History Characters / TheStormlightArchive

* RichIdiotWithNoDayJob: While not actually one - he is always fighting on the front line and is a competent battlefield commander - Adolin is considered one by most of the Alethi upper crust, who make it clear that they think he is an arrogant fop.

A cheerful one-armed Herdazian bridgeman, assigned to Bridge Four as a cruel joke.

* FrontLineGeneral: Leads from the very front of his army in Shardplate to minimize his armies loses. [[spoiler: Takes a more behind the lines position after giving his Shard Plate to Renarin]]

* LoveAtFirstSight: Was immediately smitten with Shallan upon seeing her. Though he only really fell for her after she [[spoiler: [[ItMakesSenseInContext asked him about what he did if he needed to poop in Shard plate]].]]

The daughter of Jezrien, the Herald king. She appears in ''The Way of Kings'', but it has not been confirmed who she is in the book. According to Nale, she has been "getting worse", although it isn't clear what he means by this.

* TheCameo: Brandon revealed that she appears in ''The Way of Kings'', in response to being asked if she was [[spoiler:The Mistress]].

[[folder:The Mistress]]
!"The Mistress"

A woman who breaks into houses to destroy art. She is aided by Baxil and Av.

* AxCrazy: Av tells Baxil not to bother her if he values his limbs.
* NoNameGiven: Her name isn't revealed during her appearance in ''The Way of Kings''.
* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: Baxil and Av don't seem to actually know her real name, and only refer to her as "The Mistress".

[[folder:Thinker]]
!Demoux

A man searching for Hoid alongside Blunt (Baon) and Grump (Galladon). He's Demoux from ''Mistborn'', and he is now a part of the Worldhopping organization known as the Seventeenth Shard.

* TheCameo: He is Demoux from ''Literature/MistbornTheOriginalTrilogy''.
* DimensionalTraveler: He somehow managed to arrive from Scadrial.
* ScarsAreForever: He still has the scar he received 300 years ago in ''The Hero of Ages''.

[[folder:Grump]]
!Galladon

A man searching for Hoid alongside Thinker (Demoux) and Blunt (Baon). He's Galladon from ''Elantris'', and he has joined up with the worldhopping organization known as the Seventeenth Shard.

* TheCameo: He is Galladon from ''Literature/{{Elantris}}''.
* DimensionalTraveler: He somehow managed to arrive from Sel.
* GratuitousForeignLanguage: Aside from his occasional lines similar to those from his book of origin in Alethi, he also says a sentence that is noticeable as Duladen.
* YouDontLookLikeYou: His appearance is very different from [[AmazingTechnicolorPopulation that which]] [[BaldOfAwesome he had]] in the end of ''Literature/{{Elantris}}'', which takes place chronologically prior in the Cosmere books. However, this could be due to [[MasterOfIllusion Aon Shao or Lightweaving]].

[[folder:Blunt]]
!Baon

A man searching for Hoid alongside Grump (Galladon) and Thinker (Demoux). He is Baon, a character from the unreleased Cosmere book ''White Sand'', and he has joined the worldhopping organization known as the Seventeenth Shard. He's also an archer.

* TheCameo: He is a character from ''White Sand'', one of Brandon's unreleased works.
* TheDitz: Appears to be a bit of one when he tells the others that he wants to use a magic fish to find Hoid. [[TheCuckoolanderWasRight Then again, the fish of the purelake do show every sign of being magical]].
* EarlyBirdCameo: He appears here before his official debut in ''White Sand''.

[[folder:Zahel]]
!Zahel/[[spoiler:Vasher]]
->''"Kid, two people live in this room. The first is a grouchy swordsman who has a soft spot for kids who are in over their heads. He comes out by day. The other is a very, '''very''' grouchy swordsman who finds everything and everyone utterly contemptible. He comes out when some fool wakes him at a horrid hour of the night. I suggest you ask the first man and not the second. All right?"''

