Navani a Skybreaker theory, warning spoilers

[bobsaveg]

  So I have  this theory that Navani will become a Sky breaker for two reasons one is after reading this quote from Words of Radiance - 

"The considerable abilities of the skybreakers for making such amounted to an almost divine skill, for which no specific Surge or spen grants capacity, but however the order came to such an aptitude, the fact of it was real and acknowledged even by their rivals." (WOR pg 636.) 

Combined with what Szeth experiences after being brought back to life by a fabrial at the end of the book "impossible." " not if it is done before the brain dies... you could be restored with the right fabrial." 

Nalan then invites Szeth to join the Skybreakers the order he used to lead/inspire whatever. 

I think that the Skybreakers were really good at making fabrial and so is Navani. Also Skybreakers considered justice to be most important, and when Dalinar is betrayed on the shattered plains and Navani hears about it she doesn't write a Glyph for hope or mercy or victory or strength, she writes Justice. Maybe that a bit of foreshadowing maybe not. 

If you think that this doesn't work because Navani is not broken enough, just remember that she has raised  Jashina as a daughter and a failure king as a son, on top of the fact that she straight up tells Dalinar the there was a darker side to Galavier. 

All in all maybe I just grabbing at wind spren here but maybe not

 

[maxal]

I think it is unlikely. Skybreaker are obsessed about laws and rules. So far, Navani has been quite the contrary: she wears a glove on her safe hand, she seduces Dalinar even if the law is against their union and she does pretty much what she wants regardless of convention or rules. If we are to find an attribute for her, then I would see her more as "learned" and/or "wise" person than as a "just" person.

 

Besides, the Skybreakers are definitely a warrior order whereas Navani is definitely a scholar. If she were to be a Radiant, I would see her as an Elsecaller with Jasnah.

[Arondell]

I think it is unlikely. Skybreaker are obsessed about laws and rules. So far, Navani has been quite the contrary: she wears a glove on her safe hand, she seduces Dalinar even if the law is against their union and she does pretty much what she wants regardless of convention or rules. If we are to find an attribute for her, then I would see her more as "learned" and/or "wise" person than as a "just" person.

 

Actually in chapter thirty five of Words of Radiance it is made clear that Navani values order and rationality.

 

"This was the mark of humankind: to take the wild, unorganized world and make something logical of it. You could get so much more done when everything was in its place, when you could easily find what or whom you needed. Creativity required such things."

 

There are several more sentences regarding her views on the issue but that is the core of it.

 

Also her relationship with Dalinar flies in the face of tradition not the law.

 

“I was never unfaithful while he lived, though the Stormfather knows I had ample reason. The devotaries can say what they wish, but The Arguments do not forbid our union. Tradition is not the same as doctrine, and I will not hold myself back for fear of offending.”

Sanderson, Brandon (2010-08-31). The Way of Kings (The Stormlight Archive) (p. 864).

 

[Fifth of Daybreak]

  So I have  this theory that Navani will become a Sky breaker for two reasons one is after reading this quote from Words of Radiance - 

"The considerable abilities of the skybreakers for making such amounted to an almost divine skill, for which no specific Surge or spen grants capacity, but however the order came to such an aptitude, the fact of it was real and acknowledged even by their rivals." (WOR pg 636.) 

Combined with what Szeth experiences after being brought back to life by a fabrial at the end of the book "impossible." " not if it is done before the brain dies... you could be restored with the right fabrial." 

Nalan then invites Szeth to join the Skybreakers the order he used to lead/inspire whatever. 

I think that the Skybreakers were really good at making fabrial and so is Navani. Also Skybreakers considered justice to be most important, and when Dalinar is betrayed on the shattered plains and Navani hears about it she doesn't write a Glyph for hope or mercy or victory or strength, she writes Justice. Maybe that a bit of foreshadowing maybe not. 

If you think that this doesn't work because Navani is not broken enough, just remember that she has raised  Jashina as a daughter and a failure king as a son, on top of the fact that she straight up tells Dalinar the there was a darker side to Galavier. 

All in all maybe I just grabbing at wind spren here but maybe not

 

 

I hadn't thought about the quote that way, but I think you might be off a bit. The previous chapter has a quote that's from the same section according to the citation.

 

 

. . . and finding in that place the Skybreakers dividing the innocent from the guilty, there ensued a great debate.

