Difference between revisions of "Rysn Ftori"

|booksfirst appeared=[[The StormlightWay of ArchiveKings]]

'''Rysn Ftori bah-Vstim''' is a young woman from [[Thaylenah]] on [[Roshar]]. She is a tradesmaster and the [[rebsk]] of the ''[[Wandersail_(1174 ship)|Wandersail]]''. Previously she was an apprentice merchant under her ''[[babsk]]'' [[Vstim]]. During her apprenticeship, she lost the use of her legs in an accident on the [[Reshi Isles]]. Afterwards, she worked in the [[Thaylen Gemstone Reserve]] for some time, managing [[Fen Rnamdi|Queen Fen]]'s personal finances, before becoming a merchant in her own right. Rysn has a pet [[larkin]], which she calls [[Chiri-Chiri]]. She is a [[Dawnshard]].{{book ref|sa3.5|Epilogueepilogue}}

Rysn has the long, white eyebrows typical of Thaylens[[Thaylen]]s that she tucks behind her ears. She wears a glove on her [[safehand]], although she finds the practice of covering safehands a silly tradition resulting from [[Vorin]] cultural dominance. She usually prefers to wear vests over long-sleeved shirts and ankle-length skirts.{{book ref|sa1|i|4}}

Rysn was trained as a merchant by her [[babsk]] [[Vstim]].{{book ref|sa1|i|4}} She is a good observer of character{{book ref|sa1|i|4}} and determined when she bargains.{{book ref|sa2|i|3}} Her biggest fault, as defined by Vstim, is her prejudice against other nations and cultures.{{book ref|sa1|i|4}} She is seen making great strides in addressing this fault during her time in the [[Reshi islesIsles]]{{book ref|sa2|i|3}} and [[Aimia]].{{book ref|sa3.5|19}}

Rysn gains certain abilities after becoming a [[Dawnshard]], but the exact extent of these abilities is not yet known.{{wob ref|14339}} She begins to hear a voice in her head that appears to provide information and suggestions directly to her (presumably the Dawnshard itself).{{book ref|sa3.5|18}} She also appears to become more attuned to color and musical tone in the world around her, similar to sombodysomeone who holds many breaths[[Breath]]s.{{book ref|sa3.5|Epilogue}} It is expected that these passive effects will grow over time if Rysn remains the Dawnshard,{{wob ref|14346}} although she is incapable of actively using the Dawnshard.{{wob ref|14333}}

Rysn thought Shinovar very strange because of its different plant life, lack of [[spren]] and strange culture. She called the Shin grass imbecilic, and couldn't understand how it survived [[Highstormhighstorm]]s. Her babsk made her take [[Tyvnk|a pot]] of it and told her to care for it until she no longer found it odd, claiming that it would make her a better trader.

After setting up an [[Alerter]] [[fabrial]], they met with their contact [[Thresh|Thresh-son-Esan]]. Rysn was surprised to learn that soldiers were considered the lowliest of men among the Shin, while farmers were the most respectable, akin to craftsmen or tradesmen in her own culture. Rysn watched as [[Vstim]] and Thresh bargained, each one taking pains to explain how worthless their wares were. Rysn, puzzled, found this very uncharacteristic of her ''babsk''. After Vstim and Thresh came to an agreement, Vstim asked Rysn what she learned. Rysn realized that the Shin are a humble people, and in their culture, it was viewed as more honest -- and therefore more moral -- to devalue your products than to overstate their worth.{{book ref|sa1|i|4}}

Despite Rysn's initial concerns, the goods they bought from the Shin proved to be very profitable. Rysn ended up naming her pot of grass ''[[Tyvnk]]'' -- meaning "sullen" in [[Thaylen]] -- because, rather than being sullen at being so overtly wrong while Vstim was right, she let her grass be so.{{book ref|sa2|i|3}}