A swordsman who instructed Adolin and Renarin in swordsmanship.

* CynicalMentor: As per usual, he's not a nice person, but he does help.
* DimensionalTraveler: [[spoiler:He is actually [[Literature/{{Warbreaker}} Vasher]], who somehow traveled from Nalthis to Roshar.]]
* MasterSwordsman: Teaches the Kholin brothers swordsmanship.
* ReallySevenHundredYearsOld: As a [[spoiler: Returned, he's been around for a very, very long time, even before he traveled from Nalthis to Roshar.]]

[[folder:Rysn and Vstim]]
!Rysn and Vstim

A young Thaylen merchant apprentice and her [[{{Mentor}} Babsk]].

%%* TheApprentice: Rysn.
* BondCreatures: Rysn accidentally bonds with a hugely valuable creature called a Larkin by [[ItMakesSenseInContext falling off a cliff.]] It looks sort of like a cute winged crayfish. While we don't know the full significance of this, another character uses a captive Larkin to drain the stormlight from Lift.
* GoneHorriblyRight: [[spoiler:Vstim pretends to be sick so that Rysn has to take the lead in negotiating, but she believes that he's dying and goes to desperate lengths to fulfill what she sees as his last wishes.]]
%%* {{Mentor}}: Vstim.
* ToBeAMaster: Rysn aims to be a master trader like her Babsk Vstim.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Axies]]
!Axies the Collector

A Siah Aimian seeking to learn the secrets of the Spren.
----

!Jezrien (Vorin: Jezerezeh)

!Nale ("Darkness") (Vorin: Nalan)

* AppliedPhlembotium: Carries around a variety of extremely powerful tools. These range from a fabrial that can bring someone back after they are killed by a Shardblade, to a captive Larkin he uses to drain stormlight from Radiant prisoners.

!Shalash ("Ash") (Vorin: Shallash)

!Talenel'Elin ("Taln") (Vorin: Talenelat)

!Ishar (Vorin: Ishi)

[[folder:Alethi]]
!The People of Alethkar

A warrior race, and the ethnicity most of the viewpoint characters belong to. They are ruled by ten Highprinces, who were recently united (in theory) by a king.

* BloodKnight: When in battle Alethi (or at least Lighteyes) feel a battle lust known as the Thrill. [[spoiler:This is actually caused by a very powerful Voidspren]].
* NeverLearnedToRead: Alethkar is a Vorin kingdom, meaning that men are not allowed to read true letters. Glyphs are an exception, but those are designed to be recognizable even to someone who has never encountered them before, so everyone insists they don't count. More complicated glyphs require training to read, but most men don't learn them.
* ThePaladin: What they used to be during the days of the Silver Kingdoms, before eventually disintegrating into the BloodKnight.
* ProudWarriorRace: Alethi venerate the pursuit of war over all other Callings in life. Soldiers and duelists are their heroes; scholars are either ardents or women, and most Alethi men are either mostly or totally illiterate. Back in the days of the Silver Kingdoms, the Alethi were specifically designated as the nation of warriors, the ones who protected the other nine kingdoms from the Voidbringers.
* TheStoic: Alethi, as a race, are known for being very reserved at all times. Public displays of any form are frowned upon, from affection to demanding duels for insults. It's to the point that in the second book, Dalinar can't do anything to Sadeas despite [[spoiler:Sadeas very explicitly trying to get Dalinar's entire army killed in the previous one]].

[[folder:Veden]]
!The People of Jah Keved

A neighboring country to Alethkar, and another Vorin kingdom. They do not share the same military tradition as the Alethi, but they are their staunchest rivals, and hold nearly as many Shards.

* BoisterousBruiser: The Veden are known for being passionate and proud--or at least more passionate than the reserved Alethi.
* YouAreInCommandNow: Highprince Valam ends up as king due to being the last survivor of the succession war. [[spoiler:As he's dying from his wounds, he realizes that Taravingian plans to take over after his death, and decides to simplify matters by naming Taravingian his heir, and then having his bastard son kill him to spare him weeks of pain]].

