The Stormlight Archive · Character
Gaz
Also known as the eel Gaz
- Major
- First seen · Book 1 · Ch. 7
Gaz is the one-eyed, scarred bridge sergeant of Sadeas's warcamp in The Stormlight Archive (Book 1).
- Gender
- male
- First appears
- Book 1 · Ch. 7
- Books
- 2
Gaz begins the series as the one-eyed, scarred bridge sergeant of Sadeas's warcamp, a petty tyrant who extorts his bridgemen, saddles Bridge Four with the worst duties, and schemes to see Kaladin killed under pressure from his debt-holding superior, Lamaril. Yet his story is one of unlikely redemption: after fleeing gambling debts, he falls in among the very men he once tormented, serves Adolin, and ultimately becomes a squire to Shallan, drawing power through the Cryptic Pattern. By Rhythm of War, Gaz is no longer simply the man who shouted orders from behind the bridges, though his tangled history with Dabbid and the bridgemen still shadows Kaladin's memories.
Description
A short, lean, wiry man with a heavily scarred face, a beard that grows in patches, and one brown eye; the other eye is missing, and he wears no eye patch. He wears rugged bridge-sergeant clothing, including a wrinkled green coat when described, and is sometimes equipped with a wooden shield and mace or a cudgel. Gaz is a fully bearded man with two working eyes, his face carrying the plain, seasoned look of a soldier. His beard is full rather than wispy, and his features are not otherwise described in detail. The available descriptions give no specific coloring, build, or usual clothing. He has a practical, guarded presence, more familiar among working soldiers than polished lighteyes.
Connections
Family & partnersFriends & mentorsRivals
- D
DabbidComplicated
Gaz's past with Dabbid, a bridgeman from his days as sergeant, remains part of the tangled history between Gaz and Bridge Four.
Kaladinsubordinate
In The Way of Kings, Gaz is Kaladin's coercive superior, punishing Bridge Four and hoping Kaladin dies, while Kaladin openly defies him. By Rhythm of War, Gaz has been transformed by his time among Bridge Four, though Kaladin still carries memories of the sergeant's earlier cruelty.
Shallan DavarProfessional
Gaz eventually becomes one of Shallan's squires, bonded through her Cryptic Pattern, marking his full transition from oppressor to Radiant follower.
- L
Lamarilsubordinate
Gaz's immediate superior and liaison over the bridge crews, Lamaril blackmails him over unpaid debts and uses that leverage to force Gaz to keep Kaladin and the bridgemen subdued.
Story so far
BOOK 1The Way of Kings
- Oversees Bridge Four as bridge sergeant, enforcing harsh rules such as leaving wounded bridgemen behind on Lamaril's orders
- Comes to view Kaladin as a threat and assigns Bridge Four punitive chasm duty, hoping they will die
- Kaladin confronts him publicly and exposes Gaz as responsible for the unfair assignments
- Is revealed to be blackmailed by Brightlord Lamaril over money owed, pressuring him to keep Kaladin and the crews in their place
BOOK 4Rhythm of War
- Is recognized as having changed through the company of Bridge Four after his cruel past as a sergeant
- His history of fleeing gambling debts and serving Adolin is recalled
- Serves as a squire to Shallan, connected to the Cryptic Pattern
- His past with Dabbid and the bridgemen resurfaces in Kaladin's memories of their dangerous days
Appearances
Meet Gaz in Bookworm
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