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Szeth's bonding


Franklin

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On 4/9/2024 at 8:10 PM, Franklin said:

Szeth can speak with sword nimi, does that mean they are bonded? like how someone can bond with a spren? and if he is bonded with sword nimi, would that interfere with also being bonded with a spren?

Have you read Warbreaker? Sword-nimi's bond is different than the Nahel bond and would not interfere with his Spren Bond. 

Spoilers for Warbreaker:

Spoiler

Sword-nimi was first introduced in Warbreaker (his name is different there) and due to his unique creation, he can talk communicate with people as well as form some bonds.

Annotation to Ch 35: (Sword-nimi's nature)

Spoiler

However, in order to be able to do his job and fulfill his Command, he needed the ability to determine who is good and who is evil.

This, of course, isn’t an easy thing to determine. In fact, I don’t think it’s a black or white issue for most people. When Nightblood (Sword-nimi) was created, the Breaths infused in him did their best to interpret their Command. What they decided was evil was someone who would try to take the sword and use it for evil purposes, selling it, manipulating and extorting others, that sort of thing. Someone who wouldn’t want the sword for those reasons was determined to be good. If they touch the weapon, they feel sick. If others touch the weapon, their desire to kill and destroy with it is enhanced greatly.

Nightblood himself, unfortunately, doesn’t quite understand what good and evil are. (This is mentioned later in the text.) However, he knows that his master can determine who is good and who is evil—using the sword’s power to make people sick, or through other means. So, he pretty much just lets whoever is holding him decide what is evil. And if the one holding the sword determines—deep within their heart—that they are evil themselves, then they will end up killing themselves with the sword.

Annotations to Warbreaker Ch 55: (Sword-nimi's Bond)

Spoiler

Another note here is that Nightblood (Sword-nimi) can sense where [redacted] is. This is because Nightblood has ingested and fed off of [redacted] in the past. When he does that, it connects him to someone. It’s also, by the way, one of the secrets as to why [redacted] doesn’t get sick when holding Nightblood, even though [redacted]. It’s not simply familiarity (though that is part of it).

So, you can see the first words you hear from Sword-Nimi at the end of Words of Radiance were very specific for a reason. 

WoB - Szeth and Sword-Nimi:

Quote

Questioner

Are we just going to see Szeth kill a lot of people in the next book?

Brandon Sanderson

Szeth has some better influences than he's had in a long while. He did have some good influences early on. But it's been a long time since he has had as good influences as he now has. I wouldn't count Nightblood as one of those. But at the same time, he's had worse influences than Nightblood.

Legion Release Party (Sept. 19, 2018)

 

WoB:

Spoiler


Quote

Travis Gafford

End of [Words of Radiance], Szeth meets Nightblood. Nightblood normally [redacted Warbreaker Spoilers - click the link for full text].

Brandon Sanderson

What happens when you take Nightblood is based entirely on what your desire on how to use Nightblood is. If your intent does not align with Nightblood's created Intent, which is kind of a deep, Cosmere sort of thing. But, basically, if you want Nightblood because you can then destroy all of your enemies, you're not gonna match to that Intent. If your desire to use Nightblood is either: "I don't even want to use Nightblood," you're actually gonna be fine; or if your desire to Nightblood is matching what Nightblood's view is... And Szeth is, like, the perfect person, because Szeth only wants to do what he's told, and Nightblood kind of only wants to do what he's told. So there's, like, a perfect alignment. [redacted]

Miscellaneous 2022 (Nov. 28, 2022)


Hope that helps

Edited by Treamayne
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12 hours ago, Franklin said:

Szeth can speak with sword nimi, does that mean they are bonded? like how someone can bond with a spren? and if he is bonded with sword nimi, would that interfere with also being bonded with a spren?

Yes, Szeth is bonded with Nightblood, but that's not a Nahel Bond. It's a bit different than that, but working by the same mechanism. This bond allows Nightblood to read Szeth's mind or sense where he is for example. This would not interfere with a spren bond, a person can be even bonded to multiple spren at once and that would cause no problems. 