[[folder:Thaylen]]
!The People of Thaylenah

A merchant people from the island nation of Thaylenah. They practice Alethi Vorinism, and are known for their long eyebrows.

* TheApprentice[=/=]{{Mentor}}: Their standard way of training new merchants is to have someone apprentice to a Trade Master. The apprentice is legally the property of their ''babsk'' for the duration of their apprenticeship, acting as sort of a combination of child and slave.
* MagicFeather: Thaylen religion, based around "the Passions," involves carved charms representing an emotion such as bravery. The charms are not magical and the Thaylens do not think that they are; the intent is for the charm to remind you to keep the emotion in mind when you need it.
* ProudMerchantRace: They are the best-known merchants on Roshar, and even on the Shattered Plains, a good chunk of the shopkeeps are Thaylen. Aspiring merchants enter into apprenticeships with Trade Masters in order to learn their skills.
* UnusualEyebrows: Thaylen eyebrows are so long that they are tucked behind their ears.

[[folder:Unkalaki]]
!The People of the Horneater Peaks (Horneaters)

Mountain-dwellers who believe that the order of your birth should determine your place in life. They also like loud, drunken singing.

* CookingDuel[=/=]DrinkingContest: The traditional form of dueling on the Peaks is to see who can still sing intelligibly after drinking the most mugs of beer. Hopefully, by the time the duel gets well underway everyone's so drunk they've forgotten what it was they were fighting about in the first place.
* ExtremeOmnivore: They actually DO eat horns and shells. And lowlanders barely consider their ale drinkable.
* ForeignQueasine: Horneaters are so called because they eat the horns and shells of the things they catch, Unkalaki have very strong teeth. A common gibe is to accuse them of putting rocks in their food too.
* UnevenHybrid: They have some Parshendi ancestry, which allows them to see some spren that aren't otherwise visible.

[[folder:Shin]]
!The People of Shinovar

A strange people from beyond the western mountains, where highstorms barely reach. Their land is more similar to Earth ecology than the rest of the continent, and they believe that bare stone is sacred and should not be trod upon.

* DarkSecret: [[spoiler:The Shin are the custodians of the nine Honorblades left by the Heralds when they broke the Oathpact]].
* PerfectPacifistPeople: A dark version. They maintain their pacifism by enslaving anyone in their society who takes up arms.
* ProudMerchantRace: Inverted. The Shin are an extremely ''humble'' merchant race, no word on how proud they are of this fact though.
* ReluctantWarrior: Fighting is thought to be an extremely lowly position, as opposed to in Alethkar.
* ThouShaltNotKill: Shin are pacifists. As noted under ReluctantWarrior, fighting is thought to be a very lowly profession, on par with slavery.

[[folder:Aimians]]
!The People of Aimia

A "cursed" race known for being somewhat jovial despite the hate they receive from everyone else. Also have minor shapeshifting powers.

* {{Curse}}: Mention is made of the "Curse of Kind," but no details on what this is.
* HumanoidAliens: Per WordOfGod, they're not human. They also consist of two distinct species.
* HumanShifting: Are able to alter their physiology at will, changing both their appearance and the functionality of their organs, as well as taking away headaches at a thought.
* FantasticRacism: Persecuted by other races under the belief that they are voidbringers due to their odd biology/shadows.
* ImpossibleShadowPuppets: Their shadows bend toward light instead of away from it.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Parshmen/Parshendi]]
!Parshmen/Parshendi/Listeners/[[spoiler:Voidbringers]]

The Parshmen are a slave race of marble-black skinned humanoids who have no will of their own and will follow any orders given. The Parshendi, on the other hand, are a ProudWarriorRace who live in eastern Roshar and who are at war with the Alethi after murdering their king. The Parshendi call themselves "listeners".
----

* FantasticCasteSystem: Many different cultures have different caste systems. People in the three Vorin kingdoms are divided into Lighteyes and Darkeyes, on the Peaks people are divided by birth order, in Barbathnum power is given based on your age, etc.

