Every Herald In The Stormlight Archive Explained

Includes SPOILERS for The Stormlight Archive through Rhythm of War.

The ten Heralds of Roshar are some of the most important figures in The Stormlight Archive, and understanding what's known about them so far is important for reading Wind and Truth. The first arc of The Stormlight Archive sees the Heralds become more prominent with each volume after being considered practically mythical figures in The Way of Kings. By Rhythm of War's ending, multiple Heralds have participated in the True Desolation to some degree, though there are still some who are unaccounted for in the Stormlight Archive books.

The Heralds were primarily born on the planet Ashyn and were granted their powers by Tanavast, the being who held the Shard Honor. Each Herald is the patron of one of the Radiant Orders. The Heralds' purpose was to lead Honor's battles on Roshar, fighting against the Voidbringers in the Desolations. When each of the Desolations ended, the Heralds would be sent to Braize, where they would be tortured by Odium's forces until they broke, allowing themselves and the Voidbringers to return to Roshar, beginning another Desolation.

Braize is referred to as "Damnation" in Vorinism.

10 Jezrien

Order Of Windrunners

Art by Howard Lyon

Jezrien, the King of the Heralds and Patron of the Order of Windrunners, is considered one of the most virtuous and noble characters in The Stormlight Archive. He was originally born on Ashyn, where he gave birth to his daughter and would-be Herald Shalash. He led his people to Roshar, where he aided humanity in its war against the Fused, eventually realizing they could not win without trapping the Fused on Braize.

In Oathbringer's ending, during the present day, Moash kills Jezrien using a raysium knife, killing him permanently.

Jezrien and Ishar formed the plan of the Oathpact, which Honor agreed to, establishing the ten Heralds of the Almighty. Thousands of years later on The Stormlight Archive's timeline, Jezrien became a drunk beggar, going by the name Ahu. As Ahu, he interacted with Dalinar Kholin, and they drank together on occasion, as shown in Oathbringer's flashbacks. In Oathbringer's ending, during the present day, Moash kills Jezrien using a raysium knife, killing him permanently.

Raysium is one of the "god metals" in the Cosmere, with its name pertaining to Odium's vessel, Rayse.

9 Talenel

Order Of Stonewards

Art by Donato Giancola

Talenel's story is one of the most important to establish, as he's the most impacted by torture on Braize. In the Last Desolation, Talenel was the only Herald to die in battle, and the other Heralds speculated that only one of the ten would have to stay in Damnation for the Oathpact to suffice. The other nine then abandoned the Oathpact, leaving Talenel to suffer torture alone for 4,500 years. The nine remaining Heralds lied and stated that the cycle of desolations had ended.

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Talenel returned to Roshar in the epilogue of The Way of Kings, arriving in Kholinar. After all of what he endured, Talenel never broke, though his mind was essentially ruined by thousands of years of being tortured. The only moment readers see the real Talenel is during the Battle of Thaylen Field, when Dalinar swore the Third Ideal, causing Talenel's mind to momentarily awaken, allowing him a conversation with Shalash. Rather than express anger for being abandoned, he was delighted at what his sacrifice had allowed humankind to accomplish on Roshar.

8 Chanarach

Order Of Dustbringers

Art by Karla Ortiz

Often nicknamed Chana, Chanarach is the Herald patron of the Dustbringers, and her life is one of the most mysterious throughout The Stormlight Archive. She participated in the original Oathpact and then later abandoned it during the Last Desolation, though her whereabouts are relatively unknown through Rhythm of War. Prior to Wind and Truth's release, Brandon Sanderson stated that Chanarach had appeared "onscreen" at least once in the first two books, meaning she's played a role in the series so far.

7 Shalash

Order Of Lightweavers

Art by Dan dos Santos

Shalash, nicknamed Ash, is the patron of the Order of Lightweavers and is commonly considered the Herald of Beauty. As the daughter of Jezrien, she was included in the Oathpact and participated in the Desolations along with the other nine. During the period prior to the True Desolation, Shalash spends much of her time tearing down artwork of herself, believing herself unworthy of humanity's deification due to her role in abandoning Talenel. She continued to do so until she learned of his return in the interludes of Oathbringer.

Shalash appeared during the Battle of Thaylen Field, having a conversation with Talenel during his brief moment of cogency when Dalinar swore his Third Ideal. Afterward, Shalash and Talenel were taken to Urithiru and later the Emul warfront by Jasnah Kholin, who would question them (mostly Shalash) for information regarding the Radiant Orders and their abilities. Shalash is planned to be the main flashback character in the planned eight book of The Stormlight Archive.

