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Question about Warbreaker


Hel

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I've finished Warbreaker today, and I'm wondering....

Peacegiver left a well of Breaths that the God King hold, saying that he'll come to recover it someday. So why is it that he didn't take that Breaths from the God King, and instead gave the God King the Command to Kalad's Phantom? He gave instruction to the priests to not use the Breaths, but when the God King did, he didn't do anything about it.. Come to think about it, why did he leave that Breaths in the first place? He could've take it with him..

I wonder how they'll pass the title of God King after this.. And whether they will keep the secret of the God King for the next God King or change the way they guard the power. It kind of bug me that Susebron came to be that powerful, and his using power is feel like a violation to me. It just seems wrong to give a character that much power without a handicap. And I keep wishing that Siri and Susebron would retire from their position and enjoy their lives somewhere near the mountain..

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In answer to your first question, i think Vasher didn't give the God King the Phantoms because he didn't trust anybody with them, more or less including himself. As for the power, i think he left the God King the Breaths because he wanted to cease to be a God for a while. (He can suppress his Returned Breath, but not regualr ones, appearantly)

On the other issue, I'd say Lightsong having to die to give Susebron his powers is a big enough handicap.

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Hum, if I'm not mistaken Vasher did give Susebron the Phantom. That's what I'm trying to say. He not only didn't take the well of Breaths, he even give the Phantom as well. Which to me is weird since he asked he priest to take care of it, till he recover it someday. It's weird that he knows God Kings got their tongue removed, but when he meet Susebron he's not surprised to see Susebron could talk. From Vasher and Vivenna conversation before meeting Susebron, the plan was to have the God King return the Breaths back and lead the Phantom in battle, not giving the Phantom to Susebron. Another thing that bug me is the ending indicate that Vasher gave Susebron his power, Breaths and Phantom included, not lending it for indefinite time.

Lightsong gave his life to Susebron, but now Susebron doesn't have any handicapped to stop him from using his power. That's what I mean. Sazed, I can understand, but Susebron is too much like a human to have that much power. Even if he's a 'god'. Plus that power is Vasher's. Even if he willingly gave it away it doesn't seem fair :huh:

Oh well.

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That was three hundred years ago. He gave Susebron the Phantoms because he eventually decided that Susebron would do better with them. And I think he still wants to be a normal person. He has enough breaths to last him a while.

On the other issue, I suspect Susebron won't do much with his Breaths in the sequel.

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He hid the phantoms well enough that by the time the time of Warbreaker, they were just a myth. I thought that he stated at one point he just did not trust people with that kind of power. He didn't give the GK the code until after the other lifeless were already on their way to wipeout Siri's homeland, so that fits in with them not being used for bad. He could still return and demand the codes back, but he probably won't.

The treasury of breath is why the GK had their tongues cut out. That was the a very effective way to prevent them from being used and he does not have to carry them around and risk them being lost if he dies. The aura would also have caused quite a bit of a stir and made him a target walking around the different kingdoms. Look at it like Polgara's personal account with the kingdom of Sendaria. She put it aside for safekeeping and it provided a way for the government to justify its power. Anytime she wanted it, she could make a withdrawal, which she does multiple times.

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I believe the exact quote Peacegiver told the priest was to protect them until such as time as he would need them. Clearly in this instance he felt like he didn't want to have them again, or didn't need them. The only thing that bugs me is that there clearly is an exponential happenstance of room for a sequel at the end (one which will not be arriving for a long time), which leaves many points about Awakening untouched, as well as the issues of that 'passing of Breath without death' Command Tredelees had. Also, no explanation at all as to why Denth had Royal Locks, or at least such good control of them, other than that 'Returned can alter themselves, just like you, Vivenna', because apparently she has Returned blood. So Denth was a hidden Returned like Vasher? Also, how did the first Returned give birth in the first place? In my opinion, its left a little too wide open for my tastes, and instead of curious, leaves me fustrated at the dead ends.

