Difference between revisions of "Shallan Davar"

|aliases=Veil, Radiant, Swiftspren,{{book ref|sa3|74}}, Knifelittle knife,{{book ref|sa2|54}} Kishi,{{book ref|sa3|78}} Formless,{{book ref|sa4|90}}, Unulukuak'kina'autu'atai,{{book ref|sa2|28}} Chanasha Hasareh{{book ref|sa4|4}}

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

Shallan is a slim, pale-skinned young woman in her late teens with auburn-red hair that reaches past the middle of her back and blue eyes. There are freckles on her cheeks and nose, although they aren't very noticeable.{{book ref|sa1|3}} She is five foot six inches tall in Rosharan measurements, which translates to roughly six standard feet.{{book ref|sa2|44}}{{wob ref|15034}}

After arriving in [[Urithiru]], Shallan developed a third personality, Radiant, in order to better assume her role as a Knight Radiant. Due to the similar mannerisms, she is likely based on [[Jasnah Kholin]]. Appearance-wise, Radiant looks mostly like Shallan, but with blond hair and a bigger bust.

The Surge of Transformation allows Shallan to use [[Soulcasting]]. She discovered that she could soulcast without the need of a fabrial after visiting [[Shadesmar]] and changing a goblet into blood. She then learned that the soulcaster she had been determined to steal was a nonfunctional fake and that Jasnah could also soulcast without one. She used this ability to sink the ''[[Wind's Pleasure]]'' by turning the ship into water during an assassination attempt on Jasnah by the Ghostbloods.{{book ref|wor|7}} While stranded in Shadesmar with Kaladin, Adolin, Azure, and their spren, Shallan showed the ability to influence the [[Cognitive Realm]] as seen when she used the spheres found in the world to create structures such as bridges and walls.{{book ref|sa3|116}}

After practicing her abilities, Shallan learned how to make her illusions move without the aid of her spren. She was also shown to use Illumination without drawing her images beforehand as seen when she conjured images from a play she watched as a child and, later, an army to fight the [[Odium|Odium's]] forces. In addition to this, Shallan learned how to produce sounds without the aid of Pattern as seen when she was able to alter her voice whilst disguised as Veil. During the [[Battle of Kholinar]], Shallan was capable of making more solid illusions. While the reason for this is unknown, Jasnah commented that Shallan's projections appeared to have some substance to them as if they had more stormlight than usual while Shallan briefly wondered if she mixed her Soulcasting abilities with this Surge.{{book ref|sa3|121}} {{book ref|sa3|120}} Shallan's Illumination abilities also seem to be able to harm some of the Unmade as seen during her encounter with Unmade, [[Re-Shephir]]. During the battle, Shallan was able to repel the forces conjured by the spren by simply using the light emitted from her illusions.

Like all Knights Radiant,{{wob ref|3625}} Shallan possesses a [[resonance]]. Shallan has the ability to deliberately Memorize a scene{{book ref|sa1|7}} after which she can paint or draw it with remarkable accuracy. Shallan's ability to memorize scenes and reproduce them accurately seems similar to the ability of an [[Archivist]] to store memories in a [[coppermind]], in that both talents involve the removal of memory from the mind and its replacement in another medium - in Shallan's case, a sketch rather than a coppermind. She is able to reproduce text as well as images.{{book ref|sa2|54}} It is unknown how her ability to do so remained after she killed Testament.

Shallan had a passion for learning and also a great talent for drawing. She was never without her sketchbooks and charcoal, so she might draw whatever caught her interest. Shallan frequently drew and made notes on the world around her, in order to promote her [[Calling]] of natural history.{{book ref|sa1|5}} With the use of her Memory, Shallan can make complete duplicates of images she has retained in her mind and accurately reproduce those images on paper. Even when not utilizing her Memory, Shallan has shown to be very skilled at drawing. Many have commented on her skill and even sought out a picture of themselves for her to draw. With her drawings, Shallan seems to have the unique ability to inspire the people she draws and motivate them to become better versions of themselves as seen when she changed [[Gaz]] from a selfish and cruel sergeant to a hopeful and even loyal soldier. This is due to an ability she has to see a person's Spiritual Ideal, something which normal Lightweavers can't do.{{wob ref|16361}}

