[OB] Evi's boon?

[retrorocket1]

So I just had this random thought. What if dalinars memory loss isn't dalinars curse but rather evi's boon.

My thought is like this:

The stormfather insists he isn't the reason dalinar has regained his memory.

Let us assume this is true for now.

Navani insists that nobody has ever lost there boon or curse and that it has always been for life.

Let us also assume this is true.

So why is he regaining his memories? I think it is because the boon and curse aren't his.

Evi wanted Dalinar to lose his bloodlust, and because of what he did in some battle, possibly the one we just saw having killed his own soldiers, Evi goes to the nightwatcher and makes a request that he be the man she hopes for, free of bloodlust and hate. Her curse being that he would forget about her.

he is regaining memories because she is actually dead now when she was just thought dead before.

Edited October 24, 2017 by retrorocket1

[Knabepicer]

Has the Nightwatcher ever granted a boon that specifically affected someone else?

[retrorocket1]

That is a good point and honestly i don't know, the nightwatcher seems like she would have the power to do so, but the question is does her magic allow it? I am thinking so because in a way it has to do with connection between dalinar and evi so if the boon/curse is related to connection then perhaps the nightwatcher severs the connection between dalinar and his wife.

 

Not quite satisfied with the above because it would require connection to be added to dalinar too i would assume.

[Dahak he/him]

2 hours ago, Knabepicer said:

Has the Nightwatcher ever granted a boon that specifically affected someone else?

IIRC The only boon or curse we've heard of that wasn't totally internal to the visitor was that set of carpets the farmer got.

 

[retrorocket1]

30 minutes ago, Dahak said:

IIRC The only boon or curse we've heard of that wasn't totally internal to the visitor was that set of carpets the farmer got.

 

While this is true, we have to keep in mind that dalinar only thinks he knows his boon/curse, we are assuming that the people aren't being misled in regard to memories of what they asked for, which in dalinars case is true considering he has only assumed he knew his boon/curse as per his internal dialogue, yet he speaks as if this is definitely true to navani.

Given that we hardly know anything about the nightwatchers powers except that either the curse or boon is cognitive in nature as per lift and seemingly taravangian.We were told that the boon is similarly limited, but that could be sanderson playing with us with what we thought were curses actually being blessings and him saying they are similar to themselves. I wouldn't put it past him.

Though personally I think the boons are spiritual in nature, and when the guy says he got a set of carpets, it was actually manipulation of connection to get somebody to gift them to the guy who got the carpets.

^similarly I think dalinar's spiritual connections were altered in such a way that he both forgot evi and was set on a path that removed the bloodlust from him and put him on the right path as per evi's desire.

[Govir]

Something has always bothered me about Dalinar and the Nightwatcher: when did Dalinar visit the Nightwatcher? The way it is spoken of is that there's a specific place that you have to go, and it's not a short trip. When would Dalinar have had the time to do that, and in such a way that no one seems to know about it (or at least, no one ever brings it up).

 

EDIT: Actually, isn't there talk of Dalinar having to do penance / a fine to the Vorin church for having visited the Nightwatcher? Or was that just a general thing that was mentioned?

Edited October 24, 2017 by Govir
Added question

[Salkara]

1 hour ago, Govir said:

Something has always bothered me about Dalinar and the Nightwatcher: when did Dalinar visit the Nightwatcher? The way it is spoken of is that there's a specific place that you have to go, and it's not a short trip. When would Dalinar have had the time to do that, and in such a way that no one seems to know about it (or at least, no one ever brings it up).

 

EDIT: Actually, isn't there talk of Dalinar having to do penance / a fine to the Vorin church for having visited the Nightwatcher? Or was that just a general thing that was mentioned?

Actually, I think Navani mentions that the ardents usually prescribe a small penance or fine for visiting the Nightwatcher. I think it's in TWoK when they're discussing the Nightwatcher as a possible source of Dalinar's visions. I could be wrong, but I don't think there's any mention of Dalinar receiving any punishment for his visit.

[Mulk he/him]

3 minutes ago, Salkara said:

Actually, I think Navani mentions that the ardents usually prescribe a small penance or fine for visiting the Nightwatcher. I think it's in TWoK when they're discussing the Nightwatcher as a possible source of Dalinar's visions. I could be wrong, but I don't think there's any mention of Dalinar receiving any punishment for his visit.

he had to commission some prayers and make some donations.