Also, why did Vasher have to give Susebron the Commands anyway? He could have just Commanded that Phantom army himself, then put it back when he was finished, still holding the Commands, and in complete power of the Phantom army all over again. In some respects, you are right, and Susebron was left with an awful lot of power and an awfully shattered city of gangs, thieves, and broken souls that are probably determined to torture them out of him, because he just gave away his entire Army! Also, they never gave any indication of the last power of the Tenth Heightening, even though they somehow know it may exist?

Confusing ending. Too abrupt. Still amazing...?

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Denth was one of the Five Scholars along with Vasher, Arsteel, Yesteel, and Shashara.

Evidently being a returned is more complex than we yet know, being that the Iridescent Tones probably indoctrinated the whole no-kids thing. Vo (the First) obviously had kids, and they taught that the God Kings (Susebron included) could have kids, so what's stopping all the others from having kids? Maybe its that female returned cannot support childbirth, they might steal the foetus' Breath accidentally or something?

Vasher obviously wanted Susebron to have them, maybe he trusts Susebron and Siri and he could possibly blackmail them into behaving with Vivenna if needs be.

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He didn't intend to keep Vivenna. She came with him. And I take your point about Denth. Too many unknowns. And you're right. Maybe Returned can't conceive in between themselves, but with the help of a mortal woman... This is most likely why the Returned weren't allowed outside the Court of Gods. But didn't Lightsong mention that some Returned took their priests as partners for a laugh?

That wouldn't match up.

Also, another question that tingled me... Why did Vasher raid Mercystar's palace? He went into the tunnel, but never 'found' anything, just a way out, or at least he didn't talk about what he saw down there. Surely he must have found evidence of the priests of Pahn Kahl's insurrection? Why didn't he then question that the priests were behind it?

And who followed him in the black clothes? Or was Lightsong wrong in that regard?

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Warbreaker Annotations to the rescue!

Also, another question that tingled me... Why did Vasher raid Mercystar's palace? He went into the tunnel, but never 'found' anything, just a way out, or at least he didn't talk about what he saw down there. Surely he must have found evidence of the priests of Pahn Kahl's insurrection? Why didn't he then question that the priests were behind it?

And who followed him in the black clothes? Or was Lightsong wrong in that regard?

He didn't see any priests, or if he did he didn't realize they were Pahn Kahl

And so, Bluefingers sells to Vasher a little tidbit that he assumes is innocent (the presence of the tunnels). This gives Vasher an unexpected edge. He now knows that it's possible to get to the Lifeless garrison, and into the court itself, through ways nobody knows about. That makes him suspect that something greater might be going on, perhaps a coup of some sort.

The second man is Denth.

Also, just so you know, the second person who snuck into the palace was Denth—tailing Vasher, trying to decide what he was up to. Bluefingers let Denth know that Vasher would try to enter, but warned him not to attack the man. Not while it could expose Denth and possibly Bluefingers.

Denth would have attacked anyway, if he'd decided he had a good opportunity. But he didn't, and he decided it was better to watch.

And yes, he'd hidden away his Breath so that Vasher couldn't sense him following.

I was afraid of that, so as far as Vo is concerned we still aren't sure how he had kids.

We have a couple of hints.

It is possible for a Returned to have a child. Vo, the First Returned, did it. The God King isn't special in that he can do it; any of the Returned could, but it requires some special knowledge that—I'm afraid—I'll have to keep secret until the sequel. Suffice it to say that the priests know how it is done.

The problem is, they aren't always able to get this to work. Sometimes, they have to do what Siri guessed—replace the God King with an infant Returned. Infant Returns happen very infrequently.

Graendal: A question that's been on my mind for a while. If Returned can't have children, how are Siri and Vivenna descended from one?

Excellent question. One I have to RAFO. When I was writing WRBRKR, I was planning on two books.

I seeded two questions to be answered in the next book. One was the origin of the royal family.

The second was how Vasher was able to survive while hiding his divine Breath. I will answer these questions.

Eventually. (It has to do with restoring Breath and life to the child while still in the womb.).

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