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Chapter 69


ccstat

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

Chapter 69 (Pure Tones of Roshar)
Epigraph: What the heck? Who is even the audience of this book? Up to this point it was self-directed research notes and musings, but now she’s addressing someone directly? It seems like something Ulim might have said as a taunt, but he’s waaay down the list of possible contributing authors. I am so confused right now about the framework and context of these words. 

Hm, not exactly cymatics. I forgot about that method from the earlier fabrial science lectures. Where are we going with this, Navani? The title of the chapter is portentous enough that I’m expecting a lot from your little tuning forks.

Promising that we’re getting out the blast shields. This is how you know real mad science is about to go down.

Fun musical theory tie in. Thaylen musical scaling is the closest match to Earth’s western music tradition, with an apparent diatonic scale. Alethi have a 5-note scale (even spacing? We don’t know). And most importantly for the title and the fabrial science taking place, the ancients (Dawnchant connection?!?) had a three-note scale corresponding to the resonant frequencies of stormlight, voidlight, and (not tested yet) lifelight. I’m very interested to see how the music theory plays into their various combinations. Does “tower light” get its own tone or a harmonic?
And, thinking ahead to the extension to other shards and combinations thereof, do we need to start with a 16-note scale? What about after Harmony’s creation–do we still have pure tones or do we need to deal with harmonics of some kind? 

Quote

She created streams of Stormlight and Voidlight…and crossed the streams at the center.

DON’T CROSS THE STREAMS, NAVANI! Aaaa!
Oh, I guess it was okay. Maybe don’t use such charged phrases if you don’t want us to panic about apocalypses, please.

I do not like the idea of Lift being used as a source to siphon Lifelight from. I also do not like that the Sibling still can’t see her. I was hoping Raboniel would at least let her out of the cage.

According to the Sibling, the lights don’t mix–they “come together as one” to make a new thing rather than a mixture. I am having trouble imagining a successful method of achieving that with tuning forks that isn’t just wild speculation.

What causes Venli to vanish from the Sibling’s sight sometimes? 

Navani thinks Shen would make a good bondsmith? That’s interesting, especially since the Sibling seems to be considering it. Except that Shen seemed to be earmarked for one of Sja-Anat’s offspring. Is there going to be a bidding war? A bitter showdown between competing spren? (Or more likely, will we find another listener to take up that mantle?)

Oh, apparently the shield has to come down and the candidate Radiant has to touch the pillar. That’s a tall order under the current occupation.

Quote

Humans are like persuasionspren. I can’t speak with one of you without being changed.

That’s unexpectedly philosophical, though I don’t think the Sibling means it to be so. What is the point of true conversation if not change of some sort? At least from a human perspective, changing perspectives or understanding is entirely the goal of any communication. What then would a self-professed “unchanging” spren wish to get out of talking?

That didn’t take long. I distrust this coincidence. The Sibling gives up the location of a node to Navani, and shortly thereafter it is conveniently discovered by the Fused? Someone has a way of spying on the Sibling’s communication without tipping them off. Best bet is Mraize at this point, but it might be Raboniel if she’s being extra crafty, or someone new.
 

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