The Unmade

[Moogle]

Has anyone compiled a list of the Unmade? A brief glance through the books tells me that they have huge effects on everything in a wide radius.
 

“Dova reports that the number of Death Rattles we’re finding has dropped even further. She didn’t find a single one yesterday, and only two the day before.”
“Moelach moves, then,” Taravangian said. “It is certain now. The creature must have been drawn by something westward.” What now? Did Taravangian suspend the murders? His heart yearned to— but if they could discover even one more glimmer about the future, one fact that could save hundreds of thousands, would it not be worth the lives of the few now?

 

There is one you will watch.  Though all of them have some relevance to precognition, Moelach is one of the most powerful in this regard.  His touch seeps into a soul as it breaks apart from the body, creating manifestations powered by the spark of death itself.  But no, this is a distraction.  Deviation.  Kingship.  We must discuss the nature of kingship.
-From the Diagram, Book of the 2nd Desk Drawer: paragraph 15

 
Moelach apparently causes Death Rattles in those that die in a huge radius around him. Since Alethkar and Kharbanth both have death rattles, the radius is apparently wider than a country.
 

“The Thrill?” he whispered to Adrotagia as they left the latest group of men.
“They fought through the night as their capital burned. It must have been in force.”
“I agree,” she said. “It gives us a further reference point. The Thrill is at least as strong here as it is in Alethkar. Maybe stronger. I will speak to our scholars. Perhaps this will help pinpoint Nergaoul.”
“Do not spend too much effort on that,” Taravangian said, approaching another group of Veden soldiers. “I’m not sure what we would even do if we found the thing.” An ancient, evil spren was not something he had the resources to tackle. Not yet at least. “I would rather know where Moelach is moving.”
Hopefully, Moelach hadn’t decided to slumber again. The Death Rattles had, so far, offered them the best way that they’d found to augment the Diagram.

 
Nergaoul apparently causes the Thrill in a radius wider than a country.
 

“Let me no longer hurt! Let me no longer weep! Dai-gonarthis! The Black Fisher holds my sorrow and consumes it!”

 
Dai-gonarthis is another one. I do not know what he (she?) does. Something relating to mass sorrow everywhere?
 

“Yelig-nar, called Blightwind, was one that could speak like a man, though often his voice was accompanied by the wails of those he consumed.”
The Unmade were obviously fabrications of folklore. Curiously, most were not considered individuals, but instead personifications of kinds of destruction. This quote is from Traxil, line 33, considered a primary source, though I doubt its authenticity.

 
Yelig-nar apparently consumes souls.
 

“ReShephir, the Midnight Mother, giving birth to abominations with her essence so dark, so terrible, so consuming. She is here! She watches me die!” —Dated Shashabev, 1173, 8 seconds pre-death. Subject: a darkeyed dock-worker in his forties, father of three.

 
ReShephir apparenty creates monsters like the Midnight Essence.
 

"Once Sja-anat touches a spren, it acts strange. Call attention to anything you see.”

 
Sja-anat corrupts spren, possibly making him/her/it responsible for thunderclasts and Midnight Essence and the Ten Deaths. I believe ReShephir may be the same as Sja-anat, since I believe corrupted spren form the Ten Deaths, and it would make sense for ReShephir to be responsible.
 
So, we've got ten Unmade, to mirror the ten Heralds, I assume. (Edit: we now know there is a fixed number of Unmade, but it is not ten by WoB.)
 
I'd match up:

• Jezrien (Windrunners) with Yeig-nar/Blightwind. 'Wind' is obvious.
• Nalan (Skybreakers) with Dai-gonarthis/Black Fisher. Nalan is huge on suppressing your emotions, which fits with Dai-gonarthis consuming sorrow.
• Chach (Dustbringers) with Nergaoul. The 'fire' aspect seems to me to be similar to the Thrill.
• Vedeledev (Edgedancers) with ReSpehir. The loving/healing bit seems motherly to me. However, Midnight Mother might make her Order 2 or 7.
• Palah (Willshapers?) with Moelach. Learned/giving seems to me to match up with the Death Rattles. The epigraph about him makes me think he could be Order 2/3 for Division, though.
• Betab (Elsecallers) with Sja-anat. Sja-anat seems to be Soulcasting/corrupting spren to me, so either Order 6/7 for Sja-anat.

