A random theory - Shallan & Ghostbloods

[Killik he/him]

So I have a random theory, I don't think it would have any ramifications on the story if true, but is a fun thought to me.  And perhaps someone here will make a connection I haven't seen yet.

While re-reading WoR I was wondering how Lin Davar got the attention of the Ghostbloods in the first place.  The Davars are essentially an unimportant family in Jah Keved, as quoted by Shallan at least once.  How did Lin convince the Ghostbloods to give him their soulcaster to gain power within Jah Keved?  Sure he would be indebted to the Ghostbloods if he rose to the kingship, a very powerful tool for them to have, but they could have done that with any family, why the Davars?

Because they knew Shallan was a budding radiant and a hold on the Davar family would give them an edge on at least one radiant order when they began rising to power.  

Quote

It started when she found out what I could do.  She remembered it now.  Her mother's arrival, with a friend Shallan didn't recognize, to confront her father.  Her mother's shouts, arguing with her father.  Mother calling Shallan one of them.

Shallan's mother figured out what she was and died trying to kill her.  This allowed her father to recognize Shallan's powers and use this to gain the attention of the Ghostbloods.  I think Mraize was able to connect Shallan with Veil sometime between the mission to get information on Talan and the march onto the plains.  This is why he risked going out with the army rather than staying, he knew a Radiant would be his best bet to find the Oathgate.

Quote

You led me on a grand hunt, Veil, Mraize said.  If your abilities had not been manifest during the course of saving the army, I perhaps never would have located your false identity.

Kindly ignore that this seems to contradict the theory.  i choose to believe that Mraize is underplaying his knowledge so as to keep an edge on Shallan.  He states he already guessed at Veil's powers.

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Will you hide the true nature of your powers?  I was able to guess what they are, but others will not be so knowledgeable.

I think that this may also be why the Sons of Honor accepted Helaran into their ranks and gave him a shardblade.  I have seen a few theories that he may have been bonding a spren himself, but I like this better.

Anyways, what do you think?

[Stormgate he/him]

It is definitely possible, but unable to be confirmed at this point. Have an upvote anyway!

[Oversleep]

I think that perhaps Ghostbloods took interest in them because the other society Shallan's mother was part of already did.

7 minutes ago, Killik said:

I think that this may also be why the Sons of Honor accepted Helaran into their ranks and gave him a shardblade.

According to Mraize, Helaran was part of Nalan's Skybreakers. And Helaran attacked Amaram who himself is part of Sons Of Honor, so Helaran definitely wasn't part of Sons Of Honor (although Amaram thought those were Ghostbloods who attacked him).

[Toaster Retribution he/him]

^^^You know nothing, Meridas Amaram.

I guess the theory is plausible... the "why the Davar family?" is a good question.

[Argel he/him]

It could explain Mraize's line about why he should have figured out Shallan was Veil sooner as well.

[dvoraen]

I figured Mraize was very clear that the Davar family had been involved with the Ghostbloods for quite some time; the way he says it made me think 'generations'.  We know very little of Shallan's mother, and it seems fairly obvious to me that she was one of them.  Why she would go after her own daughter is probably going to be the major question that Shallan will have to wrestle with before she hits her final truth, to say nothing of how Mraize will try to manipulate her by dangling tidbits in front of her before Shallan finally snaps.

[Killik he/him]

15 hours ago, Oversleep said:

I think that perhaps Ghostbloods took interest in them because the other society Shallan's mother was part of already did.

According to Mraize, Helaran was part of Nalan's Skybreakers. And Helaran attacked Amaram who himself is part of Sons Of Honor, so Helaran definitely wasn't part of Sons Of Honor (although Amaram thought those were Ghostbloods who attacked him).

You are correct, Helara = Skybreakers.  I remember that clearly now, I was hurried in my post and didn't look this up.  

[Killik he/him]

6 hours ago, dvoraen said:

I figured Mraize was very clear that the Davar family had been involved with the Ghostbloods for quite some time; the way he says it made me think 'generations'.  We know very little of Shallan's mother, and it seems fairly obvious to me that she was one of them.  Why she would go after her own daughter is probably going to be the major question that Shallan will have to wrestle with before she hits her final truth, to say nothing of how Mraize will try to manipulate her by dangling tidbits in front of her before Shallan finally snaps.

