Feruchemist in Prolouge

[Theoryspren]

In the prologue a bearded steward waved Navani over to discuss the arrival of important guests. In the passage Navani notes that the steward had, “too many rings on his fingers”

Spoiler

We know from Mistborn that the Lird Ruler forced the Terris people to become stewards and servants. We also know that feruchemists where lots of rings so that they can store many different things. It would make since then for this man who might be a feruchemist from a actual to take a steward job as his cover because he would be used to it.

Then later in the prologue Navani see’s someone that she thinks could have been the steward but the new man is about 20 years younger.

Spoiler

We also know from Mistborn, Feruchemists can store their age. So the steward and this man could be the same man if he is a Feruchemist.

I know this is unlikely but it makes since if that guy was a Terris Feruchemist.

Edited September 26, 2020 by Theoryspren

[Halyo_Alex he/him]

3 hours ago, Theoryspren said:

In the prologue a bearded steward waved Navani over to discuss the arrival of important guests. In the passage Navani notes that the steward had, “too many rings on his fingers”

  Reveal hidden contents

We know from Mistborn that the Lird Ruler forced the Terris people to become stewards and servants. We also know that feruchemists where lots of rings so that they can store many different things. It would make since then for this man who might be a feruchemist from a actual to take a steward job as his cover because he would be used to it.

Then later in the prologue Navani see’s someone that she thinks could have been the steward but the new man is about 20 years younger.

  Reveal hidden contents

We also know from Mistborn, Feruchemists can store their age. So the steward and this man could be the same man if he is a Feruchemist.

I know this is unlikely but it makes since if that guy was a Terris Feruchemist.

So the question becomes how/why did he leave Scadrial to come to Roshar?

Given my knowledge of the overall timeline, this would be a few years before the Wax and Wayne books are set in Era 2, and, uh... A Full Feruchemist in that time period would be really noteworthy. Especially if he just vanished abruptly, or even if he just allegedly "died", people would remember him. I don't remember anyone like that being brought up in the Era 2 books, so... Dunno. I agree however that it's a weird detail to point out in the prologue, and I want to believe that he's a Feruchemist, but I just don't see how, yet.

[Eternal Khol he/him]

2 hours ago, Halyo_Alex said:

A Full Feruchemist in that time period would be really noteworthy. Especially if he just vanished abruptly, or even if he just allegedly "died", people would remember him. I don't remember anyone like that being brought up in the Era 2 books, so

Who said that the Feruchemist has to be from Era 2?

they could be a worldhopper from era 1 who know the time dilation tricks that most worldhoppers know and use

i think this is definitely a Feruchemist.

good catch @Theoryspren

[Kingsdaughter613 she/her]

A steward with too many rings? Either he’s a Scadrian Feruchemist or Brandon is trolling us.

Edited September 27, 2020 by Kingsdaughter613

[+Bzhydack he/him]

6 hours ago, Eternal Khol said:

Who said that the Feruchemist has to be from Era 2?

they could be a worldhopper from era 1 who know the time dilation tricks that most worldhoppers know and use

More even, it can be Feruchemist from before Final Empire - we all know what Lord Ruler do to Terrrisans.

Also, can be Feruchemist from 17th Shard, who live in Silverlight. We know population of Southerners live in Shadesmar, why not Terrisans?

More interesting question is, Why he is here. Is he agent of Harmony?

[+Oltux72 he/him]

9 hours ago, Bzhydack said:

More even, it can be Feruchemist from before Final Empire - we all know what Lord Ruler do to Terrrisans.

Or alternatively Terris people fled The Lord Ruler and established a colony somewhere off world.

[Karger he/him]

Many people did speculate that it was in fact a feruchemist when our first look at the prolong came out.  Back then the language also made it more obvious.  I personally don't think it is a full feruchemist however I do think a fering or maybe a fering with medallions is a likely possibility.

[Ixthos he/him]

I just checked the prologue chapter again, and while I like this theory I don't think the second person is the steward using atium, as it appears to be Kalak. From the prologue:

Quote

The king was speaking with two men that Navani vaguely recognized. A tall Makabaki man with a birthmark on his cheek and a shorter Vorin man with a round face and a small nose. They’d been called ambassadors from the West, but no kingdom had been given for their home.

The Makabaki one leaned against the bookcase, his arms folded, his face completely expressionless. The Vorin man wrung his hands, reminding Navani of the palace steward, though this man seemed much younger. Somewhere… in his twenties? Maybe his thirties? No, he could be older.

 

[+Bzhydack he/him]

1 hour ago, Karger said:

Many people did speculate that it was in fact a feruchemist when our first look at the prolong came out.  Back then the language also made it more obvious.  I personally don't think it is a full feruchemist however I do think a fering or maybe a fering with medallions is a likely possibility.

Not very possible that he has medalions. He dont have mask, so he isnt from South, and at this time Medalions arent known among Northen Scadrians.

If he is just ferring, most possible is he is Connector. What reminds me...

Do you remember Allomacer Jak's steward, Handerwym?

[Karger he/him]

8 minutes ago, Bzhydack said:

Not very possible that he has medalions. He dont have mask, so he isnt from South, and at this time Medalions arent known among Northen Scadrians.

He would be making concessions to Rosharan customs.  If he wants to work his way into the palace this would be required.  Additionally, while normal northerners don't know about medallions worldhopping northerers almost certainly do.