Spoiler

Argent (paraphrased)

How is it that Nightblood, who is merely a near-sentient awakened object, was able to read minds, something a Shard like Ruin was unable to do?

Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

It requires bonding (with the person whose mind is to be read) to read minds.

Steelheart Chicago signing (Oct. 1, 2013)

 

Spoiler

Thadamin

How important are bonds like the Nahel Bond and a seon bond in the Cosmere?

Brandon Sanderson

I'd say very important.

Thadamin

Is this kind of bond relatively common or is what seons, spren, and Nightblood do little more rare among Splinters. I'm specifically talking about the act of making bonds not a giving of magic powers really, that appearing to be function of Roshar. Also regarding your post about Stormlight 3 I am personally okay with 2000 pages if need be so make the chapters as long as you want.:)

Brandon Sanderson

The bonding is basically the same mechanic, regardless of the world, just with different flavoring. Roshar isn't the only place where the bond gives powers; it's a matter of what's stuffed into the soul, and how.

/r/books AMA 2015 (June 19, 2015)

 

Spoiler

tganchero (paraphrased)

Is it true that humans can bond to multiple spren?

Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

They can theoretically bond to multiple spren.

Words of Radiance Lexington signing (March 18, 2014)

 

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1 hour ago, alder24 said:

Yes, Szeth is bonded with Nightblood, but that's not a Nahel Bond. It's a bit different than that, but working by the same mechanism. This bond allows Nightblood to read Szeth's mind or sense where he is for example. This would not interfere with a spren bond, a person can be even bonded to multiple spren at once and that would cause no problems. 

Cosmere

Spoiler

It's a Zahel bond

 

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1 hour ago, robardin said:

What. Did. You. Say?

AAARRRGGGHHHHH

I mean it fits... 

Cosmere 

Spoiler

Nahel, Luhel, Zahel....

It all makes sense now

 

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On 4/9/2024 at 8:10 PM, Franklin said:

Szeth can speak with sword nimi, does that mean they are bonded? like how someone can bond with a spren? and if he is bonded with sword nimi, would that interfere with also being bonded with a spren?

To the first question: yes, absolutely, Szeth holds a bond to a true artificially intelligent spren who is not bound by the normal constraints of governing oaths and possesses the apparently unique ability to kill souls.

To the second: mhm. It works exactly like the nahel bond except that nightbloods parameters are artificially min-maxed, so basically anyone could pick him up and bond him if they aren't a literal deviant criminal. It's just a quirk of his engineering, honestly the story would cast szeth in a better light if that wasn't true...

To the third: yes...nightblood can absolutely kill spren by accident and any intelligent spren would think twice before bonding szeth unfortunately. That does, however, mean that any spren that DOES choose to bond him is automatically going to be extra super hardcore and unwavering about it though!

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15 hours ago, Argenti said:

I mean it fits... 

Cosmere 

  Reveal hidden contents

Nahel, Luhel, Zahel....

It all makes sense now

 

Yes. I got it. And... The puns that hit the hardest are the ones you least expected.

Especially the ones I wished I'd thought of first. *golf clap*

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I can see a book 5 where on his crusade, Szeth kills whatever Unmade is supposedly threatening Shinovar. 

However, this does raise some questions on how Nale got the highspren to bond Szeth, considering Nightblood could probably kill the spren.

TSM spoilers

Spoiler

Like how Nomad accidentally killed Aux with the Dawnshard.

 

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On 4/20/2024 at 1:45 PM, The Stick said:

I can see a book 5 where on his crusade, Szeth kills whatever Unmade is supposedly threatening Shinovar. 

However, this does raise some questions on how Nale got the highspren to bond Szeth, considering Nightblood could probably kill the spren.

TSM spoilers

  Reveal hidden contents

Like how Nomad accidentally killed Aux with the Dawnshard.

 

Do you think that if the Soren got nicked it would be game over or would you have to have the intention to wield Nightblood?

 

If a nick would kill, I assume the high Soren would just refuse to be summoned until the sword was put away. 
 

Would Nightblood drain energy from the bond Soren before or after it took Szeths life? If after than I feel like the high Soren would be safe. 

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