On the family history, I saw this too but just a bit further on Mraize asked Shallan "Why did your father join us?" This hints to me that there were other reasons other than 'family tradition'.

I'm not sure about Shallan's mother being a Ghostblood.  The Ghostblood's dont seem to have an agenda of killing radiants, just Jashna.  I do agree that she was probably involved in some group though.

[Argel he/him]

3 hours ago, Killik said:

The Ghostblood's dont seem to have an agenda of killing radiants, just Jashna

And if -- a big huge "if" -- Mraize is telling the truth, then Jasnah sent assassins after them first. That Jasnah is a KR may have nothing to do with it. They also go after Amaram, not the herald. 

Shallan's mother was horrified about her being a KR, so that seems to rule out the Sons of Honor and it seems like the Ghostbloods would be indifferent to considering it a plus. The Diagram doesn't exist yet, and Skybreakers seem like a stretch, though maybe that explains Helleran's connection to them.

With that said, the Vorin religion is popualt in Jah Kaved, so her mother could have just been very religious. 

[Erklitt she/her]

2 hours ago, Argel said:

And if -- a big huge "if" -- Mraize is telling the truth, then Jasnah sent assassins after them first. That Jasnah is a KR may have nothing to do with it. They also go after Amaram, not the herald. 

Shallan's mother was horrified about her being a KR, so that seems to rule out the Sons of Honor and it seems like the Ghostbloods would be indifferent to considering it a plus. The Diagram doesn't exist yet, and Skybreakers seem like a stretch, though maybe that explains Helleran's connection to them.

With that said, the Vorin religion is popualt in Jah Kaved, so her mother could have just been very religious. 

Not that I believe Mraize to be the most honest character, but in this case I think he probably told the truth. Gavilar as a Son of Honor seems to have been expecting an assassination attempt from the Ghostbloods: Thaidakar is the first one he thinks of as Szeth's likely employer. Jasnah with her whole troop of assassins probably got wind of that in some measure.

I have no proof whatsoever, but my gut sais Shallan's mother was something different from just a devout Vorin believer. That 'friend' she brought to kill Shallan sounds like some contact from an esoteric  group, and anyway, killing your own child? I cannot imagine that being an option in any case in Vorinism, not even when the child turns out to be a surgebinder. After all Vorinism is all about bettering oneself, growing towards worthy goals and the attributes of the Almighty. What kind of group Shallan's mother was part of, however, is beyond me at the moment. In fact, from the parties we know so far, Nalan's perverted Skybreakers (who I think are not the true order) would fit best with their overall anti-surgebinder campaign.

Edited August 2, 2016 by Erklitt

[Argel he/him]

7 hours ago, Erklitt said:

In fact, from the parties we know so far, Nalan's perverted Skybreakers (who I think are not the true order) would fit best with their overall anti-surgebinder campaign.

I agree. The problem is why is Shallan still alive? If her mother was not a major player then maybe they just never followed up on it. But if she brought in help... Just seems odd no one followed up on what happened. Well, from any organization, now that I think about it.  Yeah, something seems off about it.

[Erklitt she/her]

8 hours ago, Argel said:

I agree. The problem is why is Shallan still alive? If her mother was not a major player then maybe they just never followed up on it. But if she brought in help... Just seems odd no one followed up on what happened. Well, from any organization, now that I think about it.  Yeah, something seems off about it.

Good question. I imagine one way it could work is if Shallan's mother wasn't really in the group, just either interested in their cause or romantically involved with a member (or both - the former possibly a consequence of the latter). Anyway she told only one member about Shallan, who went home with her without talking to anyone else about it. If Lin got rid of the stranger's body, that group might now just have a missing member but no idea about Shallan's existence. The highprince's bastard investigating the murder seems only interested in the death of 'a lighteyed woman', so the second death might never have been widely known.

[Killik he/him]

Or perhaps said group did follow up on Shallan.  As she repressed the memories and her bond with Pattern was weakened, she didn't show any more signs of surgebinding until arriving in Kharbranth.  The group could have written it off as a false lead.

[Argel he/him]

Good point about a false lead.