Chasmfiend Theories

[Lightspine]

So during the prelude to the Stormlight Archive, there is a slight clue as to the nature of the parshendi because it mentions orange blood spilled across the battlefield. I think there is another clue because it mentions purple blood in the same phrase. The only creatures on Roshar known to have purple blood are chasmfiends, this seems to indicate that they participated in Aherietiam. (I'm new to this site so things like this may have been pointed out already)

Thoughts? I have a crazy thought myself so I'm seeing if you guys have better.

(This is also backed up by the depiction of a chasmfiend labled as a Voidbringer.)

[Farnsworth]

First, welcome to the forums!

 

I think that the warform carapace is probably similar to the chasmfiend carapace. The Parshendi point out at in a quote at the beginning of a chapter that their minds are closer to the realm of the spren - the cognitive realm -  and that is why they get their forms. The Chasmfiends have gravityspren around them, which might have something to do with their connection with the spren. Maybe Chamfiends are closer to he cognitive realm?

 

Also, the gemstones tied into the Parshendi beards might be related to the gemhearts, although it's kind of a long shot.

[Oversleep]

Maybe chasmfiends also get possessed with voidspren, thus becoming Vodibringers?

[Lightspine]

Maybe chasmfiends also get possessed with voidspren, thus becoming Vodibringers?

They are already bonded to the spren who follow them around, making this possible. Scary thought: the Everstorm making stormspren bond with chasmfiends, and storm form chasmfiends all over the shattered plains. Prob wouldn't work like that. 

I just thought of another theory: on Scadrial, Ruin is able to control people who have been pierced by metal, and people bonded with stormspren are controlled by Odium. What if this also works for whatever spren chasmfiends bond to? Those allow them to grow to such size, and looking at the Greatshells in the Reshi Sea, it looks like they could be related in some way to Cultivation. The prelude specifically mentions red, orange, and violet blood. Three types. Red for men, fighting for Homor, Orange for the forces of Odium... Purple for the chasmfiends fighting for... Cultivation, controlled by their spren bond?

Edited March 28, 2016 by Lightspine

[Lightspine]

First, welcome to the forums!

 

I think that the warform carapace is probably similar to the chasmfiend carapace. The Parshendi point out at in a quote at the beginning of a chapter that their minds are closer to the realm of the spren - the cognitive realm -  and that is why they get their forms. The Chasmfiends have gravityspren around them, which might have something to do with their connection with the spren. Maybe Chamfiends are closer to he cognitive realm?

 

Also, the gemstones tied into the Parshendi beards might be related to the gemhearts, although it's kind of a long shot.

Thanks!

 

Are you sure those are gravityspren? I remember those being mentioned as something different. (I think it was Kaladin or someone thinking about Szeth and mentioning spren attracted to large objects)

[Cam]

We know that the parshendi discourage disturbance of their dead, and that bridgemen on chasm duty are among the only humans who interact with parshendi corpses.

We also know that regular parshmen attend to their own dead and let humans have nothing to do with it.

What if Parshfolk have Gemhearts?

[baby he/him]

Well, the only gem we've seen on their body is woven into their beard, so that doesn't seem like a gem heart. Kaladin & Co. have already desecrated countless corpses, they'd probably mention finding gems actually in the body.

[Cam]

But they don't search inside the body, only outside.

But yes, surely someone has autopsied several, and would have noticed by now.

[Jondesu he/him]

But they don't search inside the body, only outside.

But yes, surely someone has autopsied several, and would have noticed by now.

I was actually pretty sure I heard it mentioned that no one had bothered doing anything with the bodies of the dead Parshendi, in a conversation with Dalinar or someone (but I may be mixing that up with the greatshells).  Even the Parshmen bury their own dead, and it's about the only thing they actually seem to care about without instruction from someone else.

 

jW

[Farnsworth]

I don't think the beard gemstones mean much. I might be wrong, but I think that since only the males can wear them, and the males don't have any powers that the females don't, it's probably just for appearance.

[Pathfinder]

But they don't search inside the body, only outside.

But yes, surely someone has autopsied several, and would have noticed by now.

But doesn't Kaladin end up wearing their bones on his armor and shield? You would kind of need to see inside a body, if you intend to strip the flesh from the bone to then bleach it and wear it. 

[Farnsworth]

Yes, so they don't have gemhearts. But, that doesn't change the odd connection between the parshendi beard gems and warform carapace, and the chamfiends gemhearts and shell.

[Pathfinder]

Yes, so they don't have gemhearts. But, that doesn't change the odd connection between the parshendi beard gems and warform carapace, and the chamfiends gemhearts and shell.

But only the males have the beard and wear the gems. Though you could say they work in pairs so the femalan would benefit from it, but what happens if the malan of a pair dies?

[Farnsworth]

Two possibilities:

 

1:

The gemstones don't do anything that is physically visible. Maybe the femalan loses something, but because we've only seen Parshendi die in battle, almost exclusively from the Alethi perspective, we only see what physcially happens.

 

2:

The females have the gems somewhere else. Maybe their clothes?

[baby he/him]

But Alethkar has some of the most advanced surgery in Roshar, I find it hard to believe that not even one corpse was dissected. 

Edited March 28, 2016 by Onceler

[Farnsworth]

So the femalen probably have it somewhere outside their body, like their clothes. Or, they have something that serves the same function as gemstones

Edited March 28, 2016 by Figberts

[Pathfinder]

But eshonai never comments on having them herself or any other femalan. I would think if it was important in the way you posit, then why only mention it for the malan even from the races own perspective?

[natc]

All this magic is damaging our ability to just pass the wearing of gemstones off as being for purposes of jewelry, I reckon.

[Lightspine]

All this magic is damaging our ability to just pass the wearing of gemstones off as being for purposes of jewelry, I reckon.

I'm sure it was pretty clear anyway that the parshendi bond to spren by being closer to the cognitive realm, not by using gemhearts. Another example of this I think would be the skyeel: they almost definitely do not have gemhearts, yet those same spren follow them around.

[hoidhunter he/him]

Well, regardless of whether or not Parshendi have gemhearts...I would say that the similarity between the two (that may account for chasmfiends fighting with voidbringers) is that the chasmfiends pupate during highstorms to change between juvenile and adult forms.  Just like how parshendi go out into high storms in order to change forms.  I assume that somewhere we are going to find out that the everstorm turns chasmfiends bad as well.

[Sunbird she/her]

I assume that somewhere we are going to find out that the everstorm turns chasmfiends bad as well.

 

You mean worse than they already were??

[C. James-Mayer he/him]

Red for men, fighting for Homor, Orange for the forces of Odium... Purple for the chasmfiends fighting for... Cultivation, controlled by their spren bond?

 

I'm not really convinced about that. If we are going to talk about colors, I feel more like orange for Cultivation and purple for Odium. It seems more suitable aesthetically to me.

 

In addition, blood color may not mean much...

 

Actually, the only thing that it means for sure is that everything and everyone is participating in the Desolations, we just don't know their parts and sides.

[cloudjumper he/him]

Thanks!

 

Are you sure those are gravityspren? I remember those being mentioned as something different. (I think it was Kaladin or someone thinking about Szeth and mentioning spren attracted to large objects)

Those are bondspren or bindspren.

[Lightspine]

Those are bondspren or bindspren.

No, I meant another time, when he said scientists had observed spren attracted to large objects.

[Vissy]

Perhaps the chasmfiends are Voidbringers, and the Desolations have already begun dozens of years ago. People are just so advanced that they're not civilization-level threats any longer.