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[OB] Oathbringer Back Cover


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19 hours ago, Harry the Heir said:

I don't see Eshonai as being broken by ambition, to be honest. She (absent the influence of the stormform) doesn't seem ambitious, she seems like George Bailey in It's A Wonderful Life, stuck in the family business when all she wants to do is see the world.

her ambition to map the world, to discover the unknow brining doom to her people.

 

2 hours ago, lol_king said:

I don't think the spy is Shallan, she has been through some difficult situations but i don't think anyone showed intentional cruelty towards her (unless it's something abstract like fate or god). Also whether the Spy is the one being cruel or cruel things are being done to them is a bit vague, it's probably the former if they are seeking vindication.  

Also it depends if these things have happened in the past or will happen in the course of the book, if it is the latter it could be Shallan if ghostbloods make her do something, given the recently released chapters i could kinda sorta see that happening but i don't think it's likely. And who exactly will she be spying on and for whom? Both the ghostbloods and Knights radiants know who she is and what she can do.

Kaladin, Shallan, Dalinar, and Szeth have been part of both previous backcovers but i don't know if it will continue or not. Maybe it is someone working for Aesudan who has had to be cruel to follow her orders? It could be a spy working for Jasnah (like Liss but she's more of an assasin). Or a spy for the Diagram or other secret societies? Or Nan Balat who has a history of cruelty? (although i don't know who he would be a spy for). We still have 4 Orders without known radiants. 

both parent murdered can be pass for cruelty, and seek vindication (if the word is correct) for her family, someone unleash her mother to kill her, another man was present in that night, we don't know how is and his motivation.

Edited by Fulminato
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15 hours ago, Silarn said:

That which he must not know.

For those secrets will crush him as they did the Knights who came before.

I think this could fit with one of the Diagram epigraphs: "Hold the secret that broke the Knights Radiant. You might need it to destroy the new orders when they return"(paraphrasing here). Maybe Mr. T will take action?

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Re Shallan & cruelty... IMO both her mother and father were their own brand of cruelty to Shallan and her siblings - cruelty which drove her to kill them and become broken. We don't know much about when she actually bonded with Pattern, so that will be interesting, but I don't think it's a prerequisite. And she's learning to disguise herself and take on personas, counter-infiltrating the Ghostbloods. Seems pretty spy-like.

The reasons for their respective 'breakings' are not totally self-inflicted. You could argue it was Eshonai's sister's ambition as much as her own. Dalinar was certainly a willing participant, but it was his brother's war and the Thrill that helped to break him. Kaladin suffered loss despite trying to prevent it - though his hate for nobility has often made things worse. Szeth chose to follow his oaths, of course, but those oaths and the ones that bound him to them were misguided and wrong in their assumptions.

Edited by Silarn
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The most interesting thing to me here is that there were secrets which brought about the end of the Knight's Radiant. Secrets I'm guessing were a little bigger than just "the Heralds lied about the Last Desolation". Granted, as pointed out we already had some inkling of that, but this cover suggests that we're going to get some answers!!

Also I'm pretty convinced that the 5 individuals referenced are Kaladin, Shallan, Szeth, Eshonai, and Dalinar. We know they are our main flashback characters, past back covers have only referenced important POV characters, and we know that all of them have been of interest to the Aimians before. The only one I'm shaky on is "The Traitor" but, prior analysis on this thread satisfies me that her sisters ambition is what landed her in such a crappy spot. Additionally worth considering is that even if these titles (Traitor, Spy) don't make as much sense to us now, they most likely indicate the roles these characters will play in the book, not necessarily in previous books. Keep in mind that Eshonai was The Explorer on a previous cover and we knew very little about her before that point. Dalinar has never been a King in previous books, and Shallan may not have ever been a Spy per se, but her relation to the Ghostbloods could easily go there. Eshonai might not seem much like a Traitor in past books, but this could be a good sign of what shell be up to this book.

Edited by Asrael
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1 hour ago, Spicker said:

There is definitely a g in the middle of that word.
I see where you are coming from with evangelation, and that word fits with what I can read. My reservations are that it sounds like a made up word, and feels weird that Brandon would use it. Wouldn't a more correct/better term be evangelization? So is that to long to fit for that word? If evangelation is the real word (which it looks possible) then I start questioning Brandon's choice of vocabulary (which I never do). It's just a weird word, and as much as it could fit, I hope that it's not it.

Yeah, it's really weird due to the prominence of evangelize and its derivatives, which is a derivative of the word evangel like evangelation is. As far as I can tell, it is a word though I can't find it in an online dictionary (I can find it being used however and I would swear to hearing it during Mass).

