to T'Telir instead of Vivenna.
88	----
89	* KaleidoscopeHair: Like his daughters, he has the Royal Locks.
90	* LoopholeAbuse: Sends Siri to T'Telir once he finds a loophole that lets him, since, while he did have to send his daughter to T'Telir when Vivenna came of age at twenty-two, the treaty doesn't mention which daughter. He sends the younger daughter and keeps his successor, denying Hallandren the claim to his throne that was the point of the treaty.
91	* ParentalFavoritism: He loves Vivenna more than Siri, though he still does worry for both of them.
92
93	[[/folder]]
94
95	[[folder:Parlin]]
96	!!Parlin
97
98	Vivenna's friend who goes with her to rescue Siri from the God King.
99	----
100	* AccidentalMurder: Denth really shouldn't have left Tonk Fah alone to torture him. He got carried away.
101	* DidYouThinkICantFeel: Gives a very non-malicious one to Vivenna when she confronts him about flirting with Jewels despite the fact that their fathers want them to marry each other. Parlin asks her why he would ever be in love with someone who went out of her way to make him feel like an idiot even though he'd done nothing but help her?
102	* DumbIsGood: Vivenna makes no secret that she thinks he's an idiot, and Parlin himself admits she may be right, but he's still one of the nicest people in the story, someone who gave up everything to try to save his friend. When she hears it, Vivenna admits that Parlin is a better person than herself, since her reasons for helping Siri were partially selfish in nature.
103	* JackBauerInterrogationTechnique: Denth has Tonk Fah torture him to find out where Vivenna went when she disappeared.
104	* SacrificialLion: His death marks a major shift in the story's tone.
105	* TerseTalker: He doesn't really waste words.
106	* TortureForFunAndInformation: Lethally so, since TheSociopath does the interrogating, and Parlin doesn't have the information he's after.
107	[[/folder]]
108
109	!!The Returned
110
111	[[folder:Susebron]]
112	!!God King Susebron
113
114	The Immortal Ruler of Hallandren, who was meant to marry Vivenna. Due to King Dedelin messing with a loophole, he marries Siri instead. He rules Hallandren with an iron fist, and has absolute power over all things. He has also achieved the Tenth Heightening, which grants him supreme mastery over colors.
115	----
116	* AGodAmI: Very much considers himself a deity, though far less pompous about it than most examples. He doesn't lord it over anyone, and just believes it because he was raised that way. He's only moderately uncomfortable with the idea his wife does not consider him divine.
117	* ArrangedMarriage: With Vivenna, but King Dedelin took advantage of a loophole and switched his fiance to Lady Sisirinah.
118	* BewareTheNiceOnes: Susebron is a gentle man who would never hurt an ''innocent person''. But threaten Siri or either or their homelands and you'll be reminded how many of those moralistic fables he idealizes end with wicked people being devoured by monsters. The priesthood was right to fear the power of a god king.
119	* BigBad: He is the all-powerful ruler of Hallandren, and he can do whatever he very well wishes. SubvertedTrope, as it is revealed that he's not the BigBad, and is instead a perfectly harmless and kind figurehead.
120	* BigDamnHeroes: In the climax, when he uses his new powers to save Siri from Bluefingers.
121	* BigGood: By the end of the book.
122	* CassandraTruth: Tells Siri that his priests would never betray him. He's right, but Bluefingers tricked her into believing that the priests were the villains.
123	* CuteMute: How Susebron lost his voice is not cute, but the vulnerability he displays from this is a major contributor to Siri ceasing to be terrified of him.
124	* DecoyLeader: He's just a figurehead for the priests, who are the true power of Hallandren. His priests are perfectly devout and loyal to him, but their theology demands his tongue be cut out.
125	* DiscOneFinalBoss: He's not the villain. Or even ''a'' villain for that matter.
126	* EvilOverlord: Subverted. As the leader of Hallandren, he has this reputation, but he is neither evil or in charge.
127	* HatesBeingTouched: Not exactly, but a life time of court protocol has left him unused to physical contact by most people.
128	* GentleGiant: A near 7 foot giant, but an incredibly gentle person. Largely due to [[AnAesop morality oriented fair tales]] read to him by his mother. A life time of seclusion left him as scared of his teenaged bride as she was of him at first.
129	* HorribleJudgeOfCharacter: He thinks that the High Priest Treleedees is aside from the whole tongue cutting out thing, a nice guy. However, this trope is ultimately subverted when it turns out that Treleedees is actually a good guy, and Bluefingers is the real villain.
130	* InstantExpert: Having attained the Sixth Heightening, he instinctively knows how to use basic Awakening Commands without having to be taught.
131	* LousyLoversAreLosers: After Sisi is betrothed to him, she is expected to bear him a child. Alas, Susebron is a {{Manchild}} with no concept of how babies are made, much less how to please a woman. So Siri keeps faking [[TheImmodestOrgasm loud orgasms]] while in his chambers so that the priests listening outside think she's at least trying.
132	* ManChild: He's very childlike, innocent, and naive in his way of looking at the world, and doesn't even know how babies are made.
133	* MetaPower: One of the most advanced Awakening powers, currently only achievable by the GodEmperor, is to take control of other Awakeners' constructs. It's played for BlackComedy when it's mentioned that the GodEmperor personally has to reboot the nation's zombie legions whenever a commander forgets their operating codes.
