Quantus he/him Posted December 17, 2018 Posted December 17, 2018 The Skybreakers revere and obey the local laws, as part of their devotion; even Nale will stop his hunt for a Radiant if the local Laws dictate otherwise. However, they take it upon themselves to instantly Pardon anyone who joins them and swears the 1st Ideal. Do they actually have that Authority, legally speaking? They definitely have agreements with some localities, as evidenced by the prison-break test and the warrants they'd obtained. I could see them interpreting Nale's Authority as a Herald to work in the Vorin Kingdoms where there doesnt seem to be a strong separation of Church and State. They even pardoned a Shin Truthless, which in particular seemed a bit of an extreme move, though in reality I have no idea how the Shin view the Heralds or the Skybreakers, though by Szeth's hinted backstory it seems they are not at all fans of Radiants. Thoughts?
Droughtbringer Posted December 17, 2018 Posted December 17, 2018 The first thing that comes to mind comes from our world, one Frank Abagnale. Here is his Wikipedia page, and he was able to get out of Prison on the condition of helping the FBI. No sure how well it would apply to Sanderson worlds, but it does provide a real story from out world for comparison.
Calderis he/him Posted December 17, 2018 Posted December 17, 2018 @Quantus considering that Szeth refers to Nale as "Nin-son-God" I think it's safe to say that the Heralds are held in high regard.
Quantus he/him Posted December 17, 2018 Author Posted December 17, 2018 45 minutes ago, Ookla, the Hivemind said: @Quantus considering that Szeth refers to Nale as "Nin-son-God" I think it's safe to say that the Heralds are held in high regard. That's true, good point. Though there are a number of peoples and religions that name things "gods" without actually being a fan of them. The Singers re. Odium comes to mind, so there may be respect without actually being fans. Part of what really confuses me is the fact that they actively train to use the Honorblades, send Truthless out into the world with one, while being apparently (per that Shin trader in WotK) very hopeful they'll not have another Truthless any time soon. I cant figure out their view on and/or role with the Honorblades. If they considered themselves Keepers of the Blades for the Heralds, I wouldnt have expected them to send one out into the world with somebody they believe will be lucky if he's allowed to be tortured in the Afterlife (per Szeth), though as I type that I realized that's a reasonable description of the role of the Heralds themselves. If they were expected to keep the blades away from the heralds (perhaps they know of the madness, or of the true circumstances behind them abandoning Taln and the Oathpact) I also wouldnt expect them to send them out into the world, and Nale in particular would be the Herald that managed to steal his back. I have basically all questions, no real answers, which is what's nagging me.
Calderis he/him Posted December 17, 2018 Posted December 17, 2018 @Quantusit's pure speculation, but I actually address a lot of what I see as your questions with what I think here... I think Szeth had that blade before becoming Truthless, and I definitely think that the Shamanate is intelligent to realize what Taln's missing blade meant. Beyond that though... I share your questions.
Quantus he/him Posted December 17, 2018 Author Posted December 17, 2018 @Ookla, the Hivemind Nice! Thanks for that, the thread was before my time on the Shard. That makes sense, I knew he'd trained for the blades prior to being made Truthless though I didnt have the WOB that he was specifically well-respected prior to becoming Truthless. That's interesting in light of the fact that to Shin the warriors are considered the lowest calling/job (and are also traded among masters via a Stone like a Truthless is), being about destruction rather that Creation, and Szeth can read the "warriors script of [his] homeland". Id never stopped to consider the mechanism by which the Shin would be able to detect his loss of the blade. I can think of another way, tell me what you think: If the theory is correct that he'd bonded a Spren as a Radiant and was cast out for that (with that being why he is a "special Case" and was given the blade), then perhaps they Imprisoned his spren and are waiting for signs that he has died, thereby releasing his spren from the bond. For a people that seem to so revere Spren, it would make sense for them to consider Bonding one (and thus endangering it in all the ways the Stormfather objects to) to be a sacrilegious thing worthy of such a punishment.
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