Welcome to my liveblog of Rhythm of War! Index post here. Beware of spoilers.

Interlude I-4 (Vyre)
Here we go. Vyre. You know, Brandon is really going to have to sell me on this interlude. I am not the most ardent hater of Moash in the fandom, not by any stretch, but on top of being an unlikeable traitor (who kept eye contact with Kaladin while murdering proto-Radiant Elhokar, grrr!) he’s so much a pawn of the forces around him that it’s hard for me to get invested in what he’s doing. 

Moash is doing the same “throw my shardblade” training exercise that Adolin did in the previous book, but failing at it while feeling like he’s so much better than the mere mortals. Not a good look.

At least in Vyre’s hands the honorblade does indeed take ten heartbeats to summon. Presumably that’s confirmed as a true feature it shares with dead spren blades, as compared to living blades, though I doubt that’s the case for a bonded herald.

Oh, he’s intentionally copying Adolin. I wasn’t sure.

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“[Adolin] is no Radiant, yet his Blade responds to him as if he were one.”

Huh. Outside evidence that Maya has been in tune with Adolin for a lot longer than we’ve seen her actively healing. I hadn’t expected that to show up in this PoV

Yes, Moash. Having your emotions suppressed entirely is a sure sign of freedom. Definitely not manipulation. 
It does show a bit of self awareness that he knows he would have been feeling anger and humiliation at holding the mythical weapon of Jezrien. Even Moash knows he’s a self centered, vindictive jerk.

Khen is leaving because she doesn’t want to fight, which is not what I expected her to say. I thought she was going to say she was fed up with his obsessive, self-absorbed self.
You know, seeing what I’m writing about Vyre, I think maybe I’m a bit upset about this guy. I’m not one to swear, but like the meme says, F(orget) Moash.

Oh, I’d forgotten that Moash was originally a caravaneer. The mention of caravans initially made me think of Tvlakv and Kaladin’s slave cart, and I wasn’t sure where the positive associations came from.

How big is this rock he’s carrying? I was imagining an immense cube of stone, but apparently he’s carrying this without stormlight assistance. Must be not huge.

More self awareness:

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I have to be right, Vyre thought. And he has to be wrong.

He knows that is what it’s really about.

You know, this talk of chains and Vyre’s inability to move on puts me uncomfortably in mind of the Heralds who were bound to Braize. I wonder how much the mentalities are parallel? Especially since Moash is wielding the blade of the first herald to truly die. Is he becoming a corrupted replacement somehow?

Fascinating that Vyre’s bridge four tattoo is still intact, despite stormlight use. He still views himself as a member of that group despite his repudiation of it and his attempts to hide the mark.

Throwing himself into manual labor like this is an unexpected reaction. It makes sense, but it’s not what I would have thought Vyre would get up to with his new life.

Huh. Odium’s guise as a hundred foot tall Fused is “majestic like a king should be.” Elhokar is still bugging you, isn’t he? Sounds like Kaladin isn’t the only “chain” you still cling to.

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“Kaladin can’t be killed,” Vyre said. He knew it, sure as he knew the sun was hot, and that it circled Roshar forever.
NOT EVEN BY YOU?
“Especially not by me.”

Wow, hero worship, much? If they weren’t so diametrically opposed at this point, I’d be shipping this. But Kaladin isn’t that forgiving.

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I WOULD CLAIM THIS ONE, AS I HAVE CLAIMED YOU, Odium said.
And Vyre would see him dead first. A mercy.

Wow, that is dedication and loyalty, warped as it has become. Vyre is not fully your creature yet, Odium, no matter how strong the Connection is becoming.

I’m very concerned about who Odium is going to send to get into the holes in Kaladin’s soul. And is he saying that you can manipulate a Connection directly, bypassing the immunities that may exist at either end? That’s sure what it sounds like. 

Moash, are you intentionally… you are. You’re bringing up Honor Chasm and suggesting that you will drive Kaladin to it again. The first real impression you had of him was overcoming suicide, and now you’re drawing on that initial meeting to try to undo your whole relationship with him? Thematic, yes, but also a real dickish move.