Odium's Prison

[Kered]

Someone did this a while back, asking what everyone pictured when they thought of the Nightwatcher. I was thinking of Odium's prison and thought it would be cool to hear what everyone else imagined. I know it probably isn't an actual physical prison, but I picture (nerd alert) a sealing jujitsu from Naruto. Odium trapped by just raw power and energy. 

 

What do you guys think?  

[notsawerd]

The prison is a spiritual connection to the Roshar system made by Honor.  It is like the adhesion surge that makes things stick together, but on a shard level.  The spiritual connection is unbreakable by Odium.  Odium can only leave if the jailor lets him out.

He may be bound to Braize but because he is so powerful his influence extends throughout the Rosharan system.

[TNTman20]

I always thought the reason for Odium's staying in the Roshar system was because he is Invested in it, specifically on Braize. Wasn't that also the reason Ruin couldn't leave Scadrial until the planet was destroyed, thus breaking off the Investment in the Realms?

Sorry if that didn't make much sense

[Wandering Investor]

@TNTman20 That makes sense. But there is a crucial difference here. Ruin and Preservation actually formed the entire planet from their power. Their investment was on a much larger scale. The Shards on Roshar are likely to be less invested, although they definitely are. It is possible being invested is what is keeping Odium in the system, but I suspect its more likely to be Honor's intervention.

Oathbringer spoiler below.

Spoiler

This is backed up by Dalinar being able to make his deal with Odium, a challenge of champions in exchange for Odium's freedom or time for humanity.

 

 

Edited November 17, 2017 by Wandering Investor

[TNTman20]

Ah, yes, thank you for correcting that. I had forgotten that.

Yes that makes more sense.

[+Wax]

We just have to find the well of ascension here.

[Nepene]

-Umm... Odium never really settled on a planet. He is now settled on Roshar and his magic has permeated things. Leaving would be very difficult for him. It would either involve leaving behind some of his power or ripping that out, which would be a difficult process. So yes it is very tough to leave. That is an excellent question and for those of you who don’t know. Is anyone just baffled by that question?-

 

From the Phoenix Comicon.

So, he could leave, it'd just require leaving whatever power he has invested or overcoming whatever bonds. 

Honor being the cause of this locking does seem likely.

I personally imagine a vast black field of goo and tentacles with continual twisting and changing shapes within in constant struggle with a glowing blue light of Honor on the spiritual and cognitive planes. 

[teknopathetic]

I think the ten gas giants are sealing in Odium somehow, but I am not sure how. 

[Dangerous_Pants]

I don't think it's a physical jail kind of restriction.  Honor acted to contain Odium after Domination and Devotion were shattered.  Honor's power is largely centered around being bound to your word.

I believe Honor gave Odium the ability to kill him in exchange for Odium's word, bound by Honor's power, that he would not leave unless allowed.  Odium was willing to take that bait, or had to, as he is driven to destroy the other shards.  How could he pass up a free kill?

You see several times in Oathbringer that Odium is very, unusually specific about keeping to the letter AND intent of his agreements.  First with Dalinar, actually warning him off making a bad decision in the first visited vision.  He doensn't let Dalinar let him leave free and clear.  He, for some reason, advises him against it.    The second time is near the end, when he makes it overwhelmingly clear he will stick to the spirit of his deal with Taravangian.   

I find this very odd behavior for Odium.  It doesn't seem in his nature (shard or person) to be so specific.  I suspect that he had to take in part of Honor, corrupting himself so to speak, in order to seal the deal.  This gave him a power advantage over Tanavast and let Odium/Rayse eventually kill him personally (but not shatter Honor but so much, it seems).  Also possible Honor/Tanavast did the "honorable" thing and simply let Odium kill him as part of the deal (would have been a hell of a negotiation).  Perhaps why Odium was able to kill a him despite Cultivation and her power being right there.   One could imagine Cultivation's shard bearer would have been devastated by her former/current lover's sacrifice, but it was in his nature to do it.  

Also would fit in with Odium's intention not to capture other Shard's power.  If it only takes a little bit of Honor to bind him to the deal he made, imagine what a larger amount of another Shard would make him.  

[Oathforger]

On 11/25/2017 at 11:07 PM, teknopathetic said:

I think the ten gas giants are sealing in Odium somehow, but I am not sure how. 

Unlikely. The gas giants of Greater Roshar are confirmed to be uninhabited. Adonalsium is in only 16 pieces, all of them are mortal (proven by the splintering of Honor) so none of them can be at a gas giant, especially since the location and condition of 10 Shards are confirmed. There are many unknown Shards, but it is proven through Oathbringer that a Shard's influence is most powerful when the Shard is physically there. Investitures also play a part, however no other Shard has been on Braize, Odium's Shardworld, so no Investiture could have been made. I like the idea though, and it's definitely thinking outside the box.

[Oathforger]

On 11/18/2017 at 11:49 PM, Nepene said:

-Umm... Odium never really settled on a planet. He is now settled on Roshar and his magic has permeated things. Leaving would be very difficult for him. It would either involve leaving behind some of his power or ripping that out, which would be a difficult process. So yes it is very tough to leave. That is an excellent question and for those of you who don’t know. Is anyone just baffled by that question?-

 

From the Phoenix Comicon.

So, he could leave, it'd just require leaving whatever power he has invested or overcoming whatever bonds. 

Honor being the cause of this locking does seem likely.

I personally imagine a vast black field of goo and tentacles with continual twisting and changing shapes within in constant struggle with a glowing blue light of Honor on the spiritual and cognitive planes. 

Odium was confirmed to have settled on Braize after bringing the humans (a.k.a. Voidbringers) to Roshar, however as of Oathbringer he has moved back to Roshar.

[Landis963]

On 12/13/2017 at 6:23 PM, Dangerous_Pants said:

You see several times in Oathbringer that Odium is very, unusually specific about keeping to the letter AND intent of his agreements.  First with Dalinar, actually warning him off making a bad decision in the first visited vision.  He doensn't let Dalinar let him leave free and clear.  He, for some reason, advises him against it.    The second time is near the end, when he makes it overwhelmingly clear he will stick to the spirit of his deal with Taravangian.   

Is he, though? Oathbringer spoilers in the box:

Spoiler

Sure he kept Dalinar from just letting him go, but he was hoping to get Dalinar as a puppet general later, which means he would have been able to do anything he wanted with the lion's share of Honor's power (and Champion!Dalinar would have done anything asked of him, to keep from feeling the pain again).  And later, he specifically chooses a day when Taravangian could not negotiate from a position of strength, in order to get him to do anything he wanted.  If Odium was really interested in dealing fairly, he would have picked a day when Taravangian was more able to negotiate at all, or he would have refrained from reading the Diagram.  He did neither of those things.  Also, this is the guy who keeps calling himself "Passion" and painting himself the good guy (as opposed to the cowardly Cultivation or the hidebound Honor).  I'm not inclined to trust what he says in the slightest.