The Stormfather
A figure invoked in death rattles and in oaths. Identity uncertain at first encounter. SA:WoK:Prologue
Known facts
- can-lieRevealed to Gavilar in extremis that he is not bound by the spren-truthfulness Gavilar had been taught from him — he had been lying for years about the death of the Heralds, and named himself the biggest fool of them all for ever choosing Gavilar as a champion.SA:WaT:Prologue
- confirms-rayse-dead-new-vesselPressed by Navani in the Urithiru meeting room, the Stormfather reaches across the Shard and confirms what Wit only suspected — the tone of Odium has changed, Rayse is dead, and a new Vessel holds the power. He cannot identify them, and regrets that his lightning and wind never reached Rayse's corpse.SA:WaT:Ch 20
- admits-lying-about-tanavasts-deathConfronted in a vision by Dalinar over Honor's power, the Stormfather admits that what truly happened at Tanavast's death is *worse than I told you* — and that he has been lying to Dalinar about it. He frames the lie as a failure of his own constancy: *I am supposed to be better than lies; I am the winds; I do not lie* — and Dalinar accepts the admission as a step forward instead of a betrayal.SA:WaT:Ch 22
- was-present-at-aharietiamDalinar discovers that the Stormfather was already a person — present, aware, *witnessing* — at Aharietiam, contradicting the spren's earlier claim that he was only a primal force in those days and developed a personality after Honor's death. *I had to witness it,* the Stormfather admits, and Dalinar adds the lie to the running count.SA:WaT:Ch 77
- tells-dalinar-he-only-knows-how-to-breakBefore tearing the bond, the Stormfather tells Dalinar he should never have picked him: *you are born of war, and trail blood like a shadow.* He likens forcing the visions to Dalinar beating Elhokar near senseless to *prove he wasn't a threat* — and bids him farewell, expecting him to die in the realm. Dalinar hears too much truth in the accusation but refuses to die.SA:WaT:Ch 77
- was-created-in-honors-imageConfronted by Dalinar under the cover of an old vision, the figure of Honor looking down on Melishi admits he is not the dead god but the Stormfather — *created in his image* — and that the Stormfather was present at the betrayal of Ba-Ado-Mishram and has known the truth all along. He drops his cover and lets Dalinar fall into Odium's domain.SA:WaT:Ch 87
- shrunken-and-weeping-an-echo-of-honorDalinar finds the Stormfather inside a tiny stone cell of the Spiritual Realm, no longer spanning the sky but shrunken to a single broken old man huddled in the corner. He admits, weeping, that he is *an echo of Honor* — that he carries the whole life of the dead god in him and the failings are his too. He lets Dalinar take his hand to begin showing him the life of a god.SA:WaT:Ch 99
- stormfather-was-born-from-the-shard-saving-tanavasts-memoriesAs Rayse moves to kill him, Tanavast refuses to take up the power for war and instead begs *protect me.* The Shard takes a portion of his soul — including his memories — and gives it to the spren-avatar he had created as a true piece of himself: the entity that becomes the Stormfather. Tanavast dies; the Stormfather inherits the storm and the burden of remembering it.SA:WaT:Ch 124
- stormfather-and-shard-conspired-to-find-a-new-vesselIn the years after Tanavast's death, the Stormfather rides the storm wounded and weeping, and the unattached Shard whispers that it wants a Vessel again. The two agree on a plan: find a champion to defeat Rayse in the contest Tanavast had bought — someone honourable but merciful, a warrior and a leader, who has *not* asked for the power. If that champion saves Roshar, Honor will Invest them as Tanavast's successor.SA:WaT:Ch 124
- vaporized-by-odiumIn the rage of his sudden freedom from the contract, Taravangian strikes the Stormfather out of existence in a single stroke — cruel and unnecessary, Dalinar thinks, bellowing in agony — but Tanavast's remnant in the spren meets him with one last confident look, and feels redemption in Dalinar's choice as he vanishes.SA:WaT:Ch 143
Events
- SA:WaT:Ch 14 Present as the constant background hum in Dalinar's mind — never truly alone, but the sensation of being alone against a god persists anyway.