-From Words of Radiance, chapter 28, page 3

WoR Chapter 54 Veil's Lesson

 

The quote you listed is on the same page as this one, and I had been interpreting it as the skybreakers had an aptitude for determining guilt. Also, ancient fabrials are theorized to be very different than modern ones. 

[Griff]

besides what the others have said navani didnt actually make or conceive the idea of the fabrials, she is a finacial backer to the people who do, she says as much in the scene where adolin goes to talk to her on the balcony when they are testing the lift thing, cant remember the proper name for it,

[jefftucker0525]

 

 

besides what the others have said navani didnt actually make or conceive the idea of the fabrials, she is a finacial backer to the people who do, she says as much in the scene where adolin goes to talk to her on the balcony when they are testing the lift thing, cant remember the proper name for it, 

 

 

Well, she was kind of saying that in a depressed sort of way like, "Its all they think I can be, but I am so much more" and if you look at her conversations about fabrials its obvious she knows her stuff, especially if you include her diagrams and notes throughout both books. She definitely knows what shes talking about when it comes to fabrials, so she is, or should be, more than just a financial backer.  

[Seloun]

That's an interesting theory. It actually works pretty well upon reflection.

 

The problem with the epigraph regarding the Skybreakers has always been in the odd wording. In particular, it talks about "The considerable abilities of the skybreakers for making such" which does not flow well for guilt-determining things. Maybe they're making 'judgements'? Or laws? But it's a weird way to describe it if that's the case (for the latter, it would almost sound sarcastic). It fits much better if it's talking about a physical thing or class of physical things, something that doesn't require a highly subjective value judgement. The quote also talks about the skill as something that fit oddly with the overall Skybreaker mentality. If it's something that's already in the 'law' purview, I don't know why it would ever come up as a question. As a similar example, what does dodging things (or the wind in general) have to do with Honor?

 

The other fragment from the same page isn't really evidence against, since we have no idea what came in between or the overall context of the page (for example, it might have started with how the Skybreakers were able to find the guilty party, and it turns out it was through a fabrial - one outstanding question is how the heck Nale was able to get to Szeth so quickly after his fall).

 

The fact that Navani does not appear to have made the fabrials she's interested in and the fact that modern fabrials are different from ancient fabrials appear to be evidence against when taken separately, but taken together actually is good evidence for, instead. The skill in the quote suggests that whatever it was was mostly intuitive rather than formulaic (otherwise it's unclear why you would call it 'almost divine' if it's something everyone could learn) while modern fabrials certainly seem to be engineered in the literal sense of the word. A reasonable explanation is that Navani is indeed fascinate by fabrials, but modern fabrials are completely different from KR-style fabrials and therefore Navani doesn't have any special skill in designing or building those.

 

If Nale is at least a facsimile of a Skybreaker, it's likely that Skybreakers were more interested in the letter of the law rather than the intent. Remember that this is exactly the argument Navani gives about her relationship to Dalinar:

 

 

“Gavilar is dead,” Navani said, resting her head back against his chest. “I was never unfaithful while he lived, though the Stormfather knows I had ample reason. The devotaries can say what they wish, but The Arguments do not forbid our union. Tradition is not the same as doctrine, and I will not hold myself back for fear of offending.”

 

In general we see that Navani is unconventional but there does not seem to be any hint that she does anything actually illegal. She also mentions that she was 'never unfaithful' while Gavilar was alive, which is sort of the precise language and justification one might expect from someone with a lot of concern about the letter of the law.

That said, I'm not sure that Navani is really a good candidate to be a KR. It also seems pretty clear at that point Szeth is going to be the Skybreaker representative for the KR. However, 'making fabrials' being the skill referred to for Skybreakers is an interesting one and explains the big question about the way the WoR epigraph is phrased.

[Goatborn]

Skybreakers are sounding more and more like lawyers in this discussion, which sounds pretty Sanderson to me - take a concept, make it sound as war-like and macho as possible, then reveal (without contradicting the previous evidence) that they were mostly scientists and lawyers.

 

The name Skybreakers could be interpreted as fabrial constructors that defy conventional physics. (As well as having the shock and awe side of things for when they have to hunt someone down) What if the idea of justice and laws extended beyond the laws of man and lead to a deeper understanding of the laws of the universe? If you had devoted your life to justice, wouldn't you at least wonder if there was a higher or even universal law?

 

I like the idea of Navani being a Skybreaker. And if you're worried about her being squeamish when it comes to execution, remember that she did raise Jasnah!