History Characters / TheStormlightArchiveOther

* DisneyVillainDeath: Adolin headbutts her into a chasm. She's wearing Shardplate at the time, so she probably survived the actual fall, but a highstorm and an Everstorm crashed into each other right above her head, so her survival remains ambiguous. In ''Oathbringer'', she turns out to be dead, having drowned in the dual storm's floodwaters.

* WouldHurtAChild: Goes after Lift the moment he spots her during the [[spoiler:singer conquest of Urithiru]] in ''RhythmOfWar''. [[spoiler:He catches her, locks her a [[PowerNullifier small aluminum cage]], and sells her to a Fused.]]

* KnifeNut: He's very fond of throwing sharp things in Shallan's direction to judge her reactions.
* ManipulativeBastard: He isn't always the best actor, but he is exceptional at giving people what they really want in order to manipulate them.

* 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 Literature/TheCosmere. However, this could be due to [[MasterOfIllusion Selish Lightweaving]].

* AGodAmI: A twisted example, in which Taravangian considers the man he was on his day of near-omniscient intelligence to be a god, and what he wrote during that time to be virtually divine scripture. When he sees Odium casually recreate the Diagram in far greater detail it completely breaks his resistance. [[spoiler: He eventually becomes a god in truth.]]

* LesCollaborateurs: He doesn't believe Odium can truly be beaten and is out to preserve as much of the world as he can. At the end of ''Oathbringer'', Taravangian makes an alliance with Odium, promising him help in exchange for sparing Kharbranth. He intended to originally make a deal for mankind's survival, but Odium met with him on a stupid day and the survival of his city-state was the best offer he could get.

** [[spoiler: Subverted in the end. It’s Passion and Intelligence that are alternating. His dumbest day is when he Kills Odium, making him the best candidate to be the New Odium.]]

* RoomFullOfCrazy: On his most intelligent day he created "The Diagram" by drawing on every available surface in his chamber. The transcribed version includes notations indicating where a passage of text was located in the room. During ''Oathbringer'' he creates an updated version in Urithiru based on developments that have occurred since the original.

* SpannerInTheWorks: [[spoiler:Odium tries to kill Taravangian for his betrayal on one of Taravangian's stupid days to avoid being outwitted. However, Taravangian is able to remember just enough of the Diagram to steal Nightblood from Szeth and kill Rayse. And since it’s the Day Taravangian is at his least intelligent, it’s also the day he’s at his most passionate, making him immediately take up the Shard as the New Odium ]]

* TooCleverByHalf: He makes an insanely complicated plan to stop Odium and save the world. It's stopped by Odium simply walking in and reading the plan himself on one of his stupider days.
** [[spoiler: which was part of Cultivation’s Plan to use him as a pawn to kill Rayse]]

* WellIntentionedExtremist: Taravangian is willing to go any lengths to save the world. But what makes him ''truly'' dangerous in this regard is that he goes to such lengths ''so that others won't have to''. Thus far, he's released Szeth to go on an incredible killing spree, reduced the nation of Jah Kaved to burned-out anarchy, and countless other crimes. [[spoiler:When he becomes Odium, he decides to use his newfound power to save everyone, with some rather sinister implications.]]

* XanatosGambit: Taravangian sets this as his focus for strategy once he [[spoiler:becomes Odium's Shardvessel, prioritizing win-win situations and LoopholeAbuse over Rayse's prefered high-risk-high-reward]]. Time will tell how this plays out.

* NoSell: He does not want to become fire, he is a stick.

** As of ''Literature/RhythmOfWar'', he's mistakenly presumed to be behind the death of Jezrian.

A member of the Ardentia. He believes in Vorinism, and has made it his mission to convert notorious heretic Jasnah Kholin to its teachings. Along the way, he becomes friends with Shallan Davar. He is actually a Ghostblood.

* ColdHam: He is remarkably dramatic, in an understated way. Just as an example he leaves a startling note where a Radiant will see it and instinctively draw in Stormlight, darkening the hall. This reveals the lit room where he is waiting for a meeting.

* ObviouslyEvil: He looks like he's been through a wringer, covered with scars and with badly broken and poorly healed fingers.

* DimensionalTraveler: She's indirectly confirmed to be a world-hopper in [[spoiler:''Literature/TheBandsOfMourning'', when we meet her people. They are a clan from the southern reaches of Scadrial called the Hunters. All South Scadrians wear masks, but only the Hunters let their faces grow into them.]]

