Pashavar

Lord Pashavar is the Witness for the Judiciate on the Corazhas. He is the husband of Ailano Pashavaran.

Appearance
Pashavar was elderly, and "the oldest of the seven" Corazhas.

Pashavar was a head shorter than Ailano. He had a laugh "like a crack of thunder".

Personality
Pashavar was "sharp-witted", but also "contrary and cantankerous”.

He was also bigoted towards the Nazhmorhathveras and perhaps goblins in general.

Life
Pashavar was furious when Varenechibel IV didn't have Setheris Nelar executed for potentially committing treason, because he was acting above the law. Pashavar also condemned Varenechibel IV's treatment of many of Varenechibel IV's enemies, particularly in regard to mass relegation.

Pashavar repeatedly advocated for Varenechibel IV to bring Maia Drazhar to the Untheileneise Court permanently when Empress Chenelo Drazharan died, again when Maia turned 13, and again when Maia turned 16, but Varenechibel IV refused.

During Maia's coronation, when Pashavar gave his oath of loyalty, Maia noted that Pashavar was not old enough to have given the oath more than once, implying that Pashavar was not also a holdover from Varevesena's reign.

Csevet Aisava theorized that Lord Chancellor Uleris Chavar chose to use Judicial Witnesses during the investigation into the sabotage of the Wisdom of Choharo to his advantage due to his poor relationship with Pashavar.

When Lord Deshehar presented the idea for a bridge over the Istandaärtha, Pashavar “flatly refused to believe that the Istandaärtha could be bridged at all, and certainly not above Cairado.”

During Maia's first dinner with the Court, Pashavar was the other dinner partner of Archduchess Nemriän Imaran, and she focused on speaking with him over Maia.

When the Corazhas met to decide Maia's future empress, Pashavar, Deshahar, Lord Eiru Berenar, and Sonevet Athmaza supported Csethiro Ceredin, who won the majority and was ultimately chosen.

Pashavar and Ailano were two of the guests at the Marquess Lanthevel's dinner party that Maia attended. Lanthevel told Maia why Setheris was relegated. When Pashavar noted that Varenechibel IV was wrong to ignore due process as he did, Lanthevel noted, "And you are confident . . . that Edrehasivar will not throw you in the Esthoramire for criticizing the late emperor his father?" When Pashavar noted that if Maia wanted to, he'd have already started doing so, Maia replied that he could always change his mind, which shocked the rest of the group, and ultimately made Pashavar burst out laughing.

When Maia brought up the potential bridge over the Istandaärtha, Pashavar dismissed it as "a cloud-fancy of Varenechibel's" and said that it would “come to nothing except the waste of a prodigious amount of money.” When Pashavar also dismissed the Clocksmiths' Guild of Zhaö as "crazed gear-head[s]", Maia defended them, noting he'd spoken with them. Pashavar noted his surprise: that he thought Maia, “too rule-abiding to be a good ruler”, but that he was also apparently wrong. Pashavar reasoned Maia did not want him to stand in the way of the Clocksmiths' proposal being heard, and noted that he would still disagree with the proposal, but would not interfere with the presentation, which held true to at the next meeting of the Corazhas, where the Corazhas agreed to hear the proposal.

During the Clocksmiths' presentation, Pashavar was greatly dismissive. When Pashavar withdrew from the model demonstration, Maia went to his side to talk to him, and riposted Pashavar's arguments, ultimately noting that if Pashavar's problems lay with the Clocksmiths lacking intellectual expertise, perhaps Pashavar should consult with the scholars of the universities, which frustrated Pashavar, but led him to go consult with Lord Isthanar.

For Maia's 19th birthday, Pashavar sent him a letter of advice. In Deshehar's letter, Deshehar had drawn a caricature of Pashavar "looking superbly waspish". During the Winternight Ball, Pashavar danced with “one of the girls from the Alcethmeret’s pneumatic station.”

When the final vote for the bridge over the Istandaärtha occurred in the Corazhas, Pashavar led the opposition, and was supported by Lord Bromar and Isthanar. The vote was split evenly, with Pashavar furious at the new Witness for the Treasury abstaining, and Maia cast the deciding vote in favor. After Deshehar suggested it be called the Varenechibel Bridge, Maia proposed it be named the Wisdom Bridge instead, and all the Corazhas assented.

Lord Bromar
Bromar relied on Pashavar's support to gather backing for his own agenda. Pashavar deeply disliked Bromar and "was liable to become captious when forced into too close an alliance."

Lord Deshehar
Deshehar and Pashavar were often at odds in the Corazhas, and Pashavar would reflexively disagree with him.

Lord Isthanar
Isthanar and Pashavar were friends, and Isthanar usually followed Pashavar's lead in the Corazhas “whenever university policy was not sufficient guidance.”

Marquess Lanthevel
Pashavar and Lanthevel were genuine friends, and quite close.

Maia Drazhar
Pashavar initially terrified Maia "more than the rest of the Corazhas put together", but during Maia's initial reign, Pashavar and Maia grew more cordial and friendly with each other, even when they disagreed politically.

Setheris Nelar
Pashavar seemed to have a low opinion of Setheris and his self-importance.

Uleris Chavar
Pashavar deeply disliked Uleris.

Quotations

 * “The emperor is not above the law,” Pashavar said, glaring at Lanthevel with his ears dangerously flattened. “The emperor is the law. It sets the vilest kind of precedent for the emperor to ignore due process in that way.”
 * “An emperor who breaks laws is a mad dog and a danger, but an emperor who will never break a rule is nearly as bad, for he will never be able to recognize when a law must be changed.”