Red Chicken (mistborn spoilers)

[Zedseayou]

Lift has a red chicken that's prominent in her interlude and which she still has at the end of the book.

The chicken was being hunted by Mraize's green chicken (Aviar?). Lift describes it:

Quote

The green chicken rounded, and she got a good look at it. Wicked talons, a sharp knifelike beak.

and Veil describes Mraize's:

Quote

The chicken was one of the strangest varieties Veil had ever seen, with that large hooked beak and those bright green feathers.

The chicken had some kind of homing or location sensing ability because it was able to find its owner's body. The owner is described:

Quote

It was an old Alethi man in robes. He’d been killed with some kind of knife wound to the chest, and lay—his eyes open—on the ground. Blood on his lips.

Quote

“Who was he?” she asked. “Wyndle, do you recognize him?” “I believe I’ve seen him before. A minor Alethi functionary, though his eyes are different now. Curious. Look at his fingers—tan skin with bands of lighter skin. He was wearing jewelry once.” Yes … thinking about it, she thought she recognized him. One of the old people in the tower. Retired, once an important official in the palace.

So my read on this is that this is a worldhopper Feruchemist, with his own Aviar? There is presumably something interesting about him else Mraize wouldn't be after him, and the rings point toward Feruchemy. He isn't described as looking particularly Terris but I assume that Feruchemy is more widespread at this point. Combined with Axindweth, there seems to be a much bigger Scadrian population floating around than we previously knew.

It'll also be interesting to see what the red chicken's powers are, now that Lift has it. It's unclear how she got it back, but I'll assume that Mraize only caught her and not it when she was running.

Edited November 18, 2020 by Zedseayou

[Zedseayou]

sorry, this should probably be in the cosmere board - could it be moved? I couldn't figure out how to delete and repost

[Elsecaller_17.5 he/him]

I read the passage the same, good thoughts.

[Kingsdaughter613 she/her]

Considering the chicken seemed to speak and Lift couldn’t restore its feathers... I’m not so sure that’s a bird.

[Elsecaller_17.5 he/him]

19 minutes ago, Kingsdaughter613 said:

Considering the chicken seemed to speak and Lift couldn’t restore its feathers... I’m not so sure that’s a bird.

But of it is an Aviar we could be dealing with an investure resists investure situation. 

[Kingsdaughter613 she/her]

Just now, Elsecaller_17.5 said:

But of it is an Aviar we could be dealing with an investure resists investure situation. 

She restored its flesh just fine, despite the tower causing problems.

[Elsecaller_17.5 he/him]

Just now, Kingsdaughter613 said:

She restored its flesh just fine, despite the tower causing problems.

I evidently need to reread that bit.

[Zedseayou]

8 hours ago, Kingsdaughter613 said:

Considering the chicken seemed to speak and Lift couldn’t restore its feathers... I’m not so sure that’s a bird.

Is this passage why you thought it could speak? I figured it was somewhat intelligent but more in a Ryshadium than a Chiri-Chiri kind of way, though not entirely sure how big a difference that is. I do forget whether Aviar behave this way.

Quote

The chicken let out an angry screech, fluttering out of her hands to the man. Then—in perhaps the most heart-wrenching thing she’d ever seen—it began to nuzzle the corpse and chirp softly. It climbed into the crook of his dead arm and pushed its head against his side, chirping again, more worried this time.

On the feathers point, I didn't put that down to anything super special. Have we seen Regrowth restore hair or other body appendages? If Regrowth can do that, then I guess you're implying kandra, since that would be a case where the feathers wouldn't be part of the body...

[DracostarA]

Quote

Is this passage why you thought it could speak? I figured it was somewhat intelligent but more in a Ryshadium than a Chiri-Chiri kind of way, though not entirely sure how big a difference that is. I do forget whether Aviar behave this way.

I believe this is the relevant passage

Quote

She reached over and carefully picked up the chicken, who had begun to let out pained chirps almost like words. Eerily similar to them, in fact.

I also think this was the Terrisman who tipped them off about Axwindeth, as he worked in the Palace, and this could indicate that she was a Ghostblood since it was presumably Mraize who killed him.

