[OB] The Dustbringer

[aemetha he/him]

I think brave and obedient may not be guiding principles in the case of dustbringers, just the perspective of someone witnessing them at war. If you need to send someone to fight an intimidating enemy, who better than someone who lives to "break what is around them. They want to know what is inside."? To someone watching, they appear perfect soldiers, following orders and showing no fear. In reality it is a means to a mutually desired end. From the perspective of the dustbringer, they aren't being brave and obedient, they are being unleashed.

Dalinar is a bondsmith, but if the blackthorn from his flashbacks was a radiant, he'd be a dustbringer.

[Salkara]

I really want to know what's up with Malata.

• Speaks Veden
• Wears "Thaylen merchant clothing" and two gloves
• Seems to know something about what happened to the Radiants
• Claims she is not bound to Taravangian

Is she Thaylen? I can't find any mention of her eyebrows. Her speech patterns don't seem very Thaylen. If she is Thaylen, where did she learn to speak Veden? If she isn't Thaylen, where did she come from? Did she actually use Taravangian to get to Urithiru, or is she trying to hide her status as a Diagramist? What's up with her gloves and weird hair? Does she actually know what didn't work out for the Radiants last time, or was that just idle chat?

So much that I want to know!

[Aleksiel]

Vargo claimed to have met her in Jah Keved, so she's probably veden like Shallan. Trading is acceptable for both genders, so she could have been a thaylen merchant apprentice like Rysn.

[bo.montier]

22 hours ago, The One Who Connects said:

Given the usage of "apricity"(which my computer's spellcheck doesn't consider as a word, for the record), I'm not exactly surprised there's more obsolete things being used. A little unhappy, but not surprised.

Ah, that makes so much more sense. I couldn't figure out what "likeapricity" meant.

[bo.montier]

4 hours ago, The Invested Beard said:

It's okay. I keep accidentally switching out Nightwatcher with Nightmother. Stinkin' Dark Brotherhood.

Yes, I also do this. I didn't even realize I was doing it until you pointed it out just now.

[Ryder]

3 minutes ago, bo.montier said:

Yes, I also do this. I didn't even realize I was doing it until you pointed it out just now.

And to add to the confusion there's Re-Shephir, the Midnight Mother as well.

[bo.montier]

Just now, Ryder said:

And to add to the confusion there's Re-Shephir, the Midnight Mother as well.

Yeah...Wow...man.

And some spren call the Night...watcher? mother, so...

[Toaster Retribution he/him]

I think Malata is from Jah Keved. If she is Thaylen... well, we have so many strange Thaylens already. The Thaylen Queen, Mraize and Mrall. 

[Steeldancer he/him]

21 hours ago, Toaster Retribution said:

I think Malata is from Jah Keved. If she is Thaylen... well, we have so many strange Thaylens already. The Thaylen Queen, Mraize and Mrall. 

You would think people who cultivate their eyebrows to amazing length are anything but weird? 

[The Invested Beard]

Long facial hair doesn't make you wierd. It does help though.

[Siaun Sanche she/her]

On 10/24/2017 at 10:57 AM, Toaster Retribution said:

Anyone who has any ideas about Malata now? She calls Shallan sister, and seems genuinely interested in the Radiants, but she doesn't seem to be too fond of the Alethi leadership, or trust them when it comes to the Desolation. She smells power-hungry to me. 

I've been thinking a bit about Malata, and since nothing seems like a better use of my time than coming up with a long post that will likely be invalid in ten hours, here goes: I think Malata is doing exactly what Taravangian wants her to do, and that she's off-putting to the protagonists for a good reason. I base this on the supposition that Taravangian probably doesn't offer rides through the Oathgate to just anybody, particularly if it's somebody who might help his enemies.

Let's take a step back and examine where Taravangian's plans vis-a-vis Alethkar are. The Diagram is clear: Alethkar must not be allowed to unite under another's leadership, and if Dalinar seems likely to do it, then Dalinar needs to be assassinated. However, Szeth failed (twice!) to kill Dalinar, and now is beyond Taravangian's grasp. What's more, the next assassin would need fight multiple Radiants at once plus whatever Shardbearers that Dalinar had at hand, and only one Radiant was sufficient to defeat Szeth at the height of his powers. So the idea of Taravangian sending another assassin after Dalinar seems a little unlikely. He'll need to find another angle of attack.

Meanwhile. Dalinar's made big strides in consolidating his power in Urithiru. Elhokar has acknowledged his leadership, three other Highprinces joined forces with him, his most implacable enemy is dead and his living rivals are on the defensive at the moment. Taravangian needs to rebuild Jah Keved from the civil war, so he can't move against Alethkar now, and by the time that he's ready to do so, he could be facing Dalinar with the full support of the Alethis behind him. That would mean trouble. So if killing Dalinar isn't an option and war isn't an option, then what is? Political opposition. Hence, Malata.

Malata seems off-putting to Dalinar and Shallan because she radiates contempt for their mission and doesn't buy into the whole Desolation business at all. That's no way to win over Dalinar or anybody who likes Dalinar, to be sure. But there are people in Urithiru who would love to have an honest-to-god Knight Radiant saying that there's no Desolation, this is just Dalinar ginning up a story for his own purposes. It lends them credibility--this isn't just the House Sadeas line, here's a Veden Releaser who knows all about this sort of thing, an honest broker who can (allegedly) look at things impartially. She also could help to shape their opposition in ways that would best serve Taravangian's plans, and serve as valuable muscle when violence is required. All of this would be to keep Alethkar divided until such time as Taravangian was prepared to make an overt move against them.

At the moment, I take her to be feeling out the others to see who might be serve as the locus of opposition in Urithiru. Hence why she tried to make friends with Shallan, who is the only non-Alethi and who put herself off to the side. Next I imagine she'll try sounding out the local brightlords and highprinces, and soon enough find her way into Ialai's orbit. There she'll make no end of trouble.

[Toaster Retribution he/him]

@Harry the Heir Well-put idea, I like it.