#wor chapter 84 is titled The One Who Saves

[chasmfriend]

Oh, storms. I don’t want to talk about this. I have to talk about this.

Elhokar.

My friend is reading Oathbringer for the first time, and I have been following along (this is my 3rd full reread of the book). She reached Chapter 84 today.

(This post is safe to read if you’ve read that far. There are no spoilers past that chapter, but heavy spoilers up to that point.)

The best advice I can give to someone who’s upset about Oathbringer is to KEEP READING. Frustration and pain are countered by the moments of glory and redemption, new characters, joys, and insights, most of which are in the last section. It’s still a brutal book. And I would not say it wraps everything up cleanly, not at all. But the ending is powerful. It heals.

...except about Elhokar. That is still a very raw pain for me. By the end of WoR, I had latched on to Elhokar, loved his pursuit of truth and honesty (see my post here about this), and delighted in watching him strive in Oathbringer to grow into a better leader -- or, more exactly, a better man.

“We all must accept the consequences of our actions, Uncle,” Elhokar said. “I’ve been learning this very slowly, as I can be as dense as a stone.”

-- Oathbringer, chapter 12

“I’ve had ample chances to reflect lately, Uncle,” Elhokar said. “The Almighty has preserved me, despite my stupidity. I’ll bring the bridgeman with me, and I’ll observe him. Figure out why he’s so special. See if he’ll teach me to be like him. And if I fail…” He shrugged. “Well, Alethkar is in safe hands regardless, right?”

I don’t believe Elhokar is either whining or despairing here. He’s been facing truths about himself, tearing down his ego and seeing his limitations plainly. When you go through that, being starkly honest with yourself after a lifetime of not looking very closely at your soul, there’s a period of time where it’s easy to be overly critical of yourself instead. Your world has collapsed around you: you’re not who you thought you were, and your ability to achieve anything seems questionable.

Contrast Elhokar’s journey with, oh, Adolin’s, just briefly. Both are non-Radiants in a world of Surgebinders. Both have been raised in privilege with the expectation of some degree of rule.

Adolin is good at everything he does. Even when he feels useless, he keeps going. Dalinar said that Adolin “didn’t wilt beneath the stern words. When censured, Adolin only tried harder.”

Elhokar doesn’t have the advantage of unflappable success. His mediocre skill at leadership is well known. Even his own mother calls him “My poor, distracted, oblivious boy.” He married the wrong woman, lost his father to assassins and became king long before he was ready, made his country languish for years in a pointless war, and then realizes no one takes him seriously and that he’s a less skilled leader than a darkeyed former slave.

“The truth is that my command is meaningless, even to a darkeyes. I no longer have authority in the eyes of men.”

-- Words of Radiance, chapter 80

“When I try to be strong, I make a fool of myself. When I try to be merciful, people walk all over me. When I try to listen to counsel, it turns out I’ve picked the wrong men! When I try to do everything on my own, Dalinar has to take over lest I ruin the kingdom.”

His main problem is his lack of vision. He has no goals. If he had something internal, some kind of achievement to shape his reign and guide him, he’d not have wavered so much in his actions. He lacks determination. Everything he says in the above quote could have been addressed by his having a deeply felt purpose. He relied on other people to bolster him instead.

“I know that Jasnah says I shouldn’t have married her -- that Aesudan was too hungry for power. Jasnah never understood. I needed Aesudan. Someone with strength…”

--Oathbringer, chapter 67

He’s been surrounded by strong people his entire life. Navani, Jasnah, Gavilar, and then Dalinar and eternally capable Adolin...I believe he had expected that the skill to be a good leader would materialize in him, as it seemed to in everyone else around him.

But it didn’t.

“How do people know what to do? Why don’t I know what to do? I was born to this office, given the throne by the Almighty himself! Why would he give me the title, but not the capacity?”