Rysn and Vstim's next adventure was in the [[Reshi Sea]]. They made their way with a caravan of sixteen longboats laden with people and goods purchased cheaply in lands rimming the [[Purelake]], guided by a Purelaker named [[Gu]]. Rysn acted as the trademaster because of Vstim's sickness. Rysn was astonished to learn that the "islands" the [[Reshi]] lived on were really the backs of gargantuan [[greatshell]]s called [[Tai-na]]. Like in Shinovar, she viewed local customs as primitive and was dismissive of them. Once they landed, Vstim told Rysn that she would have to trade with the Reshi. Vstim's illness made him weak, and that would ruin the deal. He told Rysn that the Reshi appreciated strength and boldness. On her way with [[Kylrm]] and [[Nlent]] to the meeting with the Reshi trademaster, she saw people jumping from the shell of the Tai-na to the sea. An [[Aimian]] named [[Axies the Collector]], who was hanging upside down and tied by his feet to a shell nearby as a punishment for asking the king about the soul of his god, informed her that the Reshi did this to show their courage. Rysn continued climbing all the way up to the head of the ''Tai-na'' to meet the King, who, to Rysn's surprise, turned out to be, in her eyes, a woman. A man named [[Talik]] spoke for the King and introduced their island's god as [[Relu-na]], then asked why Vstim was not attending. Rysn informed him she was authorized to handle the trade, but Talik told her that the deal was off. Rysn continued trying to convince Talik to take the deal, and managed to impress the king enough to speak with him directly, although all he did was inform Rysn that he would not complete the trade, choosing instead to wait for Vstim to recover from his illness. Rysn, believing that Vstim's illness was fatal, was desperate to close the deal. Deciding there was only one way to show her boldness, she climbed down the rope used to feed the Tai-na and pleaded her case directly to the island's god. She hung there for a time in direct disobedience with the Kingking's orders, but Relu-na's motions to catch the rope snapped it in two, leaving Rysn to fall. For a split second she saw the greatshell's eye, then felt a rush of wind as she crashed into the sea, then fell unconscious.

Rysn, embarrassed about her shattered legs and thinking her freedom and career as a trader was over, took the job Vstim offered her at the [[Thaylen Gemstone Reserves]] once she graduated from his tutelage. She'd taken down most of the relics from her travels because they reminded her too much of what she’d lost. However, she still kept the pot of Shin grass from her first expedition and looked after [[Chiri-Chiri]] the Larkinlarkin, which was now slightly longer than Rysn’s palm. Rysn was preparing for a visit from an important auditor when Vstim, who turned out to be the man she was waiting for, was brought into her office by a guard. He offered her the captain’s cord to an expensive ship called ''[[Wandersail]]''. Rysn mentioned that she had approached a [[Radiant]] and was going to ask him to heal her legs, but by the time she'd gotten to him, it had been too long and they had become a part of her identity.{{book ref|sa3|i|13}}

After Rysn opened the Gemstone vault for Vstim, she had the guards carry her to Vault Thirteen, which held the [[King’s Drop]], but the guard holding her chair was killed by a queen’s guard. Rysn pulled herself along the floor, tying the King’s Drop to her leg using the captain’s cord after the traitor dropped it fighting with other guards. Rysn made her way toward the door, grabbing the crossbow of a fallen guard as she went. She then realized that she couldn't cock it as long as she couldn't stand, so she tied the crossbow to her chair using the captain's cord in a makeshift pulley. She watched as Chiri-Chiri fed on the [[Voidlight]] the traitor was holding, then shot the Singer[[singer]] through the chin.{{book ref|sa3|i|13}} Rysn was later found lying next to Vstim's injured body by [[Highprince]] [[Dalinar Kholin]] after the Gemstone Reserve had come under further attack. She informed Dalinar that the enemy had stolen the King's Drop.{{book ref|sa3|116}}

