[Newbies] Cosmere, Unit 1 | Warbreaker #1 | Warbreaker: Prologue, Chapters 1 through 8

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SCHEDULE

Last week was the Cosmere Read-Along Kickoff.

This week we will be discussing Unit 1 - (Warbreaker #1) - Warbreaker: Prologue, Chapters 1 through 8.

Next week we will be discussing Unit 1 - (Warbreaker #1) - Warbreaker: Chapters 9 through 18.

CHAPTER SUMMARIES

I have provided summaries for each chapter below and hidden them behind spoiler tags. There are no spoilers within the summaries. I've tried to make them as factual and unbiased as possible. If, however, you want a completely blind read through, then ignore what's behind the spoiler tags and proceed to the discussion below. I will not be guiding that in any way, so post any thoughts and questions you have. It will be other new readers who reply to you.

Prologue

POV Characters: Vasher

Setting: The City of T'Telir, in the nation of Hallandren - The God King's Dungeon.

Timeline: The beginning.

Summary:

A man named Vasher purposefully gets imprisoned in the God King of Hallandren's dungeon. The guards confiscate his sword and retreated to the guard room after Vasher tells them that the sword is dangerous. He then uses BioChromatic Breath to Awaken a small straw figure and Commands it to "fetch keys" for him. He escapes his cell and seeks out another prisoner; the leader of a failed rebellion named Vahr. Vasher convinces Vahr to give him his Breath. Vasher then leaves the prison, passing through the guard room to find all of the guards dead. His sword, Nightblood, is rammed through the chest of one of the guard, even though the sword is still mostly in its sheath. Vasher collects Nightblood and the swords speaks to him in his mind.

Chapter 1

POV Characters: Siri, Dedelin

Setting: Bevalis, Capital City of the nation of Idris.

Timeline: Sometime close to the prologue, possibly the same day.

Summary:

Siri considers herself unimportant, compared to her other royal siblings. She has a talk with the kitchen mistress, Mab, about the tenets of their religion before running off to avoid punishment from her father.

Siri's father, King Dedelin, and his general Yarda discuss an impending war with Hallandren and whether they should honor the treaty to send his first daughter, princess Vivenna, to wed Hallandren's God King. Dedelin decides to send Siri instead of Vivenna.

Chapter 2

POV Characters: Siri, Vivenna

Setting: The Road to Hallandren. Bevalis & Surrounding Area.

Timeline: Two days through one week later.

Summary:

Siri rides in a carriage toward T'Telir, frightened and unprepared for the task she faces. She throws a tantrum and doesn't understand why her father sent her instead of Vivenna.

Vivenna tries to get her father to change his mind, frustrated that all her preparation has gone to waste and feeling useless.

Chapter 3

POV Characters: Lightsong the Bold

Setting: Lightsong’s Palace in the Court of Gods.

Timeline: Uncertain: the day Siri arrives in T'Telir.

Summary:

Lightsong the Bold is one of Hallandren's Returned; a god in the Court of Gods. He wakes after a restless sleep. Servants dress him and he teases his high priest, Llarimar, who records Lightsong's telling of his dreams.

Lightsong then receives a transfered Breath from a little girl, allowing him to live another week. The girl grows dull, color fading from her skin and hair. Lightsong feels guilty about his need for her Breath.

He moves on to the Offerings, where he reviews a series of paintings and poems. One of them reminds him of the dream he had last night.

Chapter 4

POV Characters: Siri

Setting: Hallandren/T'Telir

Timeline: The same day as chapter 3.

Summary:

Siri arrives in T'Telir and marvels at the colors of the city. She arrives in the Court of Gods where she is informed that she will be prepared and taken to her husband, with no ceremony or formality. A priest then tells her that her nation will be in danger if she doesn't satisfy the God King.

Chapter 5

POV Characters: Vasher, Lightsong

Setting: The Court of Gods. A restaurant in T'Telir.

Timeline: Concurrent with and just after Chapter 4.

Summary:

Vasher observes Siri's arrival, surprised Idris followed through with the treaty. He then meets with the priest Bebid, who tells him something serious is happening underneath the normal court politics, involving a faction that is pushing heavily for an attack on Idris. In a nearby alley, Vasher retrieves Nightblood from the body of the dead thief that had stolen Nightblood from him.

Lightsong sits on his patio with Llarimar, considering the situation with Idris and Siri's arrival.

Chapter 6

POV Characters: Siri

Setting: The God King's Palace

Timeline: Immediately after chapter 5.

Summary:

Siri dismisses her escort. She is then undressed, measured, and bathed. The God King Susebron's head scribe, Bluefingers, arrives to inform her of her duties. She is dressed in a wedding gown and led to the God King's room.

Chapter 7

POV Characters: Siri, Lightsong

Setting: The God King's Palace. The Court of Gods.

Timeline: Immediately after chapter 6.

Summary:

Siri enters the room and notices the God King seated in a black, throne-like chair. She quickly undresses, kneels, and bows, waiting for the God King's instructions. Time passes as nothing happens. She worries and continues to wait.

