SwiftSteel he/him Posted July 16, 2014 Report Share Posted July 16, 2014 So far, it seems that the Nightwatcher is capable of granting and removing almost anything (enhanced intelligence, partial existence in the Spiritual Realm, wife-specific amnesia, etc.) and so far we haven't seen any limitations. For example, would a certain nosy, world hopping character be able to *ahem* wish for Feruchemy? And Taravangian ended up asking for capacity, not for the Voidbringers to just not be able to return or something. Was it because he didn't think to ask, or was it just because the Nightwatcher wouldn't (or couldn't) grant that wish? She's obviously meddling with humankind on Roshar, but how far is she willing to interfere? I know I won't get a concrete answer until Brandon releases a few more books, but I'm still interested in your opinions Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bow Tie Bandit he/him Posted July 16, 2014 Report Share Posted July 16, 2014 As far as I can tell the nightwatcher can only grant a wish that affects the person who is doing the wishing. If this is true then it makes complete sense why Taravangian would ask for the capacity to bring the voidbringers back. He is asking for himself to be affected in such a way that he can make something happen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quiver he/him Posted July 16, 2014 Report Share Posted July 16, 2014 Don't characters reference the Nightwatcher giving what she thinks you deserve? Hoid doesn't seem to have many friends amongst the more powerful elements of the cosmere, and he's willing to let Roshar burn. If I was him, the only reason I'd know where the Nightwatcher was would be so I could avoid her. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Voidus Posted July 17, 2014 Report Share Posted July 17, 2014 Well if the Nightwatcher is really a spren then her capabilities are at the very least restricted by the popular conception of her, she also seems to mostly mess with cognitive aspects (and possibly the spiritual realm with Lift) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
navybrandt he/him Posted July 18, 2014 Report Share Posted July 18, 2014 (edited) It could be that the Nightwatcher must keep things balanced. She grants a boon and a curse to perhaps balance things out. Think about Mr T's days of geniuos and days of idiocy - it averages out. If she were to grant a wish to have the voidbringers never return, she'd also have to grant a curse that is equally horrible. Just my wild speculation. Edited July 18, 2014 by navybrandt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Voidus Posted July 24, 2014 Report Share Posted July 24, 2014 It could be that the Nightwatcher must keep things balanced. She grants a boon and a curse to perhaps balance things out. Think about Mr T's days of geniuos and days of idiocy - it averages out. If she were to grant a wish to have the voidbringers never return, she'd also have to grant a curse that is equally horrible. Just my wild speculation. Not sure about that, someone from WoK got a bunch of cloth to sell and feed his starving family and just saw the world upside down, doesnt seem to always be a balance thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swimmingly he/him Posted July 24, 2014 Report Share Posted July 24, 2014 Which balances out pretty well. A bundle of cloth isn't a big deal, and neither is seeing the world upside down. Now, the recipient might interpret the value differently, and the Nightwatcher can probably choose to give weaksauce curses that still complete the specifications when she thinks the petitioner deserves it, but in the end balance is maintained. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Voidus Posted July 24, 2014 Report Share Posted July 24, 2014 Which balances out pretty well. A bundle of cloth isn't a big deal, and neither is seeing the world upside down. Now, the recipient might interpret the value differently, and the Nightwatcher can probably choose to give weaksauce curses that still complete the specifications when she thinks the petitioner deserves it, but in the end balance is maintained. I still don't know that that really balances, there was enough cloth to feed his entire family enough to justify the trip, so essentially he got the lives of his entire family, he certainly seemed to think he got the upper hand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edgedancer he/him Posted July 24, 2014 Report Share Posted July 24, 2014 I still don't know that that really balances, there was enough cloth to feed his entire family enough to justify the trip, so essentially he got the lives of his entire family, he certainly seemed to think he got the upper hand. If there is a balance, it would depend on the investure used. Emotionally he might have gotten a lot more then he payed but investure wise I don´t think that cloth, even expensive one, needs much to be created. Alternatively, the Nightwatch was purposefully lenient when giving him a curse, because he only wanted to take care of his family and she took pity on him or something like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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