- SA:WaT:Ch 16 The Stormfather becomes suddenly fully present in Dalinar's mind when told Cultivation has been in the tower, warping the air around him in a moment of incredulity, then rumbles in warning against the journey she proposes.
- SA:WaT:Ch 58 Rumbles in the back of Dalinar's mind as he reaches for Nale's token and quietly begs him not to take the step — *it might reveal me.* Dalinar takes it anyway.
- SA:WaT:Ch 77 Speaks to Dalinar from a second shimmer beside the ancient one — admits he witnessed Aharietiam, then ends the partnership and tries to leave him to die in the realm.
- SA:WaT:Ch 82 Not seen, but his withheld memory of the Recreance is the anchor Dalinar uses to vault them a decade forward in time.
- SA:WaT:Ch 87 Stands in Honor's shape over Melishi, lets Garith touch him into the vision of Radiants burning Roshar, and admits to Dalinar that he is not the dead god.
- SA:WaT:Ch 99 Found by Dalinar at the end of a glowing line of pain — shrunken to the size of a frail bearded old man, huddled and weeping in a cell of the Spiritual Realm, finally able to admit to Dalinar what Honor did.
- SA:WaT:Ch 126 Sits in the corner of the small monastery vision, weeping, gradually filling out to a more familiar form — fuller beard, stronger nose, less lean — as he shares the burden of Tanavast's memories with Dalinar; later sends Dalinar home through a portal of light.
- SA:WaT:Ch 130 The Stormfather confirms what Dalinar cannot bring himself to believe: by the threads of Connection he can see, this is really Gavinor, swapped at the perpendicularity and aged in a private vision.
- SA:WaT:Ch 131 The Stormfather reads the threads of Connection for Dalinar and confirms that the boy on the roof really is Gav — and that decades have indeed passed for him.
- SA:WaT:Ch 136 Rumbles in the back of Dalinar's mind as the duel begins, hoping the Bondsmith has an answer ready.
- SA:WaT:Ch 137 Forms as a shimmer beside Dalinar on the roof and admits, when asked for an answer, that he is sorry — he has none. A friend, Dalinar thinks, the occasionally combative kind he sometimes wanted to punch.
- SA:WaT:Ch 139 Stands beside Dalinar as the power of Honor gathers like a corona — friend enough by now that Dalinar thinks of him as one of the friends he has at some point wanted to punch.
- SA:WaT:Ch 141 A tiny voice, a puff of air against a raging highstorm — present at the moment the power of his father at last accepts a Vessel again.
- SA:WaT:Ch 142 Tiny puff-of-air voice begging *Dalinar, please* through the gathering storm — and to his own surprise, Dalinar hears him in time.
- SA:WaT:Ch 143 Vaporized by Taravangian in a single stroke after Dalinar breaks the contract; meets Dalinar with one last confident look in which Tanavast's remnant feels redemption.