I am not confident of my matching skills.
 
Did I miss any Unmade names? If so, I'd like to add them to the list. We'll need a Coppermind article at some point, too.

Edited June 26, 2014 by Moogle

[terox]

I think that there could be an Unmade in the  Purelake region.I don't have a definite proof but only some foreshadowing by Sanderson :

- The purelakers are afraid of one of their gods .He is jelous of his brother god.They can only mention his name in a special place.

- the 17shard squad is there.

- Dalinar sees a fortress in Purelake .He also mentions his desire to visit ,which probably wouldn't be eventless

- There is a plague in Purelake at the end of WOR

[zandi]

awesome- upvote. I was always thinking (prior to wor) that the 10 fools were just the heralds in their corrupted/depressed/insane state but perhaps they are the same as the unmade.  If the unmade are spren though that seems to me to maybe say they are the powerful spren in the same way the storm father is. maybe the chief spren of types of spren? I'm on the fence between unmade being storm-fathery-like spren or 10 fools...thoughts? I think your match-up is pretty good!

Edited March 5, 2014 by zandi

[Tarion]

Their nature is interesting.  We know that spren can use a bond with humans in order to develop sentience while in the Physical realm.  What if each of them is just a Spren (One of each Order's spren, if they match up the Heralds) with a Nahel bond to Rayse?  Their expanded power and corrupted nature comes from siphoning off some of Odium's power.  

 

The Stormfather, who describes himself as a Sliver of Honor, would simply be their opposite - A Spren who had bonded to Honor, and gained a significant portion of his power.  

[Aminar]

I have a thought.

The thrill has been strong in Alethkar for some time.  it has now transferred somewhat to Jah Keved.  6 Years ago Szeth took a black Sphere from Alethkar to Jah Keved.  What if that Sphere is part of the Unmade, and is what is causing the Thrill to occur in multiple places now.  Like an infection of sorts?

We know Gavilar was involved with Amaram and his plot to cause the desolation by unleashing the Parshendi Gods.  What if that was part of it?

 

I'm starting to think Gavilar isn't the man people think he was...

[+Aletus]

Gavilar most certainly wasn't the man everyone thought he was. He was in with Amaram and his ilk, on their dastardly plan to bring about the hierocracy (I may have spelled that wrong)

[marianmi]

Good post, Moogle.

[udbw834]

I think that there could be an Unmade in the  Purelake region.

 

In Dalinar's purelake vision Sja-Anat is mentioned by name as corrupting spren in the area.

[ericth]

It's very likely that spren are all associated with one or more shards.  Lift's spren appears to be all Cultivation, Syl appears to be all Honor.  Others may be hybrids.  The Stormfather appears to be more than that, a full sliver. Although it doesnt appear to be in the same sense that the Lord Ruler was a sliver. 

Since Odium is stuck on Braise, his influence on Roshar may be more through his spren than directly.  If the unmade are creations of his (perhaps high spren made as counterparts to heralds?) and capable of autonomous action, it could explain it.

[taveren]

if thats true then oduim is splitting a lot of his power here

[Vortaan]

I'm more inclined to think that the Unmade are literally humans unmade into monsters, kind of a reverse Hemalurgy. We know Rayse/Odium can break apart Shards, and hatred is pretty destructive to people who actively engage it. I wonder what Odium could do with a human's Spiritweb if they were devoted to him? Tear away everything human and turn them into something not quite spren, but certainly no longer human?

[marianmi]

From Mr. T's notes, looks to me that the Unmade are more like ... forces ... with not a lot of intelligence. At least not in the physical.

