Shardcast: Death Rattles Analysis 1

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You've killed me. Bastards, you've killed me! While the sun is still hot, I die

— Collected on Betabachah 1171, 10 seconds pre-death, by the Silent Gatherers. Subject was a darkeyed soldier thirty-one years of age. Sample is considered questionable

I was curious if this could refer to Jezrien's death and checked. He explicitly dies at night.

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A man stood on a cliffside and watched his homeland fall into dust. The waters surged beneath, so far beneath. And he heard a child crying. They were his own tears.

— Collected on Tanatesev 1171, 30 seconds pre-death, by the Silent Gatherers. Subject was a cobbler of some renown.

This is more a crackpot theory, but I wonder if this will refer to Taravangian someday. Cliff-side city, reference to homeland. His entire goal now is saving his homeland Kharbranth. This would be a tragic ending to his story, as he did terrible things in the name of a goal that failed.

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Victory! We stand atop the mount! We scatter them before us! Their homes become our dens, their lands are now our farms! And they shall burn, as we once did, in a place that is hollow and forlorn. 

— Collected on Ishashan 1172, 18 seconds pre-death, by the Silent Gatherers. Subject was a lighteyed spinster of the eighth dahn.

I strongly dislike the idea that this one refers to the first Desolation.

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Three of sixteen ruled, but now the Broken One reigns.

— Collected on Chachanan 1173, 84 seconds pre-death, by the Silent Gatherers. Subject was a cutpurse with the wasting sickness, of partial Iriali descent.

I would like to point out that Iri is ruled by a triumverate. We don't know much of Iriali politics The three rulers could be chosen from some sort of council of 16. And then at a future point, under Odium's influence, one of the three will break and rule all of Iri.

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“Ten orders. We were loved, once. Why have you forsaken us, Almighty! Shard of my soul, where have you gone? ”

— Collected on Kakashan 1171, 5 seconds pre-death, by the Silent Gatherers. Subject was a lighteyed woman in her third decade.

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The figure was silent for a moment. Then he spoke in a clear, crisp voice. “Life before death. Strength before weakness. Journey before destination. Speak again the ancient oaths and return to men the Shards they once bore.” He turned to Dalinar, meeting his eyes. “The Knights Radiant must stand again.”
 

I think Shard refers to the Radiant spren, since Honor refers to them the same way.

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“The burdens of nine become mine. Why must I carry the madness of them all? Oh, Almighty, release me. ”

— Observed on Palaheses 1173, collected secondhand and later reported to the Silent Gatherers. Subject was a wealthy lighteyes.

I don't think this is Taln, he wouldn't use 'Almighty'. And technically he carries the burden of ten.

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“Victory! We stand atop the mount! We scatter them before us! Their homes become our dens, their lands are now our farms! And they shall burn, as we once did, in a place that is hollow and forlorn. ”

— Collected on Ishashan 1172, 18 seconds pre-death, by the Silent Gatherers. Subject was a lighteyed spinster of the eighth dahn.

There are Voidbringers on Asyhn?

I like the idea of  Broken One meaning emotionally broken, despairing, devoid of hope. 

When Argent read through all of those consecutive Epigraphs they all fit into one thing in my head, The Scouring of Aimia.

Part 1

On 3/22/2019 at 10:06 PM, thegatorgirl00 said:

  Quote

A man stood on a cliffside and watched his homeland fall into dust. The waters surged beneath, so far beneath. And he heard a child crying. They were his own tears.

— Collected on Tanatesev 1171, 30 seconds pre-death, by the Silent Gatherers. Subject was a cobbler of some renown.

When this was read one line caught my attention. "The waters surged beneath, so far beneath." Immediately I thought about the undersea caverns underneath Aimia. Aimia fits the description of a homeland being destroyed, and where else on Roshar do "waters surge beneath". I can't fit in the idea of the homeland falling into dust, but the relation to undersea caverns fits too well to ignore.