6 Nale

Order Of Skybreakers

Art by Karla Ortiz

Nale is one of the most fascinating Heralds and one whose story is pertinent to Wind and Truth. He originally came from the planet Ashyn and had some conflict with Jezrien. At some point, Jezrien admitted to being in the wrong and invited Nale to participate in the Oathpact. Nale accepted and later became the patron of the Skybreakers. Unlike the other heralds, Nale actually joined his Radiant Order and remains with them at the end of Rhythm of War.

During the True Desolation, he commanded his Skybreakers to fight on the side of the singers, believing their cause to be right as they were the first inhabitants of Roshar.

In order to prevent the chances of another after the Last Desolation, Nale began killing any Surgebinders who popped on Roshar, though he maintained his Order of Skybreakers, who continued to operate in secret the entire time. During the True Desolation, he commanded his Skybreakers to fight on the side of the singers, believing their cause to be right as they were the first inhabitants of Roshar.

5 Ishar

Order Of Bondsmiths

Art by Dan dos Santos

Ishar is a Herald who's featured prominently throughout The Stormlight Archive, as he's the patron of the Order of Bondsmiths, making him immensely valuable to Dalinar. Surges were the force of power that led to Ashyn's destruction, and Ishar was the first Herald to consider wielding them on Roshar, later becoming invaluable in the creation of the Knights Radiant. However, following the Last Desolation, it was on Ishar's instruction that Nale began hunting and killing those who showed the ability to Surge.

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Under the name Tezim, Ishar became the leader and god-priest of Tukar, later refusing to join Dalinar's coalition and to defend Roshar against Odium. Instead, he demanded that Dalinar give him ownership of Urithiru and leadership of the new Knights Radiant. Dalinar tried to approach Ishar at the end of Rhythm of War to learn more about his Bondsmith abilities, but Ishar accused him of being Odium's champion and attacked him. Only after the encounter was Dalinar able to hear Ishar's true voice, stating that his mind had been warped and asking Dalinar to meet him in Shinovar.

4 Battar

Order Of Elsecallers

Art by Miranda Meeks

Battar is the patron Herald of the Elsecallers, and she took part in the Oathpact and Desolations along with the nine others. Though Battar's role isn't entirely revealed in The Stormlight Archive books 1-4, she's all but confirmed to be Dova, an ardent in Kharbranth who assisted Taravangian with the Diagram. She warned Taravangian that the True Desolation was coming and was involved in helping him prior to him becoming the vessel for Odium in Rhythm of War's ending.

3 Vedel

Order Of Edgedancers

Art by Howard Lyon

Vedel is one of the Heralds of the Almighty and the patron of the Order of Edgedancers. Pertaining to the Edgedancers, who value the ordinary people of the world above all else, believing it their responsibility to improve the lives of common folk, Vedel has been known to train humans as surgeons in preparation for wartime. She hasn't had an opportunity to appear during the present-day events of The Stormlight Archive, though she'll likely be more prevalent in the second arc, which is said to be more focused on the Heralds.

2 Kalak

Order Of Willshapers

Art by Magali Villeneuve

Kalak is another Herald who's featured in Rhythm of War's story, though he was known during the desolations as the patron for the Order of Willshapers. Despite not being the leader, Kalak was regarded among the Heralds for his rationality and decisiveness, earning him the respect of his peers. At some point before the True Desolation, Kalak, under the name Restares, became the leader of an organization called the Sons of Honor, which involved Amaram. He was also present when Kaladin killed Helaran Davar and told Amaram to take the Shards for himself, resulting in Kaladin's slavery.

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In Rhythm of War, Shallan and Adolin meet Kalak in Lasting Integrity in Shadesmar. There, he became the High Judge among the honorspren of the city. He resided over Adolin's trial, which Adolin ultimately won despite Kalak's absence on the final day. Shallan, on behalf of the Ghostbloods, joined the trip to Shadesmar with the intention of assassinating Kalak, though she eventually decided not to and finally broke off her ties to the Ghostbloods. He revealed to Adolin and Shallan that, prior to the Recreance, spren didn't become deadeyes.

1 Pralla

Order Of Truthwatchers

Art by Magali Villeneuve

Known as Pailiah in Vorinism, Pralla is the Patron of the Order of Truthwatchers. She's another character who's essentially been absent throughout The Stormlight Archive books so far, though there's been some speculation of her involvement with the ardents in Kharbranth. She was believed to have been a scholar before becoming a Herald, and she was capable of using her powers to grow plants and for healing. Again, it's possible Pralla will have more of a role later in The Stormlight Archive.