So I would place them as big odium spren - actually, the only Odium spren.

Parshendi refer to the old "gods", gods of hate - plural. So I would say Odium is mostly invested through the unmade, and the unmade are the ones creating corrupting spren (like Syl is Stormfather's daughter, the red storm spren are <name your unmade here>'s children).

Since there was no everstorm before - maybe we have a new unmade?

[Zmann966]

Makes sense.
Stormform has those elevated emotions, the Rhythms to much-stronger, twisted states of mind.
Fury instead of Anger; Craving instead of Anticipation. Ridicule instead of Amusement. 

If opening up to Odium's influence twists the Parshendi into hate-filled forms, then Spren being twisted towards hatred-fueled mentalities seems more than plausible.
Especially if you can draw similarities or opposites to other spren/attributes. Spren are, naturally, of creation. They are born, and drawn to, changes and manifestations of... "stuff." Hatred turns it into destruction, the Ten Deaths.

The Thrill is a twist upon Taln's pension for War. Dependable becomes Arrogant; Resourceful becomes Hungry.
Yelig-Nar consumes souls, Jezrien's desire to protect? Protecting becomes Vengeance. Leading becomes Tyranny.

Sja-Anat in contrast to Vedeledev perhaps? Healing becomes "Improvement", to the point of Corruption.

 

I mean, the matching needs to be aligned, but the idea is solid. Hatred twists everything ugly.

It's even paralleled in Kaladin and Adolin's plot for WoR. They hate Amaram and Sadeas, respectively; so their normally-sound rationality and mental-state is corrupted by the mere presence of these men.
Kaladin's ideals turn petty and vengeful; Adolin's casual confidence turns angry and violent.

 

I mean...  Hell, the entire Stormlight Archive looks like one big morality-play on just how nasty Hatred makes even the best of things.
Odium destroys Honor. Fear destroys the Oathpact (and subsequently, the world). Lust (for power) destroys Alethi Highprinces. Pride segregates the Darkeyes. Vengeance gets Kaladin in trouble (numerously).

And, best of all: Arrogance and Laziness enslaves the Parshmen (and well all know how that is going to end up)

It's only our protagonists, our heroes, who are rallying (slowly) against this domination of hate...
Actually, know what Brandon? Now that I see all this I'm calling you out. It's just a bit TOO on-the-nose that you named the bad-guy "Odium". Hahaaha. At least Preservation and Endowment are subtle with how they work.
 

[Arin]

I just saw this post and wanted to jump in.

At one point I thought the Unmade were demon like creatures. I don't anymore.

In WoR ch 34 it says that the Parshendi "gods were born splinters of a soul of one who seeks to take control. Destroys all land that he beholds with spite, they are his spren, his gift, his price...".

I believe the Unmade are beings posessed by Odium's spren. I also think they can pass as normal people/beings on Roshar.

(this next part is going to sound a little odd)

Prior to Szeth attacking Kal, Adolin and Dalinar; the stormfather, Shalan's and Kal's spren went crazy. As if Odium was approaching. What if there is a connection between the Unmade/Odium and Szeth. I only know of Mr. T the Parshendi and the Heralds at Gavilar's assassination (Nalan and Kalek) who knew of Szeth being an assassin and having the Honorblade.

The only Parshendi I think could be influenced by Odium's spren is Eshonai's sister. Could Mr.T or some of the Heralds be Unmade?

Edited April 25, 2014 by Arin

[RShara]

I think the Unmade ARE Odium's spren.  Or at least, one type of them, and that they might be able to corrupt other spren.  It's unlikely that they'd be able to possess humans though.  Consent and friendship are a big part of all the bond-forms that we've seen.

[Moogle]

I think the Unmade ARE Odium's spren.  Or at least, one type of them, and that they might be able to corrupt other spren.  It's unlikely that they'd be able to possess humans though.  Consent and friendship are a big part of all the bond-forms that we've seen.

