This is the character page for the graphic novel trilogy White Sand, which is part of the greater Cosmere cycle. For more Cosmere characters, see The Cosmere.
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The Sand Masters
Sand Masters in general
Sand Masters in general
The Dayside of Taldain is home to the order of Sand Masters, men and women who can control and manipulate the planet's abundant white sand in a wide variety of ways. They are based in the vast deserts of Kerla and rarely reach out to people, preferring to maintain their isolation.- Alchemy Is Magic: The Mastrells are able to somehow turn sand into water.
- Cast from Hit Points: From a Master's side, Sand Mastery is fueled by water, and using too much may lead to dehydration - especially dangerous in the desert.
- Color-Coded for Your Convenience: The novices wear brown while full Sand Masters wear white. The sashes also have different colours depending on the Master's rank.
- Cruel and Unusual Death: Overmastery is what happens when you Master too much sand, leading to your body using up every last drop of water in your body, leaving you a shriveled husk.
- Dishing Out Dirt: Their entire power-set revolves around various ways to manipulate sand.
- Fantastic Racism:
- They consider themselves above any non-Sand Master. This backfires pretty quickly once they find themselves in dire straights, and none of the non-Sand Masters are particularly interested in helping the pack of jackasses.
- Darksider bloodlines are viewed as inferior, and considered to dilute Sand Mastery. The inability of Praxton's children to succeed as Sand Masters being blamed on them having a Darksider mother, with Kenton getting looked down upon for being half-Darksider. At the end of the story, full Darksider Baon is discovered to have obscene talent in Sand Mastery, vastly beyond anyone else seen. While it's not clear if this is just something to do with Baon specifically, it shows that the assertion that Darksiders can't do Sand Mastery to be laughably untrue.
- Fantastic Rank System: There are seven ranks of Mastery, based on the Master's power. So far we know of Mastrell (1), under-mastrell (2), diemfen (4), lesstrell (probably 5), fen(6) and underfen (7).
- Functional Magic: Sand Mastery has pretty rigid rules: you need sand charged with sunlight, and a well-hydrated Sand Master. The Sand Master can control the sand as long as he has water and there's charge in the sand, and the sand can no longer be used until it recharges in the sun.
- Gold-Colored Superiority: The Mastrells wear gold sashes.
- Iconic Item: In-universe, the sashes. They're recognizable enough that it takes a Kerztian teen only a glimpse at one to realize that Kenton is a Sand Master.
- Magical Society: They're an order of magic users.
- Pride Before a Fall: They're extremely haughty, convinced that nothing can touch them and that the non-Masters don't matter. This leads them to slip up and before they know it they find themselves getting slaughtered in an unforeseen attack heavily implied to have been instigated by the Sand Lord finding the Masters to have become complacent.
Kenton
Kenton
The Hero of the story. Kenton is the son of the Lord Mastrell, the most powerful of all Sand Masters, but has very little power of his own. Nevertheless, he strives to join the ranks of the order, even if it means clashing with his father on a daily basis.- Bequeathed Power: He's confident that his sudden power boost comes from his father. Subverted, given that its actually due to him overexerting his Sand Mastery, causing it to improve.
- The Chains of Commanding: Kenton finds becoming Lord Mastrell to be more difficult than he imaged, even falling back on the tactics his father used to keep people in line, despite Kenton specifically not wanting to lead like that. He does eventually grow into a more stable and effectively leader.
- Chekhov's Skill: Kenton knows law inside out, as it is only rules lawyering that has let him dodge all attempts at kicking him out of the diem. It comes in handy when he has to argue preserving the Sand profession in front of the Taishin.
- Cunning Linguist: Kenton knows several Darkside and Dayside languages, making him very valuable to Daysiders, of whom only Cyder has any linguistic knowledge.
- Determinator: He never gives up, even when everyone around him points out that he simply doesn't have the potential to be a Mastrell. He manages to do what many Mastrells fail, too.
