Kabsal

Kabsal
Kabsal Fan art by ex-m[1]
Biographical information
Ethnicity	Herdazian
Nationality	Herdazian
Gender	Male
Born	1150
Died	1173
Physical Description
Hair Color	Shaved
Eye Color	Blue
Social Information
Title(s)	Ardent
Occupation	Ghostblood
Appears in	The Way of Kings

Kabsal was an ardent of Herdazian origin, owned by Taravangian, King of Kharbranth.

Appearance

Kabsal had a narrow face, keen blue eyes, a shaved head, and a short, square beard. He was in his early twenties, and spoke with a cultured tone.

Personality

Shallan described him as witty.

Biography

Kabsal was a member of an organization called the Ghostbloods. Kabsal met Shallan while attempting to gain access to her mentor, Jasnah Kholin, and began pursuing her. He demonstrated a romantic interest in Shallan, often bringing her gifts, eventually of jam and bread, and less tangible gifts of wit and flattery. At one point he even offered to leave the ardentia for her.

He sought to steal Jasnah's (fake) Soulcasting fabrial, and he tried to poison her. Kabsal was killed by his own poison when Jasnah Soulcast the antidote while he wasn't paying attention, neutralizing its effects. He was twenty-three years old. (Shallan was also poisoned, and Jasnah had to soulcast her blood in order to remove the poison and save her life.)

Shallan had begun to return Kabsal's interest, but was no longer certain whether it was real or feigned.

Q&A with Brandon

Q. If Kasbal hadn't been trying to kill Jasnah, would he and Shallan have gotten together?

A. It's uncertain. He actually did care for her, but he was an assassin trained to infiltrate and gain the trust of people like Shallan. If he hadn't been trying to kill Jasnah, he would never have had a reason to begin spending time with Shallan. However, I assume your question is if they had somehow started interacting, would they have gotten together. It's possible, but I don't think - in the end - it would have lasted.