[WhiteLeeopard she/her]

2 hours ago, Govir said:

Something has always bothered me about Dalinar and the Nightwatcher: when did Dalinar visit the Nightwatcher? The way it is spoken of is that there's a specific place that you have to go, and it's not a short trip. When would Dalinar have had the time to do that, and in such a way that no one seems to know about it (or at least, no one ever brings it up).

It wasn't openly said, but the impression I got is that Dalinar went while Gavilar was negotiating with the Parshendi, which left Elhokar unsupervised to rule the kingdom and the Roshone incident with Moash's grandparents went down. 

[FiveLate]

9 minutes ago, WhiteLeeopard said:

It wasn't openly said, but the impression I got is that Dalinar went while Gavilar was negotiating with the Parshendi, which left Elhokar unsupervised to rule the kingdom and the Roshone incident with Moash's grandparents went down. 

I always was under the impression that it happened much earlier.  That she had been dead prior to the start.  But I never really had a reason why.  I might have to try to timeline it out.  We have a rough timeframe for marriage, births of sons...just need to see if they mention having any older memories of her...which might be hard with no name in the first two books.

[Dahak he/him]

3 hours ago, Govir said:

Something has always bothered me about Dalinar and the Nightwatcher: when did Dalinar visit the Nightwatcher? The way it is spoken of is that there's a specific place that you have to go, and it's not a short trip. When would Dalinar have had the time to do that, and in such a way that no one seems to know about it (or at least, no one ever brings it up).

 

EDIT: Actually, isn't there talk of Dalinar having to do penance / a fine to the Vorin church for having visited the Nightwatcher? Or was that just a general thing that was mentioned?

IIRC At some point Dalinar went to Azir (I think that was the period Moashes Grandparents got ignored to death).Presumably he stopped off at the Nightwatcher on that excursion.

He had to comission prayers and give money for the poor.

[Zaineph]

I literally just have this same idea, and I love it. It seems strange to me that Dalinar's memories of the Nightwatcher are poor when the only evidence of memories missing are those of Evi. Could this be because Evi was with him when he visited the Nightwatcher or that he never went at all?

[Blacksmithki]

My main issues with the theory are these

1: If it wore off because she died then not only was she not dead this whole time but she died offscreen. That is anticlimactic as can be.

2: this would mean that she visited the nightwatcher making him lose his memories of her exactly when he went there. Unless you suggest that he went with her, but that would mean that every single other person presumed her dead for that entire time between her fake death and that point, and not one person saw her during the trip and also not one person recognized her afterwords.

3: there is no precident for the nightwatcher effecting a third party with her boons/curses directly.

4: It makes a darker chapter for Dalinar's backstory if he kills Evi during the events at Rathalas (or she kills herself because of what happened) that Kadash mentions then if he saves her but she rejects him because of his actions as well as setting up better for him being the drinker we see at the prologue feast as opposed to the drinker we see at the flashback feast.

Yes all theories have holes in them, but these are massive gaping ones.

[Yata he/him]

I don't understand this theory.

The OP made It to explain the Curse's release (or the Boon's release) but the theory itself skip that part into explaining how is possible that Evi's boon stops to work.

Am i missing something?

[Wreith he/him]

1 minute ago, Yata said:

I don't understand this theory.

The OP made It to explain the Curse's release (or the Boon's release) but the theory itself skip that part into explaining how is possible that Evi's boon stops to work.

Am i missing something?

It assumes that she didn't die when we think she did, but then still died offscreen just more recently.
Also assuming that the curse/boon ends at death.

I don't agree. I would need it explained why Adolin was okay assuming his mom was dead without seeing a body.

[Blacksmithki]

11 minutes ago, Wreith said:

It assumes that she didn't die when we think she did, but then still died offscreen just more recently.
Also assuming that the curse/boon ends at death.

I don't agree. I would need it explained why Adolin was okay assuming his mom was dead without seeing a body.

And, also, why they would have killed a really really important person offscreen.

[Zaineph]

2 hours ago, Blacksmithki said:

My main issues with the theory are these

1: If it wore off because she died then not only was she not dead this whole time but she died offscreen. That is anticlimactic as can be.