Part 2

"Light grows so distant. The storm never stops. I am broken, and all around me have died. I weep for the end of all things. He has won. Oh, he has beaten us." - Chapter 56 Epigraph

I really like the idea of multiple Death Rattles showing multiple perspectives, and The Scouring would be a notable enough event to warrant Moelach's "attention".  However, it is too easy to draw false connections between Death Rattles when you want them to all fit perfectly. I tried to avoid linking to many, but the line "The storm never stops" got me thinking. I did a brief Internet search on the word "scouring". The third definition is as follows: "(of water or a watercourse) make (a channel or pool) by flowing forcefully over something and removing soil or rock.". That's pretty interesting isn't it? It fits with the word choice of Scouring, which implies that there wasn't simply mindless destruction. The word Scouring always implies that an abrasive substance is used to wash something clean. Why did In-World Scholars/Brandon choose that word? I think that it is because the effects of a "storm that never stops" would be adequately described as a scouring.

Part 3

Let's take these first two ideas and run with them. Let's imagine this sequence of events.

A) An endless highstorm swept through Aimia, a nation unused to facing the brutal storms.

2) Untold death and destruction were caused, warranting the name "Scouring".

C) Where did people go to shelter? The underground caverns. I make the assumption that Pre-Scouring, these caverns were not underwater, and made a sensible location to shelter.

So imagine this. Imagine thousands migrating into deep caves to avoid the brutal storms above. Unfortunately, there is no shelter to be had here. As the epigraph states, "the water surged beneath, so far beneath". Imagine torrential amounts of water pouring into caverns filled with civilians. This brings us to the final epigraph that I want to tie in. I imagine this Death Rattle comes as a vision of people trapped in a cave, water, up to their knees and rising steadily. A few dozen men, women, and children shivering, realizing their air is running out. And so they begin to kill each other, desperately trying to maximize oxygen in this ever-shrinking cavern. In my mind, the first to go are the "suckling children", held up by their mothers in the cave. The refugees are trying to by themselves time, and they want solely able bodied people using the precious air. Maybe there were rocks to move or monsters to fight. But just think about how well this image fits with the line "And with it gain us further breath to draw" In what other context does that line make sense?

Part 4

Summary: Aimia was Scoured by a juiced up highstorm, causing citizens to flee underground and face a slow death as the caves filled with water.

Feel free to add to my theory, or tear it to shreds. This is my first big post as a member of the 17th shard, and I just want to get my take on these epigraphs out there in the open.

Fantastic episode. Listened twice cuz it was so enjoyable. The Deathrattles really make for great theory crafting. I wonder how Moelach's visions work. Are they crafted through future sight by Odium? Are they a similar mechanic to the visions that Dalinar received? Could Dalinar somehow invade one of these similarly to how Odium can crash his visions?

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"I'm standing over the body of a brother. I'm weeping. Is that his blood or mine? What have we done?"

Battle of Thaylan fields. After the Thrill leaves? I Mentioning the Unmade would be apropos for a Death Rattle.

From OB:

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All across the field, red faded from the eyes of the Amaram's soldiers. Many immediately fell to their knees, retching on the ground. 

So what if this is that sort of thing? That it's someone who looks around them after the Thrill leaves...and they wonder...what have we done?

Not too sure on this, but the thought I had listening to the last death rattle about the suckling child was about Jasnah and Renarin. Renarin was generally viewed as weak and helpless (like a suckling child) in Alethi society. And as Jasnah originally determined, people may want him dead since he is part voidbringer and thus a huge unknown. 

Have you ever heard a death rattle before? Do you think it'll live up to its name? Or will it just be a death... hairball?

*coughs*

Prepare... to evacuate... soul. 10... 9... 8...

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“I hold the suckling child in my hands, a knife at his throat, and know that all who live wish me to let the blade slip. Spill its blood upon the ground, over my hands, and with it gain us further breath to draw.”
—Dated Shashanan, 1173, 23 seconds pre-death. Subject: a darkeyed youth of sixteen years. Sample is of particular note.”

Could this be Shallan’s mother’s thoughts? All the world may be an exaggeration or she may really believe that the world shares the opinion of the skybreakers. The further breath to draw certainly sounds like what they want to accomplish: more time before the next desolation. I realize that Shallan was eleven when it happened so she wasn’t exactly a suckling child, but the rest of it sort of fits. 

With multiple Rattles alluding to 'failing light' (especially with Lift getting Light through food). I think there will be a stormlight drought and the child is actually a young spren which I think the Radiants must splinter to gain Light.

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I'm dying, aren't I? Healer, why do you take my blood? Who is that beside you, with his head of lines? I can see a distant sun, dark and cold, shining in a black sky. 

Could the subject have been a budding lightweaver, who had attracted a cryptic? And then was killed before he fully bonded? 

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