A Ray of Hope for KoW

[Lightdancer]

There's been a lot of discussion over the possibility that Todium will choose Gavinor as his champion, crippling Dalinar. There are several death rattles that are often cited to support this theory. (This thread explains the theory pretty well.)

In this thread, I'm working from the assumption that this theory is correct, although there are plenty of objections. Personally, I think this theory makes a lot of sense. It fits Taravangian and Dalinar's conflicting principles, gives significance to Gavinor's subplot, and fulfills some Death Rattles.

However, there's one plot thread/theme that isn't addressed by this theory: the fallibility of futuresight.

We see this first in Oathbringer. Renarin has a vision of his own death by Jasnah's hand, and of Dalinar becoming Odium's champion. This does not happen. Jasnah does not kill Renarin, Dalinar shouts "You cannot have my pain," and awesomeness ensues.

A lot of us on the shard (myself not excluded) often take Death Rattles as near-perfect predictions of the future. They may be; it's certainly fun to theorize from them. However, we have to remember how futuresight works. It is based on possibilities, not certainties. Jasnah didn't kill Renarin. Dalinar didn't become Odium's champion.

Of course, we still have Todium's scheming and all the other evidence for this outcome. However, I don't think that Brandon showed us this detail about futuresight for nothing. After all, a plot twist needs foreshadowing. If, say, we discovered in book 5 that all these predictions had just been wrong all along, it would be unsatisfying. But because of Oathbringer, we have that foreshadowing.

That in mind, here's my outline for a possible, more hopeful contest of champions.

Dalinar arrives on the top of Urithiru for the contest of champions, expecting to face Moash or perhaps a powerful Fused. Instead, he is confronted by Gavinor. (Taravangian might reveal himself. I think not- gloating isn't really his style.) Again, Dalinar is faced with was seems like an impossible predicament. We see this Death Rattle: "I hold the suckling child in my hands, a knife at his throat." We see his angst, since this is SA.

The next step depends, at least, on Gavinor and Dalinar's character arcs. Dalinar is going to have a greater role in SA 5, which means more character development. And if Gavinor becomes Odium's champion, he has to have a character arc.

Unfortunately, I don't have enough futuresight to know what their arcs will be or how they might tie in to this situation. I will issue an ultimatum though: Dalinar will not kill Gavinor. I could see a world in which that is false- but seriously, who wants that? We may very well see the fulfillment of this Death Rattle: "So the night will reign, for the choice of honor is life..."

However, this is where the futuresight fails. Somehow, the night will not reign. Maybe Gavinor chooses not to kill Dalinar. Maybe he rescinds his consent to be Odium's champion. Maybe Dalinar just physically restrains him, preventing either of them from killing the other and drawing out the conflict for years while the Knights Radiant regroup? Who knows? Whatever it is, I expect it will draw gloryspren, since Brandon is writing it.

Regardless, futuresight fails in predicting the triumph of Odium. The Sanderson avalanche proceeds, tying up whatever plot ends Brandon needs to tie.

Maybe this is just me trying to believe that Dalinar won't become a Fused, that Roshar won't turn into a crustacean version of pre-catacendre Scadrial. But something tells me that Brandon wouldn't show us that futuresight is fallible and then never pay that off. Thoughts?

[Frustration]

I doubt the Gavilnor theory with every fiber of my being, I think the child was in reference to the Death rattles, as Gavilnor has long since been weaned.