Chemoarish

[Kered]

As we know, so far, Chemoarish is the Unmade we know the least about. Even the Unmade that haven't appeared on screen get a decent bit revealed about them from in world conversation and the epigraphs. Not the case with Chemoarish. Only two worth while pieces of lore is that she's sometimes referred to as "Dustmother" and is often times mixed up with the Nightwatcher. This could probably be explained as Brandon wanting a slow burn on some aspects of the Unmade. But a fun thought has occurred to me but it takes a few leaps to rationalize it logically. 

What if Chemoarish is a Herald that's defected? The biggest whole in this the 9 Honorblades at the so called final desolation. It means all the Heralds were present, probably, along with all the unmade. I have two possible explanations for this. 1, the less likely, the Herald operated as a spy and once the Heralds abandoned their duty, a Herald went fully over to Odium. Less likely because it doesn't answer the problem of Chemoarish already existing prior to a possible Herald defection. 2, the Herald replaced a defeated/killed Unmade. This one I think is the strongest argument, but still has a few wholes. 

Also, have no idea on the Dustmother bit or the Nightwatcher confusion. Maybe Chemoarish, on orders from Odium, tried impersonating the Nightwatcher to create confusion among humans?

 

I'm not really firm in my belief that this will be a thing, but it is intriguing. Would be a pretty cool dynamic of seeing a Herald essentially become Odium's version of a Herald. Would be particularly cool once we get to the second half of the series where the Heralds and their backstory will be more on screen.  

[Kered]

Server lagged when I posted and accidentally posted this topic twice. My bad.  

[Honorless]

29 minutes ago, Kered said:

Server lagged when I posted and accidentally posted this topic twice. My bad.  

It happened to a lot of people today

 

I like the idea of a Odium aligned Nightwatcher like spren

[Brgst13]

I think it is more likely that the Odium aligned "God spren" might be Ba-Ado-Mishram.  Ba had the ability to Connect Odium to the Singers (to provide Voidlight), as well as being noted as a general.  If you ascribe to the dashes to intelligence theory (the more dashes in the name, the more intelligent the Unmade), then the Dustmother is on a level with Neragoul or Ashertmarn.  They would lack the complexity of a Re-Shepir or Sja-anat, or presumably Dai-Goranthis.

[Halyo_Alex]

2 hours ago, Brgst13 said:

the dashes to intelligence theory (the more dashes in the name, the more intelligent the Unmade)

This seems like an absurd idea at face value... But it holds up at least on a base level, the Unmade we know to be "mindless" lack hyphens (dashes)... Wow.

[Brgst13]

2 hours ago, Halyo_Alex said:

This seems like an absurd idea at face value... But it holds up at least on a base level, the Unmade we know to be "mindless" lack hyphens (dashes)... Wow.

I agree, when I read it the first time I dismissed it, but as I looked at the evidence and did a reread, it seemed to hold up at least so far.

[+Child of Hodor]

2 hours ago, Halyo_Alex said:

This seems like an absurd idea at face value... But it holds up at least on a base level, the Unmade we know to be "mindless" lack hyphens (dashes)... Wow.

34 minutes ago, Brgst13 said:

I agree, when I read it the first time I dismissed it, but as I looked at the evidence and did a reread, it seemed to hold up at least so far.

This theory could be right. My issue with it is I don't know whether Re-Shephir is really smarter than the no hyphen ones. She mimics what she observes and she recognized Shallan had the same power as one who trapped her long ago. She can't talk as far as we know and doesn't seem that smart. Shallan compares her to an axehound.

Quote

It feared her like an axehound might fear someone with a voice similar to that of its harsh master.

- OB Ch. 30

At the end of Oathbringer, Dalinar thanks the Thrill for making him strong when he needed it and the Thrill reacts positively, like it understood. Or understood the emotion like an axehound might. 

In my mind I've divided them into the person sized ones that can talk: Sja-Anat, Yelig-nar (he can talk according to Hessi's Mythica). And the giant inhuman shaped ones that can't talk (Nergaoul, Re-Shephir). 

[Lightspine]

On 8/7/2020 at 9:08 PM, Kered said:

Also, have no idea on the Dustmother bit

You've brought up similar points about Chemoarish as I did in this theory several weeks back. I would have assumed you'd seen my post already, but if you have, you missed the edit I made at the end:

Basically, I postulated that the "Dustmother" title could come from confusion between the names "Chemoarish" and "Chanarach," the patron Herald of the Dustbringers—and also the most misunderstood/dislike order of Radiants. When I read the start of your theory, I was completely expecting you to point the finger at Chanarach as the Herald you believed to have become Chemoarish.

Even though I'm not entirely sold on this theory, I just realized that Chanarach is also one of the Heralds that is most absent, so I'll do a breakdown for the whereabouts of the Heralds similar to the one I previously gave the Unmade:

• Jezrien: the begger Ahu, seen multiple times by multiple characters (Szeth, Dalinar, Moash) and killed by Moash.
• Nale: leading the Skybreakers, killing Radiants, just defected to Odium.
• Chanarach: status unknown
• Vedel: status unknown
• Pailiah: appeared once in the Palaneum (WoB)
• Shalash: destroying depictions of herself. Captured by Jasnah at end of Oathbringer
• Battar: Taravangian thinks she is Dova, one of the Diagramists.
• Kalak: talking with Nale the night of Gavilar's assassination.
• Talenel: came to Kholinar at the end of WoK, currently captured with Shalash by Jasnah.
• Ishar: God-Priest of Tukar

Wow, Chanarach and Vedel do both seem to be conspicuously missing, much as Chemoarish is (as I said, my post linked above has a similar list of what we know about each Unmade).