!The People of Alethekar

* NeverLearnedToRead: Alethekar is a Vorin kingdom, meaning that men are not allowed to read true letters. Glyphs are an exception, but those are designed to be recognizable even to someone who has never encountered them before, so everyone insists they don't count. More complicated glyphs require training to read, but most men don't learn them.

A neighboring country to Alethekar, and another Vorin kingdom. They do not share the same military tradition as the Alethi, but they are their staunchest rivals, and hold nearly as many Shards.

!Alethi

[[folder:Thaylen]]
!Thaylen

A merchant people from the island nation of Thaylenah. They practice Alethi Vorinism, and are known for their long eyebrows.

* TheApprentice[=/=]{{Mentor}}: Their standard way of training new merchants is to have someone apprentice to a Trade Master. The apprentice is legally the property of their ''babsk'' for the duration of their apprenticeship, acting as sort of a combination of child and slave.
* MagicFeather: Thaylen religion, based around "the Passions," involves carved charms representing an emotion such as bravery. The charms are not magical and the Thaylens do not think that they are; the intent is for the charm to remind you to keep the emotion in mind when you need it.
* ProudMerchantRace: They are the best-known merchants on Roshar, and even on the Shattered Plains, a good chunk of the shopkeeps are Thaylen. Aspiring merchants enter into apprenticeships with Trade Masters in order to learn their skills.
* UnusualEyebrows: Thaylen eyebrows are so long that they are tucked behind their ears.

[[folder:Horneaters]]
!Unkalaki (Horneaters)

Mountain-dwellers who believe that the order of your birth should determine your place in life. They also like loud, drunken singing.

* CookingDuel[=/=]DrinkingContest: The traditional form of dueling on the Peaks is to see who can still sing intelligibly after drinking the most mugs of beer. Hopefully, by the time the duel gets well underway everyone's so drunk they've forgotten what it was they were fighting about in the first place.
* ExtremeOmnivore: They actually DO eat horns and shells. And lowlanders barely consider their ale drinkable.
* ForeignQueasine: Horneaters are so called because they eat the horns and shells of the things they catch, Unkalaki have very strong teeth. A common gibe is to accuse them of putting rocks in their food too.
* UnevenHybrid: They have some Parshendi ancestry, which allows them to see some spren that aren't otherwise visible.

[[folder:Shin]]
!Shin

A strange people from beyond the western mountains, where highstorms barely reach. Their land is more similar to Earth ecology than the rest of the continent, and they believe that bare stone is sacred and should not be trod upon.

* DarkSecret: [[spoiler:The Shin are the custodians of the nine Honorblades left by the Heralds when they broke the Oathpact]].
* PerfectPacifistPeople: A dark version. They maintain their pacifism by enslaving anyone in their society who takes up arms.
* ProudMerchantRace: Inverted. The Shin are an extremely ''humble'' merchant race, no word on how proud they are of this fact though.
* ReluctantWarrior: Fighting is thought to be an extremely lowly position, as opposed to in Alethkar.
* ThouShaltNotKill: Shin are pacifists. As noted under ReluctantWarrior, fighting is thought to be a very lowly profession, on par with slavery.

[[folder:Aimians]]
!Aimians

A "cursed" race known for being somewhat jovial despite the hate they receive from everyone else. Also have minor shapeshifting powers.

* {{Curse}}: Mention is made of the "Curse of Kind," but no details on what this is.
* HumanoidAliens: Per WordOfGod, they're not human. They also consist of two distinct species.
* HumanShifting: Are able to alter their physiology at will, changing both their appearance and the functionality of their organs, as well as taking away headaches at a thought.
* FantasticRacism: Persecuted by other races under the belief that they are voidbringers due to their odd biology/shadows.
* ImpossibleShadowPuppets: Their shadows bend toward light instead of away from it.