- Establishing Character Moment: The whole story starts with Kenton arguing with his father that skill is more important than raw power in front of dozens of Sand Masters, setting him up as a Guile Hero, rebel, and Determinator.
- Guile Hero: Lack of power has forced him to rely on his wits rather than his pure strength, making him a keen thinker.
- Heroes Prefer Swords: He's the only Sand Master that uses a sword, as it helps him control sand. It also helps him compensate for the lack of power his Sand Mastery has.
- King Incognito: On the journey to Kezare, Kenton pretends to be an ordinary Daysider, out of fear that he'll be killed if discovered.
- Last of His Kind: After the massacre at the diem, he's convinced that he's the last Sand Master in existence, having a brief moment of despair when he returns to the Diem and doesn't see any others. However, there are quite a few survivors, and Kenton gets over things shortly afterwards.
- Like Father, Like Son: Much to Kenton's dismay, after he become Lord Mastrell Kenton begins to use raw power to settle disagreements, which Praxton did often, and was something Kenton specifically disliked about him. However...
- Like Father, Unlike Son: Kenton ultimately balks at using his father's Might Makes Right philosophy, and remakes the Diem to be much more open and equal.
- Lineage Comes from the Father: He's inherited his Sand Mastery from his father. But not very much of it, which is thought to be because of his mother being a Darksider.
- Loophole Abuse: Kenton specializes in utilizing loopholes in laws to get what he wants or needs, whether it's access to Mastrell's path or preserving the Sand profession for two more weeks. He had to get good at it, since the regular approaches didn't work for him.
- Magic Knight: Kenton uses his sword just as, if not more often than Sand Mastery, and has had some training with the soldiers, letting him fight without straying into Overmastery.
- Missing Mom: His mother is absent - presumably, she returned to Darkside.
- Rebellious Spirit: The harder he's opposed, the more Kenton rebels against the traditional order of things.
- Rogue Juror: A bureaucratic spin. He's the only member of the Taishin council who doesn't want to dissolve the Sand Masters, being the head of the Sand Masters, and a running goal for him is to convince the other Taishin to keep the Sand Masters around, specifically needing to convince all of them.
- Un-Sorcerer: Downplayed, but Kenton is a very weak Sand Master. Most people can control at least fifteen ribbons of sand - Kenton can only manage one. Subverted as he eventually figures out to Overmaster and grow his power.
- Weak, but Skilled: Kenton is far less powerful than most Sand Masters, but can manipulate sand with greater precision.
- "Well Done, Son" Guy: Inasmuch as he loves to oppose his father, it's pretty clear that a lot of his drive to prove himself as a Sand Master is to prove himself to his father. He only truly comes into his power when he stops trying to please his father.
- You Are in Command Now: After realizing that the only Mastrells left to lead the diem are him and Drile (who had actually been demoted and doesn't seem to have the Masters' best interests in mind), Kenton is forced to assume command.
Praxton
Lord Mastrell Praxton
The commander of all the Sand Masters and Kenton's father. Praxton believes that only raw power counts when it comes to Sand Mastery, causing him to resent his son's attempts at joining the Masters. Nevertheless, deep down he does care for Kenton.- Action Dad: He's the most powerful Sand Master and makes a good use of his power in the fight against the Kerztians.
- Angst Nuke: He goes out with a roar of rage that makes him explode with sand. Having the emotions of a god running through him (as is implied) at the time will do that.
- The Archmage: He's the leader of the diem and the most powerful of Sand Masters.
- Asskicking Leads to Leadership: He's the most powerful, therefore he's in charge.
- Dying Moment of Awesome: He goes out with a roar of rage that turns the entire sky red, sends out hundreds of arrows and releases a wave of sand that buries all the combatants beneath metres of sand.
- Establishing Character Moment: His first scene has him pointing out Kenton's shortcomings as a Sand Master in front of everyone in the diem.
- Fantasy-Forbidding Father: He's tried many times to dissuade Kenton from pursuing Sand Mastery, even though becoming a Mastrell is his son's only dream.
