Do we know what is up with the Mink?

[BreezeCauthon he/him]

Did he die? Is Herdaz safe? What was up with greatshell?

[KaladinsSenseOfHumourSpren He/Him]

5 hours ago, BreezeCauthon said:

Did he die? Is Herdaz safe? What was up with greatshell?

It's one of WaT's many loose ends, along with Ba-Ado-Mishram, Navani, The Sibling, Vasher and Feruchemist worldhopper, both Dawnshards...

[Elegy he/him]

If Herdaz was safe, I'm sure Taravangian would have noticed/noted it. The greatshell is most probably the "hog" from OB interlude 10 (where the Mink is first introduced). As for everything else, I think we can only guess.

[Through The Living Ash he/him]

Herdaz is definitely under the control of Retribution, as no part of the agreement spared Herdaz if Odium won, and the Everstorm encompasses the whole of Roshar except for Azir. Honor's power only wished to hold to the part of the agreement where Odium won. My guess is that the Mink will live given how intentionally that scene was placed, but you can never be sure with Brandon. I agree that the greatshell is likely the hog. 

[Treamayne]

3 hours ago, epl2 said:

Herdaz is definitely under the control of Retribution, as no part of the agreement spared Herdaz if Odium won, and the Everstorm encompasses the whole of Roshar except for Azir. Honor's power only wished to hold to the part of the agreement where Odium won. My guess is that the Mink will live given how intentionally that scene was placed, but you can never be sure with Brandon. I agree that the greatshell is likely the hog. 

And with the Chasmfiend's intelligence reveal, it is likely the Yu-Nerig are similarly intelligent. It's possible Hog saved his friend that fed him so regularly. 

[Returned he/him]

There's also an element of Mary Sue-ness to Herdazians that makes it hard for me to believe any of the named ones have been felled unless I see it happen. Bad things happen to Herdaz, but not named Herdazians.

Even apart from that, the Mink has been Roshar's single greatest expert in what seems like it will be the core of the next segment of SA: insurgent military action against a foe that has more of every conceivable resource. That makes me think that he's likely to be involved in future books, and I expect that at minimum he will live long enough (even off-camera) to design the military doctrine that Urithiru will use.

[teknopathetic he/him]

I think we are supposed to get the impression that the Reshi Isles are a free state that might have been ignored by the final land grabs during the contest of champions. The Reshi isles were vaguely aligned with Dalinar, but they were never conquered by Odium. So, in theory, the Reshi isles are protected by the deal. 

I think this will pay off in a huge way. Dalinar let the Mink go, which perhaps meant Dalinar lost some ground he otherwise wouldn't have. But now the Mink is able to command a guerilla warfare mobile island force, which is pretty interesting. The Reshi Isles seem to either have been operating on fortune and grabbed The Mink, or perhaps are somehow agents of Cultivation finishing up some final steps of her plan (I am a believer that Cultivation got everything she wanted out of Taravangian and that she is secretly very happy with how things stand).

There is also a legend mentioned in some interludes about soldiers coming from the water and bringing light. I think these light bringers are people riding the Reshi Isles. 

Edited May 8, 2025 by teknopathetic

[Through The Living Ash he/him]

On 5/8/2025 at 6:18 PM, teknopathetic said:

I think we are supposed to get the impression that the Reshi Isles are a free state that might have been ignored by the final land grabs during the contest of champions. The Reshi isles were vaguely aligned with Dalinar, but they were never conquered by Odium. So, in theory, the Reshi isles are protected by the deal. 

I think this will pay off in a huge way. Dalinar let the Mink go, which perhaps meant Dalinar lost some ground he otherwise wouldn't have. But now the Mink is able to command a guerilla warfare mobile island force, which is pretty interesting. The Reshi Isles seem to either have been operating on fortune and grabbed The Mink, or perhaps are somehow agents of Cultivation finishing up some final steps of her plan (I am a believer that Cultivation got everything she wanted out of Taravangian and that she is secretly very happy with how things stand).

There is also a legend mentioned in some interludes about soldiers coming from the water and bringing light. I think these light bringers are people riding the Reshi Isles. 

I recall Odium making deals with a few of the islands, but there's enough of them that I don't think it matters. 

What interlude are you referencing? I don't remember that being discussed. 

[Treamayne]

30 minutes ago, epl2 said:

What interlude are you referencing? I don't remember that being discussed. 

WaT Ch 145:

Spoiler

Good. Likewise, he would allow the Shattered Plains to have a kind of autonomy themselves. What of the rest? Roshar was entirely dominated. His agents in the Shin government had succeeded while the Heralds were distracted. The Reshi Isles … he had the land, all of it, though those who rode the beasts had largely rejected his offers. They weren’t worth the effort.

 

[Elegy he/him]

On 5/13/2025 at 4:34 PM, epl2 said:

What interlude are you referencing? I don't remember that being discussed. 

I think they're referencing the Puuli interlude from Oathbringer (1-I)

[Through The Living Ash he/him]

Ah okay thank you.