[Kingsdaughter613 she/her]

5 hours ago, DracostarA said:

I believe this is the relevant passage

I also think this was the Terrisman who tipped them off about Axwindeth, as he worked in the Palace, and this could indicate that she was a Ghostblood since it was presumably Mraize who killed him.

That one, yes.

[WeLoveMoash]

Just regarding ability to speak: it's hard to know how much is real and how much is basically headcanon due to secondary sources, but I definitely see at least some of the Aviar as having a lot in common with parrot species.  For example, not an actual true souce, but the Coppermind page for Aviar uses an image of what is clearly a parrot. I had similar impressions just comparing the island chains in Sixth of Dusk to tropical islands.

So if the birds actually do have anything in common with parrots, it wouldn't be that weird for them to have some degree of weird mimicry or semi-developed vocal cords, even if they aren't "talking birds" exactly. 

[+robardin he/him]

On 11/18/2020 at 2:44 AM, Zedseayou said:

It'll also be interesting to see what the red chicken's powers are, now that Lift has it. It's unclear how she got it back, but I'll assume that Mraize only caught her and not it when she was running.

But to "transfer" an Aviar's bond to another person requires an act of will by the former holder of the bond. And that one had to bond the Aviar in the first place at a specific time of its life? Of course Lift being "awesome" and full of Lifelight could allow for a secondary bond...

[ftl]

8 hours ago, WeLoveMoash said:

Just regarding ability to speak: it's hard to know how much is real and how much is basically headcanon due to secondary sources, but I definitely see at least some of the Aviar as having a lot in common with parrot species.  For example, not an actual true souce, but the Coppermind page for Aviar uses an image of what is clearly a parrot. I had similar impressions just comparing the island chains in Sixth of Dusk to tropical islands.

So if the birds actually do have anything in common with parrots, it wouldn't be that weird for them to have some degree of weird mimicry or semi-developed vocal cords, even if they aren't "talking birds" exactly. 

There's been a "talking chicken" in Stormlight before - in Shallan's past, at a traveling fair, there's a "weird chicken from Shinovar" that's being shown off that can say its own name (Jek-son-of-none).

[Lady_Kholin]

5 hours ago, ftl said:

There's been a "talking chicken" in Stormlight before - in Shallan's past, at a traveling fair, there's a "weird chicken from Shinovar" that's being shown off that can say its own name (Jek-son-of-none).

I think that was just a parrot from Shinovar. It was still an oddity for Shallan but not necessarily an aviar. 

 

[+Oltux72 he/him]

On 18.11.2020 at 8:44 AM, Zedseayou said:

The chicken had some kind of homing or location sensing ability because it was able to find its owner's body.

Or it was simply present when he was stricken down and is good at remembering routes. No supernatural explanation is necessary.

On 18.11.2020 at 8:44 AM, Zedseayou said:

So my read on this is that this is a worldhopper Feruchemist, with his own Aviar?

Presumably the steward mentioned in the prologue. The interesting point is the aviar. This points to an independent population of Terrispeople.
I would speculate that they are associated with Mercy. Kind of the natural Shard refugees would go to.

On 18.11.2020 at 8:44 AM, Zedseayou said:

There is presumably something interesting about him else Mraize wouldn't be after him, and the rings point toward Feruchemy. He isn't described as looking particularly Terris but I assume that Feruchemy is more widespread at this point. Combined with Axindweth, there seems to be a much bigger Scadrian population floating around than we previously knew.

Yes. So we can safely conclude that he was not a Ghostblood. We are dealing with a previously unknown group.

On 18.11.2020 at 8:44 AM, Zedseayou said:

It'll also be interesting to see what the red chicken's powers are, now that Lift has it. It's unclear how she got it back, but I'll assume that Mraize only caught her and not it when she was running.

I would say it is not healing. And probably also not that concealing ability. Mraize found them anyway.

[Zedseayou]

8 hours ago, Oltux72 said:

Or it was simply present when he was stricken down and is good at remembering routes. No supernatural explanation is necessary.

The section where the chicken appears to know the direction the body is in, despite this being through the wall/floor, suggests something more like a compass than a memory for routes. Not necessarily supernatural, but certainly hard and seemingly more specific than birds can normally do.

[Dash Vidun Leslan]

Is it Chri Chri ?