Question: How does Dalinar know to call Venli to the vision

[Zaly]

We know Dalinar wanted to speak to a representative of the Singers for that vision where the sky shatters, but there's no mention, that I can find, that shows Dalinar having prior knowledge of who Venli is and that he should call/summon her to the vision specifically. Does anyone have some insight that I have missed about this?

[Darkfinder she/her]

The Stormfather chooses Venli and puts her in the vision when Dalinar asks for a singer that is high up in the hierarchy but not a fused. 

[Zaly]

Thank you for the answer! Was talking with a friend who I convinced to read the Stormlight Archives and when he posed this question to me I completely blanked (and I guess he read over that part)

[+robardin he/him]

3 hours ago, Darkfinder said:

The Stormfather chooses Venli and puts her in the vision when Dalinar asks for a singer that is high up in the hierarchy but not a fused. 

Now that I think about it, Venli appears to be unique in this regard, hey? All the "singers" who are not Fused, to her knowledge, are awakened parshmen who needed quite a bit of time to come around to being "proper singers", retaining strong cultural and linguistic ties to the human nations that had enslaved them.

There are hints of some unknown number of "listeners" who had refused to stand out in the Everstorm and escaped the resulting transformations, but neither Venli nor Rlain know for a fact that they exist.

Both Venli and Rlain reflect on how the listeners, "their people," were now gone, but did all of those who bonded with the red spren at the Battle of Narak die, or are some number of them still in the singer ranks?

[Gilphon]

There should be some survivors of the battle. Venli doesn't know what happened to them, but it seem likely that they're being used as spare bodies for the Fused. 

Also I wouldn't be surprised if some of the awakened Parsh managed to catch Odium's eye and got chosen to become a Regal. 

[Kings_way he/they]

I think the storm father said that Venli was one of the only singers he could access. I assumed that Odium was blocking his connection with the others, but timbre helped Venli get past that.

[Kuram]

I believe survivors escaped to the south, we'll probably end up seeing them in RoW

[Watchcry he/him]

I just reread this section.  The Stormfather tells Dalinar that Venli appeared to be the ONLY Singer the Stormfather could see. 

[+Child of Hodor]

On 7/17/2020 at 11:34 AM, Watchcry said:

I just reread this section.  The Stormfather tells Dalinar that Venli appeared to be the ONLY Singer the Stormfather could see. 

That’s interesting. Odium / Everstorm restored the Singers spirit webs. Using Odium’s investiture I have to assume. Maybe his investiture is blocking Stormfather from seeing them.

Although Odium does insist Venli leave her window open during the Everstorm so he can talk to her. Stormfather told Dalinar he only knows where Ishar is of all the Heralds because Ishar goes out in the storms.  

Could it be Venli was the only Singer / Listener out in the storm or with her window open? Seems silly, but maybe. 

Edited July 23, 2020 by Child of Hodor

[NameIess]

On 7/17/2020 at 0:34 PM, Watchcry said:

I just reread this section.  The Stormfather tells Dalinar that Venli appeared to be the ONLY Singer the Stormfather could see. 

That's probably because she is important. She is a budding Radiant. As the Stormfather says, he is not a god, he doesn't see everything and everyone. He sees people like Kaladin, who are more connected to Honor, most likely because of a beginning Nahel bond.