Stormfather Posted October 22, 2013 Report Share Posted October 22, 2013 I didn't want to hijack the other thread, but do you guys and gals think that the Prime's deaths may be part of the list Szeth was given? In WoK pg 451 of the hardback it says: Glories within, Sezeth thought. "These are some of the most powerful people in the world! Siz high princes? A Selay gerontarch? The king of Jah Keved?" I don't think that Szeth was giving an entire list, just some of the ones that really stood out to him, but it doesn't seem his style to be hanging around killing successor after successor. Do yall think we may see another assassin from this group? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WeiryWriter Posted October 22, 2013 Report Share Posted October 22, 2013 I didn't want to hijack the other thread, but do you guys and gals think that the Prime's deaths may be part of the list Szeth was given? In WoK pg 451 of the hardback it says: I don't think that Szeth was giving an entire list, just some of the ones that really stood out to him, but it doesn't seem his style to be hanging around killing successor after successor. Do yall think we may see another assassin from this group? Certainly, the guys who were selecting the Prime mentioned the previous Primes were all killed by the Assassin in White, i.e. Szeth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stormfather Posted October 22, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 22, 2013 Did they say someone in white? I need to read it again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Argent Posted October 22, 2013 Report Share Posted October 22, 2013 Yep, it's pretty direct. It made me wonder if Szeth's list didn't include rulers of ALL the nations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mailliw73 Posted October 22, 2013 Report Share Posted October 22, 2013 Yeah, exactly what I was thinking, I bet there was a leader of some type from every nation on Roshar on Taravangian's list. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Azul Posted October 23, 2013 Report Share Posted October 23, 2013 The real question is how could Szeth have the name of the second Prime that was elected after he killed the first? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deddinty Posted October 23, 2013 Report Share Posted October 23, 2013 It's possible that Szeth had orders to just kill whoever they appointed next, or the one appointed was a high ranking official Szeth was to kill anyway. Either that or he started taking initiative and killing leaders just because, but I can't see that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unknowingly Posted October 23, 2013 Report Share Posted October 23, 2013 That doesn't seem like Szeths style (to kill people he hasn't been ordered to). I think the most likely thing is that he was ordered to kill the successor, whoever it was. The other possibility is that there is another assassin in white with a shard blade, but I doubt it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FeatherWriter Posted October 24, 2013 Report Share Posted October 24, 2013 That's the way I've interpreted it. Szeth has been ordered to kill successors. Makes me wonder how he has time to do all of this though. As I undersant it, Roshar's a pretty large continent. Is he really jumping around all these places to keep killing everyone he's supposed to be killing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LightReader Posted October 24, 2013 Report Share Posted October 24, 2013 That's a good point. How is Szeth getting around to all these distant places in what appears to be a such a short time? Maybe Taravangian has a transportation ability surgebinder working for him too. Or maybe some kind of teleportation/transportation fabrial that no one else has. Pure speculation though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Argent Posted October 24, 2013 Report Share Posted October 24, 2013 I wouldn't jump to the Surgebinding / fabrial (I almost said ter'angreal...) conclusion just yet. I think it's worth looking into a timeline of Szeth's activities, coupled with the appropriate and / or known locations. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deddinty Posted October 24, 2013 Report Share Posted October 24, 2013 He mentions he's spent several months doing all of this killing. It stands to reason he'd be pretty adept at getting the heck out of places pretty quickly, and if the list is ordered in such a way that he'd be going from neighboring kingdom to neighboring kingdom I don't think it's beyond imagining that he'd be able to cover a good portion of Roshar within a few months (something like half a year maybe?). Counting a few days to get access to his victims without too much suspicion, as we see when he confronts Taravagian, maybe two to three weeks per kingdom, with multiple targets in each kingdom would be a good assumption. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FeatherWriter Posted October 24, 2013 Report Share Posted October 24, 2013 I should look into the Lift chapter again, but didn't they say that he got to the successor very quickly after they were appointed? Or perhaps he simply knew which day they were going to choose a new ruler ahead of time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mailliw73 Posted October 24, 2013 Report Share Posted October 24, 2013 I think it said a week Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gloom Posted October 24, 2013 Report Share Posted October 24, 2013 I can pretty confidently say that Taravangian wouldn't have all the leaders of all nations assassinated. It would make his survival quite noticeable. I also doubt he would send Szeth into Shinovar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Posted October 24, 2013 Report Share Posted October 24, 2013 Remember that Karbranth is little more than a city-state. The people Szeth is killing are notable figures in major countries. Even should the leaders of every country with a sizable army die, I doubt anyone would find it suspicious that the king of an out-of-the-way hospital town survives. