Is Tonk Fah a Ghost blood?

[Matt Mills]

Ok, I'm working through the Stormlight Archive again and I just got to the part in WoR when Shallan goes to the Ghostbloods for the first time, meeting Mraize. I have felt like something was connecting for me every time I read through this bit but couldn't put my finger on it, maybe because of how many other important characters are present in this scene, but the way the guard who lets Shallan in strikes me as resembling Tonk Fah very much. Consider that the guard is described as a very big man, who smiles at Shallan's joke, speaks with a surprisingly high voice, and comments on eating two breakfasts. He feels very much like how Tonk Fah is represented in Warbreaker. Thoughts?

[Treamayne]

Please try to avoid double-posting (or rectify it after accidental double posting). Since you are new, you may not be familiar with some of the tools you have available to you in the version of a forum:

Spoiler

At the bottom left of a post you will see a "+" icon, a "Quote" link, and (your posts only) Options and Edit link. On the bottom right you will see an up arrow.

• The Up Arrow is how you thank people or "like" a post
• The "Quote" link is exactly that, when you click it the quote will be added to the reply at the bottom of the thread wherever the cursor is
  • So, if you have already started to reply before you decide to quote you can then add the quote before or after your text depending on the cursor location when you click "Quote"
• The + icon is multi-quote. As you read a thread, if you want to quote multiple items you click that for each post
  • As you click +, you should see a toaster pop-up on the bottom right of the browser window showing how many quotes you will have
  • They are added in the order you click the + icon, not in the original post order, so you can set the order of quotes for your reply
  • When you are ready to reply, click on the toaster pop-up and it will take you directly to the reply section and add the quotes automatically
• Finally, you can also highlight a small section of a post and, when hovering over the highlit portion, click the "Quote" button that pops up.
• Also note that you can move quotes after they have been added to your reply.
  • For example, you add a quote and realize there are no empty lines below it for you to type - so you can hit "enter" before the quote to make an empty line then when you hover over a quote you will see a 4-way arrow at the top-left that you can use to drag the quote up (or down)  and move the quote to before the empty line. . .
• Use the Edit link to make changes to a completed post or add information to your post if it is the most recent (to avoid double posting)
  • Quote buttons will still send a quote to "Reply" if you have a post open for edit, but it is easy to cut/paste the quote to the Edit box
  • Editing allows you to add a reason for the edit (Spelling and grammar (SPAG), formatting, clarification, new information, etc.), but it is not required.
• Next to Edit you will also find an "options" dropbox, you can use this to hide your post if you want to remove it after posting
• At the top of a post you will find "Report Post"
  • Use this if you do accidentally double-post (sometimes it's the browser or a slow link that causes a double post) - just leave a message that it was an accidental double post and the Mods can fix it. If it was the first post of a new thread that doubled, they usually can merge the threads if they both have answers, so all of the content is retained.

Hope that helps.

7 hours ago, Matt Mills said:

Ok, I'm working through the Stormlight Archive again and I just got to the part in WoR when Shallan goes to the Ghostbloods for the first time, meeting Mraize. I have felt like something was connecting for me every time I read through this bit but couldn't put my finger on it, maybe because of how many other important characters are present in this scene, but the way the guard who lets Shallan in strikes me as resembling Tonk Fah very much. Consider that the guard is described as a very big man, who smiles at Shallan's joke, speaks with a surprisingly high voice, and comments on eating two breakfasts. He feels very much like how Tonk Fah is represented in Warbreaker. Thoughts?

Did you mean this section of Ch 43?

Spoiler

The door was opened by a darkeyed man the size of a boulder who had a beard trimmed like a Horneater’s. His hair did seem to have some red in it.

She resisted the urge to shuffle from one foot to the next as he looked her up and down. Finally, he opened the door all the way, motioning her in with thick fingers. She didn’t miss the large axe that leaned against the wall just next to him, illuminated by the single feeble Stormlight lamp—it looked like it only had a chip in it—on the wall.

Taking a deep breath, Shallan entered.

The place smelled moldy. She heard water dripping from somewhere farther inside, stormwater infallibly making its way from a leaking roof down, down, down to the ground floor. The guard did not speak as he led her along the hall. The floor was wood. There was something about walking on wood that made her feel as if she were going to fall through. It seemed to groan with every step. Good stone never did anything like that.