134	* NeverLearnedToRead: Since he was a figurehead ruler, he was never taught how to read until Siri showed him.
135	* OneHeroHoldTheWeaksauce: Thanks to possessing the upper five Heightenings, he can bypass a lot of the usual limits of Awakening. He can drain color from anything that's not pure white, can Awaken anything within earshot instead of needing to touch things, and instinctively knows basic Awakening commands without having to learn them.
136	* PerfectlyArrangedMarriage: He and Siri fall in love over the course of the story.
137	* PhysicalGod: Like all returned, but he's a much better example. He shows how much of a StoryBreakerPower his Tenth Heightening is when, with his tongue restored, he [[BigDamnHeroes rescues Siri from the conspiracy]] by awakening pretty much all the tapestries in the palace at once.
138	* PuppetKing: He has no tongue so that he cannot use Breath, but also so that he cannot communicate with most people. It's the priests and attendants who are actually in charge.
139	* TongueTrauma: To keep him from using his Breath. Lightsong fixes it with a HeroicSacrifice.
140	* WalkingSpoiler: It's impossible to describe him accurately without explaining that he is not actually an EvilOverlord at all.
141	* WideEyedIdealist: His view of right and wrong and how people act comes from what he learned from a book of stories for children he had from his mother.
142
143	[[/folder]]
144
145	[[folder:Lightsong]]
146	!!Lightsong The Bold/Stennimar
147
148	A cynical Returned who doesn't believe in his own religion.
149	----
150	* AchievementsInIgnorance: He's the undisputed master of a complex ball-game that he doesn't understand the rules of.
151	* AGodIAmNot: He doesn't even believe in his own religion, and questions is often just because he feels like it.
152	* DeadpanSnarker: Almost every single word out of his mouth is sarcasm, to the point where when he ''is'' serious, the other gods think he is joking anyway and laugh at him.
153	* TheGadfly: A self-described one, sometimes verging into {{Troll}} behavior. His way of getting Allmother to talk to him is a [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments particularly epic]] example.
154	* GreatDetective: Turns out to be surprisingly good at investigative work, leading him to think he was a great police officer in his past life. Turns out he was an investigative accountant.
155	* HeroicSacrifice: Dies to heal the God King's tongue. He also died his first time to save his niece, Llarimar's daughter.
156	* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: He acts like a cynical DeadpanSnarker, but he is one of the few gods who actually tries to help the others without attempting to be underhanded about it.
157	* PastLifeMemories: Has many dreams about what he believes was his past life before his Return. Also, while the process of Returning erased the ''memories'' of his first life, he still has the skills he used to possess (high-level math skills, detective instincts, a reasonably good grasp of sailing, and the inexplicable ability to juggle fruit.)
158	* SelfDeprecation: He rarely passes up on the opportunity to remind everyone of how useless and lazy he is.
159	* TogetherInDeath: After Blushweaver's murder, Lightsong sacrifices his life to heal the God King.
160	* UnskilledButStrong: Has the body of a 7 foot Olympian, but absolutely no combat training. Not realizing he was this gets him in a lot of trouble.
161
162	[[/folder]]
163
164	[[folder:Blushweaver]]
165	!!Blushweaver The Honest/The Beautiful
166
167	A sensuous Returned who is trying to amass the forces of the Returned's Lifeless to prepare for an assault on Idris to secure the line of succession for the Returned.
168	----
169	* AGodAmI: She holds the opinion of most Returned of their divinity, in contrast to [[AGodIAmNot Lightsong]].
170	* BuxomBeautyStandard: Her opinion of herself, in any case.
171	* ClingyJealousGirl: Gives off these impressions to Siri when she finds out that she is talking to Lightsong along, and assumes that Siri is trying to sleep with him.
172	* FemmeFatale: How she is played out eventually, with more sympathy and CharacterDevelopment.
173	* LampshadedDoubleEntendre: Practically everything out of her mouth. Lightsong sometimes calls her out on it. It's even her ''name''.
174	* SacrificialLion: For Lightsong, this death shows that the game is up for good.
175	* SlashedThroat: Her death is by this method.
176	* TargetedToHurtTheHero: The entire reason for her murder by the Pahn Kal is to prove to Lightsong that they're not messing around.
177	* TheTease: She makes a lot of sexual innuendos and isn't above using her attractiveness to get others to do what she wants. She does have genuine feelings for Lightsong, however.
178	* TogetherInDeath: What happens to her and Lightsong.
179	* UnwittingPawn: Like everyone else, Blushweaver ends up a pawn in Bluefingers' plan, with her gaining control of Hallandren's Lifeless being instrumental to the Pahn Kahl's revolution.
180	* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: Killed by Pahn Kahl after she gives up her security phrase for her Lifeless in order to show Lightsong that they are serious.
181
182	[[/folder]]
183
184	!!Others In Hallandren
185
186	[[folder:Vasher]]
187	!!Vasher/Peacegiver the Merciful/Strifelover/Kalad the Usurper/Taxalis the Sage/Warbreaker the Peaceful
188
189	A mysterious man who is interested in war. He carries the cursed sword Nightblood.
190	----
191	* TheAtoner: Upon seeing the destruction Nightblood wrought, he decided to use his power to help stop wars, rather than start them.