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gloom Posted October 24, 2013 Report Share Posted October 24, 2013 Thank you for agreeing with me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Posted October 24, 2013 Report Share Posted October 24, 2013 Whoops, mis-read what you had said there. Violent agreement! I agree fully, killing everyone serves little purpose. Taravangian's targets are only powerful people. I'm sure many rulers aren't important enough to send someone like Szeth after. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alterodent Posted October 26, 2013 Report Share Posted October 26, 2013 What if Taravangian is just clearing the way for new leadership? So the Rand al'Thors and the Eland's of the world can come to power? People who will be needed to lead as the Everstorm brews. So Taravangian is a good guy - in a disturbingly pragmatic and sociopathic kinda way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gloom Posted October 26, 2013 Report Share Posted October 26, 2013 I don not believe that Taravangians goal is to stabilize and strengthen, rather I think his goal is to destabilize and weaken. For some reason, it seems that Taravangian believes that if humanity tries to prepare for the Everstorm, it will come more swiftly. Just as it appears that Darkness seems to believe that Surgebinders will accomplish the same result. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deddinty Posted October 26, 2013 Report Share Posted October 26, 2013 I have to disagree with you Gloom and agree with Alterodent on this one. Just preceding this he says his purpose in sending Szeth out is to create stability. To quote Taravangian: "Sometimes," Taravangian said, "you must tear down a structure to build a new one with stronger walls." He turned around, looking out over the ocean. "And we are going to need strong walls in the coming years. Very, very strong walls." WoK Chapter 71 So unless you're saying the Taravangian was just lying to Szeth here, he truly seems to want to destroy the current regimes and powers to create a power vacuum. The question is, what or how is he planning to fill it. Will he himself fill it? Or is he working with someone else, Alethi or otherwise, to fill it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gloom Posted October 27, 2013 Report Share Posted October 27, 2013 And yet, this same man sends Szeth after Dalinar because he's trying to unify the Alethi. I think Taravangian is making a power play. He wants to be in control, and he's willing to do whatever it takes, even gamble the world to attain that power. He may believe that what he is doing is necessary, and he may even be able to delude himself into thinking it's for the greater good, but I don't think that it really comes down to anything larger than self interest. Taravangian is a puppet master, and he wants all the world as his puppet. I think he believes that he, and his associates are the only ones capable of seeing the world through the crisis to come. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Argent Posted October 27, 2013 Report Share Posted October 27, 2013 I think - and this is very unfounded "I think" - that Taravangian might be concerned about Alethkar united behind the Blackthorn. If the king of Kharbranth believes the kingdoms of Roshar have gone slack and corrupted in recent millennia, then he might want to get rid of any strong party that might attempt to maintain the current state of things. Having ten Highprinces, divided and competitive, might sound more manageable to him than a single nation united behind the Highprince of War, a man with a considerable fame of a warlord who has earned said fame with precisely those means Taravangian wants to purge from the world. To be fair, I don't think I believe this is the case. But I am tossing it out there, as food for thought. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FeatherWriter Posted October 27, 2013 Report Share Posted October 27, 2013 That's a good point Argent! Dalinar's change of heart and ways has been a pretty recent thing, and it's possible that most other people just think he was "growing weak." In which case, grabbing the title of Highprince of War and starting to unite the armies might look like he's returning to his old ways, even though we as the reader know differently. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gloom Posted October 27, 2013 Report Share Posted October 27, 2013 I find it somewhat interesting that Taravangian sends Szeth to kill Dalinar, but Elhokar has never managed to make his list. This leads me to believe that Taravangian and Sadeas are working together. It also leads me to believe that Taravangian sent Szeth against Dalinar as much because of Sadeas failed attempt on Dalinars life as Dalinars own actions. I would have loved to be a fly on the wall to witness that span-reed conversation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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