* ThisIsGonnaSuck: When she realizes that Shallan's plan to [[WeNeedADistraction sneak into the Ardentia]] is to pretend that Iyatil is her crazy sister. To her credit, she plays along like a champ.

* NotMeThisTime: Lin's an abusive monster part of a shady organization, but he genuinely didn't kill his first wife.

A legendary king that wrote the book "Literature/TheWayOfKings", which formed the basis of the Ideals of the Knights Radiant. He is known for uniting the Silver Kingdoms in ancient times. Although a great king, the current Vorin culture dismisses his teachings, and his book was nearly banned.\\\

* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: Sort of. "Nohadon", the name he's most well known by on Roshar is actually his holy name. As well, Bajerden, the other name he's known by, may not even have been his real name.

* LegendaryWeapon: The shardblade "Oathbringer" was said to have been his weapon in life.

* AndIMustScream: After she gains Stormform, becoming a voidbringer, she is frequently disturbed by her true self screaming in her head.

* DecoyProtagonist: Eshonai is set up to be the main viewpoint character of the series from the Singer's side, but dies offscreen between ''Words of Radiance'' and ''Oathbringer'', with Venli becoming the more prominent.
* DisneyVillainDeath: Adolin headbutts her into a chasm. She's wearing Shardplate at the time, so she probably survived the actual fall, but a Highstorm and an Everstorm crashed into each other right above her head, so her survival remains ambiguous. In ''Oathbringer'', she turns out to be dead, having drowned in the dual storm's floodwaters.

* JustYouAndMeAndMyGuards: Rather conspicuously only engages other Shardbearers after they've been weakened by regular Parshendi warriors. Understandable since the Alethi have a considerable advantage in number of Shards they have.

* LargeAndInCharge: The highest ranked Parshendi military leader left alive, and towers over her soldiers at seven feet tall. Looks even bigger since her Shardplate bulges out due to her War Form carapace underneath.

* 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]].

* MeaningfulRename: His new name is [[https://wob.coppermind.net/events/373-skyward-chicago-signing/#e12060 intentionally close to]] Nahel (like Nahel Bond, the bond between a spren and Radiant), which means "connection to the divine." This fits nicely with his status as a [[CameBackStrong Returned]].

* RetiredBadass: Word of Brandon describes his moving from Nalthis to Roshar as retiring. While he doesn't participate in combat anymore his appearance in ''Rhythm of War'' proves he's still extremely skilled.

A young Thaylen merchant apprentice and her [[{{Mentor}} Babsk]]. Rysm is the protagonist of the novella ''Literature/{{Dawnshard}}''.

%%* TheApprentice: Rysn.
* BondCreatures: Rysn accidentally bonds with a hugely valuable creature called a Larkin by [[ItMakesSenseInContext falling off a cliff.]] She names it Chirri Chirri. 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. It can drain and metabolize Voidlight as well.

* DontYouDarePityMe: A quiet but emphatic version. Rysn won't tolerate any CondescendingCompassion. And she has had more than enough of well meaning people asking why she insists on taking care of herself and living as independently as possible when she's rich enough not to need to.

* GuileHero: Rysn grows into one over the course of ''Dawnshard'', where she uses the diplomatic skills Vstim taught her to persaude her crew not to turn back despite the Sleepless's repeated sabotage. This culminates her in convincing the Sleepless to bend their centuries long vigil and let her leave Aimia alive as the Dawnshard.

%%* {{Mentor}}: Vstim.

* StrongerWithAge: Larkins are the immature forms of Greatshells called Lanceryn.
* TheSymbiote: Larkins need to bond with a special form of Mandras ('luckspren') found only on Aimia in order to be healthy. The Mandras help it overcome the square cube law, particularly in order to fly.
* ToBeAMaster: Rysn aims to be a master trader like her Babsk Vstim.

* ForScience: He has dedicated his (apparently very long) life to learning the secrets of all spren. He considers going on a bender in a bad part of town to determine if intoxication spren exist to be perfectly reasonable. They do, by the way.
* GottaCatchEmAll: His attitude concerning the spren. Or rather Gotta Catalogue 'Em All.

* MuggingTheMonster: According to Vstim's reaction to seeing an Aimian, people are constantly doing this and just don't realize it 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.

* WhatYouAreInTheDark: When Dalanar pulls her into one of his visions, he's absolutely stunned upon discovering that she had rallied the townspeople into an organized militia against the Voidbringers, commenting that she did a better job in the vision then he did. From Queen Fen's point of view, she thought it was all just a dream.