--Words of Radiance, chapter 80

Deeply shaken, Elhokar no longer believes in his capabilities at all. He tries to abdicate to Dalinar, believing him to be “a better person, and certainly a better king,” and lays plans to retake Kholinar without any confidence in himself (he tells Kaladin, “When I fail this city, I want to make sure you are there to protect it” -- changing his wording from IF he fails to WHEN).

His jealousy of Kaladin takes an interesting turn. Rather than turning into loathing, Elhokar simply accepts that Kaladin is better than he is (“Everyone loves you, bridgeman”), acknowledges that what went wrong was his own fault, that his decisions made everything worse. He admits his shortcomings. He doesn’t blame Kaladin at all.

“This is a time to be realistic. A king must do whatever he can for the good of his people, and my judgment has proven...deficient. Anything I have ‘accomplished’ in life has been handed to me by my father or my uncle.”

--Oathbringer, chapter 61

He’s throwing around truths like a highstorm tossing boulders. No wonder he attracted the attention of the cryptics.

“It’s a pattern, though I can’t figure it out.”

Words of Radiance, chapter 80

Facing truths changes a person. They cease expecting praise, and become more willing to listen and learn.

Elhokar had told Kaladin that during Adolin’s mismatched duel, “I should have gone to fight myself”, as Kaladin had leaped into the arena to defend Adolin and Renarin. And so, when Dalinar says that a small team could go to Kholinar to secure the Oathgate, Elhokar leaps at the opportunity:

Elhokar perked up. “Yes! I’ll do it, Uncle. I’ll take a team and reclaim our home.”

--Oathbringer, chapter 12

He might be going about it the wrong way, but he’s trying to be a hero. Dalinar doesn’t think it’s the best idea. Still, he steps back and doesn’t stop him.

“It is fitting,” Dalinar said, “that their king should be the one who saves them. I will see that you have whatever resources you need, Elhokar.”

Glowing gloryspren orbs burst around Elhokar. He grinned at them

--Oathbringer, chapter 12

He beamed. “Thank you, Uncle. Thank you for believing in me, if only this small amount.”

--Oathbringer, chapter 12

Oh, Elhokar. He so badly needs approval. As lovely as it is to see Elhokar bask in it, how I wish Dalinar hadn’t decided that this was the moment to encourage him.

In his current state, Elhokar would have been more open to hearing why he should not go. And yet Dalinar, trying to be kind, at the exact wrong time refrains from talking him out of it. Elhokar needed the counsel. I am certain he would have listened. Dalinar, as always, errs on the side of building Elhokar up instead of being honest with him.

Anyway. Moving on, towards Kholinar...

...where Elhokar is no longer preserving his pride.

When Shallan disguises them at the gates of Kholinar:

“Your majesty, you’re going to be a woman.”

“Fine,” Elhokar said.

Kaladin started. He’d have expected an objection. Judging by the way that Shallan seemed to stifle a quip, she’d been expecting one too.

“You see,” she said instead, “I don’t think you can keep from carrying yourself like a king, so I figure that if you look like a highborn lighteyed woman, it’s less likely that you’ll be memorable to the guards who--”

“I said it was fine, Lightweaver,” Elhokar said. “We mustn’t waste time. My city and nation are in peril.”

--Oathbringer, chapter 61

We see Elhokar trying to learn the balance between bravery and recklessness:

“You were right to recommend caution, Windrunner. My instinct is to rush in. That’s wrong, isn’t it? I must be prudent and careful.”

--Oathbringer, chapter 61

And later:

“Prudence,” the king said softly. “We mustn’t simply rush in and fall to whatever darkness seized the palace, but we also can’t afford to be inactive.”

He stood up straighter. Shallan had grown so accustomed to seeing Elhokar as an afterthought--a fault of the way Dalinar, increasingly, had been treating him. But there was an earnest determination to him, and yes, even a regal bearing.

Yes, she thought, taking another Memory of Elhokar, Yes, you are king. And you can live up to your father’s legacy.”

