Who are the two men speaking with Elhokar in the Prologue?

[Worldhopper he/him]

I just started my third reread of TWoK. I decided that, to coinside with the Tor-reread, I'm going to start a reread of my own and take notes as I go. In the prologue on page 22 there is a scene where Szeth spots Elhokar speaking with two men. I think I caught this on my second reread but forgot about it. The sections reads as:

 

Elhokar, the king's son and heir, sat at the high table, ruling the feast in his father's absence. He was in conversation with two men, a dark-skinned Azish man who had an odd patch of pale skin on his cheek and a thinner, Alethi-looking man who kept glancing over his shoulder.

 

I'm not sure if this already has its own thread. If so just send me a link to it.

 

But I've been trying to think who the two men could be. The fact that one of them looks Alethi-like, hints that he may not be of Roshar. So I'm thinking 17th Shard perhaps. I was thinking the Alethi-looking man could be Hoid but then whose the other man? And if its not Hoid then who are they, 17th Shard?, Ghostbloods? And what are they doing speaking with Elhokar?

 

 

[jturner]

Hoid is Wit, so probably not Hoid.

[PeterAhlstrom he/him]

This is a good question.

[callumke he/him]

This is a good question.

Restares perhaps? Glad to see you as cryptic as ever 

[Elisheva]

Thanks for teasing us, Peter! Those two descriptions don't match the ones in Ishikk's (the Purelaker) interlude of the three strangers. I don't remember anyone with a face scar like that either... I wonder if we haven't met them yet? I'll do some searching...

Nevermind, I take that back. One of the three strangers is described as Alethi-like and the other two are said to have skin like the Makabaki. An Azish is a subset of Makabaki (see page 212 description of Sigzil). Still, Ishikk doesn't mention the pale patch.

 

After some more searching, see this post:

 

http://www.17thshard.com/forum/topic/2051-world-hopping-characters/

 

It confirms that two of the three strangers are Galladon (one of the "Makabakis") and Demoux (the Alethi-looking one).  The reason I cannot find any reference to the third stranger is because he is form a yet unpublished book, as per CrazyRioter's post in the link.  I know that was about a year ago, but nothing in-cosmere has been published since then besides The Emperor's Soul, so I think it's still true.

Edited March 29, 2013 by Elisheva

[Nepene he/him]

On the Azish man, there are two possibilities. Sigzil, the bridgesman is one.

 

“No, not your race,” Rock said. “Your type. What is it they are called? Visiting places around the land, telling others of what they have seen? A Worldsinger. Yes, is the right name. No?”

 

Sigzil is a worldsinger, which offers intriguing possibilities of his knowledge. He has dark skin too. It seems likely he is the Azish man if the man is mentioned in the book, though the patch isn't mentioned. He tried to kill a darkeyed man but failed (despite thinking he had succeeded), and his master is Hoid.

 

—Tanatanes 1173, 8 seconds pre-death. An Azish itinerant worker. Sample of particular note.

. From chapter 68. Seems unlikely as a possibility.

 

For the second man, there's too many possibilities for me to easily guess. He is paranoid, Alethi, and thin. That could describe half the men in the kingdom most likely.
 

The newcomer trotted up to them. Tall and thin, the King’s Wit rode easily on a black gelding.

 

He is the only obvious guess.

Edited March 29, 2013 by Nepene

[Windrunner he/him]

You know that Tanatanes is a date, right? From the way you've phrased your sentence, it sounds like you think it's a name.

[Nepene he/him]

You know that Tanatanes is a date, right? From the way you've phrased your sentence, it sounds like you think it's a name.

 

I just typed it in from the book without really thinking. I'll edit it so it's clearer.

[rags]

It is possible that the Alethi-looking man is a Herald. The reason why I say this is because the Heralds are not easily identifiable as being from any part of Roshar. For example, in the interlude 7 , Baxil seems to have a difficulty identifying Shalash's race ( I am assuming that Shalash is the one vandalizing property......a reasonably good theory). We also know that more than one herald has already been seen in tWoK.

 

I know this is a WAG, but it sounds plausible??