192	* BackFromTheDead: Since he's a Returned.
193	* BadassBookworm: He's first and foremost a scholar, but very capable of kicking ass if required.
194	* CharacterTitle: His first name as a Returned was Warbreaker the Peaceful.
195	* CombatPragmatist: Throws his cursed sword into crowds and waits for it to massacre people. Also killed Denth and Arsteel through very underhand tactics.
196	* TheConqueror: When he was Kalad, he used his "Phantoms" (human skeletons encased in stone statues that were then turned to Lifeless) to conquer Hallandren.
197	* CoverBlowingSuperpower: Could have a Returned body and the first five Heightenings at any time, if he manifests his Divine Breath. That, however, would involve dealing with all the other implications of being Returned.
198	* DimensionalTraveler: At some point, he ends up in [[Literature/TheStormlightArchive Roshar]], minus Nightblood. [[WordOfGod Word of Brandon]] is this isn't his first time.
199	* FriendToAllChildren: Uncharacteristically easy going and good around children and animals. Discovering the daughter of a priest kidnapped and abused by thieves for blackmail sends him into a BerserkerRage.
200	* GoodIsNotNice: He has NoSocialSkills, and outright rude to Vivenna. A marked contrast to Denth.
201	* GrumpyOldMan: He's ReallySevenHundredYearsOld, and usually terse, rude, and cynical. Vivenna even calls him a grump.
202	* GuileHero: Almost a Deconstruction: he's trying very, very hard to accomplish his goals subtly and without too much bloodshed, but it's frequently commented by himself and others that he has almost NoSocialSkills, and sucks at stealth. Ultimately, he's more a magical universe's equivalent of a ScienceHero, and resolves the plot by unleashing a giant, unstoppable army.
203	** ScienceHero: As mentioned above, he's more of a Awakening researcher than a warrior, which is why he is worse at swordplay than Denth and, by implication, Arsteel.
204	* HeroesPreferSwords: He is partial to Nightblood.
205	* IHaveManyNames: Vasher, Kalad the Usurper, Peacegiver the Merciful, Talaxin the Sage, and Warbeaker the Peaceful are just some of his many names on Nalthis. He has so many names, that people actually forget that they all belong to the same man and see his history as different people. He also goes by the name of Zahel while on Roshar.
206	* MagicKnight: He uses Awakening in tandem with Nightblood in combat.
207	* NoSocialSkills: The biggest flaw in his attempt to play at being a GuileHero.
208	* PermaStubble: Vivenna even wonders if he purposely shaves to look like that. Turns out it actually is permanent. As a Returned, his physical body doesn't change unless he actively tries to make it do so. The fact that he constantly looks scruffy in exactly the same way is one of the first indications of his Returned status. Furthermore, it reveals something about the way he views himself in that Returned look like they think they should.
209	* ReallySevenHundredYearsOld: He's one of the oldest people in Hallandren, having been around at the Manywar and being one of the Five Scholars.
210	%%* TheRival: According to Denth, he was once one to him.
211	* TooAwesomeToUse: {{Exploited}} during his fights with Denth and Arsteel. Since he can't beat them in a proper duel, he just shoves all his Breath into them and kills them while they're stunned by the experience. He notes this only works because most Awakeners would rather take their Breath to the grave than use it so wastefully, so they'd never see it coming.
212	* VoluntaryShapeshifting: According to him, all Returned can do this, but default to whatever they ''think'' they should look like.
213	* WalkingSpoiler: Due to IHaveManyNames, his true nature is extremely hard to talk about without spoiling a large part of the book and his place in it.
214	* WithCatLikeTread: Any attempt at stealth he makes usually ends in Nighblood killing everyone.
215	* YoungFaceOldEyes: While he's undercover on Roshar, Kaladin notices that Vasher's eyes seem older than the rest of his face.
216
217	[[/folder]]
218
219	[[folder:Denth]]
220	!!Denth/[=VaraTreleedees=]
221
222	->''"You know what I hate about being a mercenary?"''
223
224	The leader of a group of mercenaries who aide Vivenna in T'Telir.
225	----
226	* AffablyEvil: Very polite on the surface, in direct contrast to [[GoodIsNotNice Vasher.]] Vasher even comments that men like Denth can be evil to the core but so long as they're charismatic and funny, people will like them. Unlike [[TheSociopath Tonk Fah]], Denth's affability isn't completely feigned, and he's established as a man who used to be good, but hates what he is now.
227	* AgentProvocateur: He's Bluefinger's main agent for stirring up trouble in T'Telir.
228	* BackFromTheDead: He's a Returned.
229	* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: He wanted to know how Arsteel died. Vasher showed him... violently.
230	* DeadpanSnarker: Not as much as Lightsong, but it's part of his FalseFriend persona.
231	* DidNotSeeThatComing: Vasher kills him by giving him all his Breaths, the involuntary physical reaction to it buys Vasher enough time to slash his throat. Vasher confirms he killed Arsteel the same way, admitting no one sees it coming because Breaths are so valuable, most people can't fathom just throwing them away.
232	* TheDragon: The muscle half of Bluefingers' operation.