--Oathbringer, chapter 62

He’s trying to absorb all the direction he’s ever been given on how to be a leader. He’s trying to make up for lost time.

“A king needs accurate information to act correctly.”

--Oathbringer, chapter 62

“Waiting and trusting those whom you have empowered is the soul of kingship.”

--Oathbringer, chapter 62

As thrilled as I was to see these examples of Elhokar trying hard to learn to be a good king, there is a fatal edge to it. He cannot possibly do enough at this point.

“Perhaps the liar here is me--lying to tell myself I could do this, that I could be a fraction of the man my father was. No, don’t interrupt me, Dalinar. Let me have my say. Voidbringers? Ancient cities full of wonder? The Desolations?” Elhokar shook his head. “Perhaps...perhaps I’m a fine king. Not extraordinary, but not an abject failure. But in the face of these events, the world needs better than fine.”

--Oathbringer, chapter 12

This is the painful truth. Elhokar is not the ruler they need right now. He’s not a leader, like his father was. He’s not a scholar, like his sister. He’s not a Surgebinder, tapping into great powers to amplify his abilities and perceptions. He’s not even Adolin, with natural charm and a deep inner assurance that he can do well at whatever he attempts.

He knows he’s deficient. But he tries anyway.

Most of his time in Kholinar he spends listening to the advice of those around him. He leads them, but asks for and defers to their counsel.

Ahh, he’s doing well, I thought. He’s got this. Like Shallan, I thought “Yes, you are king, and you are becoming equal to the legends!”

And then Wit gave his perspective.

“King Elhokar? Here?”

“He’s determined to save the city.”

“Most days, Elhokar has trouble saving face, let alone cities.”

“I like him,” Shallan said. “Despite his … Elhokarness.”

“He does grow on you, I suppose. Like a fungus.”

“He really wants to do what is right. You should hear him talk about it lately. He wants to be remembered as a good king.”

“Vanity.”

“You don’t care about how you’ll be remembered?”

“I’ll remember myself, which is enough. Elhokar though, he worries about the wrong things. His father wore a simple crown because he needed no reminder of his authority. Elhokar wears a simple crown because he worries that something more lavish might make people look at it, instead of at him. He doesn’t want the competition.”

--Oathbringer, chapter 68

As wary as I am of Hoid’s motivations in general, I usually trust his perspective on people. This, though, was jarring.

Hoid completely dismisses Elhokar as clumsy and vain. And while I want to believe Elhokar’s efforts to become better have made an enormous difference, Hoid sees the broader picture.

Elhokar has been trying to improve himself, yes, but why? Is it only out of vanity? Is he mainly concerned with how others see him?

“I’ll remember myself, which is enough. Elhokar though, he worries about the wrong things.”

Hoid knows that what other people think, doesn’t matter (...ohh, if Hoid knows anything, it’s this). And he’s right that Elhokar does not understand.

I have to admit it. Elhokar’s changes are rooted in how he wants others to see him. He is not naturally heroic -- he is trying to learn behaviors that make him seem heroic instead. He does not know what to do. He has the wrong instincts. He is focused on externals. The internal changes, the humility, all the truths he’s dealing with, are all byproducts of this one blank, unholy truth: Elhokar does not know how to be a GOOD king, but he does not want to be SEEN as a bad one.

I think he knows all of this. I think he is fully aware of his inadequacy and his limitations, and is doing what he can anyway, for the only reason he cares about. All the while knowing that he is not good enough.

Not being good enough is no excuse. You have to work with what you have.

“There are few people remaining to whom I can still be a hero, Radiant. This city. My son. Storms. He was a baby when I last saw him. He’d be three now. Locked in the palace…”

--Oathbringer, Chapter 74

I want to scream from the rooftops, as much as I love this next part, ALWAYS be wary when Shallan wants to make a sketch of what you could be:

Elhokar was a good man. In his heart, at least. Shouldn’t that matter most?

--Oathbringer, chapter 74

I agree, and I have the same question.

