moptop Posted February 8, 2017 Report Share Posted February 8, 2017 Hi guys, I recently began rereading Words of Radiance and I have a question about Skybreakers. We know that the Skybreakers now are specifically targeting criminals that can surgebind. Is this because their herald is ordering them to focus on surgebinders (or for some other reason)? Or can any individual Skybreaker choose to pursue the crime/criminal s/he deems most important? On the one hand, no one law or crime is more important than any other (unless the law itself says so). But on the other hand, wasting time chasing petty criminals when there is a serial killer on the loose is not practical in any functioning society, and therefore perhaps it is implicit within every law that policemen focus on the crime deemed most important. Plus, it seems that the Skybreakers are choosing which crimes to focus on. My second question is: Do Skybreakers choose which punishment a criminal will suffer? From the fact that they are now killing all the surgebinders they find, no matter how minor the crime, it seems that the choice is up to them. And what if the law itself includes the punishment (as is the case with most law systems, both modern and ancient)? If they are allowed to decide the appropriate punishment, this means that a Skybreaker can decide that the exact same crime can be handled extremely differently depending on the situation. For example, someone stealing from a noble to feed his/her starving family can be treated very differently than someone stealing for other reasons. The choice of the appropriate punishment can actually give Skybreakers a lot of power. To summarize I have two questions: Can Skybreakers choose which crimes have the most priority? And are they then allowed to decide the appropriate punishment? I'm looking forward to all your thoughts. Thanks in advance! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blightsong he/him Posted February 8, 2017 Report Share Posted February 8, 2017 3 minutes ago, moptop said: Hi guys, I recently began rereading Words of Radiance and I have a question about Skybreakers. We know that the Skybreakers now are specifically targeting criminals that can surgebind. Is this because their herald is ordering them to focus on surgebinders (or for some other reason)? Or can any individual Skybreaker choose to pursue the crime/criminal s/he deems most important? On the one hand, no one law or crime is more important than any other (unless the law itself says so). But on the other hand, wasting time chasing petty criminals when there is a serial killer on the loose is not practical in any functioning society, and therefore perhaps it is implicit within every law that policemen focus on the crime deemed most important. Plus, it seems that the Skybreakers are choosing which crimes to focus on. My second question is: Do Skybreakers choose which punishment a criminal will suffer? From the fact that they are now killing all the surgebinders they find, no matter how minor the crime, it seems that the choice is up to them. And what if the law itself includes the punishment (as is the case with most law systems, both modern and ancient)? If they are allowed to decide the appropriate punishment, this means that a Skybreaker can decide that the exact same crime can be handled extremely differently depending on the situation. For example, someone stealing from a noble to feed his/her starving family can be treated very differently than someone stealing for other reasons. The choice of the appropriate punishment can actually give Skybreakers a lot of power. To summarize I have two questions: Can Skybreakers choose which crimes have the most priority? And are they then allowed to decide the appropriate punishment? I'm looking forward to all your thoughts. Thanks in advance! I feel you haven't read Edgedancer, read that. It answers you question at least partially. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moptop Posted February 8, 2017 Author Report Share Posted February 8, 2017 3 minutes ago, Blightsong said: I feel you haven't read Edgedancer, read that. It answers you question at least partially. You are right. I did not read it yet, but now I am that much more excited. Thanks! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocHoliday he/him Posted February 8, 2017 Report Share Posted February 8, 2017 2 hours ago, moptop said: Hi guys, I recently began rereading Words of Radiance and I have a question about Skybreakers. We know that the Skybreakers now are specifically targeting criminals that can surgebind. Is this because their herald is ordering them to focus on surgebinders (or for some other reason)? Or can any individual Skybreaker choose to pursue the crime/criminal s/he deems most important? On the one hand, no one law or crime is more important than any other (unless the law itself says so). But on the other hand, wasting time chasing petty criminals when there is a serial killer on the loose is not practical in any functioning society, and therefore perhaps it is implicit within every law that policemen focus on the crime deemed most important. Plus, it seems that the Skybreakers are choosing which crimes to focus on. My second question is: Do Skybreakers choose which punishment a criminal will suffer? From the fact that they are now killing all the surgebinders they find, no matter how minor the crime, it seems that the choice is up to them. And what if the law itself includes the punishment (as is the case with most law systems, both modern and ancient)? If they are allowed to decide the appropriate punishment, this means that a Skybreaker can decide that the exact same crime can be handled extremely differently depending on the situation. For example, someone stealing from a noble to feed his/her starving family can be treated very differently than someone stealing for other reasons. The choice of the appropriate punishment can actually give Skybreakers a lot of power. To summarize I have two questions: Can Skybreakers choose which crimes have the most priority? And are they then allowed to decide the appropriate punishment? I'm looking forward to all your thoughts. Thanks in advance! As Blightsong said, EdgeDancer answers some of your questions. However you also raise a good point about interpretation of the law on the Skybreakers part. It's a slippery slope that edges towards doing whats "right" in a given situation. The thing that bothers me about this lateral interpretation is it (in my mind) encroaches on Wind Runner Ideals. "Right" doesn't mean legal kolo? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moptop Posted February 8, 2017 Author Report Share Posted February 8, 2017 9 minutes ago, DocHoliday said: It's a slippery slope that edges towards doing whats "right" in a given situation. The thing that bothers me about this lateral interpretation is it (in my mind) encroaches on Wind Runner Ideals. "Right" doesn't mean legal kolo? That's what I was thinking. Maybe the difference between a Windrunner and Skybreaker is that if it's illegal, no matter why the person performed the crime (such as the example I posted previously), the Skybreaker would consider it wrong and make it stop. S/he might just have leeway on the exact punishment. Btw, what does kolo stand for? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blightsong he/him Posted February 8, 2017 Report Share Posted February 8, 2017 7 minutes ago, moptop said: That's what I was thinking. Maybe the difference between a Windrunner and Skybreaker is that if it's illegal, no matter why the person performed the crime (such as the example I posted previously), the Skybreaker would consider it wrong and make it stop. S/he might just have leeway on the exact punishment. Btw, what does kolo stand for? Kolo is a piece of slang that one of the characters in Elantris uses. I agree. Just because an order is of Honor doesn't make it benevolent or just in the average person's philosophy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jofwu he/him Posted February 8, 2017 Report Share Posted February 8, 2017 10 hours ago, moptop said: Btw, what does kolo stand for? kolo? = understand? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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