Kaladin roused Shallan early in the morning and they set off once more, hoping for the sun to give more help with their orientation. It didn't take long before they began to irritate one another once again, but as the conversation progressed, they slowly began opening up to one another. When Kaladin admitted his suspicions of Shallan, she shared Jasnah's theories concerning the Voidbringers and swore to him that she intended no harm to the Kholins. Unfortunately, the rising sun revealed that they were again headed in the wrong direction, so Shallan set about drawing their path once again. They began relying on her sketches to make slow, steady progress through the chasms. The process helped her to realize that the Shattered Plains were symmetrical, which Kaladin reinforced by explaining he had once seen them as symmetrical in a dream. With Kaladin highly discouraged, Shallan tried to be upbeat. He attributed this optimism to an easy upbringing and was shocked when Shallan showed him a hint of the brokenness within herself. Something about her honesty encouraged the bridgeman, and he actually began to join in with her joking--until the chasmfiend revealed itself once more.{{book ref|sa2|70}}{{book ref|sa2|71}}

As Veil interned the All's Alley, she ordered and drank [[Horneater white]], the strongest drink they had, impressing the others at the bar. Hoping to prevent Veil from becoming too drunk, the barkeep attempted to stop her from drinking any more of the alcohol, but Veil stopped him and used that opportunity to ask about the murders, using the excuse that she was searching for the murderer that killed her little sister in the Alethi warcamps. Refusing to share any information on the murder, he directed Veil to a group of thugs that might have the answers she was searching for. In order to learn more information about the murder, Veil stabbed one of the thugs in the hand for pushing her out of his chair and threatened them by revealing her association with the [[Ghostbloods]]. While interrogating them, [[Betha]], one of the thugs, revealed that a man named [[Ned]] had strangled his wife to death. Believing she had reached a dead end, Veil began to make her way out of the bar. Before she left, she overheard Betha mention another murder that occurred in the markets while conversing with [[Ur (character)|Ur]], the thug Veil had just stabbed. As she returned to the thugs, Betha quickly informed Veil that a barmaid had also died a similar way, but Ned vehemently denied any connection to the second murder before Ur killed him for supposedly killing the barmaid. Realizing that this was likely a double murder, Veil was satisfied with the new information and left the tavern.{{book ref|sa3|18}}

As Shallan attended another meeting led by Dalinar, she drew an image of the spren she encountered while in the theater. Pattern informed her that this was not a typical spren like he is but it was, instead, a spren of [[Odium]]. Bored by the political conversation, Shallan drew an image of Sadeas and discovered that his appearance was similar to that of Brightlord Perel, confirming her belief that the murderer was copying any violent acts performed in Urithiru. While idly flipping through her drawings of the recent murder victims, [[Malata]], the [[Dustbringer]] accompanying [[Taravangian]], attempted to make small talk with the Lightweaver, but Shallan found the conversation unpleasant due to her indifferent attitude and overfamiliarity when conversing with her.{{book ref|sa3|27}} As she began to plan her next move in her search for the murderer, the room quieted as Ialai Sadeas and Meridas Amaram entered. While initially shocked by their sudden appearance, Dalinar attempted to invite Ialai to attend the meeting, but she quickly rejected his invitation and announced Amaram's delegation as regent and heir to the title of House Sadeas. After Adolin insulted the highprince, Dalinar asked his son to leave the room and Shallan quickly followed. When she caught up with the young prince, he expressed his displeasure at Ialai's announcement, and Shallan unexpectedly shared her belief that Amaram may have killed [[Helaran]]. As she explained that the highprince possessed her brother's former Shardblade, Adolin reluctantly reminded her that Amaram obtained the Shardblade after [[Kaladin]] killed a [[Helaran|Shardbearer]]. Shocked by the news, Shallan tucked her thoughts away and tried to move the conversation to another topic while they made their way to the bottom floors of the tower. While Adolin went to visit the stables, Shallan returned to her room and absentmindedly flipped through her sketchbooks to keep her mind busy. While flipping through the sketchbook, she found strange images she could not recall drawing. Disturbed by the drawings, she shut her sketchbook and quickly left her room. Later, she arrived in the common room of the barracks and informed her soldiers that she had a new job for them.{{book ref|sa3|27}}

