Did Nale ask for something?

[+Child of Hodor]

In OB Chapter 114 the Nightwatcher seems to have Nightblood as she offers Dalinar “A Blade that bleeds darkness and can never be defeated.”  In WoR Nale gives it to Szeth.

At first I thought there is no way Nale would subject himself to a Bane for a magic sword when has two already. But then I thought that’s not what he would ask for.

My theory is either Nale or Kalak (seems more like a Kalak thing) went to the Valley and asked to be released from the Oathpact. They were given a sword that can permanently kill them because it would eat up their investiture which is what gives them persistent life.

Boon: You’ll never have to go back to Braize again!

Bane: Dead forever.

Obviously they weren’t pleased with this solution so either Kalak got it and gave it to Nale or Nale got it and just hung on to it until he found a use for it. 

[Azarias]

11 minutes ago, Child of Hodor said:

In OB Chapter 114 the Nightwatcher seems to have Nightblood as she offers Dalinar “A Blade that bleeds darkness and can never be defeated.”  In WoR Nale gives it to Szeth.

At first I thought there is no way Nale would subject himself to a Bane for a magic sword when has two already. But then I thought that’s not what he would ask for.

My theory is either Nale or Kalak (seems more like a Kalak thing) went to the Valley and asked to be released from the Oathpact. They were given a sword that can permanently kill them because it would eat up their investiture which is what gives them persistent life.

Boon: You’ll never have to go back to Braize again!

Bane: Dead forever.

Obviously they weren’t pleased with this solution so either Kalak got it and gave it to Nale or Nale got it and just hung on to it until he found a use for it. 

I agree that it seems unlikely Nale would ask for Nightblood, especially as he then gives it away to Szeth. But I do wonder why the Nightwatcher would frame it as a bane for Nale and a boon for Dalinar.

Another interesting question is how the Nightwatcher acquired it. Was giving it up the bane of Vashar? If so, what was his boon? 

[Eternal Khol he/him]

i kinda like this theory, but i dont think the Nightwatcher would give the same boon/bane twice.

 

 

2 minutes ago, Azarias said:

Another interesting question is how the Nightwatcher acquired it.

i dont think she ever had it. she just knew it was on Roshar and was something she was capable of granting to someone

[RShara she/her]

17 minutes ago, Eternal Khol said:

i kinda like this theory, but i dont think the Nightwatcher would give the same boon/bane twice.

 

 

i dont think she ever had it. she just knew it was on Roshar and was something she was capable of granting to someone

Same. I don't think she had it with her physically. She could either get it to give to someone who asked, or she would tell them how/where to get it. Like, she probably doesn't have a pile of cloth in a cave to give away in case someone asks for it, either, as an example.

[Karger he/him]

^^She could have IDed the person who had it using fortune.

[Eternal Khol he/him]

1 hour ago, RShara said:

Like, she probably doesn't have a pile of cloth in a cave to give away in case someone asks for it, either, as an example.

perfect example.

had me dying when i saw that XD

 

now you have me imagining that the NW just has a huge cave full of junk that she gives to people when asked XD

"come child, follow me to my cave of wonders and we shall see what awaits you"

Edited July 20, 2020 by Eternal Khol

[+Child of Hodor]

18 hours ago, RShara said:

Same. I don't think she had it with her physically. She could either get it to give to someone who asked, or she would tell them how/where to get it. Like, she probably doesn't have a pile of cloth in a cave to give away in case someone asks for it, either, as an example.

I could be wrong. We don't know what her limits are from the text. She may or may not be able to give and take physical objects. I just think the simplest explanation is she offered it because it was surrendered to her previously and it is still in the Valley. 

Nightwatcher Storage Unit

I don't think she carries it on her person, but she could have it in a special trove of all the things people have given her over thousands of years. Stormfather pulled Kaladin into that black void in WoK and WoR. Maybe she has something like that.

Or she has people drop the objects in that dense, creepy jungle. She could grow the plants to cover over objects. Wyndle can open locks by growing seeds. No one would find the objects unless she lets them. 

Giving or Guiding? 

"A Blade that bleeds darkness and cannot be defeated. I can give it to you" - OB Ch 114

It sounds like she's giving it, not telling people "go to this person and ask for it. If not rob them or kill them. Hope it works out."  

It's an awfully specific description too. She's not the Stormfather who flies over the entire continent and sees what's outside. How does she know where the blade is located and how a person can get it in the near future? How does she know it exists at all? Yeah, Fortune / future-sight, but that's not perfect even for a Shard and she's not that. Cultivation hadn't visited her in centuries prior to Ch. 114 of OB, so she wouldn't have told the Nightwatcher about it. 

I don't think she's giving people fortune-telling sessions and sending them on their way in the hopes that her reading of future events is accurate. 

Also, Is she really going to have them leave the Valley with their bane, but not the boon? 

"There is buried treasure at this spot in Azir. Take care getting to it your feet permanently numb." 