[[folder:Parshmen/Parshendi]]
!Parshmen/Parshendi/Listeners/[[spoiler:Voidbringers]]

The Parshmen are a slave race of marble-black skinned humanoids who have no will of their own and will follow any orders given. The Parshendi, on the other hand, are a ProudWarriorRace who live in eastern Roshar and who are at war with the Alethi after murdering their king. The Parshendi call themselves "listeners".

[[folder:Szeth]]
!Szeth-son-son-Vallano, Truthless of Shinovar (Szeth-son-Neturo)
->''"What am I? I am....sorry."''

The Assassin In White sent to kill the former Alethi king, gets several viewpoint sections of his own throughout ''[[Literature/TheStormlightArchive The Way Of Kings]]''. His title of "Truthless" is never quite explained, though it is later implied that he was given his Shardblade by his people. Despite his talents, Szeth ''hates'' hurting people, and hates himself even more for his talents at doing the same.

Will have flashbacks in Book 5.

* ApologeticAttacker: ''Hates'' killing, and cries as he does. In the prologue, he actually does apologize before attacking.
* AppropriatedAppellation: "The Assassin in White" after his assassination of Gavilar.
* {{Badass}}: Just read about him using his abilities.
%%* BaldofAwesome
* BrokenAce: Completely destroyed by finding out that he was never really Truthless, and could have stopped the murders at any time. This is probably part of why Nalan considers him eligible to become a [[ByTheBookCop Skybreaker]].
* CassandraTruth: [[spoiler:He tried to warn the Shin of the coming Voidbringers. He was right, but they didn't believe him and branded him Truthless. He convinces himself that they were right, only to discover that he was right all along after encountering Kaladin.]]
* TheCombatPragmatist: Even in uses of his magical powers, he doesn't fight fair. Special mention goes to the time when he killed a Shardbearer by destroying a balcony beneath him.
* CoolSword: A master with his Shardblade, and refuses to part with it. [[spoiler:It's actually an Honorblade, and the direct source of his Surgebinding]]. Later, he gains access to [[spoiler:a sword that is strongly implied to be Nightblood from ''Warbreaker'']].
* {{Expy}}:
** Of anime ninja. Most evident in the chapter where he's the assassin of a crime lord wannabe, and wears the classic black outfit, combined with his big, anime-esque Shin eyes.
** Perhaps also an {{expy}} of the various protagonists of ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreed''. His physical description might as well be one of Ezio Auditore, and his occupation, needless to say, fits as well.
* ExtremeDoormat: He will do anything the person who holds his Oathstone orders, except commit suicide or give up his Shardblade. This is actually ''cultural''. Shin "warriors" are treated like slaves, with Shin culture greatly favoring farmers and craftsmen and elevating them to the rulership positions of society, and soldiers being slaves that are conditioned to view themselves as having little value and to obey whoever possesses them.
* FaceDeathWithDignity: [[spoiler:After realizing that he ''isn't'' Truthless and truly accepting responsibility for all the death he has inflicted, he lets Kaladin kill him.]] Too bad for him that [[spoiler:Nalan has other plans for him]].