Basically, it goes like this.

Evangel is the "good news" (aka the Gospel). An evangelist spreads the "good news". If they happen to convert others to the "good news", they evangelize them. The process in which an evangelist envangelizes someone is referred to as evangelization. Finally, the act of spreading the "good news" by an evangelist is called evangelation.

For an example, an Evangelation Center would be focused on spreading the "good news" while an Evangelization Center would be focused on converting people to the "good news".

You never really hear about it as it's (correctly) assumed to happen during evangelization. Furthermore, the "good news" doesn't really need spread in today's society, though Evangelization is a primary concern in the Church.

Finally, the "good news" can be thought of as spiritual sustenance (with how it's preached to save your soul and all that jazz) and from what we know, the Lightweavers provide spiritual sustenance. If you replace the "good news" with spiritual substance, evangelize and evangelization don't make sense (converting someone to spiritual sustenance doesn't exactly work) while a Lightweaver can be thought of as an evangelist and one of the  Lightweaver Order's purpones would be providing evangelation.

TL;DR: It's the right word, just really weird to read as it's never really typed out. I tried so hard to fit evangelization in instead due to this, but there's too much spacing between the "l" and "t" to work for the shown word.

 

P.S. Is evangel(-) even real anymore?

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Guys, super small edits, but I'm pretty sure this is it.  I have bad vision and am used to focusing/refocusing my vision to read words.. the Unmade are shadows of the enemy's "soul" not "mind".  I am also 100% about the word "completion" for the spy (Shallan).  

 

A new storm has come.

Ash and red lightning sweep the land awakening our ancient enemies. The Unmade - shadows of the Enemy's soul - stir, while the eyes of men open. This war is not, and never was, what they thought it to be.

We may soon hold Surges again, for the Radiance has returned to some, and shines toward others. The Captain, broken by loss, seeks reconciliation. The Spy, broken by cruelty, seeks completion. The Stonewalker, broken by oaths, seeks truth. The Traitor, broken by ambition, seeks freedom.

And finally, The King. Broken by war, he seeks the past. That which was abandoned. That which he must not know.

For those secrets will crush him as they did the knights who came before.

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2 hours ago, xtra_ore said:

Yeah, it's really weird due to the prominence of evangelize and its derivatives, which is a derivative of the word evangel like evangelation is. As far as I can tell, it is a word though I can't find it in an online dictionary (I can find it being used however and I would swear to hearing it during Mass).

Basically, it goes like this.

Evangel is the "good news" (aka the Gospel). An evangelist spreads the "good news". If they happen to convert others to the "good news", they evangelize them. The process in which an evangelist envangelizes someone is referred to as evangelization. Finally, the act of spreading the "good news" by an evangelist is called evangelation.

For an example, an Evangelation Center would be focused on spreading the "good news" while an Evangelization Center would be focused on converting people to the "good news".

You never really hear about it as it's (correctly) assumed to happen during evangelization. Furthermore, the "good news" doesn't really need spread in today's society, though Evangelization is a primary concern in the Church.

Finally, the "good news" can be thought of as spiritual sustenance (with how it's preached to save your soul and all that jazz) and from what we know, the Lightweavers provide spiritual sustenance. If you replace the "good news" with spiritual substance, evangelize and evangelization don't make sense (converting someone to spiritual sustenance doesn't exactly work) while a Lightweaver can be thought of as an evangelist and one of the  Lightweaver Order's purpones would be providing evangelation.

TL;DR: It's the right word, just really weird to read as it's never really typed out. I tried so hard to fit evangelization in instead due to this, but there's too much spacing between the "l" and "t" to work for the shown word.

 

P.S. Is evangel(-) even real anymore?

Please stop hurting that poor Greek loan word.  It did nothing to deserve that kind of treatment, being lopped in half and having a Latin suffix grotesquely grafted on it.  

euaggelion -> Evangelion (Gospel or good news)

euaggelizo -> Evangelize (bringing good news, to announce good news)

euaggelistēs - > Evangelist (one who brings good news)

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12 hours ago, Lightspine said:

I think that the spy is Rlain, the stonewalker is Szeth, and the traiter is Moash. But then, I feel like Shallan and Eshonai should be on the list, even though these guys fit better.