- Jerkass: He constantly puts Kenton down, refuses to acknowledge that times are changing and Sand Masters should too, makes fun of the idea of using a sword, laughs at Kenton failing to slatrify and continues to mock him throughout the Mastrell's Path exam. He also blatantly states that even if Kenton somehow accomplishes Masterll's Path, he still won't be promoted above fen rank, which is just blatantly unfair - and that's not to mention that he engaged his son in a shouting match in front of all the Masters.
- Jerkass Has a Point: His main motivation in not promoting Kenton to Mastrell is because Kenton really isn't qualified for it, something even Kenton begrudgingly admits to himself, and the rest of the diem would resent and ostracize him for the perceived Nepotism. As he points this out Kenton suddenly becomes very aware of the hostile stares of the other Sand Masters on his back.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: With all the above, Praxton still clearly cares for his son, and is very obviously proud when Kenton manages to finish the Path, even promoting him to Mastrell. It's implied that he might even bond with his son if he didn't have to have a Dying Moment of Awesome to save him.
- Hot-Blooded: He's quick to anger and very emotional.
- Like Father, Unlike Son: Kenton is very weak, prefers his smarts to raw power, and openly disdains diem traditions. Praxton is the exact opposite of that.
- Pet the Dog: Gets two moments.
- In a flashback, when Kenton is dejected after his latest attempt at joining the diem, Praxton approaches him and finally allows him to train for Sand Mastery, even if he doubts that Kenton would go far.
- Despite his earlier determination not to promote Kenton above fen rank, he does make him a Mastrell and acknowledges all the hard work Kenton has put into going this far.
- Sacrificial Lion: He's the first person attacked by the Kerztians, and gets killed to show how dire the situation is.
Drile
Drile
One of the Mastrells. Drile resents the isolationist tendencies of the Sand Masters and has recently attempted to sell his services as a mercenary, earning him scorn of his fellow Mastrells and a demotion.- Chekhov's Gunman: He first appears as a Sand Master who's being demoted for trying to sell his services to outsiders. He later turns up alive in Kezare and becomes an opposing force to Kenton.
- Foil: Both he and Kenton are young voices who want to change the Diem, but Kenton wants the Diem to help people, while Drile wants them to become mercenaries. Kenton tries to be reasonable, and dislikes hostile political moves. Drile is standoffish, and willing to use underhanded tactics to get ahead. Kenton only had the talent for one sand ribbon, and relies on finesse. Drile has twenty-five ribbons, and relies on pure power. While Drile turns be better and more like Kenton as he appears, he's still different, with Kenton keeping Drile around specifically because he'll provide a contrasting perspective.
- The Exile: After revealing him as a villain, Kenton kicks him out of the Diem. When he's revealed to have been framed, his banishment is revoked.
- Good All Along: Despite evidence pointing towards him being the traitor in the Diem, and his hostile attitude, he actually turns out to be framed, and is his attitude comes from a genuinely well-intentioned desire to to change the Diem.
- Jerkass: Very quick to mock and point out Kenton's shortcomings, and sold out his fellow Sand Masters to Kerztians. While the treason turns out to be false, and he has a more reasonable side, the jerk aspect was his own.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Despite how hostile he can be, Drile can be reasoned with and he does truly believe in changing to Diem to be better.
- The Mole: He's been the Kerztians' agent among the Sand Masters. Or so Kenton thinks. It’s actually Elorin.
- Number Two: After Drile turns out to be innocent, and Kenton's second-in-command Elorin turns out to be the real traitor, Kenton has Drile become his new second..
Elorin
Under-Mastrell Elorin
A high-ranking Sand Master in good standing with Praxton. He acts as a cool uncle of sorts for Kenton and is more understanding of his desire to prove himself as a Sand Master than others are, making him a valuable ally in Kenton's clashes with Praxton.- Big Bad Friend: Kenton's mentor and trusted number two turns out to be the traitor in the Diem, behind much of the misfortune Kenton has suffered.