A few months after the [[Battle of Thaylen Field]], Rysn was visited by [[Talik]], whose assistance she had requested due to [[Chiri-Chiri]]'s apparent illness. He counseled Rysn that the larkin must return to its home in [[Aimia]] (specifically the lost city of [[Akinah]]) in order for its condition to improve. Concurrently, Queen [[Navani Kholin]] has put out a call for a ship to mount an expedition to Aimia, following the return of the ''[[First Dreams]]'' without its crew.{{book ref|sa3.5|1}} Rysn traveled to [[Urithiru]] with her new porter [[Nikli]] to discuss the terms under which she would commit the ''[[Wandersail_(1174 ship)|Wandersail]]'' and her crew to such a dangerous mission. An agreement was reached with Navani sending Windrunners[[Windrunner]]s [[Lopen]] and [[Huio]] for protection; the [[Ardent]] [[Rushu]] to discuss the possibility of a fabrial mobility device for Rysn; and having [[Queen Fen]] provide a royal mandate to motivate the Thaylen crew.{{book ref|sa3.5|2}}

At sea, Rysn struggled with her relationship to the crew - realizing that the captain [[Drlwan]] and her crew resented that Vstim chose Rysn as the [[rebsk]] rather than Drlwan herself. She recommended that [[Nikli]] entice the sailors to begin a playful hazing ritual in order to earn their favor; while bonding with Lopen over shared experience with disability and Rushu over interest in fabrial motion devices.{{book ref|sa3.5|5}}

{{image|Rysn by Gar_leyva.jpeg|side=left|width=250px|Rysn sitting in front of the [[Dawnshard]]'s mural in [[Akinah]]}}

When both bad omens are revealed to have been Nikli plotting with the other [[Sleepless]] to scare the expedition away from Akinah, Rysn requested that Lopen and Huio remove Nikli from the ship. ''Wandersail'' continued to Aimia, and traveled the strange storm around [[Akinah]] before finding safe harbor.{{book ref|sa3.5|12}} Rysn remained on-board, intending to set foot on the island once the landing became safe, although Chiri-Chiri dove overboard into the water and left her side. Rysn was the first to recognize that the gemhearts on the shore were fake and that a trap had been set, but is caught by surprise when Nikli returned to the ship. [[Cord]] grabbed Rysn and jumped into the water in an attempt to escape.{{book ref|sa3.5|15}}

In the water, [[Lucksprenluckspren]] led the pair into a set of caverns beneath the surface of the island. The cavern contained a set of [[shardplateShardplate]], eight [[soulcaster]]sSoulcasters, and a mural depicting the shattering[[Shattering of [[Adonalsium]]. Upon staring at the mural, the [[Dawnshard]] contained within left the mural and joined with Rysn. Still unaware of the existence of the Dawnshard, Rysn and Cord planned to negotiate for safe passage home with a promise of secrecy - an offer the Sleepless were not interested in considering.{{book ref|sa3.5|18}}

At the conclusion of the negotiations, the crew of the ''Wandersail'' was permitted safe return with information about [[Akinah]] in addition to the shardplateShardplate and soulcastersSoulcasters found in the cavern. In return for their safety, Rysn had vowed to be the protector of the Dawnshard so that it was not in Akinah when [[cosmere]] forces eventually came in search of it. The Sleepless agreed to this plan under the condition that they be permitted to follow Rysn permanently. A two-layer cover story was created: it would be said publicly that the return of a [[larkin]], [[Chiri-Chiri]], had convinced the Sleepless to let the ship go; while the rulers of [[Roshar]], particularly [[Navani Kholin]] and [[Queen Fen Rnamdi]], would be told that the exchange included Sleepless remaining with Rysn as training on impersonating humanity.{{book ref|sa3.5|19}}

As the ''Wandersail'' was pulling away from Aimia, [[Drlwan]] acknowledged that Rysn had put the crew before her own safety, and requested that she take the helm on their next voyage. Rysn also noticed that she saw colors better and thought that Drlwan's voice sounded more musical.{{book ref|sa3.5|epilogue}}