“We’ll save them,” Shallan whispered. “You’ll save them. It will be all right.”

Elhokar watched silently as she filled in the shading and finished the picture. Once she lifted her pencil, Elhokar reached past her and rested his fingers on the page. It depicted Elhokar kneeling on the ground, beaten down, clothing ragged. But he looked upward, outward, chin raised. He wasn’t beaten. No, this man was noble, regal.

“Is that what I look like?” he whispered.

“Yes.” It’s what you could be, at least. 

“May I...may I have it?”

She lacquered the page, then handed it to him.

“Thank you.” Storms. He almost seemed to be in tears!

He isn’t hopeless; he just lacks skills and understanding. These sorts of problems can be fixed in anyone, given enough time…

--Oathbringer, chapter 74

But we don’t have time. We’re already in the palace.

“Aesudan,” Elhokar said, his voice pained. He stepped forward, extending his hand. “You’re not well. Please, come with me.”

--Oathbringer, chapter 84

For all his kindness towards her, his wife is harsh in response; yet, again, not entirely wrong:

“Oh, Elhokar,” the queen was saying. “You were ever so oblivious. Your father had grand plans, but you...all you ever wanted to do was sit in his shadow.”

--Oathbringer, chapter 84

Too late to decide on a purpose now. Elhokar cannot save his wife from the Unmade.

I want to pause to call attention to this lovely moment between father and son. Gavinor, 3 years old and traumatized, is crying and won’t come to his father.

Then this:

Elhokar whispered something to his son. Kaladin couldn’t hear the words, but the child stopped weeping. He looked up, blinked away tears, and finally let his father pick him up. Elhokar cradled the child, who in turn clutched his stuffed soldier.

--Oathbringer, chapter 84

There were many times during my reading of these books that I could not imagine Elhokar as a father. This makes me long to see more of him as a dad.

I am not going to talk at length about what happened next. What happened, who did it, who didn’t prevent it, those are all entire worlds of their own. I feel like those are separate posts, and I’ll write them eventually. Right now, there are only two details that matter for Elhokar’s character.

First, he held the sketch as he said the Ideals. I love this, though it seems like he was, even in his last moments, trying hard to live up to an image of himself, instead of reaching for something internal. (Don’t think I’m not pained by writing sentences like that! It hurts to write it, to realize it...)

Second, that he was saying Ideals at all. The symbols he saw in mirrors, his obsession with truths, his increased artistic ability, even saying that Pattern looked familiar...he had been pursued by a cryptic spren for a long time. He was on the cusp of greater ability, a single word away from becoming something better. It wasn’t enough. He didn’t have enough time.

“Fleet kept running,” Kaladin growled, getting back under Elhokar’s arm.

“What?”

“He couldn't win, but he kept running. And when the storm caught him, it didn't matter that he’d died, because he’d run for all he had.”

-- Words of Radiance, chapter 82

Almighty, my heart...

“We all die in the end, you see,” Kaladin said. “So I guess what truly matters is just how well you've run. And Elhokar, you've kept running since your father was killed, even if you screw up all the storming time.”

--Words of Radiance, chapter 82

And he did. He made a ton of mistakes. But he never stopped trying.

He ran until the end, and he ran well.

[warrioreowynofrohan]

Stormlight Archive Epigraphs (3) - Last Words

The epigraphs in TWOK Part 1 and Part 4 record the dying words of Rosharans.

We later learn that these “death rattles” describe prophetic visions, and are caused by the Unmade called Moelach, as well as that Taravangian is actively killing people in order to document their words.

I’ve tried to organize them by content. Minor spoilers for the prereleased chapters of Rhythm of War.

The Death of Honor

1) Ten orders. We were loved, once. Why have you foresaken us, Almighty! Shard of my soul, where have you gone?

- Collected on the second day of Kakash, year 1171, 5 seconds before death. Subject was a lighteyed woman in her third decade.

Refers to both the Recreance and the death of Honor.

