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Szeth's Instructions *Contains Spoilers


v Sim CO

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I was just wondering about this as it caught my eye while I was re-reading the Way of Kings.

Just some introductory remarks from what I gathered from Szeth's punishment; he has to do what his masters command of him to the letter.

But he did as his masters required and did not ask for an explanation

When the thugs assault/kill the transient worker

"Your master? What does that mean exactly, in precise terms and all?" "I must obey you," Szeth said. "In all things, though I will not follow an order to kill myself."

Anyways twice during the book Szeth repeats the instructions that the Parshendi gave him on for the night that he killed King Gavilar

Instructions from the Prologue

"His instructions were clear. Kill the king, but be seen doing it. Let the Alethi know he was coming and what he was doing."

Instruction from Interlude #3 - these ones appear in italics

"Kill, destroy, and cut your way to the king. Be seen doing it. Leave witnesses. Wounded but alive..."

The part that caught my attention is in bold. "but be seen doing it" I thought it strange that Szeth killed King Gavilar but did not kill in the way the Parshendi intended, he wasn't actually seen killing the king, he was alone when he did that. This could also imply just too be seen assaulting the kings chamber, and Szeth actually followed the instructions, but I think the Parshendi intended for anyone, but someone to witness that Szeth stick a Shardblade into Gavilar.

Also after catching that I went searching for the instructions from the Interlude #3 and apart from noting that they are different, the second instructions, they don't actually instruct Szeth to kill the King, just to get to him, not to kill the King... at least explicitly.

Anyways some extrapolation from all this

I'm assuming the Parshendi are not the "bad guys"....

The parshendi's decision to send Szeth was a decision in two parts

1. To test the King of the Alethi, his strength, honour all that... Since he was reading the "Way of Kings" he might have had some "Knights Radiant" abilities... and Szeth could potentially test or bring them out.. this lead to the second point

2. Szeth was sent to the to assassinate King Gavilar, but I think the Parshendi intended him to die in the attempt, put him out of his misery... his punishment etc.

Assuming these two points are true it would also explain why the Parshendi threw away his oathstone... Why would the Parshendi keep a servant that did not followed there instructions... that kept his honour?

From reading the Prologue he seemed to kill Gavilar more out of anger after Gavilar severely injured him, and there was all this pain. Basically Survival instinct.

Just thought it was strange, and wanted to put it out there.

Edited by v Sim CO
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I think it is just be seen assaulting the King's chamber. Death by shard-blade is pretty obvious in-world so no one would need to actually see the death strike. There would be a correct assumption made by all parties that the assassin in white, that assaulted the king and was seen wielding a shard-blade, would be responsible for the king's death; Occam's Razor.

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I think it is just be seen assaulting the King's chamber. Death by shard-blade is pretty obvious in-world so no one would need to actually see the death strike. There would be a correct assumption made by all parties that the assassin in white, that assaulted the king and was seen wielding a shard-blade, would be responsible for the king's death; Occam's Razor.

Just like Kaladin has to travel a certain path and actually do honorable deeds to unlock powers, I think the bad guys have to do or have others do bad things.

Also, I dont think they sent the assassin to kill the King in punishment. I think someone or something killed the King to either save him or "honor" him.

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In my opinion they just wanted him to be seen coming. They were going for fear and shock here not surprise. The only thing I've ever wondered is how the Alethi knew the Parshendi were responsible for Gavilar's death. Gavilar himself sure didn't know who had sent Szeth. The only idea I had is maybe that the Parshendi made themselves look guilty by leaving right away.

Also, I don't get how killing Gavilar could be them "saving or honoring him". You obey a man or commend him to honor him, and there isn't really any way to turn making a man fall several stories into saving him.

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In my opinion they just wanted him to be seen coming. They were going for fear and shock here not surprise. The only thing I've ever wondered is how the Alethi knew the Parshendi were responsible for Gavilar's death. Gavilar himself sure didn't know who had sent Szeth. The only idea I had is maybe that the Parshendi made themselves look guilty by leaving right away.

Also, I don't get how killing Gavilar could be them "saving or honoring him". You obey a man or commend him to honor him, and there isn't really any way to turn making a man fall several stories into saving him.

In one of Dalinar's Chapters when he's talking to Elokhar in his musing he mentions that the king sent messengers to the Parshendi, and while they admitted to sending the assassin they never give a reason why they chose to kill Gavilar"

But I guess the question comes from how did the Alethi initially suspect the Parshendi... and from this I would say that during the night in question they did flee Alethekar... Szeth mentions that when he talks about the Parshendi throwing away his oathstone... and so that behaviour looks very suspicious.. Plus the Alethi think the Parshendi as savages... who else would kill the king..

----

On a different point...

Why did the Parshendi use Szeth to kill King Gavilar?

Why not use one of there own warriors?

Was Szeth simply a tool? - Why kill the king? Are they voidbringers?

On the parshendi being voidbringers - Hmmm there may be a connection but Szeth and throughout the books there mentioned as "men" (notably by Szeth in the prologue * He was a servant to them so he probably was exposed to a large portion of there culture) *** The whole thing is like "white vs blacks" a "race war" (I don't like this analogy)

Cultural misunderstanding etc?

Why throw away Szeth's oathstone?

Or was there something more in choosing Szeth to kill Gavilar (not in terms of killing Gavilar, but in Szeth in himself)? (I don't know if I worded that properly... but I think that everyone is looking at the perspective of why did the Parshendi kill Gavilar... what if there choice had more to do Szeth... Why choose Szeth?

One of the characters in the book mentions a very similar question to the last, I can't find a quote....

Found it

"And the Assassin in White? Jasnah asked. / "A true anomaly," Shallan said. "The undertexts are filled with commentary about him. Why would the Parshendi hire an outside assassin? Did they fear they could not accomplish the job themselves? Or perhaps they didn't hire him, and were framed. Many think that is unlikely, considering that the Parshendi took credit for the murder."" - pg. 461

Anyways on the Parshendi the biggest barrier seems to be culture, and we see through the very tinted lens of the Alethi/Vorin society

This post was big mess...

In the end

If the Parshendi intent was to kill Gavilar then my analysis in the original post is probably wrong

If the Parhsendi intent to kill Gavilar had more to do with Szeth himself then I would probably favour the theory in the original post .. though it does have major flaws

Edited by v Sim CO
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