GenericMastermindAnt Posted March 1, 2016 Posted March 1, 2016 (edited) So I'm doing a reread of the Way of Kings, this time with a bit more foreknowledge of the Cosmere -- firstly to see what else I notice, but also because it is a great series. The sample I referenced in the title is thus: ""Three of sixteen ruled, but now the Broken One reigns." -Collected: Chachanan, 1173, 84 seconds pre-death. Subject: a cutpurse with the wasting sickness, of partial Iriali descent." With many of them I kind of understand what it means, but with this I just can't be certain. My current thoughts are that it refers to the 3 Shards within Roshar's system: Cultivation, Honour, and Odium, and how Cultivation isn't really doing anything now, Honour is dead and so Odium -- "the Broken One" -- can do whatever he wants. So, have any WoB suggested that this is significant, and have I understood it (so far as we know) correctly? Edited March 3, 2016 by GenericMastermindAnt
King's Twit he/him Posted March 1, 2016 Posted March 1, 2016 There's two possible viewpoints on this death rattle that I can see. Either: a) "The Broken One" refers to Odium, and him being Broken refers to a broken mind or maybe something that he's done to his Shard that has caused it to be considered "broken", or possibly both. or \b)"The Broken One" refers to Honor and the fact that he has been splintered, but he is still considered the reigning Shard of Roshar, possibly because Odium is trapped on Braize and Cultivation seems to have gone dormant/MIA. It's probably Odium, as you suggest, since, among other reasons, Honor himself says that "Odium Reigns", but I think its important to not discount possibilities until they have been confirmed false.
Argent he/him Posted March 1, 2016 Posted March 1, 2016 (edited) Yeah, there are some theories. But how about this. Taln, broken by his torture, snaps and kills Rayse, Ascending to Odium. "Three of the fixteen ruled", but Honor is not Splintered, Rayse is dead, and Cultivation is staying aside, while Taln, "the Broken One reigns." Plot. Twist! EDIT: Double plot twist, Taln doesn't kill Rayse, he switched minds with him. The man calling himself Taln is actually Rayse. I am going to headcanon this so hard, I'll make it real. Edited March 1, 2016 by Argent 5
Oversleep Posted March 2, 2016 Posted March 2, 2016 Yeah, there are some theories. But how about this. Taln, broken by his torture, snaps and kills Rayse, Ascending to Odium. "Three of the fixteen ruled", but Honor is not Splintered, Rayse is dead, and Cultivation is staying aside, while Taln, "the Broken One reigns." Plot. Twist! EDIT: Double plot twist, Taln doesn't kill Rayse, he switched minds with him. The man calling himself Taln is actually Rayse. I am going to headcanon this so hard, I'll make it real. Here ya go.
Argent he/him Posted March 2, 2016 Posted March 2, 2016 (edited) Well, now I feel dumb... I really felt this was so wonky and outrageous, nobody had thought of it before. Edited March 2, 2016 by Argent
ParadoxicalZen he/him Posted March 2, 2016 Posted March 2, 2016 Think I asked this a while ago and rafo'd
IndigoAjah he/him Posted March 2, 2016 Posted March 2, 2016 Reign and Rule mean different things- reigning is passive (like the Queen of England) and ruling active. So I'm pretty sure Honor is the Reigning Shard, looking at the way the Alethi are the leading nation and with the leading religion of the planet. He is revered, but as he is dead he can no longer rule and help. Odium is off planet and both he and Cultivation have seemed fairly hands off for the last few millennia, though that may be completely wrong 1
GenericMastermindAnt Posted March 6, 2016 Author Posted March 6, 2016 Well, now I feel dumb... I really felt this was so wonky and outrageous, nobody had thought of it before. 1-upmanship time: Adonalsium was able to be killed by the weapon the 16 used - Hoid - in spite of the fact Hoid says in one of Shallan's flashbacks that he is (paraphrasing, can't find the exact quote) terrible at hurting people, and that he blames his upbringing for it, because Adonalsium was just Bela (thanks for that one, forgotten 17th sharder), the horse from WoT. This bit of uber headcanon includes another of my crackpot, little-to-no-proof theories, that Hoid is the weapon that killed Adonalsium.
Recommended Posts