History Characters / TheStormlightArchiveMainCharacters

* DarkAndTroubledPast: Turns out she's not even aware of how dark and troubled it is. As we learn in ''Words of Radiance'', [[spoiler:she killed her mother and tutors as a child, sending her father down a very dark path as, terrified, he tried to hold his family together through violence (though never toward her, the living weapon). Because she blocked out all memory of her slaughter, she blamed him for his violence, and ended up killing him to protect her brothers.]]

* EnfantTerrible: A justified one. Turns out, Shallan [[spoiler:killed her mother and tutors at a very young age in self defense. This was her father's StartOfDarkness, as he found himself tip-toeing around his beloved daughter in fear that she would slaughter the rest of the family, and became an absolute monster to her brothers to keep them in line at all costs.]]

* OutOfFocus: He receives significantly less attention than the other main characters, even Venli, who only started getting POV segments in ''Oathbringer'', has more POV segements than him, not including her flashbacks.

** In ''Oathbringer'' He gets his own POV storyline, but it doesn't start until late in the book.

* TokenEvilTeammate: One of several among the [[spoiler: Knights Radiant]] but to his credit, he was somewhat manipulated into committing the horrifying murders he performed.

* CainAndAbel: She's set up as the Cain to Eshonai's Abel. [[spoiler:The story then subverts expectations when Eshonai [[TragicVillain becomes evil]] while Venli gets a HeelFaceTurn.]]
* CartesianKarma: Downplayed. She knows that her possession by a Voidspren warped her, but much like Dalinar she refuses to deny responsibility for what she did under its influence.
* CharacterDevelopment: Her first appearances painted her as something of a SmugSnake, a villainous foil to her sister Eshonai, the most prominent and damning example of how far the listeners had fallen. After Eshonai's death and seeing the truth of what her actions have led to, she becomes a far more conflicted character.

* HeelFaceTurn: Gradually over the course of ''Oathbringer''.

* LastOfHerKind: The Fused tell her that she is the last listener, until they discover Rlain. Venli wonders several times where the survivors of the Battle of Narak went. It's implied that they became the Fused and are all dead.
** She is later overjoyed to discover that they are ''not'' all dead, and immediately seeks them out to try to make some measure of amends for her crimes.

-->''[[spoiler:But here-- with everything else flayed away and her soul stripped bare-- Venli was forced to admit what she truly was. What she'd always been. A coward.]]''

Kaladin, a soldier tormented by depression and a simple desire to protect, Shallan Davar, a noblewoman struggling with identity and trauma, Dalinar Kholin, an old warlord searching for purpose and honor, Venli, a Listener facing the consequences of her ambitions (contrasting her more dutiful sister Eshonai), and Szeth, an aimless, halfway-insane, and self-loathing assassin caught up in - and sometimes causing - world-changing events.

Each of them is broken in some way, with a troubled past. They are all accompanied by a spren, as well as a very special sword in Szeth's case, as they swear the Oaths of a single Order of the Knights Radiant.

Each of the ten planned books of ''The Stormlight Archive'' focuses around a single main character, and contain a dedicated flashback sequence detailing that character's past. The characters described above are, in respective order, the focus characters of the first five books (Venli sharing her book with Eshonai), constituting the first "arc" of the series:

The planned second arc, consisting of the back five books in the series, will feature a new set of focus characters for flashbacks, all of whom have already appeared in only minor roles thus far. As such, their character entries are not yet listed on this page and are linked below:

The main characters of ''The Stormlight Archive''. Kaladin, a soldier with chronic depression, Shallan Davar, a noblewoman struggling with identity and trauma, Dalinar Kholin, an old warlord searching for purpose and honor, Venli, a Listener facing the consequences of her ambitions, and Szeth, an aimless, halfway-insane, and self-loathing assassin caught up in events. Each of them is broken in some way, with a troubled past. They are all accompanied by a spren, as well as a very special sword in Szeth's case, as they take the vows of an order of Knights Radiant.

Each book contains a flashback sequence detailing on character's past:

* ''The Way Of Kings'' details Kaladin growing up in his home village, and some of his time in the Alethi military.
* ''Words Of Radiance'' details Shallan's experiences in the Davar household as it falls apart.
* ''Oathbringer'' details Dalinar's time as a young warlord, continuing through as Alethkar becomes a proper kingdom.
* ''Rhythm of War'' details Venli's experience living in the Shattered Plains, through the timeline of the first two books in the series. Her sister Eshonai also gets parallel flashbacks.

Eshonai's entry can be found [[Characters/TheStormlightArchiveOther here]].

Additionally the back 5 books in the series will feature a new set of characters for flashbacks, all of whom have already appeared in more minor roles so far.

* Book 6 will feature flashbacks on Lift
* Book 7 will feature flashbacks on Renarin Kholin
* Book 8 will feature flashbacks on the Herald Shalash
* Book 9 will feature flashbacks on the Herald Talenel
* Book 10 will feature flashbacks on Jasnah Kholin

As they have not become main characters yet, they do not have their entries on this page. Lift can be found [[Characters/TheStormlightArchiveUrithiru here]], Renarin and Jasnah Kholin [[Characters/TheStormlightArchiveAlethkar here]], while Shalash and Talenel can be found [[Characters/TheStormlightArchiveHeraldsKnightsAndSpren here]].

** Shalash happens to be the patron of the Lightweaver Order.

* WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes: Shallan can't wield Pattern as a weapon on her own; even the idea of using Pattern as a sword causes her to start having an emotional breakdown, since in his Blade form he was what killed her mother. The only way she can turn him into a Blade is to adopt a persona who isn't afraid of using him that way, or to summon him as a tool rather than a weapon.

Due to size, the page has been split. '''WARNING!''' All spoilers before ''Literature/RhythmOfWar'' are '''UNMARKED!'''

Eshonai's sister, a scholar of the listeners. A background character through most of the series, she becomes a major viewpoint character later on.\\\

* FatalFlaw: His tendency to lash out at anyone he perceives to have wronged him (up to and including any lighteyes that isn't Dalinar) in the first two books causes him a ''lot'' of trouble. It's part of the reason he ends up as a bridgeman, it nearly gets both Syl and Elhokar killed, and it also places a heavy burden on his relationships with both Shallan and Adolin.

* DrivenToSuicide: Very nearly early on. Syl convinces him not to. [[spoiler: In ''Rhythm of War'' Moash works hard to drive him to it, convinced that it is completely impossible to beat Kaladin in an actual fight. He very nearly succeeds.]]

** Unconsciously. He's constantly and unknowingly drawing arrows away from him and his bridge team, and pulling them into the bridge. Later on, he pulls dozens of arrows directly into his shield, though the raw force behind that many arrows hitting it throws him through the air. In the second book, he advances his powers, letting him fly and run on walls, including helping others fly.

* HeroesWantRedheads: Her lovely auburn hair is commented upon by multiple people as one of her best physical attributes. She and Adolin are betrothed, and it appears that there might be some latent BelligerentSexualTension with Kaladin, as well.