What is the purpose of the war?

[Carnie]

Okay, before I pick up Words of Radiance, a question that's been bugging me ever since the first book:  What is the siege on the Shattered Plains supposed to accomplish?

 

There are really two things I don't understand.  To sum up the first one, I'll quote Eric Idle:

 

"There was an amusing quip from Von Rumsfeld on the radio this morning.  'We are going to out last them!'  It probably sounds better in the original German.  Of course you're not going to outlast them, they live there!"

 

The Parshendi don't live on the Shattered Plains, but they live next to it, correct?  The Parshendi live in some kind of forest, which has the Shattered Plains on one side, and something completely impassible in every other direction.  Do I have that right?  The Alethi are essentially guarding the only path out of the Parshendi's homeland.  So, how long exactly do they expect it to take for the Parshendi to starve in their own home?

 

Second, I don't understand the significance of the gemhearts.  Sure, the Alethi can translate them into money, which means more resources for the siege; but it's presented as though there's some tactical merit to denying the gemhearts to the Parshedi.  What would that be?  The Parshendi can neither sell them nor eat them, so why would they care?  How do the gemehearts affect the Parshendi's ability to withstand the siege?

 

This confounded me all through the first book and it's been bugging me ever since.  Can ya help a brother out?  Thanks.

[Edgedancer he/him]

Originally the war was for revenge . Afterall the  Pharshendi did kill the Alethi king. But right now it is more about greed then anything else.

What makes Gemhearts are so valuble is that tehy can be used for Soulcasting, which means they can be used to create every kind of resource out of air.

[Argent he/him]

As with every war, there isn't a single and simple explanation about why it works the way it works. I'll try to cover as much as I can, but there is a very good chance I will miss things too.

 

First, a correction. The Parshendi used to live in the lands around the Shattered Plains, the former Silver Kingdom of Natanatan. It would take me a long time to find the exact quote, but if memory serves they decided to retreat to the Plains, (presumably) because it they knew the land there, and the plateaus & chasms landscape favors them over the Alethi. 

 

Second, the Alethi no longer think of this war as a siege. Yes, it is technically that, and yes, they are aware of it, but for them the war is no longer about defeating the Parshendi (which is why Dalinar's idea to unite the highprinces and actually go win the war is so controversial), nor is it about vengeance for Gavilar's death; though if asked, I am sure all of the highprinces will be quick to agree that the Parshendi must be defeated and Gavilar must be avenged. 

 

Here's the pickle about all this. The Alethi highprinces are quite comfortable with the "war" as it is right now. They sit in their warcamps, they go on plateau runs and win the very valuable gemhearts, all at a relatively low cost to them. Some of those gemhearts go directly towards Soulcasting and salaries, but a good number of them go in their respective treasuries. So... sit in camp and earn easy money for years, or push for a decisive victory and potentially lose soldiers, prestige, and valuable lounging and feasting time? Considering that the highprinces are, at least in some regard, the stereotypical nobles, it's not hard to see why they would choose the latter. 

 

Also, there is the part about the warcamps becoming the center of the Alethi culture, the seat of Alethkar's power. The king is there and all the important people are there. Hosting feasts, making deals, politicking, forging alliances, backstabbing (usually figuratively) opponents - this is what the highprinces like doing, and they don't need to win the war to do that. It's an issue of comfort, among other things. Winning the war will bring change, though I doubt anyone can predict what kind; so the nobles prefer to keep the current status quo, especially since it's not terribly inconvenient to them. It's like breaking out of a habit that you have no serious incentive to break out of it, not in the short term at least. 

 

Long story short, it's all about culture and economics. It's just about impossible to keep burning hatred going on for ten years...

[Assassin in White]

But what do the parshendi want the gem hearts for since from what we see they don't have soulcasters.

[Argent he/him]

Ah, that's a good question. The Parshendi food supply seems somehow dependent on the gemhearts, but looking at their diet and the lack of Soulcasters, they don't seem to be using them for Soulcasting food out of thin air. If memory serves, Eshonai mentions that her people are accelerating the growth of... rockbuds?... using Stormlight, so that could be one way gemhearts are tied to food supply. Another option could be trading, though who (and how) would trade with the enemies of the most dangerous nation on Roshar is beyond me.

[name_here]

The Parshendi apparently do need the Gemhearts for food. The original plan, apparently, was to hold back on the edge of the plains and kill the Parshendi when they came to seize Gemhearts because Highstorms and internal politics made attacking their camp untenable. Seven years later, it's clear this plan isn't getting them noticeably closer to winning.

[Kessler]

I think they use gemhearts with some sort of Cultivation magic to grow crops.