theory Unkalaki Theory

[Windrunner he/him]

I have always pondered at the Kingdom of Jah Keved. The rest of the Silver Kingdoms have obvious remnants. Alethkar was Alethela, Shinovar was Shin Kak Nish, Makabakam and Sela Tales shattered into smaller kingdoms. All of the kingdoms of modern times however are still populated by the same race of people that once lived there when it as a Silver Kingdom. There are still Natans in the Unclaimed Hills, still Selay men in Marabethia. There has been some overlapping, such as the Purelakers, who are of Reshi and Selay descent, but as a whole, people have stayed put. But Jah Keved seems to deviate. Although they control roughly the area of the kingdom of Valhav, they are very much like the Alethi. They have much the same appearance, tall, tan and dark haired. Their culture is similarly focused on war. They share the same religion, have a similar system of government, and even speak languages that are very similar. In fact, they don't seem to have any truly distinguishing characteristics like the other races do. Only one little tiny bit, the red hair (athough an argument can be made for violet eyes).

As womanhood had begun to come upon her, she had learned that she should be embarrassed by her red hair and freckled skin, as they were a mark of an impure heritage. They were traditionally Veden colorings, but that was because-in their past-their lines had mixed with the Horneaters up in the peaks.

So the Vedens themselves did not initially have the red hair. It is from the Unkalaki. Then, Rock tells of how his people came to the Horneater Peaks. This is fascinating (including an obvious Hoid cameo), but a small line at the beginning caught my attention.

"Everything is story," Rock said. "Listen. Long ago, the Unkalaki-my people, ones you call Horneaters-did not live in peaks. They lived down where air was thick and thinking was difficult. But we were hated."
...
The large Horneater took a pull on his drink, which left froth on his lip."Everyone wanted to kill Horneaters," he said, thumping his fist on the table. "They were frightened of us. Stories say we were too good at fighting. So we were hunted and nearly destroyed."
"If you were so good at fighting," Moash said, pointing, "then how come you were nearly destroyed?"
"There are few of us," Rock said, hand proudly to his chest. "And very many of you. You are all over down here in lowlands. Man cannot step without finding toes of Alethi beneath his boot. So the Unkalaki, we were nearly destroyed..."

So, with those two pieces of evidence, I'd like to submit a theory. The Vedens are not one of the races of the Silver Kingdoms. They are a mixture, the quote says as much, of the Alethi and the Unkalaki, who were once the true rulers of the Kingdom of Valhav. After the Silver Kingdoms fell, the Alethi went to Valhav and conquered it, driving its true people up into the mountains, where they took refuge.

The Alethi who conquered Valhav eventually set up their own kingdom and named Jah Keved. They eventually interbred with the Unkalaki, creating a kingdom very similar to Alethkar, but with a few oddities. If you need any more evidence, look at the name. Perhaps it is circumstantial, but the very name Unkalaki contains the name of a Herald within it. Seems like a good sign to me.

[chikinllama]

Mr. Sanderson personalized my copy with a fun fact about the horn eaters. I'll post a pic later, but essentially,

the horneaters aren't 100% human

[Satsuoni he/him]

Mr. Sanderson personalized my copy with a fun fact about the horn eaters. I'll post a pic later, but essentially,

the horneaters aren't 100% human

I wonder if they have some Parshendi blood, then...

[Gaz he/him]

I wonder if they have some Parshendi blood, then...

 

I think it's something else, not Parshendi. Maybe a third humanoid species???

 

[taveren he/him]

well we know of the third already those guys with the blue figernails

[ReadingSpren]

I'd be interested to know if they are born "not 100% human", or if it relates to bathing in the pools/being able to see spren

[Galavantes]

I'd be interested to know if they are born "not 100% human", or if it relates to bathing in the pools/being able to see spren

 

Or on the other side of the coin, perhaps they can survive those waters because they are not 100% human.

[darkanimereal1]

Or on the other side of the coin, perhaps they can survive those waters because they are not 100% human.

 

I agree with this idea. After all, Rock could drink ale that melts cups. And he eats shells happily. Seems to imply that when he says lowlanders can't swim in the lake, he's being serious.

[Anonymous Hippopotamus]

I myself was starting to wonder if the Horneaters bonded with some sort of Spren early on in life.