Prowling through the Breakaway markets, Shallan, disguised as Veil, became increasingly concerned by the strange spren that seemed to creep over the people in Urithiru. Despite being aware of their ignorance, she was frustrated by the common populace's lack of concern while the void creature inconspicuously observed them. Shallan used her guards to try and search for any more clues about the recent murder, but they had not found any news at least in the four days since they began their investigation. While Veil waited for a new murder, she made her way to her soldiers,[[Gaz]] and [[Red (Roshar)|Red]], both unaware of Veil's true identity. Also frustrated by the lack of new leads, the two soldiers grumbled about the lack of action and began to poke at Veil's history. She lied by saying that Shallan had picked her up and hired her as a soldier under her, which they seemed to accept. Annoyed by their questioning, Veil reminded them to keep watch of a murder similar to one that occurred recently. Three nights ago, a player in an initially friendly game of cards hit another player in the head with a bottle, effectively killing the man. The perpetrator, later revealed to be one of Ruthar's soldiers, had been executed via hanging in the market's central square. Veil was sure that the spren would return to copy the murder by hitting another person with a bottle as well, so she had ordered her men to keep watch of a similar murder. As Veil began to reflect on both the similarities and differences between her, Shallan, and Radiant, she was startled by a sudden scream in the market. Following the sound of the scream, she encountered [[Vathah]], who informed her that the murder had actually been similar to the hanging of the executed soldier. As Shallan chased after the murderer, she transformed into Radiant in order to engage with the spren. Realizing she would have to descend deeper into the tower city, she sent Pattern to bring Adolin along with additional soldiers as a backup. Before Adolin could arrive, she quickly removed Veil's clothing and, unaware of what she was doing, cast an illusion of Shallan over herself. Realizing what she did, Shallan began to panic as Adolin arrived along with [[Bridge Four]]. After informing them of her encounter with the strange spren, she and the rest of the party found a room containing a pit where the creature was likely settling in. As they descended down the hole, they discovered a room covered with murals depicting all ten [[Herald|heralds]] and the [[Almighty]]. Immediately after they enter the room [[Renarin]] informed them that [[Glys]], his spren, felt something unpleasant about the room. Shallan agreed and mentioned that Dalinar could not feel it but the two of them could. As Shallan brought that to light, Renarin was about to say something, when Adolin returned to show Shallan the decaying library he had found. As Shallan began to mourn the loss of ancient knowledge, Lyn and Renarin alert the others as they found a large black mass settling in the hallway. While they gaped at the strange form, they realized that the murders have been the result of the [[Unmade]], [[Re-Shephir]].{{book ref|sa3|29}}

In response to the intruders, the Unmade created copies of Bridge Four in order to repel them from its domain. As Shallan watched the creature, she had the vague impression that she was familiar with the Unmade and knew why it was committing murders. While Adolin and Bridge Four's attempted to drive the creatures back, Shallan made her way closer to the spren despite Adolin's insistence that she retreat. As the Unmade continued to create increasingly distorted copies of the residents of Urithiru, Shallan used her Illumination abilities to conjure a glowing radiant force consisting of copies of people she drew in her sketchbook, seemingly driving the Unmade's creations back.{{book ref|sa3|29}} Making her way closer to the Unmade, the black form began to back away and revealed a bowl-shaped room where the rest of its form resided in. Realizing that she had a strange connection with Re-Shephir and that the midnight creatures were no longer intimidated by her light, Shallan began to hesitate and asked Adolin whether they should retreat or continue to fight the Unmade. Adolin responded by telling her to persist and fight as if there was no other option. At Adolin's advice, Shallan ordered Bridge Four and Adolin to clear away for her to reach the central mass while Renarin watched her back. Using her Illumination abilities, Shallan conjured various versions of herself to take the brunt of the midnight creatures' attacks. While they distracted the Unmade, she made her way into the dark mass and gingerly pressed herself into the Unmade.{{book ref|sa3|29}} As Shallan connected with Re-Shephir, she learned that it was an ancient spren created by the splintering of a greater being. After being ordered to cause chaos, the Unmade became interested in men and eventually found itself attracted to the violence they committed. Clinging to the advice Adolin had given her, Shallan continued her attack on the Unmade using stormlight. While she struck at the creature, she learned that it was scared of being trapped again as it had been by another [[Order of Lightweavers|Lightweaver]] in the past. As Shallan realized that the Unmade was learning about her similarly to how she was delving into the mind of the creature, she began to back down out of fear despite convincing herself that she would continue to fight off the Unmade. Sympathizing with the creature, Shallan removed herself from the dark mass and collapsed out of exhaustion from her battle with the Unmade. As Re-Shephir forced itself out of the pit and fled, Shallan told the rest of the group not to follow.{{book ref|sa3|30}} While [[Teft]] frowned at Shallan's order not to follow the Unmade, he assented and they discovered a large treasure of cut gemstones where the Unmade had previously settled in.