* BunnyEarsLawyer: Despite his strange personality quirks he's an incredibly competent general and a frighteningly talented escape artist.

* RedBaron: He is known as [[spoiler:the "Lord of Scars."]] It’s all but stated that he’s really [[spoiler:''[[Characters/MistbornTheOriginalTrilogyKelsier Kelsier]]'']].

* MysteriousBacker: Shallan has no idea what his end goals are. She initially assumes he's doing something evil, but the fact that he claims [[NotSoDifferent Jasnah had also assassinated several of his people as well]] casts his actions in a different light.

* DarkSecret: He doesn't have one (that we know of), but when Kaladin realizes he killed him, he decides to keep it a secret from Shallan.

* SpannerInTheWorks: [[spoiler:Odium tries to kill Taravangian for his betrayal on one of Taravangian's stupid days to avoid being outwitted. However, Taravangian is able to remember just enough of the Diagram to steal Nightblood from Szeth and kill Rayse.]]

* RedBaron: He is known as [[spoiler:the "Lord of Scars."]] It’s all but stated that he’s really [[spoiler:''Characters/{{Kelsier}}'']].

* [[Characters/TheStormlightArchiveHeraldsKnightsAndSpren Heralds, Knights, and Spren]] [[note]] Heralds of the Almighty (Jezrien, Nale, Chanarach, Vedel, Paliah, Shalash, Battar, Kalak, Talenel, and Ishar), the Knights Radiant (and orders thereof), Beings of Magic (Sylphrena, The Nightwatcher, Pattern, Stormfather, Wyndle, Ivory, Timbre, and Mayalaran), Unmade (Yelig-nar, Sja-anat, Nergaoul, Moelach, Dai-gonarthis, Re-Shephir, Ashertmarn, Ba-Ado-Mishram, and Chemoarish) [[/note]]

* DecoyProtagonist: Eshonai is set up to be the main viewpoint character of the series from the Singer's side, but dies offscreen between ''Words of Radiance'' and ''Oathbringer'', with Venli becoming the more prominant.

* NotSoWellIntentionedExtremist: He proves willing to sacrifice his life for his cause. He reveals his hand while he is in Dalinar's power, after having made himself useless as a hostage and disassociating himself from all his friends and family so that he can't be used against them. He points out that this is proof of his sincerity; Dalinar, on the other hand, says that he's just trying to martyr himself and become known posthumously as the one who did everything to save what he could. Dalinar believes that, despite what he says, Taravangian wants to be proven ''right'' in his extreme measures. [[spoiler:When push comes to shove, when he kills Rayse and becomes Odium and therefore gains the power to end the war with minimal trouble... he decides to continue with Rayse's plan to conquer the Cosmere. Meaning that Dalinar was right, he really did only want power in the end, just not in the way that most warlords and dictators do]].

* DimensionalTraveler: It’s directly stated that he’s from another planet. And that planet is [[spoiler:[[Franchise/{{Mistborn}} ''Scadrial'']].]]

A young Thaylen merchant apprentice and her [[{{Mentor}} Babsk]]. Rysm is the protagonist of the novella ''Literature/{{Dawnshard}}.

* CharacterDevelopment: Rysn starts off fairly entitled, judgmental of other cultures, and sulky. By Dawnshard she's quite embarrassed at her past self, and has grown into an empathetic and skilled trader.

* MacGuffinGuardian: Larkins, as it turns out, are the appointed guardians of the Dawnshard. By the end of Dawnshard Rysn is the MacGuffin in question.

* KilledOffForReal: He dies in the first book, and he doesn’t appear to be coming back.

* KilledOffForReal: She dies in-between Literature/WordsOfRadiance and Literature/{{Oathbringer}}.

* HandicappedBadass: Rysn suffers a very nasty fall and has her legs paralyzed. While she is understandably depressed for a time, she goes on to become a badass GuileHero in Dawnshard.

* 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 Franchise/TheCosmere. However, this could be due to [[MasterOfIllusion Selish Lightweaving]].

* SirSwearsaLot: When the Alethi contact her in ''Oathbringer'', she curses like a sailor, which surprises Dalinar; she was always perfectly polite whenever they spoke. Navani explains that while Fen knows how to affect a courtly demeanor, when she's more comfortable she has a very foul mouth. It's therefore a bad sign when she stops swearing, and Dalinar realizes he's offended her.