It would explain a lot of things, especially towards the reason they seem to worship them.

 

Does bonding with spren make you a little bit part shard?

[Leafs he/him]

Anyone have any idea why I can't open spoilers all of a sudden?

[Argent he/him]

Does bonding with spren make you a little bit part shard?

 

Technically, I guess. In what context?

[fuzzbinn]

I was assuming the Unkalaki Peaks pools were Shardpools of either Honor or Cultivation... Which might explain their spren-related abilities, and possibly the 100% human thing? 

 

Elantrians aren't 100% human anymore either, and they also have a fairly close relationship with Devotion's Shardpool there. 

[Natans he/him]

Brandon said a long time ago that Rock aren't originally a Stormlight character and that he had bringeg him with the horneater race from anther book (the one that are in Yolen with dragons).

The horneater aren't very Rosharian with they odd hair color and skin color, so let me propose this maybe the Hornaters are descendets of the native Yolen people that kind arrived in Roshar later, like maybe masher. This would explain why they are so odd in comparasion with everyone else and why would fit with the on going Theory that th Horneater peaks are a hot spot to people that jumped between worlds, like Hoid.

=)

Edited March 9, 2014 by Natans

[marianmi]

So then we have the iriali (Ym) AND the horneaters brought from other planets?

[Releaser]

Brandon said a long time ago that Rock aren't originally a Stormlight character and that he had bringeg him with the horneater race from anther book (the one that are in Yolen with dragons).

The horneater aren't very Rosharian with they odd hair color and skin color, so let me propose this maybe the Hornaters are descendets of the native Yolen people that kind arrived in Roshar later, like maybe masher. This would explain why they are so odd in comparasion with everyone else and why would fit with the on going Theory that th Horneater peaks are a hot spot to people that jumped between worlds, like Hoid.

=)

 

So then we have the iriali (Ym) AND the horneaters brought from other planets?

 

Something about Roshar and its abundance of investure tell me that all these different peoples are from other planets in the Cosmere. 

 

If the Iriali are from Nalthis, the planet of Warbreaker then maybe the exposure to the constant investiture is what makes their hair and skin gold like a returned.

 

If Horneaters are descendants of the dragon folk from the Dragonsteel world that would make sense.

 

Maybe other races like the Parshendi and the Shin are from other planets.

 

Even the religion of Vornisim teaches that the Vorin people got pushed out of their home in the "tranqueline halls" and now they fight to get it back. 

 

combine that with what we know of Damnation and it most being likely the other planet in the Roshar system that Rayse / Odium is on, as well as all the Worldhoppers that are very interested in Roshar. 

 

something fishy going on here

[marianmi]

Parshendi I think are native Rosharians, maybe the only ones

Then, where are the aimians from?

[Releaser]

Parshendi I think are native Rosharians, maybe the only ones

Then, where are the aimians from?

 

Your totally right about the Parshendi. They had the spren then humans came and the spren liked them more. 

 

Aimians... I don't know. The world with Bacteria magic?

 

The Vadens and their Eyelashes sound like something else too.

[zandi she/her]

 

 

Something about Roshar and its abundance of investure tell me that all these different peoples are from other planets in the Cosmere. 

agree.

 

 

 

Parshendi I think are native Rosharians, maybe the only ones 

i also think the parshendi are local.

[Galavantes]

Parshendi I think are native Rosharians, maybe the only ones

Then, where are the aimians from?

 

Agreed. I'm betting the parshendi are one of if not the only native humanoid race.

[The Count he/him]

Also Herdazians have the crystalline fingernails so are not completely Human either.

 

The Azish / Makabaki / Vedan / Alethi all seem to be pure Human though.

 

Shin could be 100% human and just be adapted to the lack of storms. I am sure WoB somewhere says that the Alethi have evolved an epicanthic fold due to the Rohsaran ecology so humans have definitely been around long enough for a certain amount of evolution to take place.

[WeiryWriter he/him]

Another possible tie between the Unkalaki and the Vedens is the hierarchy of male offspring.  This heirarchy manifests among the Unkalaki as the assignment of careers, i.e. fourth sons are warriors.  Among the Vedens male children have honorifics based on their birth order, i.e. Nan for the eldest, Tet for the second eldest.

 

But yeah I really like this theory!