After Jasnah's arrival to Urithiru, Shallan remembered that she was Radiant but also a scholar. Resuming her scholarly nature, she hoped to discover how Jasnah had survived the shipwreck during their journey to the Shattered Plains. After failing to find the princess, Shallan made her way back to the pits where she battled Re-Shephir after making several inquiries. When she reunited with Jasnah, the scholar quickly shared her thoughts on the fused gemstones discovered after the Unmade's escape from the pit. Jasnah shared that she and her mother speculated that the crystal pillar was actually a large [[fabrial]]. After discussing the moral implications of trapping spren in gemstones, Jasnah ordered Shallan to sketch images of the gemstone pillar, reminding Shallan that she was still expected to carry out her duties as Jasnah's ward. As Jasnah revealed how she escaped from the Ghostbloods by using her [[Elsecaller]] abilities, she also confided to Shallan about her concern over her lack of understanding about the [[Desolation]].{{book ref|sa3|33}}

After recovering from her experience in the palace, Shallan and her companions regrouped in Yokska's kitchen and discussed their next plan. Tasked with finding a way to infiltrate the Cult of Moments, Shallan, disguising herself as Veil, scrounged for information. During her exploration of the city, Veil encountered an urchin named [[Grund]] that had been abandoned because of his physical disfigurement. In exchange for information, Shallan gifted food to the boy and others willing to provide intel. As Veil began to doubt her actions taken to provide for the poor citizens in Kholinar, she encountered [[Wit]] retelling the story of [[Mishim]].{{book ref|sa3|67}} Once finished, Wit led Veil to an inn and he complimented Shallan on her skills with [[Illumination]]. While talking, they discussed the meaning of power, eventually giving Shallan the advice she needed to infiltrate the [[Cult of Moments]]. After this, he left her with the bill for the food he ate, much to her displeasure.{{book ref|sa3|68}} Through the information she gathered, Shallan learned that a group known as the Cult of Moments, under the thrall of the [[Unmade]] [[Ashertmarn]], guarded the Oathgate, and that the only way to join their ranks was to bring food to their grand feasts after receiving an invitation. Assuming the persona Swiftspren, Shallan attempted to attract the Cult of Moments through displays of Illumination and philanthropy. Eventually, she received an invitation from the Cult of Moments after a grand heist at a local mansion.{{book ref|sa3|72}}{{book ref|sa3|74}}

