Difference between revisions of "Venli"

|titles=The Last Listener{{book ref|sa4|11}}<br />Voice of Lady Leshwi{{book ref|sa4|11}}<br />Voice of the Lady of Wishes <small>(former)</small>{{book ref|sa4|104}}<br />Voice of Odium <small>(former)</small>{{book ref|sa4|14}}<br />The Traitor<br />The Broken Sister<br />

'''Venli''' is a [[listener]] scholar in [[Narak]] and [[Eshonai]]'s sister. During the [[True Desolation]], she bonds with [[Timbre]] and becomes a [[Surgebinder]] of the [[Order of Willshapers]].

In [[nimbleform]], Venli is agile and precise, as well as keen-minded. Assuming [[stormform]] makes her significantly stronger and tougher, almost enough to rival a person wearing [[Shardplate]]. It also lets her shoot red lightning from her hands.{{book ref|sa3|i|11}} Those abilities go away once the [[envoyform]] is thrust upon her, though she grows even taller. Instead of casting lightning, she gains the ability to speak and understand any language, writing and signals, both human and singer, on [[Roshar]]. She also mentions having other, lesser gifts, though those are unspecified.{{book ref|sa3|i|7}}

With envoyform being one of the forms of power, Venli has a [[voidspren]] in her gemheart; however, she's also bonded with [[Timbre]], a [[Reacher]], making her a [[Willshaper]]. Though this allows her to breathe in [[Stormlight]], it's uncertain if she has all the abilities that a human Willshaper would. As she has only just said the First Ideal, she's yet to be seen using any [[Surge]]s.{{book ref|sa3|120}}

Eventually, Venli settled into the role of a scholar. After the listeners first made contact with humans, she created a written script, recognizing the value of recording information on paper. Venli received a gemstone from [[Axindweth]] which contained [[Ulim]].{{book ref|sa4|52}} Over the next five years, she and her team wrote down all listener song and stories to be preserved and cross-referenced. Through this, they also discovered nimbleform. Venli took it on and joined listener leadership as its representative.{{book ref|sa2|i|1}}

Afterwards, Venli became Odium's chief propagandist, first in [[Kholinar]], then in [[Marat]], telling the tragic tale of the listeners who, according to the new narrative, sacrificed themselves to free the [[Parshmen]] of their mindless slavery. During that time, she was kept apart from other singers to maintain her mystique; in lieu of contact with her people, she began chatting atwith her mute spren, whom she nicknamed [[Timbre]]. At Timbre's urging, she finally admitted that summoning the old gods was a horrible mistake, and that she wished she could be like her sister.{{book ref|sa3|i|7}}{{book ref|sa3|i|9}}{{book ref|sa3|i|11}}

Venli was brought along with [[Raboniel]] and a scouting troop of ''makay-im'' during the invasion of [[Urithiru]] to serve as her Voice. Upon the initial seizure, she was attacked by a human soldersoldier, and killed him in a panic. Afterwards, both she and Timbre attuned the [[Rhythm|Lost]], although Raboniel merely admonished her to carry a knife in the future.{{book ref|sa4|37}}

While she was the Voice of Raboniel, Venli regularly reported to [[Leshwi]]. Raboniel was aware of this, and offered to have someone deliver the reports for her in order to save time.{{citebook ref|sa4|92}}

Upon hearing that [[Kaladin]] was free and in the tower, she went to Leshwi to plead protection for [[Lirin]] and [[Hesina]], as both Venli and Leshwi knew that the [[Pursuer]] wouldn't hesitate to use them in a bid to lure him into a fight. Leshwi granted this request, and Venli used this opportunity to bring Lirin to tend to the unconscious Radiants. While visiting them with Rlain, [[Dabbid]] arrived, telling the four that Kaladin was asleep and wasn't waking up. Venli realized that Lift would likely be able to heal him, and used Cohesion to free her, hoping that the Fused would assume that a human Stoneward had survived. Instead of telling Rlain, Lirin, and Hesina that she was a Surgebinder, though, she claimed to have a Shardblade.{{book ref|sa4|83}}

Venli watched as the humans desperately defended the Radiants against the Pursuer's troops, and at Timbre's urging, revealed her status as a Radiant to Leshwi. Contrary to Venli's expectations, she was overjoyed, and asked Venli if Timbre knew of an honorspren named Riah. Venli relayed the message that most of the old spren were killed in the Recreance, but despite this, the fact that the spren havehad forgiven the singers was enough to convince Leshwi that the Radiants must be protected, and she joined the humans in fighting Lezian's troops.{{book ref|sa4|107}}{{book ref|sa4|109}} During the fighting, Rlain arrived in the atrium, setting up a triage in the aftermath of the battle. He took command, telling the group that they should head for an Oathgate on the misconception that Venli had a Blade. She quickly disabused him of this notion, and while he was contemplating what to do, Kaladin, having just sworn the [[Knights Radiant#Immortal Words|Fourth Ideal]], arrived and activated the Oathgate to the Shattered Plains for them.{{book ref|sa4|109}}{{book ref|sa4|114}}

After leaving the tower, Venli located the listener settlement on the map, finding that [[Thude]] and Jaxlim, among others, were still alive. Although the group treated Venli with suspicion, and in some cases, outright hostility, they allowed her through to see her mother, who was the only one besides Venli herself who remembered the songs. Having brought a Reacher in the hope that it would heal her mind, Venli began to sing the Song of Mornings;, Jaxlim's favorite of the old songs. Just when Venli was about to lose hope, Jaxlim recognized her, and Cultivation finally accepted her Words.{{book ref|sa4|115}}

* Brandon has planned to kill off Eshonai and put more emphasis on Venli from very early on in the story's development, having always considered her to be the more interesting of the two sisters.{{wob ref|11666}}