Brightlord Davar
also known as Shallan's father
The late head of House Davar — a violent, abusive man Shallan poisoned with blackbane and then strangled with her own necklace during a highstorm, after he killed her stepmother Malise and crippled her brother Balat. Wore the Davar Soulcaster hidden in a black bag inside his coat. SA:WoR:Ch 73
Head of House Davar — a calculatingly violent man whose discipline has spiraled into deliberate cruelty: he beats household servants when his children defy him so that those children must watch the consequences, and tells them he has 'found a way to control himself' by venting his anger on whoever provoked it. Carries a Soulcaster hidden in his coat. His debts and his temper have both grown beyond what Shallan knew. SA:WoR:Ch 48 superseded at SA:WoR:Ch 73
Head of House Davar before his recent secret death. Kept a Soulcaster fabrial hidden in the inside pocket of his coat, where Shallan and her brothers found it after his death. SA:WoK:Ch 5 superseded at SA:WoR:Ch 48
Known facts
- covered-up-mothers-deathBrightlord Davar covered up his wife's death at Shallan's hands when his daughter was eleven, cleaning the blood from her cheek and promising her that, between them, none of it would ever have happened. He carried the eleven-year-old Shallan out of the room, singing the chasms-deep lullaby to her over the bodies.SA:WoR:Ch 10
- household-blamed-for-wife-and-loverWithin the Davar manor the household tells the story that Brightlord Davar killed his own wife and her lover, with Shallan in the room when it happened. A maid murmurs as much to a new colleague over Shallan's head; it is the cover story the house has settled into, and at the end of this chapter Helaran calls him a murderer to his face.SA:WoR:Ch 19
- betrothed-to-malise-gevelmarBrightlord Lin Davar announces at his feast table that he has accepted writs of marriage from Brightlord Gevelmar for the man's youngest daughter, Malise — his Davar children's incoming stepmother.SA:WoR:Ch 39
- valam-sends-redin-to-investigateHighprince Valam of Jah Keved dispatches his bastard executioner Redin to the Davar feast, openly investigating the rumours that Lin Davar killed his lighteyed wife — the first time the throne formally challenges the house's story.SA:WoR:Ch 39
- disinherits-helaran-and-renames-sonsAt the Middlefest Fair Brightlord Davar declares his eldest son Helaran disinherited and renames the rest of his sons up a rank — Tet Balat to Nan Balat, Wikim to Tet Wikim, Jushu to Asha Jushu — and forbids Helaran's name being spoken in the house.SA:WoR:Ch 45
- hands-jushu-to-his-creditorsFaced with Jushu bound and bleeding in his hall on a hundred-broam gambling debt, Brightlord Davar refuses to pay and tells Mill outright that the boy is his — pyre of his own making — and walks out of the room. The ledgers in his study show debts dwarfing the deal; he has been buying favour from supposed allies on money he does not have.SA:WoR:Ch 48
- no-more-weakness-doctrineBrightlord Davar beats the maid Minara in the hall outside Shallan's door — breaking an arm, leaving her crawling in her own blood — as a deliberate punishment to Shallan for disobeying him, then enters her room calm and tells her that her obedience is what spares everyone else from his reprisals. He has settled on a method of self-management — vent the anger and lay the blame on whoever provoked it. He calls the day's lesson "no more weakness" and tells her there will be changes in this house.SA:WoR:Ch 48
- orders-helaran-assassinatedOn learning Helaran has returned to Jah Keved, commissions his guard captain Rin to find his eldest son in Valath and bring back his head — promising Helaran's Shardblade as payment so long as Rin continues to serve House Davar.SA:WoR:Ch 61
- confessed-to-the-killing-shallan-didAfter the young Shallan killed her mother and her mother's friend with a Blade summoned out of mist — Pattern — Lin Davar let the world believe he had murdered them in a rage and tried to hide the Blade in his strongbox. The lie destroyed him and the Davar family.SA:WoR:Ch 88
Events
- SA:WoR:Ch 10 Lifts the eleven-year-old Shallan out of the murder room, singing the chasms-deep lullaby over the bodies.
- SA:WoR:Ch 39 Presides at his feast table over violet wine, parades his prosperity for the Tavinar guests, and announces his betrothal to Malise; later confronts the highprince's bastard across the high table and orders his children out of the room.
- SA:WoR:Ch 45 Sits beside his stepwife in the dueling box at Middlefest, lets Revilar extort him over the textile deal, and later declares Helaran disinherited in front of Shallan.
- SA:WoR:Ch 48 Disowns Jushu in front of Mill, grips Shallan by the arms in the study, and growls that he has done all this for her before sending her to her room.
- SA:WoR:Ch 48 Stands over the broken Minara outside Shallan's door and tells Shallan calmly that there will be no more weakness in this house.
- SA:WoR:Ch 61 Forbids Balat his match, orders the pups killed, then is silenced by the speaking of Helaran's name.
- SA:WoR:Ch 61 Commissions Rin to bring back Helaran's head, then storms out of the manor shouting that no one in his house will obey.
- SA:WoR:Ch 65 Slumped alone in the feast hall after the beating; takes a cup of warmed wine from Shallan and accepts her offer to "speak to" the household for him.
- SA:WoR:Ch 73 Confronts Balat in the feast hall during the highstorm, beats him near to death with an iron poker, then dies on the floor as Shallan strangles him with her necklace after the poisoned wine fails to kill him outright.
- SA:WoR:Ch 88 In the recovered memory, fights his wife's friend, is pinned, and afterwards hides Pattern in his strongbox and lets the world believe he is the one who killed his wife and her lover in a rage — to protect the daughter who actually did it.
Backreferences
- summarySA:OB:Ch 82
- factLuesh
- factShallan Davar
- factHelaran Davar
- factHouse Davar
- factThe Three-Diamond Symbol
- factThe Three-Diamond Faction
- summarySA:WaT:Ch 93
- summarySA:WoR:Ch 10
- factShallan Davar
- factBrightlord Davar
- factThe Davar strongbox
- factThe chasms-deep lullaby
- factChana-rach
- summarySA:WoR:Ch 19
- factBrightlord Davar
- factUlatu
- summarySA:WoR:Ch 27
- factNan Balat
- factHelaran Davar
- factAsha Jushu
- summarySA:WoR:Ch 39
- factBrightlord Davar
- factBrightlord Davar
- factNan Balat
- summarySA:WoR:Ch 45
- factBrightlord Davar
- factHelaran Davar
- factMiddlefest Fair
- factBrightlord Revilar
- factThe messenger in black
- summarySA:WoR:Ch 48
- factBrightlord Davar
- factBrightlord Davar
- factMinara
- factEkel
- summarySA:WoR:Ch 61
- factShallan Davar
- factMalise Gevelmar
- factRin
- summarySA:WoR:Ch 65
- factShallan Davar
- factShallan Davar
- summarySA:WoR:Ch 73
- factShallan Davar
- factMalise Gevelmar
- factThe Davar Soulcaster
- factNan Balat
- factHelaran Davar
- factBrightlord Davar