Ripheus23 Posted September 27, 2018 Report Share Posted September 27, 2018 What if the extra X in Nightblood is something like "evilspren"? Shashara would've been trying to visualize evil itself being destroyed, right? But unless she was visualizing tons of different kinds of evil objects, people, events, etc. being destroyed/negated/cancelled out/etc., it seems her Command would've lacked a tangible element, unless Shashara were thinking of an "evilspren" and the sword destroying such an entity. It could even be that she was thinking, say, of one specific of the Unmade, experienced when the Scholars were doing research on Roshar. Or perhaps some other Voidspren (if those could be encountered at the time). Or even... Odium? I guess that would only be if Odium had manifested personally to her or someone who described his manifestation to her. IDK how powerful Nightblood should be in the end, but at least being the incidental solution to one of the Unmade seems like a legitimate role for him to play in the story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calderis Posted September 27, 2018 Report Share Posted September 27, 2018 (edited) If there were any clear idea of evil imparted to Nightblood, I don't think he'd function the way that he does. Edited September 28, 2018 by Calderis 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RShara Posted September 28, 2018 Report Share Posted September 28, 2018 Mmmm Brandon says in the annotations that Nightblood doesn't really understand what evil means. So I don't think Shashara had anything specific in mind when she visualized the Command. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yata Posted September 28, 2018 Report Share Posted September 28, 2018 Like other said, regardless of Nightblood's mantra. He has no idea of what the "Evil" is and indeed he simply try to apply this etiquette to everything he could to then destroy it. In the end, most of Nightblood's judgement comes from the self awareness of the ones he judges and using some very meh criterias. I will be not surprised to see some "evil jerk" holding Nightblood and slaughtering "innocients people" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaj Posted September 28, 2018 Report Share Posted September 28, 2018 But if Nightblood were to run into an Evilspren, would his purpose suddenly become clear and fulfilled if he were to destroy it? Probably not, but interesting nonetheless. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quantus Posted September 28, 2018 Report Share Posted September 28, 2018 I am curious how much Nightblood's own evolving opinion could make a difference. For example, you could probably make the argument to him that corrupted Spren are evil by virtue of having been corrupted from their original/true selves. Taken further and darker, what would happen if you convinced him a whole shardworld (like say one created whole by a pair of Shards violating the Shard's agreement of non-intervention) is inherently Evil by virtue of being created Gods in defiance of such a Godpact? By Heraldic Logic the Gods are the top of the Authority food chain, obeying or defying them could be a reasonable definition of Good & Evil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RShara Posted September 28, 2018 Report Share Posted September 28, 2018 1 hour ago, Quantus said: I am curious how much Nightblood's own evolving opinion could make a difference. For example, you could probably make the argument to him that corrupted Spren are evil by virtue of having been corrupted from their original/true selves. Taken further and darker, what would happen if you convinced him a whole shardworld (like say one created whole by a pair of Shards violating the Shard's agreement of non-intervention) is inherently Evil by virtue of being created Gods in defiance of such a Godpact? By Heraldic Logic the Gods are the top of the Authority food chain, obeying or defying them could be a reasonable definition of Good & Evil. Nightblood just relies on his wielder to decide what is evil or not. So it's not convincing Nightblood, so much as convincing whoever is holding him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ripheus23 Posted September 28, 2018 Author Report Share Posted September 28, 2018 17 hours ago, RShara said: Mmmm Brandon says in the annotations that Nightblood doesn't really understand what evil means. So I don't think Shashara had anything specific in mind when she visualized the Command. Don't you have to visualize something to Awaken an object? An evilspren, in any event, would be an ambivalent thing, seeing as (by comparison) honorspren don't per se know, absolutely, what is honorable. (I'm thinking of Kaladin's debate with Syl in OB, don't recall where it is exactly.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calderis Posted September 28, 2018 Report Share Posted September 28, 2018 12 minutes ago, Ripheus23 said: Don't you have to visualize something to Awaken an object? Yes. And she seems to have envisioned the destruction aspect of his command exceedingly well. The evil part? Not so much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Solant Posted September 29, 2018 Report Share Posted September 29, 2018 On 9/28/2018 at 0:57 PM, Quantus said: I am curious how much Nightblood's own evolving opinion could make a difference. For example, you could probably make the argument to him that corrupted Spren are evil by virtue of having been corrupted from their original/true selves. Taken further and darker, what would happen if you convinced him a whole shardworld (like say one created whole by a pair of Shards violating the Shard's agreement of non-intervention) is inherently Evil by virtue of being created Gods in defiance of such a Godpact? By Heraldic Logic the Gods are the top of the Authority food chain, obeying or defying them could be a reasonable definition of Good & Evil. By this definition, anyone opposing Odium would be considered evil as well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quantus Posted October 1, 2018 Report Share Posted October 1, 2018 (edited) On 9/28/2018 at 3:41 PM, Calderis said: Yes. And she seems to have envisioned the destruction aspect of his command exceedingly well. The evil part? Not so much. I suspect that she didnt herself have a detailed and/or intellectualized definition of Evil, but instead just had a subconscious, Visceral reaction to things that she felt were Evil, and that it was that Subconscious and Visceral discomfort that Nightblood is inciting in people when he Tests them. On 9/29/2018 at 2:29 PM, Solant said: By this definition, anyone opposing Odium would be considered evil as well Arguably, Yes, depending on how you framed it. Which is my point, if Nightblood has the potential to interpret his command on his own, there are a lot of very narrow and incomplete definitions of Evil that he could be talked into adopting. Edited October 1, 2018 by Quantus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quantus Posted October 1, 2018 Report Share Posted October 1, 2018 (edited) Double Post, Sorry Edited October 1, 2018 by Quantus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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