233	** DragonInChief: He's much stronger than his master, Bluefingers.
234	** DragonWithAnAgenda: He really just wants revenge on Vasher.
235	* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: His motivation for hunting down and torturing Vasher is to get revenge on him for murdering his beloved sister.
236	* EvilCounterpart: According to Brandon, Denth was deliberately written as a parallel to [[Literature/MistbornTheOriginalTrilogy Kelsier]]. Only this time, he's working for the villains.
237	* TheFace: His job for his mercenary troupe. It helps to cover up [[AxCrazy Tonk]] [[TheSociopath Fah]]'s antics. This is expounded on in a spoileriffic annotation.
238	-->'''Creator/BrandonSanderson:''' Tonk Fah is a sociopath, and much of the time when he makes his jokes about hurting people, he's serious. (The vanishing pets are a subtle clue to this.) He finds the concept of hurting people funny. We laugh because of Denth, who's running interference and making it seem like they're just exaggerating to get a laugh.
239	* FalseFriend: To Vivenna, who he manipulates into starting a war while pretending to be her friend.
240	* GuileHero: Though he's good with a sword, he's far more likely to just use his words to get around. Subverted, in that his goal is anything but heroic.
241	* HeroOfAnotherStory: DefiedTrope. While he claims that this is the case for everyone, he refuses to take an active role in his own journey, centering it entirely around his hatred of Vasher and subordinate role to his employers, thereby making him the sole exception to this idea in the entire book.
242	-->'''Creator/BrandonSanderson:''' In this novel, everyone does think they’re doing what’s best. The only exception to that is, perhaps, Denth himself—which makes the conversation [about this concept] particularly poignant.
243	* HeroicComedicSociopath: Makes a lot of jokes about pain. [[SubvertedTrope Except he's not heroic. Or joking.]]
244	* JustJokingJustification: The reason Vivenna goes along with his and Tonk Fah's antics and HeroicComedicSociopath behavior is because Denth explains this is the case, simply mercenary humor. It's BlatantLies; he's just being TheFace to [[TheSociopath Tonk]] [[AxCrazy Fah]].
245	* KaleidoscopeHair: In his death throes, he shows that his hair is very similar to that of the Royal Locks due to being a Returned himself.
246	* ManipulativeBastard: What he actually is, tricking Vivenna into helping him instigate a war while pretending to be attempting to stop one.
247	* MasterOfDisguise: According to WordOfGod, he has used his Returned ability to change what he looks like to great effect over his lifetime.
248	* MasterSwordsman: He's an excellent swordsman, and so fast that Vivenna, even with Breath, can barely make out his swings.
249	* NeverMyFault: It's heavily implied that the reason why he [[DefiedTrope refuses to be]] [[HeroOfAnotherStory a central figure of his own tale]], exclusively defining himself in relationship to everyone around him, is so that he can avoid taking any responsibility for what he does, blaming it on his associates or nemesis.
250	* ReallySevenHundredYearsOld: He's one of the oldest people in Hallandren, having been around at the Manywar and being one of the Five Scholars.
251	* RedemptionRejection: During their duel, Vasher reveals he knows the Command to erase memories. He offers to take away the ones that have driven Denth to his current actions, essentially giving him the chance at a new life. Denth considers, then admits neither he nor Vasher deserve a better life before trying to kill Vasher again.
252	* TheRival: His mercenary troupe notes that he is one to Vasher, who is the closest to his equal in combat they know.
253	** RivalTurnedEvil: He's this towards Vasher since Vasher killed his sister, Shashara, but claims it's the other way around.
254	* SarcasticConfession: He ''did'' warn Vivenna not to trust mercenaries several times.
255	* SatelliteCharacter: An InvokedTrope. Refusing to be his own man, Denth seems to identify himself as "Vasher's nemesis," "Shashara's brother," or other similar concepts [[NeverMyFault to avoid responsibility]].
256	* SlashedThroat: How Vasher kills him with a knife.
257	* SuperSpeed: He's well known for his speed, which comes from being a Returned.
258	* TragicVillain: During his final duel with Vasher, Denth comments that he tried to go back to being the good man he once was, but the things he's seen and done have damaged him too much to go back. He's tempted to accept Vasher's offer to erase his painful memories, but admits that neither he nor Vasher deserve such peace.
259	* VillainousFriendship:
260	** With Tonk Fah, with whom he trades [[BlackComedy dark banter]] with. While Tonk Fah is confirmed by WordOfGod to be a sociopath, Denth at least cares enough about him to save his life even if it means turning his back on his hated nemesis at a crucial moment.
261	** Another reason Denth hates Vasher so much is because Vasher killed Denth's friend, Arsteel, in a duel.
262	* VoluntaryShapeshifting: According to Vasher, this is what the actual ability is, more so for pure Returned than their children.
263	* WalkingSpoiler: It becomes very hard to talk about him after finding out his true allegiance, and even moreso with Nightblood's exposition.
264	* WorthyOpponent: He views Vasher as this, confessing his respect for the man to a fellow conspirator, even as plans on torturing him to death for revenge.