While discussing their findings, Kholinar was attacked by the Voidbringers and the enthralled soldiers of the city. Shallan, accompanied by Adolin, searched for the lingering presence of two of the Unmade at the Oathgate platform.{{book ref|sa3|83}} On their way to the control building for the ancient fabrial, an undulating black mass blocked their path to the entrance. After finding her Shardblade could not destroy the mass, Shallan touched it as she did with [[Re-Shephir]]. Inside the mass, she was overwhelmed by Ashertmarn's voice as it attempted to convince her to engage in sensual self-indulgence. When Shallan was inundated by the various personalities she had created in the past, she heard Wit's voice in her mind and was advised to take control of them rather than fear them. As she felt herself nearly being consumed, the black mass soon evaporated and Adolin proclaimed that Shallan had defeated the Unmade, despite her feeling as if she had failed. As she entered the building, Shallan saw the black figure she observed previously when infiltrating the royal palace, and it identified itself as [[Sja-anat]]. The Unmade claimed they were not Shallan's enemy and warned her not to operate the Oathgate, as it was compelled to corrupt the [[Oathgate spren|spren]] of the platform so it would not function properly.{{book ref|sa3|84}} After Elhokar was seemingly murdered by [[Moash]], Shallan and her group were overwhelmed by enemy forces. At the urging of Adolin, Shallan began to activate the Oathgate platform. Unsure of what to do, Shallan asked Pattern whether they should trust Sja-anat, but the spren was unable to discern whether the Unmade was lying or not. Sja-anat insisted that Shallan should not use the fabrial but noticed that she still did not trust it, so the Unmade promised that they would refrain from killing them all while traveling through the Oathgate. In order to avoid being attacked by the deranged cultists, Shallan utilized the fabrial to transport Azure, Adolin, Kaladin, and herself along with their spren.{{book ref|sa3|85}} When they awakened, they found themselves in Shadesmar, and Azure grunted about her dislike for the strange realm.{{book ref|sa3|87}}

While in Shadesmar, Shallan and Kaladin found themselves accompanied by their now fully-sized spren as well as [[Maya]], the dead spren tied to Adolin's Shardblade.{{book ref|sa3|88}} [[Syl]] pointed out that the spren represented the Oathgate on the platform they stood on were corrupted and Shallan came to the conclusion that this was due to Sja-anat, but the Unmade managed to keep its promise not to kill them despite their current predicament. Stranded on an island and surrounded by the hostile denizens of the [[Cognitive Realm]], the group was unsure of what to do. Azure, being the one most familiar with navigating the strange realm, explained that Shadesmar was the inverse of the Physical Realm, so they would need to travel to what would be the nearest body of water in their world in order to find land in the Cognitive Realm. Because Kaladin's abilities drew in too much stormlight and attracted the hostile spren, Shallan had to use her abilities to maneuver through the world. Pattern explained that Soulcasting would not work the same way in the Shadesmar. She instead discovered that she can read the impressions of the objects in each sphere that surrounds them and shape the surrounding spheres into various structures based on that impression. Shallan used the soul of the Oathgate control room to shape various copies of the building, and they slowly made their way to land. While traveling, Pattern pointed out that the flames representing the souls of their companions on the other side were no longer going out as quickly as when they first entered, so some may have surrendered.{{book ref|sa3|89}} Shallan and her party soon arrived at the next piece of land and recovered after their hardships. Now faced with the dilemma of having a lack of supplies, the group struggled with what to do next. Azure explained that [[lightsprenReacher]]s were known to act as guides for humans traveling through Shadesmar, so they should try to locate them and travel to the nearest spren city where they could trade stormlight for supplies.{{book ref|sa3|93}} A corrupted spren appeared in Shadesmar and, in the voice of Sja-anat, warned Shallan that Odium sent some of his minions to Shadesmar in search of them, and he was growing suspicious of the Unmade. Due to Shallan's previous misdirections, he believed that she was an [[Elsecaller]] rather than a Lightweaver. The spren soon left after Shallan's companions attempted to attack it. They eventually settled at a lighthouse where they met [[Riino]], the lightkeeper. Shallan felt useless due to her inability to scout the area as Kaladin did in his initial exploration of the lighthouse. Veil was still broken from her experience with Grund, so she was unable to sneak through the building. However, the other personality was beginning to return as Shallan discovered she could not draw with her usual skill and instead produced drawings reminiscent of Veil's style. Shallan mulled over Wit's words and pondered over how she could keep her personas in check, but she failed to come up with a solution. While the others discussed where they would go next, a ship without a sail soon arrived at the lighthouse.{{book ref|sa3|97}}