* TheFettered: Bound to follow the orders of whomever holds his Oathstone. He has only two limits: he will not kill himself, and he will not give up his Shardblade. But anything else his master commands - ''anything'' - he will immediately carry out, no matter how much he hates it, even if it will sow war and chaos and kill hundreds of thousands of people. Even if he's standing next to a horrible monster who is deliberately killing people in front of his own eyes, Szeth will not act against them.
* {{Foil}}: To Kaladin especially. Both value honor and despise the actual act of killing, and are both slaves after a fashion. In the debate of ToBeLawfulOrGood, Kaladin falls under [[HonorBeforeReason "Good"]], while Szeth ascribed to a version of [[JustFollowingOrders "Lawful"]]. Whereas Kaladin [[GuiltComplex takes]] [[IShouldHaveBeenBetter responsibility for]] [[ItsAllMyFault everything]], Szeth takes it [[JustFollowingOrders for]] [[NeverMyFault nothing]]. The powers they exhibit are also similar. However, Szeth is an assassin, not a soldier, [[spoiler:and is not actually a surgebinder until joining the Skybreakers, who are rivals to the Windrunners Kaladin is one of]].
* GravityMaster: The thing that makes him so deadly, since nobody else understands his abilities or how to counter them. Outdoors a simple touch is enough to guarantee a kill on someone, because he can catapult them into the sky.
* HealingFactor: His Surgebinding allows him to heal from wounds.
* HitmanWithAHeart: He ''hates'' killing, but that is the task that he is best at, and he has countless masters willing to use his powers.
* HonorBeforeReason: Because he's a Truthless, he has to do whatever his masters tell him and can't take his own life. At several points in ''The Way of Kings'' he has a strong desire to act, but can't because he is a Truthless.
* ICannotSelfTerminate: As Truthless, he is not allowed to take his own life. [[spoiler:Once he learns he isn't Truthless, he lets Kaladin finish him]].
* JustFollowingOrders: A weird case. On the one hand, he is bound to follow any order his master gives him, with the sole exceptions of killing himself or giving up his Shardblade. On the other, it is explicitly stated that he is still 100% morally responsible for every evil order he follows. Kaladin specifically calls him out as a coward for using this excuse to justify everything he has done. [[spoiler:After finding out that he ''wasn't'' Truthless, that the claims of the return of Radiants and Voidbringers that got him declared Truthless were correct, he goes slightly off the deep end, because that would mean he could have refused every one of those evil orders.]]
* LastRequest: He grants both of Gavilar's as he believes that such things are sacred.
* MagicKnight: More like a magic ninja really.
* ManInWhite: What he's known for, anyway.
* {{McNinja}}: Though a ProfessionalKiller and MagicKnight, his typical methods are more of this type.
* OutOfFocus: He gets much less attention in ''Words of Radiance'', but is planned as the focus character of book three, ''Skybreaker''.
* PersonOfMassDestruction: Even most Shardbearers don't stand much of a chance.
* ProfessionalKiller: His entire role as a warrior from Shinovar, along with his Surgebinging abilities and Shardblade.
* SanitySlippage: He gets progressively less stable over the course of the first two books, especially once he realises that [[spoiler:Kaladin is a Radiant]], since it means that [[spoiler:the "lies" he told that made him Truthless were actually true all along]].
-->'''Szeth:''' THEY TOLD ME I WAS TRUTHLESS!
%%* SubmissiveBadass: See ExtremeDoormat.

