Lin Davar

Lin Davar
Lin Davar Fan art by ex-m[1]
Biographical information
Ethnicity	Veden
Nationality	Jah Kevedian
Gender	Male
Died	1172
Social Information
Title(s)	Brightlord
Family	House Davar
Occupation	Politician, Quarry-master
Appears in	The Way of Kings (mentioned), Words of Radiance, Oathbringer

Lin Davar of Jah Keved was the father of Shallan, Wikim, Jushu, Balat, and Helaran. His first wife was killed when Shallan was young, and he remarried Malise Gevelmar, also now deceased.

Personality

In the past, Lin Davar was a kind and loving father who wanted his family to be happy and have a strong house.

After his wife was killed, he turned into a violent man who was quick to anger and very ruthless. He is described as paranoid and intemperate to the point of abuse toward his sons. He was overprotective of his daughter and pampered her.

He held feasts because he wanted to profess to those he wanted to impress that everything was just fine within his family and amongst their fortunes. He displayed his daughter as the "Jewel of House Davar." Later, he regretted his displays of pretense.

He had been a ruthless politician, and had made numerous extravagant promises and bribes, as well as enemies, apparently in a bid to become a highprince of Jah Keved.^{[citation needed]}

He held so tightly to everything that he eventually broke.

Characteristics

Lin Davar eyes Brightlord Revilar's master-servants hungrily, as he had tried to hire master-servants. Each had cited his "reputation" and had refused.

History

House Davar had been an obscure, rural house until recent years when valuable marble deposits were 'discovered' on family lands, with new ones being found when the old were exhausted. Lin Davar, using his forbidden Soulcaster, had created 'new' deposits at a rate defying suspicion. It was just enough to provide him with the money he needed to further his political goals.

Lin Davar's sons and daughter found a damaged Soulcaster concealed on his body after his death. Shallan learned, upon questioning his surveyor, that the marble deposits had been created using the soulcaster, rather than discovered. His steward, Luesh, was the only one who knew how to use the Soulcaster, which remained nonfunctional even after physical repair.

The details of Lin Davar's death are revealed through Shallan's flashback chapters. Balat was planning on leaving for the capital of Jah Keved with Eylita Tavinar (his betrothed) and Malise. Brightlord Davar beats Malise to find this out. He kills her for planning to abandon him. He then summons Eylita and tells Balat that he cannot marry her because it is not a powerful enough alliance for the family. Balat gets in a fight with his father, damaging the borrowed Soulcaster. Brightlord Davar mocks and beats his son. While Balat lies crumpled in pain on the floor, Shallan offers her father a glass of wine, as he has won. The wine is spiked with blackbane leaves. This paralyzes him, but does not kill him. Realizing that her father will soon recover, Shallan takes further action. She strangles him with the silver necklace that he had given her while singing him the lullaby that he used to sing to her.

“

"Now go to sleep, in chasms deep, with darkness all around you ... Though rock and dread may be your bed, so sleep my baby dear. Now comes the storm, but you’ll be warm, The wind will rock your basket ... The crystals fine will glow sublime ... And with a song ... you’ll sleep ... my baby dear."*

”

Further, it is revealed that he took the fall for the murder of his first wife because she had tried to kill a young Shallan; an effort at showing that he was a truly loving father as he kept this secret from everyone. He never blamed Shallan nor hit her in any way, but Shallan has commented that he stood straighter and seemed stronger when she was around.

That said, his sons and daughter attempted to conceal his own death, which left them in serious political and financial straits, as their last quarries were being exhausted. This prompted Shallan to propose stealing the Soulcaster belonging to Jasnah Kholin.

Family

• Brightness Davar - Lin's first wife whom Shallan killed with her Shardblade, along with her lover.
• Helaran - Lin's eldest son, currently missing and disinherited by him. He was a full Shardbearer, killed by Kaladin.
• Balat - Lin's second son, who develops a fascination with death after the passing of his and his sibling's mother, which often manifests itself in his pointless killing of innocent creatures.
• Wikim - Lin's third son, who struggles with depression. He eventually admits his struggles to Shallan and gives her his secret stash of poison (blackbane), which she later uses to kill their abusive and homicidal father.^{[citation needed]}
• Jushu - Lin's youngest son, who is addicted to gambling, a habit that leaves him deeply in debt and his life threatened; Shallan once bargained with debt collectors to save his life. When Jushu's debts became overwhelming, he would steal valuable items from the house and sell them. After the death of his father, he sold off items for the family under the guise of gambling debts (though he no longer gambled), hiding the state of the family's finances.^{[citation needed]}
• Malise Gevelmar - Lin's second wife and Shallan's stepmother. She was left in charge of Shallan's education but failed miserably at it.

Notes

* Brandon had his father-in-law - a semi-pro musician - write the lullaby, then he used it while Shallan was killing the father she loved and whispering said lullaby simultaneously.