The guard nodded toward an opening in the wall, and Shallan stared into the blackness there. Steps. Down.

Storms, what am I doing?

Not being timid. That was what she was doing. Shallan glanced at the brutish guard and raised an eyebrow, forcing her voice to sound calm. “You really went all-out on the decor. How long did you have to look to find a den in the Shattered Plains that had a creepy staircase in it?”

The guard actually smiled. It didn’t make him look any less intimidating.

“The stairs aren’t going to collapse under me, are they?” Shallan asked.

“Is fine,” the guard said. His voice was surprisingly high pitched. “He did not collapse for me, and I had two breakfasts today.” He patted his stomach. “Go. They wait for you.”

She got out a sphere for light and started down the stairwell.

I don't recall Tonk Fah's voice ever being described in Warbreaker (and a quick search found nothing), but the idea has merit. His syntax matches a Horneater, but that could be disguise. I feel like the "two breakfasts" should be the bigger clue - but it only makes me think of the LotR movie (What about second breakfast?).

 

[Matt Mills]

Sorry about the double post; I didn't even realize that it had happened. I got an error message the first attempt and didn't know it had gone through so I tried it again.

 

I was considering the tone of Tonk Fah's voice as being slightly higher pitched, but it's been a while since I read Warbreaker. Perhaps I took the idea from Alyssa Bresnahan's audiobook version. It just felt like a potential connection, since he disappeared at the end of Warbreaker and we know we're still in a similar place in time since Azure/Vivenna is still around, and they Ghostbloods are quite clearly familiar with Nalthis.

[Treamayne]

On 2/2/2023 at 8:53 PM, Matt Mills said:

Sorry about the double post; I didn't even realize that it had happened. I got an error message the first attempt and didn't know it had gone through so I tried it again.

I figured as much, which is why I posted about the tools. It also helps to hang around long enough to check how your post went through, especially if there was a glitch in the Matrix.

Quote

I was considering the tone of Tonk Fah's voice as being slightly higher pitched, but it's been a while since I read Warbreaker. Perhaps I took the idea from Alyssa Bresnahan's audiobook version. It just felt like a potential connection, since he disappeared at the end of Warbreaker and we know we're still in a similar place in time since Azure/Vivenna is still around, and they Ghostbloods are quite clearly familiar with Nalthis.

From the annotations to Ch 57:

Spoiler

And by the way, we don’t see Tonk Fah, Jewels, or Clod again in the book. They’ll come back in the sequel. Without Denth’s control, Tonks is off to start murdering and killing wantonly; by the next book, he’ll have changed quite dramatically.

Jewels, on the other hand, is taking Arsteel (Clod) to his brother, who is a master of Lifeless Commands. (Yesteel invented ichor-alcohol.) She hopes to find a way to restore to Arsteel some of his memories and personality.

So, we won't know what happens to Tonk Fah until/unless we get the next Nalthis book - but Vivenna showing up in Oathbringer isn't an indication of time passage between the events of Warbreaker and OB - since she could (and likely does) have Fifth Heightening Agelessness.

Edited April 28, 2023 by Treamayne

[Argenti]

On 2/2/2023 at 8:53 PM, Matt Mills said:

Sorry about the double post; I didn't even realize that it had happened. I got an error message the first attempt and didn't know it had gone through so I tried it again.

That happens a ton. I've learned that when you get an error, copy your post, reload the page, and return to the forum home page. If it's not there, try again.

[Duxredux]

@Matt Mills in reference to the original post, I agree with @Treamayne assessment that this is probably a Horneater disguise.

If this was Tonk Fah and Brandon was intentionally leaving clues, I think there would be something more distinct, such as the guard having some sort of odd pet on his person, possibly a cremling. That or the guard making a Tonk Fah style intimidation joke about killing or torturing Shallan rather than a relatively reassuring line about eating two breakfasts. Maybe it's just my perception of him and the Ghostbloods, but Tonk Fah doesn't seem specially talented enough for Mraise to recruit or keep around. Brandon does hide a lot of people in relatively plain sight though.