[Dahak he/him]

It is possible that the Alethi-looking man is a Herald. The reason why I say this is because the Heralds are not easily identifiable as being from any part of Roshar. For example, in the interlude 7 , Baxil seems to have a difficulty identifying Shalash's race ( I am assuming that Shalash is the one vandalizing property......a reasonably good theory). We also know that more than one herald has already been seen in tWoK.

 

I know this is a WAG, but it sounds plausible??

 

Not particularly wild.

 

Unlike suggesting the two are ferretspren in disguise interviewing Elokar over his suitability to become a Magical Girl. To suggest a random wild guess.

[Nesh he/him]

I do find it interesting that Thinker (Demoux) is noted specifically as looking Alethi-like.  Now, I'm not saying that I think the man looking over his shoulder and talking to Elhokar is Demoux.  That is a possibility, but it's rather unlikely I think as the prolgue was well before the Purelake scene.  However it dos establish that Scadrians, at least non-Terris ones, look mostly Alethi except for eye shape.

 

The second man can't be Galladon or Blunt due too the pale patch on the cheek.  However the important thing to note is tht Szeth noted both of them as not quite right in some way, he dismissed them because he had a king to kill, but they seemed out f pace to him.  Sensitive peple have had similar notions about Hoid before.  Though I doubt th pale mn is Hid.  If these are in fact worldhopers, they're probably ones, w haven't seen before.

[Govika he/him]

Is it possible that Elhokar is a Ghostblood? It may be possible since Taravangian wants to kill Dalinar, instead of Elhokar. Perhaps those men are some Ghostbloods. I don't have real proof, just idle theory.

Edited May 30, 2013 by Govika

[happyman he/him]

Is it possible that Elhokar is a Ghostblood? It may be possible since Taravangian wants to kill Dalinar, instead of Elhokar. Perhaps those men are some Ghostbloods. I don't have real proof, just idle theory.

 

Possible, but I would say that it is more likely that Taravangian's spies say that Dalinar is the one with real power, with Elhokar being a puppet.  Whether that is true or false, it certainly bears some resemblance to the truth!  As he is, I cannot imagine Elhokar uniting the Alethi without Dalinar's constant prodding.

[eljaimito]

I've been trying to find this out myself. I read the prologue to the Words of Radiance, and

the same two gentlement are listed there too.

 

The sequence of the encounter is below. Who are these guys and who is Ash?

 

Words echoed in the hallway, coming from up ahead. “I’m worried about Ash.”

“You’re worried about everything.”

Jasnah hesitated in the hallway.

“She’s getting worse,” the voice continued. “We weren’t supposed to get worse. Am I getting worse? I think I feel worse.”

“Shut up.”

“I don’t like this. What we’ve done was wrong. That creature carries my lord’s own Blade. We shouldn’t have let him keep it. He—”

The two passed through the intersection ahead of Jasnah. They were the ambassadors from the West, including the Azish man with the white birthmark on his cheek. Or was it a scar? The shorter of the two men—he could have been Alethi—cut off when he noticed Jasnah. He let out a squeak, then hurried on his way.

The Azish man, the one dressed in black and silver, stopped and looked her up and down. He frowned.

“Is the feast over already?” Jasnah asked down the hallway. Her brother had invited these two to the celebration along with every other ranking foreign dignitary in Kholinar.

“Yes,” the man said.

His stare made her uncomfortable. She walked forward anyway. I should check further into these two, she thought. She’d investigated their backgrounds, of course, and found nothing of note. Had they been talking about a Shardblade?

“Come on!” the shorter man said, returning and taking the taller man by the arm.

He allowed himself to be pulled away. Jasnah walked to where the corridors crossed, then watched them go.

Edited February 18, 2014 by Rubix
WoR Spoilers

[Awesomeness Summoned he/him]

They have been theorized to be heralds (including ash). There is a thread on the topic HERE.

 

It's also pretty much certain that the man with Azish man is "darkness" from the lift interlude and the man that is after Ym in his interlude.

Edited February 11, 2014 by awesomeness summoned

[AerionBFII he/him]

Words of Radiance spoilers

One of them is DARKNESSSSSSSSSSSSS.

 

Did Darkness give Eshonai his Shardblade??

And he so knows she's a radiant!!

The way he looks her up and down and frowns as if something is off......

Edited February 19, 2014 by WEZ313
WoR Spoilers