Darkness and His Goals (SPOILERS)

[sadavidas]

Hello all - first post here, I haven't seen this topic discussed so my apologies if it's located in another thread.  But I think it's a topic worth discussion, if it hasn't been picked over yet.  And my post is going to be mostly questions, I'll leave most of the theorizing to you all, you seem good at it.

 

In the interludes we see Darkness/Nalan hunting two different surgebinders, Ym and Lift.  There's are couple things Darkness says that stand out to me.  The first, from the Ym interlude:

 

“I had looked very hard,” the man said, “to discover your indiscretion.”

 

“I…” Ym stammered, “just five… five chips.”

 

“You have lived a clean life since your youth as a carouser,” the man said, his voice even. “A young man of means who drank and partied away while his parents left him. That is not illegal. Murder, however, is.”

 

The second from the Lift interlude:

 

 “Why...why do you hunt me?”

“In the name of justice.”

“There are tons of people who do wrong things,” she said. She had to force out every word. Talking was hard. Thinking was hard. So tired. “You...you coulda hunted big crime bosses, murderers. You chose me instead. Why?”

“Others may be detestable, but they do not dabble in arts that could return Desolation to this world.” His words were so cold. “What you are must be stopped.”

 

So we know from these two excerpts that Darkness is hunting Surgebinders that break the law (and let them go if pardoned, as in Lift's case) saying "What you are must be stopped". 

 

What does he by "what you are"?  Does he mean surgebinders who break the law?  I don't think this is what he means for a couple reasons.  First, because Szeth follows the laws of his people by becoming Truthless but breaks laws in other countries by you know, assassinating people, and he has chosen Szeth to work for him.  Secondly, there is a difference between something being lawful, and something being right, as underlined between the conflict between the Windrunners and Skybreakers.  It would be interesting if Surgebinders breaking the law helped bring about Desolation in some way, but I think law is too subjective, and it seems like it would contribute to another Recreance moreso than another Desolation.

 

Or does he mean all surgebinders, but since he is the Herald of Justice, he can only pursue those that break the law?  I think this is more likely the case.  People surgebinding is somehow related to bringing about a Desolation, and either he will only hunt those that break the law, or those that do are more likely to abuse their powers in a way to contribute to the Desolation returning.

 

Now - just a couple more random musings...  Was this always the main goal of the Skybreakers, being some kind of Radiant Police?  Or is this just something that they have become after the last Desolation?  If so, why are they the police, why should something being lawful trump what is right?

 

Lastly, if Adolin is on the way to becoming a radiant - he better watch out.  I think he will be catching the eye of Darkness and a certain someone with a new sword might be sent to try to dispatch of him. 

 

 

[trendkill]

Or does he mean all surgebinders, but since he is the Herald of Justice, he can only pursue those that break the law?  I think this is more likely the case.  People surgebinding is somehow related to bringing about a Desolation, and either he will only hunt those that break the law, or those that do are more likely to abuse their powers in a way to contribute to the Desolation returning.

 

I think this is most likely the case.  We have WoB that the Heralds staying in Roshar will cause another Desolation to begin, so perhaps people forming Nahel bonds and beginning to use Surgebinding somehow brings the Heralds back from Damnation, which starts a Desolation.  Or specifically, people speaking the oaths brings the Heralds.  Support for that would be that "Taln" doesn't come back until after Kaladin speaks the Second Ideal.

[Jeiel]

Following your thread title, I'd like to add just this for now:

Darkness/Nalan is part of a bigger group.

Can't quote it right now, but this is hinted in the prologue, just after Jasnah meets with her assassin.

Edited March 21, 2014 by Jeiel

[Kobold King]

I like the idea of the Skybreakers being a Radiant police force. Though I'm inclined to think that historically, they would have served as aides to Desolation-era governments rather than taking an active hand in managing other Orders.

The Kholins do seem to have a history of attracting assassins, don't they? I think Nalan would be more likely to go after Adolin himself though. The fact that Szeth is assumed to be dead might be used for a more significant strategic advantage later on.

[shinintendo]

Apparently they have the power to see past wrong misdeeds, and feel the obligations to act as the judge and executioner if need be.

I think they are raged about the past orders leaving them alone to pickup the pieces of humanity after the last desolation.

A lot of speculations

[Gyth]

What if Darkness' goal, as the military police of the Radiants, was actually to protect the spren from those Radiants who would forsake their oaths?

 

After witnessing the events of the Recreance he could be enforcing this a bit more harshly.

[BrindIf]

My feeling is that he wants to avoid Radiants return, but is complied to attack only those for who he got a legal excuse.