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

- Collected: Chachanan, 1173, 84 seconds pre-death. Subject: a cut-purse with the wasting sickness, of partial Iriali descent.

The Heralds

3) Ten people, with Shardblades alight, standing before a wall of black and white and red.

- Collected: Jesachev, 1173, 12 seconds pre-death. Subject: one of our own ardents, overheard during his last moments.

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

Dated Palaheses, 1173, unknown seconds pre-death. Subject: a wealthy lighteyes. Sample collected secondhand.

This is pretty clearly spoken from the point of view of Talenel on Braize, the only obe of the ten Heralds to keep the Oathpact.

5) A woman sits and scratches out her own eyes. Daughter of kings and winds, the vandal.

Dated Palahevan, 1173, 73 seconds pre-death. Subject: a beggar of some renown, known for his elegant songs.

This is a reference to Shallash, the Herald associated with the Lightweavers (and with creativity and art generally), who now goes around vandalizing art of herself

The ‘Voidbringers’ (in quotes due to revelations in Oathbringer)

6) They are aflame. They burn. They bring the darkness when they come, and so all you can see is that their skin is aflame. Burn, burn, burn...

- Collected on Palahishec, 1172, 21 seconds pre-death. Subject was a baker’s apprentice.

7) I see them. They are the rocks. They are the vengeful spirits. Eyes of red.

- Kakakes 1173, 8 seconds pre-death. A darkeyed young woman of fifteen. Subject was reportedly mentally unstable since childhood.

8) That chanting, that singing, those rasping voices.

- Kaktach 1173, 16 seconds pre-death. A middle-aged potter. Reported seeing strange dreams during highstorms during the last two years.

Reference to the Parshendi calling the Everstorm.

9) 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. Subject was a lighteyed spinster of the eighth dahn.

This seems to be referencing the humans (the actual Voidbringers) deplacing the Singers, as described in the Eila Stele.

The Everstorm

10) The love of men is a frigid thing, a mountain stream only three steps from the ice. We are his. Oh Stormfather...we are his. It is but a thousand days, and the Everstorm comes.

- Collected on the first day of the week Palah of the month Shash of the year 1171, 31 seconds before death. Subject was a dark-eyed pregnant woman of middle years. The child did not survive.

11) I have seen the end, and have heard it named. The Night of Sorrows, the True Desolation. The Everstorm.

- Collected on the 1st of Nanes, 1172, 15 seconds pre-death. Subject was a darkeyed youth of unknown origin.

12) 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.

- Tanatanes 1173, 8 seconds pre-death. An Azish itinerant worker. Sample of particular note.

Specific Events in the Books

13) 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 the 4th of Tanates, year 1171, 30 seconds before death. Subject was a cobbler of some renown.

I think this is referencing something from Dalinar’s visions in TWOK, but I don’t remember them clearly. I’ll keep an eye out for it on this read-through.

14) He must pick it up, the fallen title! The tower, the crown, and the spear!

- Dated Vevahach, 1173, 8 seconds pre-death. Subject: a prostitute. Background unknown.

Could be a reference to Kaladin, Dalinar, or both. “The Tower” could be the rock formation of that named where the main battle occurs in TWOK, or (more likely) Urithiru. Dalinar has now taken up rulership of Urithiru. The spear is generally identified with Kaladin, as his primary weapon. Probably broadly referring to the need to refound the Knights Radiant.

15) They come from the pit, two dead men, a heart in their hands, and I know that I have seen true glory.

- Kakashah 1173, 13 seconds pre-death. A rickshaw puller.

Shallan and Kaladin returning from the chasm in WOR, specifically referenced in the chapter title “True Glory”. The use of “two men” for a man and a woman indicates that these statements do not need to be taken precisely literally.

16) All is withdrawn for me. I stand against the one who saved my life. I protect the one who killed my promises. I raise my hand. The storm responds.

- Tanatenev, 18 seconds pre-death. A darkeyed mother of four in her sixty-second year.