Edited September 27, 2020 by Karger

[cfphelps he/him]

On 9/27/2020 at 2:28 PM, Ixthos said:

I just checked the prologue chapter again, and while I like this theory I don't think the second person is the steward using atium, as it appears to be Kalak. From the prologue:

 

Good info.  From your quote, the prologue says the man's mannerisms (specifically wringing his hands) remind Navani of the steward, but not that anything else about him does.  In this case I think his age (and her trouble placing it) is more a clue that he's a Herald than that he's the steward.  It's an interesting theory though!

Edited September 28, 2020 by cfphelps

[+honorblades he/him]

So it seems clear that this person is a feruchemist, full or not. It also seems likely that they are an agent of Harmony, someone from Silverlight is possible but seems less likely to me. Also unlikely is that they are a rogue agent feruchemist. 
 

The question is, I think, if this person is working for Harmony, why didn’t he send a Kandra instead? What work could they be doing that requires a feruchemist, especially if this person is a full feruchemist? 

[+Harrycrapper]

47 minutes ago, lightweaver spy said:

So it seems clear that this person is a feruchemist, full or not. It also seems likely that they are an agent of Harmony, someone from Silverlight is possible but seems less likely to me. Also unlikely is that they are a rogue agent feruchemist. 
 

The question is, I think, if this person is working for Harmony, why didn’t he send a Kandra instead? What work could they be doing that requires a feruchemist, especially if this person is a full feruchemist? 

Could be an agent of Kelsier. He can't travel offworld so it's plausible he has people he sends out to gather information. Perhaps he recruited one of the last full Feruchemists after the Catacendre. Or even just a normal Ferring from the current generation on Scadrial. 

[Infinity Sliver]

Hmmmmm,maybe(if this was a feruchemist) is a descendant of one of the early worldbringers who probably migrated to Silverlight?

[+Invocation]

24 minutes ago, Infinitysliver said:

Hmmmmm,maybe(if this was a feruchemist) is a descendant of one of the early worldbringers who probably migrated to Silverlight?

Or one of Rashek's kids floating around.

[Eternal Khol he/him]

49 minutes ago, Invocation said:

Or one of Rashek's kids floating around.

They all died 900 years before Era 1

[Halyo_Alex he/him]

38 minutes ago, Eternal Khol said:

They all died 900 years before Era 1

Okay maybe not his son, but one of his descendants?

[Innovation]

This man is definitely a Feruchemist. He might be just a Ferring, he might be a full Feruchemist, or he might be using medallions. Regardless, nice find!

[+Invocation]

1 hour ago, Eternal Khol said:

They all died 900 years before Era 1

Perhaps. In one of the hypothetical questions, Brandon mentioned something about them being dead for nine hundred years, but there's another one that just straight up says we haven't met any of his children (though that's from 2018). 

[Innovation]

This man could be a Hemalurgist:

 

kalamitous_emoashions

Have we seen any evidence of Hemalurgy on Roshar? And, as sort of an addendum, given the end of Oathbringer, was what happened to Jezrien Hemalurgy?

Brandon Sanderson

There are certain cosmere philosophers that would count it. I would divide it as two separate things that are using similar fundamentals... I wouldn't call it myself, but there are people who would disagree with me in-world. Have we seen evidence? I would say no evidence that is easily-- easy to pick out.

kalamitous_emoashions

But it's there?

Brandon Sanderson

Yes, there are people with Hemalurgy who have been to Roshar. I'm pretty sure they've been on-screen.

Oathbringer London signing (Nov. 28, 2017)

Emphasis added.

However, this could refer to many, many people, from barely mentioned characters to high-ranking members of secret societies. 

Edited September 29, 2020 by Innovation

[Subvisual Haze]

I get that worldhoppers mostly just exist as fun easter eggs for fans to find, but the functions they perform always seem so silly.  Using your superhuman magical powers to travel across the galaxy to a completely alien civilization so that you can work a mid level service job.

[+Oltux72 he/him]

10 hours ago, lightweaver spy said:

The question is, I think, if this person is working for Harmony, why didn’t he send a Kandra instead? What work could they be doing that requires a feruchemist, especially if this person is a full feruchemist? 

Speaking multiple languages in quick succession. Apparently Kandra are good at learning languages and imitating them, but there must be a limit.

Or alternatively you cannot send a Kandra because the agent may have to face somebody who can exploit the weaknesses of a hemalurgic construct, that is, an emotional Allomancer and a Nicroburst or a certain notorious Mistborn.

Or alternatively, how do Kandra spikes look in Shadesmar to a living person? How does a Kandra look to a Soulcaster or a Willshaper?

[Kingsdaughter613 she/her]

5 hours ago, Subvisual Haze said:

I get that worldhoppers mostly just exist as fun easter eggs for fans to find, but the functions they perform always seem so silly.  Using your superhuman magical powers to travel across the galaxy to a completely alien civilization so that you can work a mid level service job.

No one ever notices the help. If you’re trying to spy, a mid-level service job is perfect. You have an excuse to be everywhere, to touch everything, and unless you’re really bad at your job (either/both of them) no one is going to notice you.

[Innovation]

What do you think this man is here for? Study, as many Feruchemists are scholars? Spying on the royal family, particularly Gavilar, for Worldhoppers or a Shard? Perhaps Harmony sent him to investigate Odium. So many questions. 

[+Oltux72 he/him]

17 minutes ago, Innovation said:

What do you think this man is here for? Study, as many Feruchemists are scholars? Spying on the royal family, particularly Gavilar, for Worldhoppers or a Shard? Perhaps Harmony sent him to investigate Odium. So many questions. 

Well, none of these options are mutually exclusive. The reason why he took the job need not be the reason he was offered the job.

Yet the coincidence of a feruchemist working for Gavilar at a crucial moment would be too great unless we assume that he or his superiors have access to Fortune.