265
266	[[/folder]]
267
268	[[folder:Tonk Fah]]
269	!!Tonk Fah
270
271	The dumber piece of the Jewels, Denth, Tonk Fah partnership.
272	----
273	* AndCallHimGeorge: Loses a lot of pets this way, to Denth and Jewels' annoyance. It's much darker than Lennie's behavior, however, in that it's not by accident. He tortures and kills them to sate his sociopathic tendencies, then keeps the corpses like trophies. Denth is probably more annoyed because it's more difficult to cover up.
274	* AxCrazy: His real demeanor, since all of his jokes about maiming and killing people are ''not'' jokes. He sincerely means it, but Denth is charismatic enough to make his comments sound like he's only joking.
275	* BadPeopleAbuseAnimals: It's revealed the reason his pets keep disappearing is because he tortures them to death. Played with in that he apparently used to do this with ''people'' and it took Denth a long time to convince him to do it to animals instead.
276	* BloodKnight: Tonk Fah likes fighting and killing a lot.
277	* TheBrute: The dumber half of the muscle in Bluefingers' plot.
278	* DumbMuscle: Tonk Fah is a strong enforcer who comes across as somewhat simple-minded. Part of this is a trick to lure marks into a false sense of security, but he's still much less intelligent than Denth and Jewels, at least. He even makes the mistake of still wearing the same cloak even weeks after Vivenna Awakened it, meaning she could still Command it.
279	* FalseFriend: Like Denth, Tonk Fah pretends to be Vivenna's friend only to manipulate her. He even seems to relish her reaction when their betrayal's revealed.
280	* FatBastard: An overweight, sociopathic mercenary who takes pleasure in torture.
281	* HeroicComedicSociopath: Denth plays his sociopathy as this, to keep him in line.
282	* KarmaHoudini: Escapes with Jewels during the assault on the Court of the Gods.
283	* KnowWhenToFoldThem: When the Court of the Gods is attacked and Denth is killed, Tonk Fah takes his money and escapes with Jewels.
284	* PsychoForHire: He's a sociopath who loves to kill, and a mercenary.
285	* PsychopathicManchild: With his reliance on Denth and his sociopathy, he's very similar to an extremely dark take on [[Literature/OfMiceAndMen Lennie to Denth's George.]]
286	* {{Sadist}}: Denth says Tonk Fah's biggest weakness is that he ''likes'' hurting things, and that it took a lot of effort to get Tonk Fah to switch from torturing people to animals.
287	* SleepyHead: Tonk Fah has the uncanny ability to fall asleep anywhere at a moment's notice.
288	* TheSociopath: He's a literal sociopath according to WordOfGod.
289	* VillainousFriendship: He trades a lot of [[BlackComedy dark banter]] with Denth. While Tonk Fah is a confirmed sociopath, Denth at least cares enough about Tonk Fah to save his life, even if it means turning his back on his hated nemesis at a crucial moment.
290
291	[[/folder]]
292
293	[[folder:Jewels]]
294	!!Jewels
295
296	The only female mercenary in Denth's troupe.
297	----
298	* ChurchgoingVillain: Still a devout follower of the Iridescent Tones (worship of the Returned). Oddly enough, she's involved in a plot to overthrow the Court of the Returned.
299	* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: It's implied she loves her family as she's proud of the fact that she gave up her Breath to the God King so they could have enough money to survive.
300	* ILoveTheDead: According to WordOfGod, Clod the Lifeless is Arsteel, and Jewels never stopped sleeping with him after he became a Lifeless.
301	* LoveMakesYouEvil: She joined Denth's mercenary group because she was in love with Arsteel.
302	* {{Jerkass}}: Especially to Vivenna, but Denth says she is always like that.
303	* KarmaHoudini: Escaped with Tonk Fah during the assault on the Court of the Gods.
304	* KnowWhenToFoldThem: After the attack on the Court of the Gods and Denth's death, she and Tonk Fah take their money and run.
305	* MayflyDecemberRomance: She was formerly in one with Arsteel, who is centuries old.
306	* TheSmurfettePrinciple: She's the only female member of Denth's mercenaries.
307
308	[[/folder]]
309
310	[[folder:Treleedees]]
311	!!High Priest Treleedees
312
313	The priest of God King Susebron.
314	----
315	* GoodAllAlong: He legitimately wants to help Siri and Susebron. He just isn't clear enough on how he plans to do that.
316	* GoodIsNotNice: Even though he's on Siri's side, he's still very rude to her.
317	* HeroicSacrifice: Sacrifices himself with the other priests in an attempt to protect Susebron and Siri.
318	* HighPriest: He's the high priest of the God King and the true power behind the throne.
319	* HolierThanThou: Acts cold and self-righteous towards Siri, who does not share his faith.
320	* {{Jerkass}}: Comes off as incredibly petty and cruel towards Siri. He actually has [[MistakenForSpies mistaken her for a spy]], and is being far more obtuse than is actually necessary for dealing with her.
321	* NiceJobBreakingItHero: Treleedees trying to hide the God Kings true nature from Siri, and threatening her homeland with war should she fail to sleep with Susebron, were hardly conducive to keeping him from looking like the BigBad. Without that distraction, it seems likely that Siri would have noticed Bluefinger pulling the strings much sooner.
322	* SinisterMinister: {{Subverted}}. He legitimately wants to help Siri and Susebron. He just isn't clear enough on how he plans to do that.