As the group boarded the ship helmed by the [[Reachers]], Shallan continued drawing during their voyage to [[Celebrant]]. At the urging of Syl, Kaladin conversed with Shallan and they discussed their attempts at dealing with their past. He complimented her ability to ignore her past trauma, but she remarked that it was not a good skill to have despite his admiration of her. When Kaladin tried to continue their conversation, she became unresponsive as she no longer wanted to think about it.{{book ref|sa3|99}} The group soon arrived at Celebrant and they agreed to split up to prepare for their voyage to either [[Thaylen City]] where they hoped to somehow activate the Oathgate from the Cognitive Realm or the [[Horneater Peaks]] where they could travel to the Physical Realm using [[Cultivation's Perpendicularity]]. Shallan, Pattern, and Azure were tasked to find passage for the journey.{{book ref|sa3|101}} Using Pattern as a translator, Shallan learned that no ship was sailing towards Thaylen City or the Horneater Peaks as [[Voidspren]] accompanied by the [[Fused]] sailed warships near there and demanded tribute from those hoping to sail there. They then approach a [[peakspren|stone-like spren]] that was sailing east towards [[Freelight]]. Just as Shallan and Azure found a ship that could take them, the Fused caused a commotion and set Captain Ico's ship on fire. They learned that Voidspren have recently appeared in Shadesmar and seized control of the city. Patten overheard the Fused speaking and translated what he heard to Shallan and Azure. They discovered that the Fused were seeking out Radiants bonded to an honorspren and inkspren, the latter due to them thinking that Shallan was an Elsecaller. Because of this, Shallan used Illumination to disguise Azure, Pattern, and herself as lightsprenReachers to avoid attention from their pursuers. Shallan and her companions regrouped and they discovered that they are being pursued by both the Fused and a group of [[honorspren]] seeking to capture Syl. As the ship heading towards Freelight sailed away, Syl attracted the attention of some honorspren beginning to leave the city and they quickly captured Syl while Shallan and her allies boarded the ship.{{book ref|sa3|102}}

With the arrival of Shallan and her group, Dalinar noted that he sensed the presence of all the Orders of the Knight Radiants on the field despite there only being nine individuals standing with him. Because Odium had withdrawn from the battle, they were now confident that they could fight against the remnants of his army. Using the renewed Stormlight Dalinar summoned, they were each assigned a task to complete on the battlefield. Shallan is ordered to use her Lightweaving abilities to summon an army that would attract the Voidbringers while the rest of them completed their tasks.{{book ref|sa3|119}} Despite losing her original sketchbook, Shallan managed to summon every single person she ever sketched in her lifetime, Patten noting that this was likely due to Dalinar momentarily bringing the [[Realms|three realms]] together. When she felt herself weakening, she created Veil and Radiant to aid her as she created more illusions. In order to maintain the attention of the enthralled soldiers, Shallan crafted realistic deaths for her illusions to satisfy the [[Thrill]] of her enemies. While her illusions were successful, she felt as if a part of her was being destroyed as each one of them was killed by the soldiers. As Shallan nearly consumed all the renewed gemstones, Lift appeared to her asking for help. At Lift's request, Shallan used Illumination to transform a rock into a ruby, so Lift and Szeth could fool the Fused hoping to escape with the gemstone. Shallan, Veil, and Radiant began to falter as more of the Fused destroyed their illusions. When she began to run out of stormlight, Jasnah appeared and [[Soulcast|Soulcasted]] the air into a wall of flames to protect her ward. As they used that diversion to run away, Jasnah gave Shallan some tips for Soulcasting. She mused that Shallan may have actually Soulcasted her illusions to give them weight or it may have been due to their high concentration of stormlight. They soon arrived at Navani's camp, and Shallan used that opportunity to recover while the scribes received updates from Urithiru. During her period of switching between Shallan, Veil, and Radiant, Shallan confessed to Pattern that she thought she might be better than she was before. While Veil surveyed the area, Pattern noted the appearance of enemy reinforcements carrying ladders from their ships. When they attempted another assault on the city, the Thrill seemingly vanished and the remaining enemies retreat back to their ships. Due to Lift's and Szeth's actions, they managed to capture the Unmade Neragoul within the ruby gemstone, effectively severing the last thing empowering their enemies. {{book ref|sa3|120}}

During the year following the Battle of Thaylen City, Shallan spends her time building the Lightweaver order of Radiants and doing spy work for the Ghostbloods. In particular, she infiltrates the Sons of HonourHonor, headed by Ialai Sadeas.{{book ref|sa4|13}}{{expand}} She leads the other Lightweavers in a group known as the [[Unseen Court]], who call her '''Master Lightweaver'''.{{book ref|sa4|20}}