- De-power: Burns himself out permanently during the attack on the Diem. Or that's what everybody assumes and what he goes along with. Burning out isn't a thing, and Elorin actually stopped using Sand Mastery because he converted to the Kertzian religion and now considers it unholy.
- Disney Death: Kenton assumes him dead after the massacre of the Sand Masters, but he later turns up alive. Likely because he was the inside man the Kertzians had to arrange the massacre.
- Evil All Along: One of the highest-ranking members of the Diem, and a major ally for Kenton. Turns out to be the real traitor to the Diem, and the one who has been sending assassins after Kenton.
- Killed Off for Real: Kenton kills him in Volume 3.
- Mentor Archetype: He's more skilled and experienced than Kenton and is the closest thing he has to a mentor.
- Mentor Occupational Hazard: Forces Kenton to kill him after being revealed to be the traitor.
- The Mole: The true traitor in the Diem.
- Number Two: He appears to fulfill this role for Praxton, prior to the attack by the Kerztians. After returning to the Diem after the Kertzian attack he becomes Kenton's second.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: He's far more affable and understanding than Praxton, and helps Kenton a lot. Unfortunately he's the one he turns out to be the traitor.
- Suicide by Cop: After Kenton figures out Elorin's treason, he points a dart gun at Kenton to force him to kill Elorin. Elorin encourages Kenton, by saying that he is ready to die right before he tries to fire.
Traiben
Mastrell Traiben
Kenton's self-appointed best friend. Traiben is one of the Mastrells, but despite the difference in ranks, associates himself with Kenton because, as he puts it, there's always something interesting happening when he's around.- The Ace: He's really good at pretty much everything he touches, if Kenton is to be believed.
- Cruel and Unusual Death: Dies from Overmastery, completely drained of water.
- Died in Your Arms Tonight: He dies in Kenton's arms.
- Genki Guy: He's very energetic and cheerful, especially compared with more subdued Kenton.
- Incoming Ham: His first line, before he even appears in the story, is "Wake up, you scoundrel!"
- Killed Off for Real: He dies early into Volume 1.
- Only Friend: It seems that Traiben is the only friend Kenton has in the diem.
- Thrill Seeker: He's friends with Kenton, because, as he claims, "if [Kenton wasn't] around, the diem wouldn't be half as exciting".
- Sacrificial Lamb: He is set up initially as Kenton's friend, but dies during the attack on the Sand Masters to establish how serious things are.
- Self-Deprecation: He jokes that associating himself with Kenton is a great flaw in his character.
- Vitriolic Best Buds: With Kenton. The two often mock each other, but it's very clear that they're good friends.
- We Barely Knew Ye: Dies early into Volume 1.
Dirin
Dirin
A young Sand Master whom Kenton meets in Kezare. He's rather inexperienced and shy, but isn't really thrilled about Drile taking charge of the Sand Masters and quickly throws his support behind Kenton.- The Baby of the Bunch: The youngest character in the story.
- Chekhov's Gunman: He appears briefly as the Sand Master who gives Kenton water after his Mastrell's Path and brings him up to speed as to what happened with Drile. He later returns in the diem in Kezare and starts assisting Kenton.
- Distinguishing Mark: He's the only character in the entire story so far to have red hair.
- Hope Bringer: Downplayed, but his appearance is a proof that Kenton is not the Last of His Kind, bringing him out of his Heroic BSoD.
- Mr. Exposition: He seems to serve in this capacity. He first provides Kenton with background on Drile's case, then tells him what's been happening in Kezare when Kenton was still traveling there.
- Number Two: Becomes Kenton's assistant in the diem.
- Significant Green-Eyed Redhead: It's unclear just what his eye color is, but his hair are red and thanks to him, Kenton learns that he's not the last Sand Master.
Other Daysiders
Aarik
Aarik
Kenton's good friend from Kezare, who's spent the last three years as a merchant on the Darkside. Being a son of a noble, he doesn't really see Kenton's Sand Master status as a social barrier of any sort.- Adaptation Name Change: Played With. In the original novel, his name was spelled Eric, but the pronunciation doesn’t actually change.
