[OB] Wait! Gavilar's assassination still makes no sense

[king of nowhere]

Ok, in the oathbringer prologue we've learned why the listeners had gavilar killed, and it certainly made a lot of sense. And here we think we found the answers; but when we look past the surface, we are actually left with more questions than before.

1) Why was szeth ordered to be seen? If the only purpose was to stop the return of odium and his spren, then there was no reason to attract attention.They could have ordered szeth to kill gavilar in secret - and, if they cared about human lives, they should have done so to minimize casualties anyway. In fact, if gavilar had been murdered by an unseen shardbearer in his chambers, nobody would have blamed the parshendi, which would have saved a lot of trouble. And since all the ruckus let gavialr prepare for battle, it means it also sabotaged the chances of a successful assassination. Why would the parshendi sabotage themselves? What can be so important about szeth being seen?

2) Why wasn't szeth ordered to recover the gem? Securing it was crucial to the effort of preventing gavilar to return those spren. Especially since eshonai saw gavilar with other people, so she knew gavilar had accomplices; killing gavilar would achieve nothing, if those accomplices were free to keep on with his agenda. recovering the sphere would at least have slowed them down.

3) Why acknowledge the assassination? Ok, maybe the parshendi just had a strong sense of honor, but really, it looks like they were striving for the destruction of their people. A shin shardbearer attacks the alethi king, who would suspect the parshendi? Ok, he was seen among their servants, but they could prove that they only bought the man that day, so he could have easily been a plant. Everyone acknowledges that the assassination makes no sense. Nobody would have seriously accudes the parshendi if they hadn't admitted the fact themselves.

I can't find any plausible answer to those questions, but I now believe we've not seen the end of surprises from the prologues.

[Calderis he/him]

3 hours ago, king of nowhere said:

1) Why was szeth ordered to be seen? If the only purpose was to stop the return of odium and his spren, then there was no reason to attract attention.They could have ordered szeth to kill gavilar in secret - and, if they cared about human lives, they should have done so to minimize casualties anyway. In fact, if gavilar had been murdered by an unseen shardbearer in his chambers, nobody would have blamed the parshendi, which would have saved a lot of trouble. And since all the ruckus let gavialr prepare for battle, it means it also sabotaged the chances of a successful assassination. Why would the parshendi sabotage themselves? What can be so important about szeth being seen?

This is answered in the book. It's cultural. The Parshendi don't believe in sending assassins in secret. A man should see when someone is coming to kill them. It's a very traditionally honorable thing, which I find hilarious. The irony that the race that that has no influence from Honor is more honorable is wonderfully sweet. 

3 hours ago, king of nowhere said:

2) Why wasn't szeth ordered to recover the gem? Securing it was crucial to the effort of preventing gavilar to return those spren. Especially since eshonai saw gavilar with other people, so she knew gavilar had accomplices; killing gavilar would achieve nothing, if those accomplices were free to keep on with his agenda. recovering the sphere would at least have slowed them down.

In the finished version, he gives them a gem, and does not mention the other. Why would he be ordered to recover something that they don't know he has, and is a symbol of everything they fear? They don't want it. 

3 hours ago, king of nowhere said:

3) Why acknowledge the assassination? Ok, maybe the parshendi just had a strong sense of honor, but really, it looks like they were striving for the destruction of their people. A shin shardbearer attacks the alethi king, who would suspect the parshendi? Ok, he was seen among their servants, but they could prove that they only bought the man that day, so he could have easily been a plant. Everyone acknowledges that the assassination makes no sense. Nobody would have seriously accudes the parshendi if they hadn't admitted the fact themselves.

See my answer to question one. They are similar, but they aren't human, and they're values and motivations differ from ours. If you put yourself in their mindset it makes perfect contextual sense. 

3 hours ago, king of nowhere said:

I can't find any plausible answer to those questions, but I now believe we've not seen the end of surprises from the prologues.

I think the answers are very straight forward but I do believe that there are more surprises. Just mainly not from the Parshendi. 

The ones that do remain there are who orchestrated Szeth's delivery to the (the voice. Seriously) and how did Gavilar know so much about their past and still so little of their culture? 

The Parshendi were pretty obviously manipulated here by someone/something who does understand them. 

Edited September 1, 2017 by Calderis

[king of nowhere]

@ Calderis: I am aware those are the answers given in the book. But they still make no sense, and seem unnecessarily convoluted. They seem exactly the kind of answers that are given to pave the way for some deeper revelation. Especially considering who's the guy writing the books. Because until we see in excruciating detail everything that went on behind the scenes, I'm going to consider the idea that those guys started an unnecessary war with the world's main power... when they could have achieved all their goals without war... just for honor and tradition... highly suspicious to say the least.

At the very least, venli, influenced by odium, influenced the decision. That's the smallest of the secrets that could possibly be underneath the assassination's modus operandi.

[1stBondsmith he/him]

1 hour ago, king of nowhere said:

At the very least, venli, influenced by odium, influenced the decision. That's the smallest of the secrets that could possibly be underneath the assassination's modus operandi.

That is what came to my mind with her being part of hiring Szeth. Very hard to see why they would want the blame, unless it would take their threatened destruction to be the tipping point to recall Storm Form and activate the Everstorme. 

[Calderis he/him]

2 hours ago, king of nowhere said:

At the very least, venli, influenced by odium, influenced the decision. That's the smallest of the secrets that could possibly be underneath the assassination's modus operandi.

9 minutes ago, 1stBondsmith said:

That is what came to my mind with her being part of hiring Szeth. Very hard to see why they would want the blame, unless it would take their threatened destruction to be the tipping point to recall Storm Form and activate the Everstorme. 

Unless Venli has an accomplice in The Five, she was not a part of the vote, and therefore not a part of the assassination decision. 

[1stBondsmith he/him]

Good point. IIRC, she and one of the 5 went to get the slave. Seems a close tie there for a scholar. She may also have been part of the instructions to  the slave and not the vote itself.

Edited September 1, 2017 by 1stBondsmith
typos

[king of nowhere]

3 hours ago, Calderis said:

Unless Venli has an accomplice in The Five, she was not a part of the vote, and therefore not a part of the assassination decision. 

She didn't vote, but she certainly was a close confidant to one of the voters (eshonai mentions she was given a vote because of her knowledge of humans) and she could have swayed the vote by arguments alone.

I suppose it is possible that the mode of assassination was nothing but the decision of an unsophisitcated tribe who lacked the political savy to figure out the consequences. Maybe they never realized that if they did not escape and denied any involvment in the assassination, they would have most likely been believed. Maybe they assumed that those of their leaders who remained behind to be executed would be enough to placate the alethi. Not completely outside the real of possibility, but it still seems too contrived to not have a deeper explanation.

[FiveLate]

I am just waiting for the Listeners Song of Global Destruction and Genocide.....it will have the answers we seek.

[+Ravioli]

I'm pretty sure the Listeners were trying to aim the Alethi anger at them and keep them away from discovering what their king was up to. If they were distracted by this war they wouldn't be trying to resurrect the Radiants/Voidbringers. They were willing to sacrifice their people so that world would not be plunged into that madness once again.