2: this would mean that she visited the nightwatcher making him lose his memories of her exactly when he went there. Unless you suggest that he went with her, but that would mean that every single other person presumed her dead for that entire time between her fake death and that point, and not one person saw her during the trip and also not one person recognized her afterwords.

3: there is no precident for the nightwatcher effecting a third party with her boons/curses directly.

4: It makes a darker chapter for Dalinar's backstory if he kills Evi during the events at Rathalas (or she kills herself because of what happened) that Kadash mentions then if he saves her but she rejects him because of his actions as well as setting up better for him being the drinker we see at the prologue feast as opposed to the drinker we see at the flashback feast.

Yes all theories have holes in them, but these are massive gaping ones.

These are good points, but if I may propose some counter points.

1. If we adopt this theory, then Evi cannot be dead. Dalinar's memories are only starting to return meaning that the boon/curse is still somewhat in effect. If she was dead then surely he would remember everything. The fact that the effects are fading could mean either that she is:

A. Dying

B. Found a way to break the curse/boon

C.something else is happening 

2. I would absolutely suggest that he went with her as it account for him being unable to remember his time there. Though you got me on how they managed to get there whist everyone thought she was dead...unless she's a lightweaver. Then faking death would be easy. Also she would be able to hide with ease on the journey. 

3. There is also no president to say that the curses/boons do not affect third parties. 

4. Yes Dalinar killing his wife is dark. But how's this. Navani gets taken hostage not Evi. Think about it, why would someone take the wife of the 3rd in line to the throne if you could take the wife of the man sitting on the throne. Gavilar sends his brother to get her back. Dalinar is more than happy to oblige considering that he loves her. Evi, who can't bare to be without him for a moment, goes with him. She sees the way that Dalinar fights for a woman that has become her sister and she knows that he loves her and is so distraught that she can't deal with it. Add on the fact that She sees what Dalinar will do for those he loves (the killing). She wants no part in it. She makes it seem like she killed herself knowing full well that she will go to the nightwatcher to end her pain. Dalinar discovers that he's been tricked and somehow finds out what she is going to do and he realises that he really does love her. He rides as fast as he can to stop her but makes it there just in time to she his wife wish that it was as if they never met, wish that all the pain he has caused her would go away, wish for something. She turns and sees him and realises that she's made a mistake. She does love him but it is too late. She tries to speak to him but he doesn't even see her. 

I'm just spitballing here. But from there maybe she's used lightweaving (If she has it) to hide among Dalinar for years and we will finally see a someone that Dalinar already knows turn out to be Evi. Maybe we've already met Evi, what if she wished never to grow up and shes actually Lift (yeah I appreciate that's a stretch and a half).

[Melriken]

I always assumed that Dalinar wished for the nightwatcher to 'take away the pain of losing Evi' and that the loss of memory was how this worked.  Now that he is married again the thought of Evi isn't painful and his memories are returning.  But some of those memories harbor pain and haven't returned and likely getting a bunch at once would pain him because he would wonder if marrying again is a betrayal, so he just gets the ones that don't cause that and the list grows as he absorbs those memories back into his psyche.

 

It always bothered me that he was sure what his Boone and curse were because we have only ever seen the lost memories, so what was the other?

As an aside she can't have wished for youth and had dalinar's memories be wiped... Dalinar's memories could only be the Boone not the curse if it was Evi's wish. (Otherwise everyone would have forgotten her not just Dalinar...)

[Alderant she/her]

So I could be completely off-base, but we never actually learn what Dalinar's boon/curse are. We assume the curse is forgetting his wife, but I always thought that was probably the boon. The blackthorn was pretty savage, but we already have begun to see his transformation beginning. He said in WoK (I think? Maybe it was WoR?) that he had bound himself with rules to keep him from becoming the Blackthorn in full again. One of which was that he could never be king, which we just saw. I don't see the boon/curse being used to turn him from that, when he was already beginning to swing that way. I always thought that he went to the Nightwatcher out of grief, and his curse just hadn't been revealed yet. We know that Evi was around long enough to give birth to Adolin and Renarin, but I thought she died when Renarin was very young.

Maybe I am off-base.