323	* TheLeader: He's the true power behind Hallandren.
324	* TheManBehindTheMan: To God King Susebron. However, he's a heroic variant.
325	* WalkingSpoiler: He's another character that's almost impossible to talk about without spoiling the plot, because he's a good guy, but seems to be the BigBad for most of the book.
326	* WellIntentionedExtremist: Sincerely believes that cutting out Susebron's tongue was for the greater good. It's hard to entirely dismiss this idea when you realize how terrifying a tyrant god king would be.
327
328	[[/folder]]
329
330	[[folder:Llarimar]]
331	!!High Priest Llarimar
332
333	The priest of Lightsong.
334	----
335	* BeleagueredAssistant: Not that Lightsong is incompetent, exactly, but Llarimar does need to put up with his [[TheGadfly behaviour]].
336	* HypercompetentSidekick: Lightsong's court runs as well as it does because of Llarimar.
337	* TheJeeves: He is a high priest, but more often than not, his role boils down to this, as he acts more like a head butler.
338	* LukeIAmYourFather: He was Lightsong's brother, when he was alive.
339	* NotSoStoic: He ''flips out'' after Lightsong's reckless behavior gets them captured.
340	-->'''Llarimar:''' I can't believe I'm in prison, because of you, ''again!''
341	* RestoredMyFaithInHumanity: He confesses that he nearly lost his faith after seeing the corruption in the Court of the Gods, until his brother came back as Lightsong after dying to save Llarimar's daughter.
342	* ServileSnarker: Often his reponse to his master's antics.
343	* TheStoic: He's completely unflappable, most of the time.
344
345	[[/folder]]
346
347	[[folder:Bluefingers]]
348	!!Havarseth, a.k.a. "Bluefingers"
349	->''"Things aren't exactly as they seem around here."''
350
351	The secretary of the God King and an advisor to Siri.
352	----
353	* AffablyEvil: He is worried for his fellow countrymen and polite to Siri even as his war is on the verge of coming about.
354	* AntiVillain: Of the WellIntentionedExtremist variety, as he just wants his people to be free.
355	* ApologeticAttacker: To Siri not only as he sends Lifeless after her, but also when he mentions having to kill Susebron and perhaps her.
356	* BeneathSuspicion: He just seems like an overworked bureaucrat for most of the novel. It's only when Siri remembers Lightsong's ''specific'' advice about being beneath suspicion that she realizes he's been playing them.
357	* BigBad: He's the mastermind behind the scheme to start a war between Hallandren and Idris.
358	* BigBadFriend: To Siri, who he "[[TreacherousAdvisor helps]]" throughout the novel.
359	* TheChessmaster: He's the reason a war nearly breaks out.
360	* EvilChancellor: Serves as a scribe for the God King while plotting to ignite a massive war.
361	* EvilGenius: He's a dangerously intelligent schemer who ''almost'' gets what he wants.
362	* FrameUp: His plan includes murdering Siri and having dead Hallandren priests take the fall in order to start a war.
363	* HiddenVillain: Nobody suspects the scribe of trying to start a war, allowing him to act as an undercover mastermind.
364	* TheManBehindTheMan: He hired Denth to act as his AgentProvocateur in T'Telir.
365	* MrExposition: He serves as this to Siri, which allows for him to be an UnreliableExpositor.
366	* NonActionBigBad: Since he's not exactly a fighter, Denth and his group act as the brawn for his plan.
367	* NotSoDifferentRemark: Unsuccessfully tries to pull this on Siri to justify his actions. Siri rather adamantly denies it.
368	* OhCrap: Being caught about to plunge a dagger into the chest of the God King's bride as the man himself storms into the room demonstrating full access to his powers tends to elicit that response.
369	* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: Nobody really calls him "Havarseth."
370	* TheResenter: It turns out he's this to Hallandren's residents for how they treat the Pahn Kahl.
371	* TreacherousAdvisor: His "aid" for Siri is anything '''but''' that.
372	* UnreliableExpositor: He lied to Siri on numerous occasions so he could manipulate her to his side.
373	* WalkingSpoiler: Since he's the BigBad, his position in the plot is extremely important, much more so than his behavior would assume, making it very difficult for people who read the whole book to speak about him without spoiling major elements of the plot.
374	* WellIntentionedExtremist: He's trying to ignite a brutal and drawn-out war between Idris and Hallandren all to give his own people--the Pahn Kahl--an opportunity to finally break free of their abusive subjugators.
375	[[/folder]]
376
377	!!Other Characters
378
379	[[folder:Nightblood]]
380	!!Nightblood
381
382	->''"Hello, would you like to kill someone today?"''
383
384	Vasher's talking sword, created to destroy evil. Pity it doesn't have any idea what that means.
385	----
386	* AmbiguousGender: It doesn't have [[NoBiologicalSex an actual sex]], what with being a hunk of metal and all, but it finds the concept fun. Vasher refers to it with male pronouns, while [[spoiler:Lift]] uses female.
387	* AntiMagic: Due to its construction as an Awakened Entity, Nightblood exists on the Physical, Cognitive, and Spiritual realms. This lets it attacks and destroy magical effects and enchantments directly, such as [[spoiler: the spiritual cord forming the Connection between a Bondsmith and another person]] or [[spoiler: directly attacking the [[KillTheGod Cognitive Shadow of a Shardvessel]].]]
