Gaz's lost eye.

[blad3mast3r he/him]

what if gaz's other eye(the missing one) was light?

[Redbird he/him]

Is that possible with Rosharan genetics?

[Oudeis he/him]

Yes, per Taravangian's Interlude in Words of Radiance.

[Quiver he/him]

Don't have my book, and the coppermind doesn't seem to have the information, but... I remember a heterochronatic characetr in one of Shallan's flashback chapters; I think he was the bastard son of a lighteyes noble, and basically acted as an investigator into Shallan's mothers death?

 

Honestly, the first time I read that, it threw me, since... I didn't think having mismatched eyes was possible on Roshar (investiture and all that). It seemed like an odd addition...

But if it's set up for Gaz, that would make sense. After all, we never did find out exactly what debts he had to pay back to his Lighteye superiors in Way of Kings, and just because one Light/Darkeye was treated fairly well doesn't mean others would be.

 

Nice idea. Upvote.

[Oudeis he/him]

I think Quiver and I are talking about the same guy he's the son of Shallan's Highprince. He shows up in Taravangian's interlude, and if I remember correctly he also shows up in one of Shallan's flashbacks. I feel like the chapter was called heterochroma or something...

[hoser he/him]

Wow.  Gaz.  Shallan's squire.  If the Lopen can regrow an arm ...  I never thought about this before.  Gaz could see out of that eye again. 

 

His flashback in tWoK didn't seems to be from a purely darkeye POV, but doesn't seem definitive.  I quote what seems like the most relevant excerpt below.

 

In his time as a soldier, Gaz had learned to fear the minor lighteyes the most. They were galled by their closeness in rank to the darkeyes, yet those darkeyes were the only ones they had any authority over. That made them dangerous. Being around a man like Lamaril was like handling a hot coal with bare fingers.

Sanderson, Brandon (2010-08-31). The Way of Kings (The Stormlight Archive) (p. 474). Tom Doherty Associates. Kindle Edition.

I note that he was a soldier.  IIRC, lighteyes are officers or archers.  Of course, a mixed-eye might take the lower status. 

[kaellok he/him]

Heterochromatic eyes are totally possible; WoK flashbacks with Kaladin deal with his speculation, specifically regarding any potential children that he and (storm it!  Laral?  The daughter of the lighteyes, and...brain is mush, bleh) may have.

[Redbird he/him]

I think he was referring to the fact that any lighteyed children, and wife, would socially outrank him, and the issues that would come with it

[hoser he/him]

As for one light and one dark eye being possible, there is another example besides Highprince Valam's bastard son.  Graves, Mr. T's lighteyed shardbearing agent who tried to assassinate Elhokar, is cited as having married a darkeye and having a mixed-eye child. 

 

I really like the creative thinking abpout Gaz.  It could be an interesting plot development, but I don't see it as possible.  I cite a selection from Chapter 24 of WoR and my understanding of the nahn/dahn system. 

 

As I understand it, dahn is for lighteyes and nahn is for darkeyes.  Children start one rank lower than their parents and can be elevated during their lifetimes. 

 

Consider the following quote from WoR, Ch 24:

"A moment, Master Gaz," she said.

"I'm no master," he said, walking up to her. "Sixth nahn only, Brightness.  Never could buy myself anything better."

As I read it, he was born sixth nahn or lower.  The offspring of a lighteye-darkeye union would be at least first nahn. 

[kaellok he/him]

I think he was referring to the fact that any lighteyed children, and wife, would socially outrank him, and the issues that would come with it

I should have reflected on my inability to remember simple details, and realize that it's because I was trying to force something that wasn't there.  You're absolutely correct, lol.  And others already mentioned the example that actually does, so I'll just see myself to the door.  /whistle-innocently

[Unhinged he/him]

As I read it, he was born sixth nahn or lower.  The offspring of a lighteye-darkeye union would be at least first nahn. 

 

He could have been knocked down when he lost his eye, he might have once been high ranking but I imagine not having a bright eye at all would set him further down the social ladder, especially if he was something like the basted son of a light eyes of very low rank. While I don't think it's impossible it does seem a little far fetched, I suppose we'll just have to wait for the next book.

[Left he/him]

Half-eyes(? what's the term for this?) might be nahn automatically instead of dahn. I mean they're obviously not acceptable in society so they might have been relegated to the lower caste. I haven't read WoR in a long time so I don't remember tons about this specific area.

[Oudeis he/him]

While I admit the specifics of Gaz's case (what happens to the child when the parents are different ranks? Are there specific ranks for heterochromites? Could Gaz have lost rank when he lost his light eye?) are unclear, I still think hoser's quote is very telling. Sixth dahn is simply very, very low for someone who has ANY light-eyed parent, even given Gaz's circumstance.

[luckat she/her]

There's some details about how rank is passed down over in this quote. Most relevant to the discussion, it appears that a child that is heterochromatic (or a one-eye, as they are apparently called based on what Moash says about Graves at the end of chapter 46 or WoR) is probably declared to be tenth dahn, and a lot of it would depend on the lighteyed parent. I can't really see someone who had one light eye going down to the sixth nahn after losing it.

[Oudeis he/him]

Ooooo wealth of information there. Thank you!