Backreferences
- summarySA:OB:Ch 1
- factOdium's Champion
- summarySA:OB:Ch 4
- summarySA:OB:Ch 8
- summarySA:OB:Ch 10
- summarySA:OB:Ch 12
- summarySA:OB:Ch 16
- summarySA:OB:Ch 24
- summarySA:OB:Ch 28
- summarySA:OB:Ch 31
- summarySA:OB:Ch 37
- summarySA:OB:Ch 41
- factFused
- factAharietiam
- factStoneward
- summarySA:OB:Ch 42
- summarySA:OB:Ch 45
- factLift
- summarySA:OB:Ch 50
- summarySA:OB:Ch 56
- factFeverstone Keep
- summarySA:OB:Ch 57
- summarySA:OB:Ch 58
- summarySA:OB:Ch 59
- summarySA:OB:Ch 60
- summarySA:OB:Ch 64
- factBinder of Gods
- factSpiritual Realm
- factPhysical Realm
- summarySA:OB:Ch 65
- factSpiritual Adhesion
- summarySA:OB:Ch 86
- summarySA:OB:Ch 91
- summarySA:OB:Ch 96
- summarySA:OB:Ch 97
- summarySA:OB:Ch 99
- summarySA:OB:Ch 100
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- summarySA:OB:Ch 107
- summarySA:OB:Ch 108
- summarySA:OB:Ch 109
- factKarm
- summarySA:OB:Ch 110
- summarySA:OB:Ch 111
- summarySA:OB:Ch 113
- factThe Dawnshards
- summarySA:OB:Ch 115
- summarySA:OB:Ch 118
- summarySA:OB:Ch 119
- summarySA:OB:Ch 122
- summarySA:RoW:Ch 3
- factthe Sibling
- summarySA:RoW:Ch 19
- factThe Honorspren Envoy
- summarySA:RoW:Ch 22
- factthe Sibling
- summarySA:RoW:Ch 30
- summarySA:RoW:Ch 46
- factthe Sibling
- summarySA:RoW:Ch 47
- summarySA:RoW:Ch 57
- factVenli
- factBondsmith Connection Sight
- summarySA:RoW:Ch 71
- summarySA:RoW:Ch 78
- summarySA:RoW:Ch 80
- summarySA:RoW:Ch 87
- summarySA:RoW:Ch 90
- summarySA:RoW:Ch 101
- summarySA:RoW:Ch 107
- summarySA:RoW:Ch 108
- factVespan
- summarySA:RoW:Ch 116
- summarySA:RoW:Ch 117
- summarySA:WoK:Ch 4
- summarySA:WoK:Ch 34
- factRoped to the Wall
- summarySA:WoK:Ch 35
- factSadeas
- summarySA:WaT:Prologue
- factVoidlight
- factBa-Ado-Mishram
- factKalak
- factGavilar Kholin
- factGavilar Kholin
- factThaidakar
- factTaravangian
- summarySA:WaT:Ch 14
- summarySA:WaT:Ch 16
- factDalinar Kholin
- summarySA:WaT:Ch 20
- factThe Stormfather
- summarySA:WaT:Ch 21
- factthe Sibling
- summarySA:WaT:Ch 22
- factDalinar Kholin
- factThe Stormfather
- summarySA:WaT:Ch 43
- summarySA:WaT:Ch 46
- summarySA:WaT:Ch 49
- factHighstorm
- summarySA:WaT:Ch 50
- factNavani Kholin
- summarySA:WaT:Ch 55
- factDalinar Kholin
- summarySA:WaT:Ch 58
- factDalinar Kholin
- summarySA:WaT:Ch 61
- factHighstorm
- summarySA:WaT:Ch 62
- summarySA:WaT:Ch 64
- factthe Wind
- summarySA:WaT:Ch 77
- factDalinar Kholin
- factThe Stormfather
- factThe Stormfather
- summarySA:WaT:Ch 82
- factNavani Kholin
- summarySA:WaT:Ch 87
- factThe Stormfather
- summarySA:WaT:Ch 88
- summarySA:WaT:Ch 99
- factThe Stormfather
- summarySA:WaT:Ch 104
- summarySA:WaT:Ch 124
- factThe Stormfather
- factThe Stormfather
- summarySA:WaT:Ch 126
- factDalinar Kholin
- summarySA:WaT:Ch 127
- summarySA:WaT:Ch 130
- factGavinor Kholin
- summarySA:WaT:Ch 131
- summarySA:WaT:Ch 136
- summarySA:WaT:Ch 137
- factDalinar Kholin
- summarySA:WaT:Ch 142
- summarySA:WaT:Ch 143
- factDalinar Kholin
- factThe Stormfather
- summarySA:WaT:Ch 144
- summarySA:WaT:Ch 145
- factHighstorm
- summarySA:WoR:Ch 3
- summarySA:WoR:Ch 9
- factSylphrena
- summarySA:WoR:Ch 20
- summarySA:WoR:Ch 21