388	* ArtifactOfDeath: Even if a wielder is pure of heart, the sword drains their Breath at an increasing speed over time the longer it is held, and consumes their life when that's gone.
389	** [[spoiler: Incidentally he can also consume Stormlight, and WordOfGod has confirmed that this carries over to basically any other form of investiture the wielder is holding, such as someone actively using one of the Metallic Arts from ''Mistborn''.]]
390	** Nightblood's lethality is so great that it can be used to kill [[spoiler: [[KillTheGod Shardvessels.]]]]
391	* ArtifactOfDoom: Kills almost anyone who tries to pick him up, first killing anyone in the immediate vicinity who is impure. [[WordOfGod The annotation]] describes the effect as "a kind of unholy, sentient mix of [[Literature/TheElricSaga Stormbringer]] and [[Literature/TheLordOfTheRings the One Ring]]."
392	* AwesomeButImpractical: Incredibly powerful, and capable of destroying on all three levels of reality, but incredibly draining. [[spoiler:Vivenna’s similar sword in ''Literature/{{Oathbringer}}'' is less powerful but more manageable in exchange]].
393	** As a result, most of its wielders learn easier ways to be effective with it, whether it's [[SheathStrike wielding it with the sheath on as a blunted weapon]] or simply tossing it into the midst of a group of enemies and letting them destroy themselves with it.
394	** [[spoiler:[[Literature/TheStormlightArchive Szeth]]]] manages to be able to wield it by drawing it while [[spoiler:holding Stormlight in his body, so that it can feed Nightblood's incessant hunger while he kills with it.]]
395	* BlackSwordsAreBetter: Completely black, oozes black smoke, and a terribly powerful artifact.
396	* BloodKnight: Though as it says, it's a sword. It's best to stick to what someone is good at.
397	* BlueAndOrangeMorality: Its only desire is to destroy evil. However, being essentially a sharp pointy lump of metal, it hasn't got much idea what actually qualifies as evil.
398	* CoolSword: A sword with a mind of its own that leaves black marks where it kills people and is capable of killing nearly ''anything''.
399	* TheCorrupter: Both played straight and [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]]. It has an innate and unconscious draw to it that entices the impure of heart to draw it and kill indiscriminately until they are also consumed. However, when it's wielded by someone more in control of themselves (and thus gets used very rarely if ever), it tends to consciously attempt this trope and fail miserably, as all it ever really amounts to is childishly goading.
400	* CharacterTitle: For the planned sequel to ''Warbreaker''.
401	* CannibalismSuperpower: Nightblood feeds off Investiture, and is itself ultimately a heavily invested object. Nightblood has in fact become more invested as it feeds.
402	* DarkIsNotEvil: It seems evil, and does kill a lot, but really just wants to destroy evil.
403	* DeadpanSnarker: Its conversations with Vasher dip into this often, though not very deeply.
404	* DidntThinkThisThrough: Actually [[AvertedTrope Averted]] in that its creators thought long and hard about what command to give it. They just screwed it up anyway. He was given the Command "Destroy Evil". Unfortunately, neither Vasher nor his wife realized that a piece of metal wouldn't have a very clear idea of what "evil" ''actually is''.
405	* DimensionalTraveller: Somehow ended up on [[Literature/TheStormlightArchive Roshar]] separated from Vasher and Vivenna. It's unknown how it got there but judging by flashbacks in ''Literature/{{Oathbringer}}'' it's been there for some time.
406	* DramaticIrony: Thanks to its aura of nausea that affects the pure of heart, [[spoiler:[[Literature/TheStormlightArchive Navani]]]] is under the impression that she hates its bearer so much she can't stand to be in his presence.
407	** Although she does have good reason to hate the bearer, as [[spoiler: he is the man who assassinated her husband]].
408	* TheDreaded: Every rational being in the Cosmere is afraid of Nightblood, including [[PhysicalGod Shardvessels]] and [[AllPowerfulBystander Hoid]], due to its ability to touch the Spiritual Realm. With good reason, considering it can kill [[spoiler:seemingly immortal spirits like thunderclasts. Even [[GodOfEvil Rayse]] is terrified by it as shown in ''Rhythm of War'', which turns out to be [[KillTheGod for good reason]]]].
409	* EvilKnockoff: [[spoiler:Was created in an attempt to mimic Shardblades]].
410	* EvilSoundsDeep: When fully drawn, it booms its Command in the wielder's head repeatedly. However, since said Command is "Destroy Evil", this is a SubvertedTrope.
411	* EvilWeapon: Subverted. It's a black sword that loves killing, but was initially created to ''destroy'' evil. Pity it's a sword and doesn't really know the difference.
412	-->'''Nightblood:''' I'm figuring it out. I've had a lot of practice.
413	* GoneHorriblyRight: Shashara and Vasher wanted to use Awakening to make a Shardblade like those on Roshar. They ended up making something even more powerful, and far more dangerous to both the wielder and everyone around them.