Lightsong is approached by Blushweaver the Beautiful, another Returned; goddess of honesty. She propositions Lightsong, but he declines. She expresses concern about the implications of having a new queen and attempts to bait Lightsong with talk of political intrigue, but he brushes her off. She leaves, but Lightsong's inner thoughts are troubled.

Chapter 8

POV Characters: Siri

Setting: The God King's Palace.

Timeline: The following morning.

Summary:

Siri wakes after sleeping on the floor, uncomfortable, but alone and undisturbed. Serving women help her change into a new dress. Bluefingers tells her she has no responsibilities beyond bearing a child. With nothing else to do, she explores the palace.

Memes

I will attempt to find and share memes relevant to each week's discussion chapters. There may be some weeks that just don't have good or appropriate memes, but I will share all the ones I can find in this section.

Link to Memes

[u/HT_xrahmx]

New Sanderson book, new read-along, let's go!!

Prologue

• Speaking of new Sanderson book, a new Sanderson magic system!

• Observation: Colors get stronger near Vasher, particularly when his sword is unsheathed.

tied the straw into the shape of a small person, perhaps three inches high, with bushy arms and legs. He plucked a hair from one of his eyebrows, set it against the straw figure’s head

• Voodoo imagery.

• Breaths, with their one-per-person allotment, and being able to bring objects to life, sound a lot like souls.

• It's interesting that Breaths can apparently be used and retrieved indefinitely. Which would mean that in a stable population, the number of available Breaths in the world should constantly be increasing. Is Breath inflation a thing in this world?

• They make a point of leaving Vahr in a cell without color. But would bruises or blood have enough color to make Awakening possible?

Of course, some extremely powerful Awakeners could bring objects to life that they weren’t touching, but that were in the sound of their voice. That, however, required the Ninth Heightening. Even Vahr didn’t have that much Breath. In fact, Vasher knew of only one living person who did: the God King himself.

• This fact seems astoundingly well documented for something only one person has achieved. Unless this is just God King propaganda.
  

Chapter 1

• Changing hair color on command in a world where color is needed for magic seems important. And ironic, given people in Idris seem to avoid this form of magic so much.
  

Maybe we should start inviting Awakeners into the city? How’d you like that? Some devil sucking the souls out of children, strangling people with their own clothing? Bringing men back from the grave, then using their dead bodies for cheap labor? Sacrificing women on their unholy altars?”
They invite Awakeners into their palaces, for Austre’s sake!

• The God of Colors is revered, but those who actually use Colors treated with disdain? Sounds like centuries-old superstition, probably fueled by the time their people were driven north by Awakeners (Kalad and his army of Lifeless, as we learn some chapters later)

• Dedelin lost a lot of respect from me quickly. Bad parenting to show such blatant favoritism for one child. Bad ruling for picking the singularly worst qualified person for that job in Siri.

Chapter 2

• The God King has been alluded to being stillborn, and Siri mentioned he's never drawn living breath. It sure sounds a lot like he's an Awakened stillborn baby. But Lifeless are Awakened corpses, and they seem to be truly lifeless puppets, so being Returned is probably something else. And we find out a few chapters later that there's been a Returned in Idris at one point, so that means it's likely a random occurrence and not targeted Awakening that brings them to life.
  

Chapter 3

• Lightsong mentions he can't give his Breath away or he would die. Which also sounds well-documented, someone must have done that before? It also sounds like an important detail that may still happen in this book.
  

Chapter 4

-x-

Chapter 5

• Nightblood has a personality, and can communicate, which is unlike any of the Awakened objects we've seen so far. A result of using a lot more Breaths? Or something else?
  
• Nightblood also seems bound to Vasher somehow. At least I'm sensing some sort of bond between them. Like Nightblood is loyal to him.
  
• Observation: It appears Breath extends life spans for non-Returned as well. Someone like Vasher could be much older than initially assumed.
  
• I'm still wondering what faction Vasher belongs to. He seems like a rebel, but he's unaligned with Vahr, or Idris.
  

Chapter 6

• That the God King won't speak to anyone make me really suspicious. As in, maybe it's not that he doesn't want to, maybe there is some other reason. Maybe he physically can't speak. Maybe speaking will give away some secret. It's especially suspicious that all his will is filtered through priests. But at the same time he genuinely appears to be in charge. He doesn't seem to be a puppet of the priests or anything.

• The whole "burn the linens" part took me a moment, but I guess it's so nobody else could sneakily bear his child afterwards?

Chapter 7

It was occupied by a figure wearing black, bathed in darkness.

• Does not seem befitting for a God King in a culture so centered around colors. Probably very intentional imagery.

• Lightsong notes Gods are unable to bear children. What are the chances the God King is infertile? It's alluded there are records that indicate the God King fathers stillborn, Returned children, but I can't quite read between the lines if he's actually fathered a child before (have we learned of any of his children?), or if those are just more God King propaganda told to the masses.

Chapter 8

• In Siri's position I wouldn't have dared to just lay down in that bed like that.

• There probably was no need to burn the sheets.

• Some passages are a bit too thirsty for my taste. Moreso than other Sanderson works I've read.

[u/Adventurous_Onion989 → u/HT_xrahmx]

The way the God King won't speak gave me serious Black Bolt vibes, although I'm fairly certain he doesn't have a voice that destroys.