Dalinar won't lose

[Kfish]

I've been thinking and most people seem to think Dalinar will lose and have to serve Odium but I'm not so sure now. 

 

1. It's too obvious. This isn't Rayse anymore. We have seen Taravangian with a powerful servant before. He served an important role but he didn't rely nearly as much on Szeth as Rayse implied he would on Dalinar. Instead of winning and gaining a Fused Dalinar, I think Taravangian will do something so that it doesn't matter whether he wins or loses. Uktimately the deal is Alethkar and Herdaz on one side and Dalinar's soul on the other. Taravangian can probably set things up so that he doesn't need any of those. 

2. It goes against Dalinar's arc. Dalinar has spent four books working on becoming a better man. More than that, he has focused on the journey of becoming better tomorrow than you are today. It makes perfect sense fro. A pure plot perspective for Dalinar to become  major antagonist as a Fused. It makes no sense from a character progression point of view though as becoming a Fused is a complete reversal of his arc so far. 

[bmcclure7]

4 hours ago, Kfish said:

I've been thinking and most people seem to think Dalinar will lose and have to serve Odium but I'm not so sure now. 

 

1. It's too obvious. This isn't Rayse anymore. We have seen Taravangian with a powerful servant before. He served an important role but he didn't rely nearly as much on Szeth as Rayse implied he would on Dalinar. Instead of winning and gaining a Fused Dalinar, I think Taravangian will do something so that it doesn't matter whether he wins or loses. Uktimately the deal is Alethkar and Herdaz on one side and Dalinar's soul on the other. Taravangian can probably set things up so that he doesn't need any of those. 

2. It goes against Dalinar's arc. Dalinar has spent four books working on becoming a better man. More than that, he has focused on the journey of becoming better tomorrow than you are today. It makes perfect sense fro. A pure plot perspective for Dalinar to become  major antagonist as a Fused. It makes no sense from a character progression point of view though as becoming a Fused is a complete reversal of his arc so far. 

Honestly, wit is already told us what’s going to happen? No one’s going to lose or win. It’s going to be a draw. That is how odium will win

[+robardin he/him]

I also don't think Dalinar will "lose" the Contest of Champions.

However, Taravangian as Odium will still be "satisfied with the outcome", or thinks he will be.

[teknopathetic he/him]

It would be interesting if Dalinar wins and we learn that is actually worse for Roshar (due to the upcoming Cosmere war) 

[+robardin he/him]

1 minute ago, teknopathetic said:

It would be interesting if Dalinar wins and we learn that is actually worse for Roshar (due to the upcoming Cosmere war) 

it may not be worse for Roshar, simply just as good for Odium.

Or should I say, just as good for Taravangian. He is the one who saw this (not Rayse), and has a different goal to "save them all" in the "Cosmere ruled by broken gods" versus Rayse's "I want to be the one and only Shard left standing".