Underwater_Worldhopper he/him Posted July 11, 2023 Posted July 11, 2023 So, here's what we know about the Shard Mercy: They fought with Odium and Ambition Mercy "worries" Sazed/Harmony. Originally, when I read about Mercy's part in the fight between Odium and Ambition, I had originally assumed that they had been defending Uli Da from Odium, as Odium is a serial killer and the prime antagonist of the Stormlight Archive, whereas Mercy has exclusively good connotations. However, some time ago, it was brought to my attention that Mercy could have been fighting with Odium, against Ambition. Their role in the fight is left ambiguous, so it could definitely be possible, especially given that at least Endowment has an extreme dislike of Uli Da, and Odium generally targeted Shards he could argue had broken the rules of their pact or were otherwise disliked. In that context, Sazed's "Mercy worries me" becomes far more ominous. Has Mercy settled on a more Taravangian-esque "I'll save them all" type of plan of action? 1
Duxredux he/him Posted July 11, 2023 Posted July 11, 2023 (edited) Maybe you'll see something I missed. I had a similar train of thought and @Treamayne did a fantastic job of collecting references to mercy or Mercy. Yes, Mercy is worrying, and I've wondered if we've seen Mercy's Investiture behind the scenes in some of these things (like how Nightblood really does have Ruin's Investiture in it). There's the whole discussion as to whether or not the Shards themselves are good or evil, and that's separate from the Vessel being evil. Edited July 11, 2023 by Duxredux added thought 1
alder24 Posted July 11, 2023 Posted July 11, 2023 Reply to the title - no Shard is evil! 13 minutes ago, Underwater_Worldhopper said: So, here's what we know about the Shard Mercy: They fought with Odium and Ambition Mercy "worries" Sazed/Harmony. Originally, when I read about Mercy's part in the fight between Odium and Ambition, I had originally assumed that they had been defending Uli Da from Odium, as Odium is a serial killer and the prime antagonist of the Stormlight Archive, whereas Mercy has exclusively good connotations. However, some time ago, it was brought to my attention that Mercy could have been fighting with Odium, against Ambition. Their role in the fight is left ambiguous, so it could definitely be possible, especially given that at least Endowment has an extreme dislike of Uli Da, and Odium generally targeted Shards he could argue had broken the rules of their pact or were otherwise disliked. In that context, Sazed's "Mercy worries me" becomes far more ominous. Has Mercy settled on a more Taravangian-esque "I'll save them all" type of plan of action? Yes, I think that too. When I first read about Mercy being involved in the fight between Odium and Ambition I immediately thought they fought against Ambition (and killed her out of mercy), not against Odium. Mercy doesn't have to be a good thing - someone can kill a wounded/ill person out of mercy instead of trying to heal them and give them decades more to live - and that’s probably why I thought Mercy is more like that, a twisted version of mercy, not someone caring or good.
Firesong she/her Posted July 11, 2023 Posted July 11, 2023 I had a theory that one reason he is worried is due to Obrodai maybe being their world, given a few factors (went into that in the thread On Obrodai). But that definitely isn't proven. It definitely could be Mercy being violent, given everything shown in the linked thread showing mercy as being more associated with mercy killings than anything else in the cosmere. Especially with all the uses in Rhythm of War, where Mercy was first mentioned, being primarily associated with killing or locking away the mentally ill (because Roshar is definitely extremely backwards in how it treats mental health). So, that, mixed with how Mercy was fighting for or against Ambition, maybe they did fight against Ambition. It does seem multiple people had problems with her, ""As for Uli Da, it was obvious from the outset that she was going to be a problem. Good riddance.", there is also the fact it was a three way battle that Odium survived, and Ambition was killed. But, why is Mercy still alive if they were on Ambition's side? Makes it feel as if they were on Odium's side. Maybe they see the concept of Intent and Immortality to be some form of torture, and wanted to free Vessels from it.
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