[RShara she/her]

3 hours ago, Child of Hodor said:

I could be wrong. We don't know what her limits are from the text. She may or may not be able to give and take physical objects. I just think the simplest explanation is she offered it because it was surrendered to her previously and it is still in the Valley. 

Nightwatcher Storage Unit

I don't think she carries it on her person, but she could have it in a special trove of all the things people have given her over thousands of years. Stormfather pulled Kaladin into that black void in WoK and WoR. Maybe she has something like that.

Or she has people drop the objects in that dense, creepy jungle. She could grow the plants to cover over objects. Wyndle can open locks by growing seeds. No one would find the objects unless she lets them. 

Giving or Guiding? 

"A Blade that bleeds darkness and cannot be defeated. I can give it to you" - OB Ch 114

It sounds like she's giving it, not telling people "go to this person and ask for it. If not rob them or kill them. Hope it works out."  

It's an awfully specific description too. She's not the Stormfather who flies over the entire continent and sees what's outside. How does she know where the blade is located and how a person can get it in the near future? How does she know it exists at all? Yeah, Fortune / future-sight, but that's not perfect even for a Shard and she's not that. Cultivation hadn't visited her in centuries prior to Ch. 114 of OB, so she wouldn't have told the Nightwatcher about it. 

I don't think she's giving people fortune-telling sessions and sending them on their way in the hopes that her reading of future events is accurate. 

Also, Is she really going to have them leave the Valley with their bane, but not the boon? 

"There is buried treasure at this spot in Azir. Take care getting to it your feet permanently numb." 

But she doesn't take offerings from people, that we've ever been told. She gives things, sometimes physical, sometimes not, then also gives a curse to go with it. There's no offerings involved, so where would she have gotten the pile of cloth?

Also, sitting in a cave for umpteenth years would be really bad for cloth.

Cultivation says she hasn't intervened in centuries, not that she hasn't seen the Nightwatcher in centuries.

Quote

YOU MUST FORGIVE MY DAUGHTER, the woman said. THIS IS THE FIRST TIME IN CENTURIES I’VE COME PERSONALLY TO SPEAK WITH ONE OF YOU.

 

Edited July 21, 2020 by RShara

[Eternal Khol he/him]

3 hours ago, Child of Hodor said:

How does she know it exists at all?

well, Cultivation talks to lots of people and even if she didnt im sure she'd notice Nightbloods arrival to Roshar. she probably also talks to her daughter a lot, and couldve told her about Nightblood

[+Child of Hodor]

 

@RShara

It's not an offering. It's a bane, Vasher had to give it up.  We don't know what her options for Boon / Bane. 

As far as things we've been told the Nightwatcher can do, she told Dalinar she can give him the blade. If she can give she can take. 

If she can't give or take objects I guess she gave that guy directions to where he can buy cloth cheap and turn around sell it for a profit back home? Or did she leave the Valley to brainwash a guy into giving the boon requester free cloth or steal he cloth from outside the Valley? 

Cloth is made from plants in many cases. She could have made it for him. More plausible than giving him a coupon for cloth he needs to turn in elsewhere. 

I think the seeker comes in asking for something and they leave the Valley with a boon / bane. I think she works with what she's got then and there. We don't know this, but that's my impression.

@Eternal Khol 

Cultivation would have had to tell the Nightwatcher about the blade, who has it where they will be in the future and how best to get it from them. Then Nightwatcher would have to relay that to Nale. 

Otherwise the boon is telling someone "There's a blade out there". 

 

Edited July 21, 2020 by Child of Hodor

[RShara she/her]

7 minutes ago, Child of Hodor said:

 

@RShara

It's not an offering. It's a bane, Vasher had to give it up.  We don't know what her options for Boon / Bane. 

As far as things we've been told the Nightwatcher can do, she told Dalinar she can give him the blade. If she can give she can take. 

If she can't give or take objects I guess she gave that guy directions to where he can buy cloth cheap and turn around sell it for a profit back home? Or did she leave the Valley to brainwash a guy into giving the boon requester free cloth or steal he cloth from outside the Valley? 

Cloth is made from plants in many cases. She could have made it for him. More plausible than giving him a coupon for cloth he needs to turn in elsewhere. 

I think the seeker comes in asking for something and they leave the Valley with a boon / bane. I think she works with what she's got then and there. We don't know this, but that's my impression.

@Eternal Khol 

Cultivation would have had to tell the Nightwatcher about the blade, who has it where they will be in the future and how best to get it from them. Then Nightwatcher would have to relay that to Nale. 

Otherwise the boon is telling someone "There's a blade out there". 

 

Or she knew that she could ask Cultivation to obtain the Blade for her, then give it to the requester.

I'm not saying the Nightwatcher definitely didn't have it. I'm saying there's more than one option here, other than that.

[Skaromas he/him]

This is a very interesting and plausible theory, and I really like it, it adds a reason to Nale having Nightblood.