414	* HeroicComedicSociopath: It constantly wants to [[OmnicidalManiac kill everyone in sight]], but it's played for laughs. It helps that it isn't actually capable of harming anyone without its wielder's permission, and it's not nearly smart enough to [[TheCorrupter subtly tempt them into doing it]], making it essentially [[HarmlessVillain harmless.]]
415	* ImmortalBreaker: As shown in ''Oathbringer'', [[spoiler:its connection to the Spiritual Realm enables it to kill the immortal thunderclasts that otherwise would reform later.]] Even more dramatically, it can even kill [[spoiler: Shardvessels]] if you find yourself in a position to try.
416	* InsaneTrollLogic: How it developed its working definition of "evil", given that it has absolutely no idea what evil is. It knows it's a ''very'' good sword, and evil is what opposes good, so by definition, anything it cuts was evil, because they got in its way. And, likewise, anyone who wields it is good, because they're helping.
417	* InsertPaymentToUse: It's one of the deadliest weapons in the Cosmere but burns through its wielder's investiture at an increasing rate while drawn, and eats their life and soul if they run out.
418	* MeaningfulName: Nightblood is a black sword that oozes and drips a kind of liquid smoke.
419	* NauseaFuel: InUniverse. If someone who is pure of heart and good looks at it, there is a wave of nausea that overcomes that person which gets worse the closer the person is.
420	* NoBodyLeftBehind: Anyone killed by Nightblood disappears into black smoke.
421	* NoodleIncident: WordOfGod is that he’s visited at least one other planet aside from Nalthis and [[spoiler:[[Literature/TheStormlightArchive Roshar]]]].
422	* ObliviouslyEvil: It really does think it’s destroying evil by slaughtering everything, it just doesn't actually know what evil ''is''.
423	* OneHitKill: Even the slightest cut from Nightblood will ''instantly'' annihilate whoever is unfortunate enough to be struck by it. [[spoiler:This includes even Shardvessels, as Nightblood exists in the Cognitive Realm and can thus be drawn and used against beings in that realm. In ''Rhythm of War'', Taravangian is able to use it to kill Rayse and steal the Shard of Odium.]]
424	* PowerLimiter: Its sheath limits its ability to drain Investiture, along with allowing it to keep its mind. However, it is very dangerous even with such precautions. Unclasping the sheath allows for some leaking power, and fully drawing it unleashes it all. [[WordOfGod Word of Brandon]] is that the sheath is made of Aluminum, a known AntiMagic material in the Cosmere, which is why it blocks Nightblood's abilities.
425	* PsychopathicManchild: It sometimes acts like the sword equivalent of this, loving attention and essentially pouting when it doesn't get it. Also, while [[LaserGuidedAmnesia forgetting what happens when it is drawn completely upon being resheathed]], is extremely excited about remembering fulfilling the Command given.
426	* PsychoPrototype: The first Type IV Awakened Entity, unfortunately its flawed Command means it ''really'' wants to kill things. [[spoiler:''Oathbringer'' has Vivenna with a less powerful, less draining sword]].
427	* SetAMookToKillAMook: One of the more simple ways to use Nightblood is to just toss it into the middle of a group of opponents. Unless they're someone who wouldn't use the sword for personal gain, they'll start killing each other to seize Nightblood, with the last one usually committing suicide with the blade when they're done.
428	* ShipperOnDeck: Seems to be one for Vivenna and Vasher.
429	* SoulCuttingBlade: It's one of a very few things in the Cosmere that destroy on a cognitive and spiritual level as well as physical.
430	* TalkingWeapon: It can talk to whoever is holding it or has held it in the past by way of {{telepathy}}.
431	* {{Telepathy}}: Reads surface thoughts of whoever is holding it, acting as though they were directed at it, even if they aren't, since it assumes that said thoughts should be directed at it anyway.
432	* UnholyHolySword: The command to "Destroy evil" would be very appropriate for a holy weapon, but Nightblood’s inability to understand what evil ''is'' means it more often than not destroys ''everything'' in sight.
433	* WalkingSpoiler: Moreso than the others, as it has also appeared [[spoiler:[[Literature/TheStormlightArchive on Roshar]].]]
434	* WellIntentionedExtremist: It really just wants to destroy evil.
435	* WhenAllYouHaveIsAHammer: Nightblood is a sword, and to it all problems look like stab-victims in waiting.
436	* WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity: When fully drawn, Nightblood screams its Command into its wielder repeatedly in a rather bloodthirsty manner. However, it retains no memory of what happened after being sheathed once more.
437	* WrongContextMagic: It is a knockoff [[spoiler:Shardblade]] made from [=BioChroma=]. Whether their attempts went [[GoneHorriblyWrong horribly wrong]] or [[GoneHorriblyRight horribly right]] is a matter of personal opinion.
438
439	[[/folder]]
440
441	[[folder:Yesteel]]
442	!!Yesteel
443
444	The last of the Five Scholars. In the epilogue, it's mentioned that he's serving a new villain with enhanced Lifeless.
445	----
446	* TheDragon: To some new villain.
447	* ReallySevenHundredYearsOld: As one of the Five Scholars, his is over three hundred years old.
448	* SequelHook: Pretty much his reason for existing.
449	* StealthExpert: Nightblood says he's better at sneaking than [[WithCatlikeTread his wielders in the book]], at least.
450	[[/folder]]

Context Characters / Warbreaker