- Ambiguously Brown: His tan matches Kenton's, though it seems it stems more from his time on the Darkside than any heritage he might have.
- Badass Cape: He has a short cape to match his masterful sword work.
- Badass Normal: A badass swordsman and vigilante among a cast of Sand Masters.
- Chekhov's Gunman: He first appears as a mysterious stranger helping Ais. He returns a chapter later and reveals himself to be Kenton's old friend.
- Deadpan Snarker: Loves to snark at people with authority, like Sand Masters and Trackts.
- Devil's Advocate: Helps Kenton with planning by pointing out all the flaws with his ideas.
- Dual Wielding: Totes around two sabres and can use them together very well.
- Establishing Character Moment: Saves Ais by beating up a thug and disappears with a snarky comment.
- Master Swordsman: He’s pretty good with his sword.
- Muggle Best Friend: He’s Kenton's one non-Sand Master friend.
- Offhand Backhand: During an attack by assassins at a lunch, he casually catches a thrown dart and throws it back in the direction it came from without even bothering to look, crediting it to his hand-eye coordination.
Ais
Senior Trackt Ais
A high-ranking Trackt, lawkeeper, from Kezare, focused on tracking a dangerous criminal mastermind named Sharezan when she's suddenly reassigned to a new case. Has a dark secret or two.- Bodyguarding a Badass: Lady Heelis sends her to bodyguard Kenton, who at this point is quite powerful. She does still manage to help out a bit, particularly in giving Kenton advice of the Lossandin assassins after him.
- By-the-Book Cop: She's very no-nonsense about up keeping the rules. This is the source of her main conflict, as her duty to her family often clashes with her duty as a Trackt. Sharezan specifically targets this clash of duty in his confrontation with her, whether she's more a mother or a Trackt. She chooses Trackt.
- Et Tu, Brute?: Quite shocked when she thinks that her trusted partner Tain is a mole for the crime lord Sharezan, which only amplifies when he reveals he is Sharezan, and forces Ais into a Sadistic Choice of saving her family or saving an orphanage.
- Fair Cop: Fairly attractive lady cop.
- Gender Flip: In the original novel, Ais was a man.
- The Mole: Lady Heelis sends her to spy on Kenton. He pegs her immediately.
- Tritagonist: She's about the third most focused on character, getting POV segments like Kenton and Khriss, though notably less than those two, and her own personal plot line and enemy with Sharezan.
Lady Heelis
Lady Heelis
One of the Taishin. Heelis is lady judge, responsible for the Trackts - Kezare's lawkeeping force. A keen politician, she quickly gets curious about Kenton and his goals in her city.- Reasonable Authority Figure: While she can be unreasonable in council meetings, it's only because she has to be. In private she's more friendly and will hear someone out, notable giving Kenton an opportunity to save the Diem.
Nilto
Lord Nilto
Lord Beggar of Kezare. He has some dealings in the Darkside Village of the city, and while he's one of the Taishin, it's implied that there might be something less than savory going on beneath the surface.- Two Aliases, One Character: Ais is nigh-certain that he's actually Sherezan, the criminal overlord she's hunting. He’s actually Gevin.
Trell
Trell
A townsperson who Kenton saves.
- Ambiguous Situation: There is indicated to be some connection this foreman named Trell on Nalthis, and the god Trell on Scadrial, however The Lost Metal reveals that Bavadin, the main vessel of Autonomy, who rules over Nalthis, is using the name as a created identity, intending to pass the name and mythos of her chosen avatar of Scadrial, Telsin Ladrian. Where the mythos started, why Bavadin uses it, and whatever this seemingly insignificant individual on Nalthis named Trell has to do with it is thus far unexplained.
- Young Future Famous People: Possibly. He shares his name with a god thousands of years later on Scadrial, however it's an alias of Autonomy's main host Bavadin, and what sort of connection, if any, this Trell has to the name is unclear.