Shallan is able to spend the majority of the time in a "balance" between herself and her two personas. She claims that she is able to remain stable with Radiant and Veil to help, but she senses that there are other personas that may come to the surface if the current system proves inadequate. Those around her, including Veil and Radiant, are worried for Shallan, and her mental health, wondering how best to help her. This comes to a peak when traveling through Shadesmar with Adolin to talk to the Honourhonorspren. Shallan was sent by the ghostbloods to kill the leader of the Sons of Honor, who turned out to be the Herald Kelek. This was her final test to truly join the sprenghostbloods. Shallan initially attempts to retreat when being forced to face her deteriorating health, but with the help of Adolin, Shallan emerges more often. That is until Shallan learns that there is a spy in contact with Mraize, Shallan rapidly deteriorates when she discovers the perpetrator in Pattern, and Formless takes over and suppresses Veil and Radiant.Formless decides to complete the mission to join the ghostbloods and goes to kill Kelek. Pattern, feeling remorseful for his accidental collaboration with Mraize, works to get Shallan to emerge, and he helps her remember her first spren, Testament. Shallan reintegrates with Veil, as she remembers her memories and trauma associated with Testament.{{book ref|sa4|93}}

After Adolin's trial with the Honour sprenhonorspren, she talks to Kelek and learns about the greater cosmere, and is able to break away from the Ghostbloods.{{book ref|sa4|115}}{{expand}}

Shallan grew up as the only daughter in a minor noble family. After first manifesting her [[Surgebinding]] abilities, her mother and her lover attempted to kill her, forcing to Shallan to fatally wound her mother out of self-defense. While her brothers were unaware of the Shallan's part in the death of her mother, her father was aware that his daughter killed her. Shallan's father, [[Lin Davar]], took responsibility for the murder of [[Shallan's mother]], showing that he did care for herhis daughter. After dealing with public scrutiny and the slow decline of his family, Lin Davar became an abusive father and would often beat his sons and servants, even blaming Shallan for his actions.{{book ref|wor|88}} Fed up with her father's abuse, Shallan and her brothers arranged his death and eventually successfully murdered their own father.

[[Pattern]], a [[Cryptic]], is Shallan's steadfast companion, and perhapssecond herbonded onlyNahel friendspren. sinceIt childhood,is althoughunclear shewhen herselfexactly didShallan notbonded knowPattern, thisthough forit manyhad years.to have happened after Shallan andhad Patternkilled haveher sharedmother aat bondthe everearliest. sinceInitially, Shallanhe wasis aunable youngto child.talk Whenand Shallan'shas mothera attemptedweak connection to killthe her,physical Patternworld. manifestedAs himselftheir asbond asolidified Shardblade, allowingand Shallan tospoke defendmore herself.Truths Howeverto Pattern, ShallanPattern repressesgrew thisin memoryintelligence and doesdeveloped notthe rememberability thisto incidentaffect orthe even[[Physical PatternRealm]]. untilIn yearsaddition later.to Whenthis, facedPattern withis pressingnow situations,capable Shallanof wouldbecoming brieflya contemplatefully onformed whether[[Shardblade]] shewhich shouldShallan calluses onagainst Patternenemies such as a Shardblade[[Tyn]].

[[Shallan]] knew this spren when she was younger, yet had not given her the name of Testament. Instead, she called her Pattern. It wasn't until her second journey into Shadesmar that she remembered that her current spren, Pattern, is not the Cryptic from her childhood. She then recovers this spren from her youth, and names her Testament. Testament is the spren whose Shardblade Shallan used to kill her mother. After killing her mother, Shallan unbonded Testament, making Testament a deadeye.{{book ref|sa4|115}}

When Shallan began to doubt herself while in Kholinar, Wit comforted her despite his assurance that he is not the kind man she believes him to be. Despite this, Shallan still confided in the man and clearly thinks of him as a friend. She even opens up about her struggle with her mental disorder, and the former court jester advises her to take control and make her other personalities serve her rather than fear them and let them control her.{{book ref|sa3|121}}