Desolations Were a Tool Used Against Odium

[Leuthie]

1) Odium is Hate. His purpose, tools and probable strategy for killing and splintering Shards are centered around promoting hate.

2) Hate requires a target. It is this target that Odium wants to splinter, in a previous case: Honor.

3) If people are overcome by an outside force, generating Hate for something other than that force can be nearly impossible. If the outside force causes nearly complete destruction, generating Hate for anything but that force IS impossible.

4) Honor was killed within the last 4500 years since the last Desolation. The Recreance, the Heirocracy occurred during this time. A lot of hate in those two events.

So I propose that Desolations were created by Honor and/or Cultivations as a way to cleanse the world of any influence that Odium might have had. When Odium's influence grew too great, a Desolation would be triggered to remove all influence and redirect all odious feelings.

This is why Odium always lost...until the Desolations stopped being triggered.

[Leuthie]

Making up scenarios:

Honor and Cultivation come to Roshar. They both embrace the native species, now known as Parshendi and Aimians. Cultivation is particularly enamored by the Very maleable Parshendi, giving them more sapience and new forms. Together, Cultivation and her Dawnsingers create a strong civilization, completely alien to us, but perfectly suited to the weird environment of Roshar.

Honor takes the Aimians under his wing. They create the Silver Kingdoms, 10 major nations (in line with Honors intent) of both Dawnsingers and Aimians.

In comes Odium. His first target is Cultivation. He turns her creations against her, creating Void forms for her Parshendi. Honor steps in to protect. All of their creations become Hateful.

In desperation, humans are brought in. Formless but easier to manipulate, they stave off destruction but are soon turned against Honor.

The Oathpact is made between Cultivation and Honor: she will cleanse, prune; he will protect and both will help rebuild. In an instant, the 10 Silver Kingdoms are smashed. Odiums influence is removed and Cultivation is safe. 10 heroes are chosen and a cycle begins that traps Odium.

Until 9 of the heroes give up.

[Green Hoodie Mistborn he/him]

1) Odium is Hate. His purpose, tools and probable strategy for killing and splintering Shards are centered around promoting hate.

2) Hate requires a target. It is this target that Odium wants to splinter, in a previous case: Honor.

3) If people are overcome by an outside force, generating Hate for something other than that force can be nearly impossible. If the outside force causes nearly complete destruction, generating Hate for anything but that force IS impossible.

4) Honor was killed within the last 4500 years since the last Desolation. The Recreance, the Heirocracy occurred during this time. A lot of hate in those two events.

So I propose that Desolations were created by Honor and/or Cultivations as a way to cleanse the world of any influence that Odium might have had. When Odium's influence grew too great, a Desolation would be triggered to remove all influence and redirect all odious feelings.

This is why Odium always lost...until the Desolations stopped being triggered.

 

I'm not saying that T's big secret won't be that Honor/Cultivation were behind the desolations in some way...

 

But if Odium's influence in people was the trigger for more Desolations, would the the remainder of Honor's power and Cultivation still work together to do that? Similar to how snapping still occured with most of Preservations mind "gone" or the visions from Honor were still passed to Gavilar and then Dalinar? 

[Leuthie]

Jasnah and Hoid both agree at the end of WoR that this Desolation is different somehow; that everything she learned in Shadesmar might be wrong.

Honor is dead which makes Cultivation vulnerable. An honorless, Hate-filled Desolation might not just be a pruning. Part of the conflict might end up being whether Cultivation puts herself at risk to help or not.