My problem with this is if Rlain is the spy, how is he "broken"? How by cruelty? Why seek completion? If the traitor is moash, how was he broken by ambition and how is he seeking freedom? I feel like these attempts only map to the title, not to the whole person. And frankly... I just don't think Moash and Rlain or even Taravangian are that important. Eshonai at least has been on a cover before and we know she's getting a flashback book, shallan has been on BOTH of the previous books and it would be quite conspicuous if she weren't on this one. Additionally, th usage of broken here kind of suggests Radiants, which its entirely possible Eshonai could be become and the other four already are

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16 minutes ago, Asrael said:

My problem with this is if Rlain is the spy, how is he "broken"? How by cruelty? Why seek completion? If the traitor is moash, how was he broken by ambition and how is he seeking freedom? I feel like these attempts only map to the title, not to the whole person. And frankly... I just don't think Moash and Rlain or even Taravangian are that important. Eshonai at least has been on a cover before and we know she's getting a flashback book, shallan has been on BOTH of the previous books and it would be quite conspicuous if she weren't on this one. Additionally, th usage of broken here kind of suggests Radiants, which its entirely possible Eshonai could be become and the other four already are

While I agree for the most part, it's uncertain to me if they all have to be Radiants. Has it been confirmed that Szeth actually has a real bond now? Previously, he had powers from the Honorblade - and now he has Nightblood. Neither one of those requires a Nahel Bond. I know that Nalan has taken him under his wing, but did Edgedancer actually show him using new Radiant abilities? And obviously Eshonai is a big question mark as well.

I suppose it's possible either of them could potentially become Radiants in the future - though that hasn't been a requirement in previous books.

 

@phoenix2563 That version looks pretty good to me. Like "The Dress", it's easy for our eyes to interpret the slightly-out-of-focus and motion-blurred text differently, but I think soul fits best now that you say it. I'm also on the fence about completion - but I haven't been convinced that the shape of the other suggestions fits it quite right. (But we do know that out of all the suggestions so far, we have hit all the right words - per that Twitter post above.)

Edited by Silarn
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17 minutes ago, Watchcry said:

Isn't the traitor Szeth?

His entire character arc in WoK & WoR consisted of following his oaths and not breaking his word, even in the face of his own death/end of the world. Szeth is the character farthest from anything remotely constituting betrayal.

Also, the term "Stonewalker" means nothing to anyone who is not part of Shin culture or who knows about Shin culture.

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1 minute ago, The One Who Connects said:

His entire character arc in WoK & WoR consisted of following his oaths and not breaking his word, even in the face of his own death/end of the world. Szeth is the character farthest from anything remotely constituting betrayal.

Also, the term "Stonewalker" means nothing to anyone who is not part of Shin culture or who knows about Shin culture.

I'm aware of that. He considered himself a traitor tho didn't he? I suppose now he knows he's right, however. 

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Just now, Watchcry said:

He considered himself a traitor tho didn't he? I suppose now he knows he's right, however. 

Yea. I more felt that the Stone Shamanate betrayed him. Not that he knew that back then, so... I would say that the traitor title might've fit in books 1 or 2, but the Sleepless know far too many things that they shouldn't. I wouldn't put it past them to know why he was cast out in the first place and come to the same realization I did about who betrayed who.

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recovered the two back cover (WotK and WoR), in the second the people mentioned are five, and the 'new entry' (in the reference of wotk backcover) is "The Explorer, straddling the fates of two peoples, forced to choose between slow death and a terrible betrayal of all she believes."

don't think can be any doubt, eshonai is the explorer, and the thus the traitor in the oathbringer backcover.

Edited by Fulminato
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See for me, I figure the characters referenced in this blurb are the same that have always been referenced, just with updated titles.  And those are the 5 perspective characters for arc 1.

The Warlord became the King, and is Dalinar

The Surgeon became the Captain, and is Kaladin

The Assassin became the Stonewalker, and is Szeth (only one who has had any care about walking on stones)

The Liar became the Spy, and is Shallan

The Explorer became the Traitor, and is Eshonai (betrayed Venli by allowing the group to escape, and betrayed herself by being possessed, maybe.  Mostly process of elimination)

 

Disclaimer, my memory of what the original titles are is a little fuzzy.  But I don't see why people are looking outside our main five POIs for the first arc for these characters.  The Sleepless have always been looking at them.  Moash, and the other secondary and tertiaries should not figure into it, I don't think.

 

Hope we get an Eshonai perspective chapter, soon.

Edit: Corrections, thanks to @Fulminato

Edited by Stark
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Again, Eshonai being the Traitor isn't really that hard to grasp. She was a key figure in the betrayal of the Listeners' alliance with the Alethi. She was convinced to take on Stormform - leading to the betrayal (by her command - though it was probably Odium's will) of her people to Odium. It's possible she will also betray Odium in her bid for freedom. Her screaming mind seeks freedom from Odium's control.

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