Heralds and Intent

[Isomere]

This theory is an attempt to explain why the heralds are acting oddly in the words of radiance excerpts we have. The Fallen Heralds is the most comprehensive post on the topic, but doesn't focus on why the Heralds became corrupted. Some suggest it is due to torture in between Desolations, but I want to explore another option involving Intent.

Investiture has Intent which influences the mind that holds it. We know the Intent of a Shard will eventually overpower the mind and will of the holder, leading them to problematic behavior patterns like we explore in the Mistborn series. I believe the Heralds have enough investiture to acquire some of the attributes of Shards, including the dangers of Intent that can potentially overpower their free will.

I also believe the Divine Attributes associated with each Herald reflect the Intent borne by the investiture they possess. Over millennia, their judgment and perceptions have been undermined by the Intent, and now they are acting contrary to the original goal they were created to fulfill.

[Moogle]

In Warbreaker, we see that having enough Breaths to reach the Fifth Heightening grants biological immortality (that is, they no longer age or get diseases related to old age). Breaths are just Investiture, so it's good evidence that when we see other immortals like the Heralds, we'll find that they're similarly full of Investiture.

 

I think this theory has a lot going for it. I'm not sure, though, if it explains why the Heralds are acting as corrupted versions of their Divine Attributes (that's probably from the stress of their torture/guilt), but we do know that any amount of Investiture, no matter how small, influence's one's personality. Their Investiture might force them to act honorably, but their broken minds will corrupt this.

Edited January 2, 2014 by Moogle

[Shardlet]

I think that the 9 Heralds were broken in spirit at the end of the last desolation, not in mind.  I think they became broken in mind resulting from their abandonment of the Oathpact and living with that for 4500 years. 

[Daishi5]

I never really considered why the heralds might have become broken twisted interpretations of some form of ideal before.  This theory shows me something weird going on that I missed, and then nicely finds a cause, I like it.

[Ironeyes]

In Warbreaker, we see that having enough Breaths to reach the Fifth Heightening grants biological immortality (that is, they no longer age or get diseases related to old age). Breaths are just Investiture, so it's good evidence that when we see other immortals like the Heralds, we'll find that they're similarly full of Investiture.

Also, don't we see the gods in Warbreaker (or at least Lightsong) constantly thinking about Endowing on someone else the divine Breath they have? That would mean they are also influenced toward their shard's intent by the massive investiture they have.

[Talenel]

It seems that on Roshar, actions have very direct consequences, i had always figured that breaking the Oathpact would have serious repercussions that the heralds didn't forsee, and that haven't been shown to us yet. I don't have the text with me but the exchange goes something like "it is time for the oathpact to end" and Kalak says, "what will that do?". I think the Oathpact was doing more than holding off the desolations.

[Cayden]

We dont really know how they were tortured, there are many ways and pain is one of the least successful if prolonged. Imagine thousands upon thousands of years of pain stimulated torture. It would most likely have diminishing returns. Odium was trying to break them and make them like himself. I imagine something more akin to Dean in Supernatural if you've watched that then you'll know what I mean. But its essentially a "torture someone else for us and we'll leave you alone." maybe they were worried that they couldnt hold out.

 

Either way by abandoning the Oathpact then they were indeed corrupted by Odium because he broke them. Maybe this is why the people of Roshar have become as dark as they are. But that might not be the case at all. In the Nohadon flashback, he talks about a king who started loads of wars before the desolation, so maybe Odium has always had a hand in the pie.

 

I sometimes wonder whether these were the original Heralds as well, if they arent, then it could be that Odiums lieutenants were previously heralds who were broken and twisted and if the Heralds knew they couldnt hold out much longer, and Honor could not create any new Heralds then they might have realised that they had no choice but to abandon it without dying.

[FirstSelector]

I have been kicking around the idea (but haven't written up a fleshed-out theory) that each of the Heralds has a Splinter of Honor, i.e. a nontrivially large piece of the Shard.  Each of them is "tuned" in some way to grant them two Surges, explaining how they were able to Surgebind without spren.  This would explain the WoB about how Honor was surprised at the relation between the spren and the Knights Radiant, because it mirrored Honor's interaction with the Heralds.

 

Anyway, if Honor is Splintered (to what extent is another question entirely), the Heralds might be the largest repositories of the power left and this may have done strange things to their minds in the way you describe.

 

There are some supporting ideas for this which come from Warbreaker:

The Heralds' power would be like the Divine Breath, which brings the owner to the Fifth Heightening.  Among other things, this includes sensitivity to Breath and effective immortality.  If Darkness is Nalan, then he would have to have some way of tracking when people are infusing.  Furthermore, the shorter Herald (possibly Kalak) claims that they "shouldn't get worse." which could reference both mental and physical health.

The relevant question we could ask is whether the Returned feel a stronger inclination to Endow their power unto others than they otherwise would have felt in life, especially if the Heralds have a proportionally larger share of Honor's power.