 

Sorry if I seem like a broken record, but I do have these quotes on speed dial:

 

“It means our gods have returned,” Rlain whispered.

“Who are your gods?”

“They are the souls of those ancient. Those who gave of themselves to destroy.” A different rhythm to his words this time, slow and reverent. He looked up at Dalinar. “They hate you and your kind, sir. This new form they have given my people . . . it is something terrible. It will bring something terrible.”

 

 

“Our people are crumbling ,” Eshonai said. “We’re being weathered away. We moved to Narak and chose a war of attrition. That has meant six years with steady losses. People are giving up.”

“That’s not good,” Mother said. “But the alternative? Dabbling in things we shouldn’t, things that might bring the eyes of the Unmade upon us.”

 

 

She looked to her stormforms , who saluted and broke apart, moving in warpairs. Eshonai stepped back, folding her arms, watching as these visited each other division in turn. The new rhythms thrummed in her skull, though she stayed away from the Rhythm of Peace, with its strange screams. There was no fighting against what she had become. The eyes of the gods were too strongly upon her.

 

 

Our gods were born splinters of a soul, Of one who seeks to take control, Destroys all lands that he beholds, with spite. They are his spren, his gift, his price. But the nightforms speak of future life, A challenged champion. A strife even he must requite. —From the Listener Song of Secrets, final stanza

 

It seems that the Unmade are not just spren, assuming Rlain knows what he's talking about. I'm thinking they're more a sort of high-tier listener form, where the listener sacrifices basically all of their mind in order to be infused with a Splinter of Odium, making them a sort of Herald.

[RShara]

I'm using spren as a term for any Splinter on Roshar other than Nightblood, really.  So yes I agree with you that they're more than the little voidspren we see by an order of magnitude.  I was trying to say that I don't think they can possess someone unwilling (nor would they need to) and that it would be very noticeable, whoever they are or did possess. 

 

That being said, there is definitely something going on with Szeth.  Maybe not possession, but perhaps a ridealong, feeding off the death and pain he caused.

 

Q:  Szeth a lot of the time throughout Words of Radiance is referring to the fact that he's hearing his victims scream in his head. Is that actually his conscience screaming at him or has he possibly already bonded to a spren in some way, that is displeased with-
A:  That is not the spren. Good question. It is not...the spren is not a spren that is a...for one of the orders.
Q:  But it is related to--
A:  I didn't say that. I just said it is not a--it is not a blade. It is not one of those.

[hoser]

This is a great compilation.  I think the ten fools may be a mythologized version of the Unmade.  Brandon had this to say about the ten fools:

 

Interview: Feb 28th, 2011

Reddit Fantasy Bookclub Q&A with Brandon Sanderson (Verbatim)

gunslingers ()

The number 10 seems to be a recurring theme in this world. Are the Ten Fools the antithesis of the ten orders of the Knights Radiant?

...

Brandon Sanderson

First Question: Yes, ten is a number of mythological import in the world. The Ten Fools are, essentially, the opposites of the Ten Heralds—who each represented an ideal. (Those ideals were later adopted by the orders of Knights Radiant, so yes, there is a connection—but there's a step between them.)

 

An interesting question for me is where in the history of the people currently inhabiting Roshar the Unmade first manifested.  If we believe that mankind was once elsewhere (the Tranquilline Halls?), did the Heralds and/or Unmade first manifest elsewhere and come to Roshar with their respective patron Shards? 

 

I imagine the Unmade as beings that served Odium and gave up their physical aspects (their unmaking) as they took on the investiture from Odium to become splinters.  They would be consciousness provided with investiture, where spren are investiture that developed consciousness.  The result is about the same, even though the process is inverted. 

[Moogle]

This is a great compilation.  I think the ten fools may be a mythologized version of the Unmade.  Brandon had this to say about the ten fools:

 

It's a great idea, but there's another WoB floating around that there are not ten Unmade. It's really unfortunate. Maybe there's like 11, and Vorin mythology combined two to get it down to ten, but that just doesn't feel right.