Sharezan (Spoilers Unmarked)
A vicious crime lord active in Kezare that Ais was investigating before getting assigned to watch over Kenton. She still attempts to catch him when she has the time to devote to it. He is truly Ais's fellow Trackt, and partner Tain.
- Arch-Enemy: Ais has a very strong desire to catch Sharezan, being very distressed that she is forced to spend time with Kenton, when she could be going after Sharezan. Her enmity only increases when she finds out her partner Tain is Sharezan, and has been lying to her the whole time.
- Big Bad Friend: As it turns out, the crime lord Ais was looking for was none other than her partner, Tain.
- Dirty Cop: Tain outwardly appears to be a simple Trackt. He is really a crime lord hiding in plain sight.
- The Dreaded: His brutality is infamous throughout dayside. When Kenton first hears his name, he immediately refers to Sharezan as a butcher.
- Mole in Charge: Thanks to Tain/Sharezan being the partner of Ais, who is head of the investigation on Sharezan, he gets assigned as the head investigator when Ais gets called away to watch over Kenton. He uses this as an opportunity to lure Ais into a trap by telling her he "found a lead" on Sharezan's location.
- Sadist: He admits that he like to learn how people break, and takes great pleasure is pushing them to their breaking point to get them to snap.
- Walking Spoiler: It's a bit hard to talk about him without mentioning that he's Ais' partner Tain.
The A'kar
A new Kertzian religious leader rising to the position of A'kar, the religious leader of Kertzia. He organizes the massacre of the Sand Masters, viewing it as the will of the Sand Lord, intending to use it to allow him to get the popularity necessary to become the full leader of Kertzia.
- Big Bad: He is the one responsible for the slaughter of the Sand Masters, kicking off the plot. He also sends assassins after Kenton to try and finish the job. Though it is indicated that he really is following orders from the Sand Lord.
- Equal-Opportunity Evil: While much more fanatical than recent religious leaders in Kertzia he notably does not want a complete genocide of Lossandin like some older religious leaders, and tied to that, he's even willing to accept Lossandins into the religion should they truly convert.
- The Ghost: While influential, he doesn't appear on screen at all, with his subordinates serving as the primary threats. The end of the comic sees Ais decide to travel to meet the A'kar to see if he can help her through her crisis of faith, indicating he will appear in a possible sequel comic.
Darksiders
Khriss
Duchess Khrissalla
A Duchess of the Dynasty, one of the main countries of the Darkside. She has arrived on the Dayside on a scientific expedition which strives to prove or disprove the existence of the so-called "Sand Mages", but she's not a very skilled traveler just yet.Khriss becomes an important character later in the Cosmere - for information on her worldhopping career, see The Cosmere.
- Black and Nerdy: She’s a scientist from Darkside.
- Young Future Famous People: She will become a worldhopper and one of the top scholars in Investiture in the entire cosmere. This is her first major journey and also her first encounter with magic.
Baon
Baon
Khrissalla's bodyguard and sharpshooter. Baon is the most practical of the four travelers and the team's primary muscle on their trip. After realizing that Kenton knows his way around the desert, he quickly takes a liking to him.- The Cameo: He makes a brief appearance in the first Interlude of The Way of Kings (2010).
Acron
Professor Jon Acron
An anthropologist taken by Khriss with her on her expedition. Much like her, Acron is not much of a traveler yet and tends to approach everything he faces with an academic slant.- Evil All Along: He’s a member of the Dynasty on a mission to kill Gevin.
- Killed Off for Real: Khriss kills him in Volume 3.
Gevin
Gevaldin, Prince of Elis
Khriss' deceased betrothed, who had made a trip to Dayside before his death to prove the existence of the "Sand Mages". Khriss is making her own journey to honor his dream, but his interest in Sand Masters might not have been just academic curiosity.- Posthumous Character: He’s dead before the story begins. Or so Khriss thinks.
- Two Aliases, One Character: Gevin is otherwise known as Nilto, the Lord Beggar..
- Walking Spoiler: It’s hard to talk about him without mentioning that he’s not dead.