[[folder:Dalinar]]
!Highprince Dalinar Kholin, "The Blackthorn"
->''"We follow the Codes not because they bring gain, but because we loathe the people we would otherwise become."''

One of ten Alethi highprinces, fighting a war with the nominal aid of the other highprinces to avenge the assassination of his brother, the former king. Once renowned for his raw martial prowess, he is now plagued with doubts about his people's culture and the war they are fighting, and also by strange visions that seem to be of the distant mostly-forgotten past and which contain hints of a dark future that may be in store.

Will have flashbacks in Book 3.

%%* AuthorityEqualsAssKicking
%%* {{Badass}}
* BadassNormal: Losing his shards doesnt slow him down much, considering he's still able to [[spoiler:fight evenly with Szeth]] during the climax of ''Words of Radiance''.
%%* BroughtDownToBadass
* BrokenAce: Like all Surgebinders. His breaking seems to have originated in his drunken failure to save his brother from Szeth.
* CoolSword[=/=]{{BFS}}: His Shardblade. [[spoiler:He gives it up to Sadeas, and then takes the one brought by Talenel]]. He eventually [[spoiler:casts this one aside as well to bond with the Stormfather, who tells him he refuses to become one for him]].
* TheDreaded: As the Blackthorn, Dalinar was ''feared''.
* EmpoweredBadassNormal: [[spoiler:As a Bondsmith.]]
* FatherToHisMen: Dalinar cares greatly for the safety of his soldiers, and refuses to ask them of anything he'd not be willing to do himself.
* TheFettered: Adheres to his chosen code of conduct despite ridicule from his rivals and complaints from his son, and [[spoiler:he goes so far as to give up his Shardblade to keep his promise to Kaladin and Bridge 4 to free them.]]
* FourStarBadass: An extremely competent general who is also an extremely good warrior. However, he is progressively losing the Alethi [[BloodKnight Thrill]], to the point where he doesn't fight as much as he used to, at least not as willingly.
* FrontLineGeneral: Leads from the very front of his army in Shardplate to minimize his armies loses. [[spoiler: Takes a more behind the lines position after giving his Shard Plate to Renarin]]
* HonorBeforeReason: In the first book, motivated by guilt over his brother's death. Even the king who literally wrote the book on honor (or a vision of him) tells him to be more realistic. Later gets over it and learns to balance honor and practicality.
* LaserGuidedAmnesia: [[spoiler:Due to seeking the Old Magic]], he has no memory of his wife other then the fact she existed, and can't even hear her name properly when it's spoken. It has not yet been revealed whether this was the wish or the price.
* TheManBehindTheMan: Pretty much everyone admits that Dalinar is the real king of Alethkar by the point of ''Words of Radiance''.
* MyGreatestFailure: Years later, he still hasn't forgiven himself for being passed out drunk while his brother fought an assassin. [[spoiler:It's not until the Assassin in White comes for him that he finally forgives himself; he realizes at that time that even if he'd been there to defend Gavilar, Szeth would have killed him without breaking a sweat.]]
* NamedWeapons: His Shardblade is called Oathbringer.
* NotQuiteTheRightThing: He ''did'' have good reasoning for trusting Sadeas, but...
* RedBaron: "The Blackthorn".
* RefugeInAudacity: When he decides to [[spoiler: bond a spren and become a Radiant,]] he doesn't go for any typical small fry- [[spoiler: he bonds the ''freaking Stormfather himself.'']]
* SecondLove: Finds one in and is one to [[spoiler:Navani Kholin]]. He resists this for a time, since in Alethi culture it's highly improper for him to [[spoiler:date his brother's widow, but after he is betrayed by Sadeas and nearly killed, he changes his mind.]]
* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism: Dalinar is an interesting study of the concept. In his youth he was very cynical, but Gavilar's death prompted him to become an idealistic proponent of the Codes of War and the concepts in ''The Way of Kings''. However, by the end of the first book, he's come to realize that this won't work to unite the highprinces, because the Alethi highprinces are selfish and refuse to act for the greater good. Dalinar decides to cut a middle ground, forcing the highprinces to work together through blunt force; in his own words, he is treating them "like children" because they do not know any better.
* WarriorPrince: As is the norm in Alethi society; a Highprince who isn't a warrior wouldn't garner much respect among his peers.
%%* TheWisePrince

* HuntingTheMostDangerousGame: A non-murderous variety. Adolin hunts against beasts positively boring, due to how the prey has little chance of countering the elaborate hunting methods humans can come up with. Much prefers one on one duels, where warriors can pit their wits against an opponent of equal intelligence and strength.

* OutOfFocus: while he eventually [[spoiler: is revealed to be a Radiant]] he isn't the focus of most of the action in the first two books.

** BrokenAce: [[spoiler: She's a surgebinder, so it goes without saying. It's partly whatever happened to her in the past, and partly carrying the weight of trying to save the world from a new Desolation.]]

* DumbIsGood: Despite seeming stupid, he is unusually kind and compassionate for a king. [[spoiler:He notes that his compassion and his intelligence seem to be inversely linked, so that he's kinder on his stupider days, though also specifically averted as he notes that this isn't the case for most people.]]