[hoser]

It's a great idea, but there's another WoB floating around that there are not ten Unmade. It's really unfortunate. Maybe there's like 11, and Vorin mythology combined two to get it down to ten, but that just doesn't feel right.

Yeah, or maybe the ten fools are shadow versions of the Heralds that really have nothing to do with the Unmade.  Even if H and C had a thing about ten, there's no reason to believe that it was important to Odium.  I jump to conclusions based on such minor hints that I am often wrong. 

[Kobold King]

Yeah, or maybe the ten fools are shadow versions of the Heralds that really have nothing to do with the Unmade.  Even if H and C had a thing about ten, there's no reason to believe that it was important to Odium.  I jump to conclusions based on such minor hints that I am often wrong. 

Odium's the kind of guy who would make eleven of the Unmade just out of spite. "Ha, try keeping things symmetrical now!"

[potato]

I have a thought.

The thrill has been strong in Alethkar for some time.  it has now transferred somewhat to Jah Keved.  6 Years ago Szeth took a black Sphere from Alethkar to Jah Keved.  What if that Sphere is part of the Unmade, and is what is causing the Thrill to occur in multiple places now.  Like an infection of sorts?

We know Gavilar was involved with Amaram and his plot to cause the desolation by unleashing the Parshendi Gods.  What if that was part of it?

 

I'm starting to think Gavilar isn't the man people think he was...

I'm starting to think a lot of things on Roshar aren't as they seem.

The Parshendi feel betrayed by their gods.

The Heralds betrayed the Oathpact.

The KR betrayed their spren.

I'm starting to think Honor invaded Roshar (with the Heralds and humanity) to try to unseat Odium's power base after he took the Tranquilin Halls. He arrived to find Cultivation already there (regrowing Roshar from the burnt out husk Odium left it) and their powers "corrupted" Odium's constructs (the spren) in Rayse's absence.

[Xaklys]

On 3/5/2014 at 7:09 AM, terox said:

I think that there could be an Unmade in the  Purelake region.I don't have a definite proof but only some foreshadowing by Sanderson :

- The purelakers are afraid of one of their gods .He is jelous of his brother god.They can only mention his name in a special place.

- the 17shard squad is there.

- Dalinar sees a fortress in Purelake .He also mentions his desire to visit ,which probably wouldn't be eventless

- There is a plague in Purelake at the end of WOR

I saw a theory on this site about the two gods that Ishikk mentioned in his interlude.  The theory proposed that Nu Ralik is Tanavast (Honor) and that Vun Makak is Rayse (Odium).  The theory made perfect sense to me, Rayse obviously controls the word right now based off of the Stormfather's words, "Odium reigns", and it also fits because it mentions how the younger brother is jealous and wants to be worshipped.  This makes sense to me and kinda would be neat considering that this was the very first interlude of the series.

[kenod]

8 hours ago, Xaklys said:

I saw a theory on this site about the two gods that Ishikk mentioned in his interlude.  The theory proposed that Nu Ralik is Tanavast (Honor) and that Vun Makak is Rayse (Odium).  The theory made perfect sense to me, Rayse obviously controls the word right now based off of the Stormfather's words, "Odium reigns", and it also fits because it mentions how the younger brother is jealous and wants to be worshipped.  This makes sense to me and kinda would be neat considering that this was the very first interlude of the series.

It seems possible, but IIRC the plague isn't because of Odium, but because one of the members of the 17th Shard carried the sickness (kind of like what happened when the Europeans first got to America.

[Patrick Star]

Kaladin and Shallan saw 2 unmade heading towards Narak during the highstorm in the chasms.

I'm pretty sure the second unmade (described as "alien and sleek") is Re-Shephir.

Also, if the unmade-in-a-box is correct, Yelig-nar's in Gavilar's sphere (and also yapping at Szeth later on).