Kaladin defending Elhokar against Moash in WOR. Specifically referenced in the chapter title “The One Who Killed Promises.”

17) In the storm I awaken, falling, spinning, grieving.

- Dated Kakanev, 1173, 13 seconds pre-death. Subject was a city guardsman.

This may be Szeth in the Everstorm at the end of WOR, after Kaladin defeats him, but I’m not sure of it. His ‘awakening’ would be the awareness that he was, in fact, right about the return of the Knights Radiant and the Desolations.

18) The darkness becomes a palace. Let it rule! Let it rule!

- Kakevah 1173, 22 seconds pre-death. A darkeyed Selay man of unknown profession.

I think this is referring to the two Unmade in the palace of Kholinar in OB.

19) Above the final void I hang, friends behind, friends before. The feast I must drink clings to their faces, and the words I must speak spark in my mind. The old oaths will be spoken anew.

- Dated Betabanan, 1173, 45 seconds pre-death. Subject: a lighteyed child of five years. Diction improved remarkably when giving sample.

I think this is referencing Dalinar’s third oath at the climax of Oathbringer, and his creation of a contact point between the three realms; the phrasing is similar to Dalinar’s in the preface of (in-universe) Oathbringer (I hung between realms...), and “friends behind, friends before” describes him having loved ones in both the physical realm and in Shadesmar at that moment.

The Unmade

20) Re-Shephir, the Midnight Mother, giving birth to abominations with her essence so dark, so terrible, so consuming. She is here! She watches me die!

- Dated Shashabev, 1173, 8 seconds pre-death. Subject: a dark-eyed dockworker in his forties, father of three.

21) Let me no longer hurt! Let me no longer weep! Dai-Gonarthis! The Black Fisher holds my sorrow and consumes it!

- Tanatesach, 1173, 28 second pre-death. A darkeyed female street juggler. Note similarity to sample 1172-89.

This one is particularly interesting, but I’ll discuss it in combination with the other epigraphs on the Unmade.

Taravangian’s Murders

These quotes are included specifically to reveal that people are being deliberately killed to obtain these visions.

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

- Collected on the fifth day of the week Chach of the month Betab of the year 1171, 10 seconds before death. Subject was a dark-eyed soldier 31 years of age. Sample is considered questionable.

23) 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 dark sky.

- Collected on the 3rd of Jesnan, 1172, 11 seconds pre-death. Subject was a Reshi chull trainer. Sample is of particular note.

Very interesting. The speaker may be a potential Lightweaver, as they are seeing Cryptics and seeing into Shadesmar. Or the Cryptics may be drawn by the deception of the Healers who are killing people.

24) I wish to sleep. I know now why you do what you do, and I hate you for it. I will not speak of the truths I see.

- Kakashah, 1173, 142 seconds pre-death. A Shin sailor, left behind by his crew, reportedly for bringing them ill luck. Sample largely useless.

Miscellaneous

25) I’m cold. Mother, I’m cold. Why can I still hear the rain? Will it stop?

- Collected on Vevishes, 1172, 32 seconds pre-death. Subject was a lighteyed female child, approximately six years old.

26) 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.

- Dated Palahakev, 1173, 16 seconds pre-death. Subject: a Thaylen sailor.

27) The death is my life, the strength becomes my weakness, the journey has ended.

- Dated Betabanes, 1173, 93 seconds pre-death. Subject: a scholar of some minor renown. Sample collected secondhand. Considered questionable.

A general reference to the first oath of the Knights Radiant, but inverted.

Unknown

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

- Dated Vevanev, 1173, 107 seconds pre-death. Subject: an out-of-work Veden sailor.

Interesting.

29) 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.

Very interesting. What could this be referring to? Seeing the future is deeply taboo on Roshar, so it would be very strange for everyone to foresee doom from a newborn child. Based on the published chapters so far from ROW suggesting that Shallan has even more secrets predating her mother’s death (and given that her mother tried to kill her when she was still young), could this be related to her?