* AppliedPhlembotium: Carries around a variety of extremely powerful tools. These range from a fabriel that can bring someone back after they are killed by a shardblade to a captive Larkin he uses to drain stormlight from Radiant prisoners.

* TheDitz: Appears to be a bit of one when he tells the others that he wants to use a magic fish to find Hoid.
** TheCuckoolanderWasRight: Then again, the fish of the purelake do show every sign of being magical.

* BondCreatures: Rysn accidentally bonds with a hugely valuable creature called a Larkin by [[ItMakesSenseInContext falling off a cliff.]] It looks sort of like a cute winged crayfish. While we don't know the full significance of this, another character uses a captive Larkin to drain the stormlight from lift.

* MuggingTheMonster: According to Vstim's reaction to seeing an Aimian, people are constantly doing this and don't realize because he's too nice to fight back. Apparently escaping from being thoroughly tied up, upside down, ready to be fed to a greatshell, shouldn't actually be a problem for him.

* ObfuscatingStupidity: She's alot smarter than she lets on, though she's still a child and uninterested in the technical details of magic. For instance, she insists [[BeleagueredAssistant Windle]] is a voidbringer not because she actually thinks he is but rather because it annoys him.

* WhatKindOfLamePowerIsHeartAnyway: The Surge of Adhesion lets them... stick things together. Kind of underwhelming. It's implied there's more to it, though, and even as it's known the Assassin In White makes good use of it by [[HeartIsAnAwesomePower gluing groups of enemies to the floor and sealing doors shut.]]

Will have flashbacks in Book 3.

Will have flashbacks in Book 5.

* RedEyesTakeWarning: [[spoiler:The Forms of Power cause red eyes, which the Parshendi deem as signs of the Voidbringers, since they actually ''are'' them.]]

* EntropyAndChaosMagic: The Division Surge is that of decay and destruction.

* PersonOfMassDestruction: Their exact powers are unknown, but they were the ones who did the most damage in the Last Desolation.

* WhatKindOfLamePowerIsHeartAnyway: The Surge of Adhesion lets them... stick things together. Kind of underwhelming. It's implied there's more to it, though.

* AppliedPhlembotium: Carries around a variety of extremely powerful tools. These range from a fabriel that can bring someone back after they are killed by a shardblade to a captive Larkin he uses to drain stormlight from Radiant prisoners.

* IncorruptiblePurePureness: In her own words, she's so storming pure she practically belches rainbows.

* AppliedPhlembotium: Carries around a variety of extremely powerful tools. These range from a fabriel that can bring someone back after they are killed by a shardblade to a captive Larkin he uses to drain stormlight from Radiant prisoners.

* AnimatedTattoo: He marks his body with his notes, and can change their color in order to see them, seeing as he is regularly robbed blind.
* CosmicPlaything: He is regularly robbed of everything he owns, not that he really has much of a problem with that.

* AppliedPhlembotium: Carries around a variety of extremely powerful tools. These range from a fabriel that can bring someone back after they are killed by a shardblade to a captive Larkin he uses to drain stormlight from Radiant prisoners.

* AlienGeometries: His Physical Realm form.

* EquippableAlly: [[spoiler:Can turn into a Shardblade/Shardspear/Shardhammer/Shardwhatever]].

* LeeroyJenkins: Has a habit of charging into impossible battles. However, he also [[HeroicSacrifice has a tendency to win them]] [[RessurectiveImmortality at the cost of his life.]]

* LeeroyJenkins: Has a habit of charging into impossible battles.

* DumbIsGood: Despite seeming stupid, he is unusually kind and compassionate for a king. [[spoiler:He notes that his compassion and his intelligence seem to be inversely linked, so that he's kinder on his stupider days.]]
* IAmAMonster: [[spoiler:Szeth calls him one, and he doesn't object to it at all.]]