The truth about Heralds: Oathpact was a delaying tactic and penance

[KaladinWorldsinger]

I am surprised that I don't see this theory more often....

I feel it is very obvious that, the Oathpact was a mechanism devised by Honor and the Heralds to seal the Fused on Braize.

While back on Roshar, Humans aand Singers were supposed to come together and make peace.

Of course, since both civilizations were thrown back to the Stone Age, this is easier said than done. A sizable number disparity alone would be enough to ignite tensions.

Odium would also obviously try to restart wars again. It would be easier because the desolations were in recent memory.

 

We see even now, when humans and singers had practically forgotten about each other, it didn't take much for the war between races to start again.

I know, the Stormfather says that Tanavast was blinded by his shard and did not realise that men could break oaths 

But this is clearly not true. The Stormfather needed to bond with Dalinar to see honor in the Heralds. He is only then truly able to empathise with them.

Honor, 7000 years ago, was not dying or raving. That came near his death, in the recreance. 7000 years ago, he was fine.

The shard of Honor would obviously have seen that there was honor in redemption.

A strong evidence for this theory?

The oaths of the heralds can be bent, without breaking. We haven't seen an oath like that ever... The mechanism to let the fused through is torture. Something Dalinar immediately sees through, but somehow a shard is unable to see coming. Even now, after the Oathpact was abandoned, it still exists. It is only broken by Jezrien's death, not by the abandonment itself!

No, the heralds and Honor were not dumb. They chose to get tortured. This was their penance for humanity crossing Shinovar. 

Why is that Taln was not supposed to be there? Because he never did anything wrong to begin with. He was just a soldier

The other 9 heralds were the ruling elite, who were all probably in some way responsible for the First Desolation. 

In the Nale Jezrien vision, Jezrien admits it is his fault. Shalsh might be the Girl who looked up. Ishar was tricked by Odium.

Taln was the only one who did not need to pay penance for his mistake.

The Heralds probably expected the Desolations cycle to last around 500 years or so. They do seem to be able to withstand torture to a ridiculous degre for some reason. Maybe they were built that way.

Remember all it takes for the Desolations to stop is that Singers and humans choose peace just once. That's all it would take. Just once.

Maybe Horneaters and Herdazians were partially successful attempts 

 

 

[+robardin he/him]

"We need not fight any longer!" declared Dalinar to El, at the head of the legions of singers. "The cycles of Desolations, of endless warfare between your people and mine, have become a purpose unto themselves! If we both want peace, can we not have it simply by agreeing to it?"

"So all you are saying," sneered El, "is to give peace a chance? War is over, if we want it?" Behind Dalinar, Wit blinked in astonishment at what he was hearing, as if these words were triggering memories from long ago or far away.

"That is weak, Bondsmith, very weak. After eight thousand years, we end with no resolution? All that was for nothing?"

"Why not? Nohadon once said, anak malah kaf, del makian habin yah, -- "

"'...To be human is to want that which we cannot have', yes. The Dawnchant is our language, you know! But we are not human, and we can have --"

"Kumbaya," whispered Wit, suddenly.

"What did you say?" El said, turning to him in surprise.

"Kumbaya!" cried Wit, with sudden passion. "That is it! The way out of the Contest!"

"That means a... Tie?" said Dalinar. "In a contest to the death?"

Wit stepped forward and beckoned towards both El and Dalinar. "Come together! Right now! Over me!"

El and Dalinar shared a puzzled look with each other, then began to nod. "Yes... Both Odium and Honor found this man really, really irritating. If our Contest of Champions becomes a team effort to whale on Hoid..."

"...and you two can't actually hurt me, per contract," Wit added happily, "then because neither of you can kill me, it all ends in a draw!"

Dalinar and El grinned. "It... Could... WORK!"