theory We've already seen Chemoarish

[KandraAllomancer he/him]

This theory started as yet another attempt to match the Unmade and KR Orders (using new information from RoW, the KR Quiz etc.), but after revising my last attempt I realized that I actually completely agree with the classification created by @Bzhydack in this post:

This has lead me to some interesting theories about Chemoarish and Yelig-Nar (which I believe match Stonewards and Skybreakers, respectively). In this post I'll focus just on Chemoarish. We don't really have much information on her: she's apparently often conflated with the Nightwatcher (probably implying some connection to Cultivation) and she's called a Dustmother. The latter might be a link to Dustbringers, but Nergaoul seems to match them quite well (direct inversion of their Ideal, captured in a ruby etc.). I believe, however, that Chemoarish makes sense if we treat her as an Unmade of Stone, which, as we know from Venli's chapters in RoW, also seems to be connected to Cultivation somehow. This leads me to this fragment we find in Dalinar's last vision in TWoK (chapter 75):

Quote

The land was trembling. The wall of dust was being caused by something. Something approaching.
The ground was falling away.
Dalinar gasped. The very rocks ahead were shattering, breaking apart, becoming dust.

I think what is described here might actually be Chemoarish

Edited September 5, 2021 by KandraAllomancer

[Brgst13]

Very interesting.  I never fully understood that vision, and Brandon including it to sneak a Chemoarsh foreshadowing in is genius.

[+Bzhydack he/him]

@KandraAllomancer Thanks man, for apeciation!

And your observation is very interesting, because we dont see Dustmother anywhere else (if it is true). Im still convinced to @Lightspine theory about Heralds and Unmade, but this still can match, because it was probably after Taln was released from Braize (im not fully convinced he broke, I think Odium find a way around Oathpact, but this is another story).

[KandraAllomancer he/him]

8 hours ago, Bzhydack said:

And your observation is very interesting, because we dont see Dustmother anywhere else (if it is true). Im still convinced to @Lightspine theory about Heralds and Unmade, but this still can match, because it was probably after Taln was released from Braize (im not fully convinced he broke, I think Odium find a way around Oathpact, but this is another story).

Taln definitely did not break:

Quote

Questioner

Taln. Did he actually ever give up? Or was it... Did he just get released when...?

Brandon Sanderson

You will find out, but Taln did not break. You'll find out how it happened, but Taln did not break.

JordanCon 2021 (July 16, 2021)

Come to think of it, Chemoarish might have been brought to Roshar by the Everstorm, possibly foreshadowed by this Death Rattle:

Quote

They named it the Final Desolation, but they lied. Our gods lied. Oh, how they lied. The Everstorm comes. I hear its whispers, see its stormwall, know its heart.

It could have been part of Odium's plan to find a loophole in the Oathpact. Anyway, whether or not there's a spren for the Everstorm is a RAFO for now:

Quote

coltonx9

Is there a spren for the Everstorm?

Brandon Sanderson

RAFO. Good question.

Idaho Falls signing (Dec. 29, 2018)

 

[Honorless he/him]

Oh! You think Odium might've repurposed her to create the Everstorm! That seems very possible. Odium does not like to create Splinters of himself, preferring to adapt existing spren to his purposes, so it would make sense for him to do this. Although... the Everstorm was an attempt to circumvent the Oathpact, the Unmade, as Odium's strongest servants be the last ones to be able to reach Roshar (assuming they were on Braize, which we know is definitely not always the case). If Chemoarish was already on Roshar, that might've been enough of a Connection for him to manipulate? Interesting idea

[KandraAllomancer he/him]

2 hours ago, Honorless said:

Oh! You think Odium might've repurposed her to create the Everstorm! That seems very possible. Odium does not like to create Splinters of himself, preferring to adapt existing spren to his purposes, so it would make sense for him to do this. Although... the Everstorm was an attempt to circumvent the Oathpact, the Unmade, as Odium's strongest servants be the last ones to be able to reach Roshar (assuming they were on Braize, which we know is definitely not always the case). If Chemoarish was already on Roshar, that might've been enough of a Connection for him to manipulate? Interesting idea

If I remember correctly, the Everstorm used to be a part of the barrier storm of Braize, so I'm not sure if any additional splintering was necessary in the first place.

Anyway, my point was mostly about @Lightspine's theory that the Heralds and Unmade are somehow connected. Heralds breaking the Oathpact would, as a result, explain why the Unmade were not imprisoned on Braize before the True Desolation (Hessi, for example, seems to be convinced that BAM could be imprisoned in Damnation). In that is the case, Chemoarish was probably still bound to Braize - and smuggling her to Roshar might've helped start the current Return without Taln breaking