Nale and Jezrien

[Necessary Eagle she/her]

I haven't seen anyone talking about Nale's flashbacks that Dalinar saw... so Nale and Jez used to be enemies? And then Jezrien admitted Nale was in the right, seemingly right before inviting Nale into the Oathpact? 

[CamilleDesmoulins]

My guess is that Nale opposed Jezrien because of something he was doing (fighting the Singers? Reckless experimentation with surges?) and Jezrien admitted Nale was right.

[Nymeros]

Hashirama and Madara

Nale's flashbacks were one of my top 5 favorite moments in the book. I love that Jezrien and Nalan were former enemies and rivals turned friends. I wonder if their rivalry relates to the rivalry between the Windrunners and the Skybreakers.

 

Quote

 

Nale cradling a child in one arm, his Blade out as dark forces crawled across a ridge nearby.

Sanderson, Brandon. Rhythm of War (The Stormlight Archive) . Tom Doherty Associates. Kindle Edition. 

 

I just know the Shalash flashbacks in the next Stormlight cycle are going to be incredible.

[Karger he/him]

According to the Stormfather all of the Heralds were kings, generals, or scholars, with the exception of Taln.  So Nale could have been a rival king or general.  We don't know how many cultures the Ashynites brought with them.

[Toaster Retribution he/him]

I suspect Nale was a king. Makes sense from how he seemed to be leading a faction opposed to Jezrien, who we know was a king. I also really loved the Nale flashbacks. They show that Nale was once (and hopefully, beneath the madness, still is) a good person. I also think about the vision of him protecting a child from some kind of monsters. Wonder if that was some random kid he found, or someone significant to him.

[Subvisual Haze]

I loved this part  It really drove home how far Nale has fallen 

Quote

Nale standing with a group of scholars and unrolling a large writ, filled with writing. “The law cannot be moral,” Nale said to them. “But you can be moral as you create laws. Ever must you protect the weakest, those most likely to be taken advantage of.

Sanderson, Brandon. Rhythm of War (The Stormlight Archive) (p. 608). Tom Doherty Associates. Kindle Edition. 

 

[Blackwarder]

17 hours ago, Toaster Retribution said:

I suspect Nale was a king. Makes sense from how he seemed to be leading a faction opposed to Jezrien, who we know was a king. I also really loved the Nale flashbacks. They show that Nale was once (and hopefully, beneath the madness, still is) a good person. I also think about the vision of him protecting a child from some kind of monsters. Wonder if that was some random kid he found, or someone significant to him.

I think they all were. The oathpact broke them all. 
 

[Subvisual Haze]

22 hours ago, Toaster Retribution said:

I suspect Nale was a king. Makes sense from how he seemed to be leading a faction opposed to Jezrien, who we know was a king. I also really loved the Nale flashbacks. They show that Nale was once (and hopefully, beneath the madness, still is) a good person. I also think about the vision of him protecting a child from some kind of monsters. Wonder if that was some random kid he found, or someone significant to him.

Based on his love of Justice/Law, I think Nale was a Republican or at least Constitutional Monarchist, opposed to the idea of despotic rulers and thus a political opponent of King Jezrien.