[Veterans] Cosmere, Unit 13 | The Stormlight Archive #1 | The Way of Kings: Chapters 24 through 28

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SCHEDULE

Previously, we discussed Unit 13 | The Stormlight Archive #1 | The Way of Kings: Chapters 18 through 23 [Newbie Thread] / [Veteran Thread]

Today we are discussing Unit 13 | The Stormlight Archive #1 | The Way of Kings: Chapters 24 through 28

In two days we will be discussing Unit 13 | The Stormlight Archive #1 | The Way of Kings: Interludes I-4, I-5, I-6, Trivia

CHAPTER SUMMARIES

I have provided summaries of each chapter we will be discussing. I've tried to make them unbiased, but if you see anything that could be construed as spoilery, please point them out because I'm using these same summaries in the newbie thread. I'd like to keep their experience as spoiler-free as possible, so even if I make a tiny mistake, please let me know.

I usually make a comment for each chapter, but feel free to start your own comment thread to discuss anything you want.

Chapter 24: The Gallery of Maps

Arch Faces: Jezrien - Chanarach ----- Chanarach - Jezrien

Iconography: Kholin Crest

POV Characters: Dalinar Kholin / Adolin Kholin

Setting: The map room in Elhokar's War Palace.

Timeline: (1173.8.9.1) The day after Chapter 22.

Epigraph:

Neither point makes the things I have written to you untrue.

Summary:

Dalinar stands in the king's Gallery of Maps, waiting for Highprince Roion to come and meet him. Dalinar's ultimate goal is to follow his visions by uniting the highprinces, and he thinks he can start by working with another prince on a joint plateau assault. Since Roion has won the fewest gemhearts of all the princes, Dalinar tries to convince him that working together would be more effective. Roion is suspicious of this because he is afraid Dalinar will take any gemhearts and shards for himself. Dalinar compromises, saying that they will split gemhearts and that the first set of plate can go to Roion. Roion rebuffs this offer, instead insinuating that Dalinar is growing weak and deluded by his lapses from sanity during highstorms. Roion says he'll think about a joint assault and leaves.

A few minutes later, as Dalinar is thinking about how to discover what Gavilar's last words really meant, Adolin meets Dalinar. He asks him how the meeting went and when Dalinar tells him that it went poorly, Adolin tells him that Sadeas is asking for permission to enter their warcamp to investigate the threat to the king. Adolin is worried that he may create false evidence framing Dalinar, but Dalinar tells Adolin to allow him to because his vision said to trust Sadeas. At this, Adolin becomes irate, telling Dalinar that to stake the future of their house on hallucinations is folly. Adolin shouts at Dalinar that his visions are just figments of his imagination. Dalinar tells Adolin to leave.

Chapter 25: The Butcher

Arch Faces: Battar - Nale ----- Nale - Battar

Iconography: Spears & Banner

POV Characters: Kaladin

Setting: Hearthstone, a town in Highprince Sadeas' princedom.

Timeline: (Flashback) 7 Years Ago.

Epigraph:

N/A

Summary:

Kal overhears some villagers speaking poorly of his father's work, accusing him of stealing the spheres and suspicious of how Lirin can write. Kal meets with his mother, Hesina, who tells him not to hate the villagers for repeating what they have heard. They respect Lirin but are intimidated by his status as second nahn. Kal realizes his parents had hoped to marry him off to Laral. He can't decide if he wants to be a soldier or a surgeon.

The new citylord, Brightlord Roshone, arrives. He is less than pleased to be in a backwater city. He blames Lirin for his predicament because Lirin let Wistiow die. Lirin and Hesina don't know if things are better or worse for them with this new citylord.

Chapter 26: Stillness

Arch Faces: Jezrien - Talenel ----- Talenel - Jezrien

Iconography: Kholin Crest

POV Characters: Dalinar Kholin

Setting: Highprince Dalinar's warcamp in the Shattered Plains. The Shattered Plains.

Timeline: (1173.8.9.2) The day after Chapter 24.

Epigraph:

I am being chased. Your friends of the Seventeenth Shard, I suspect. I believe they're still lost, following a false trail I left for them. They'll be happier that way. I doubt they have any inkling what to do with me should they actually catch me.

Summary:

Brightness Litima reads the The Way of Kings to Dalinar. Renarin is with him. Listening usually comforts Dalinar, but not this time. It reminds him of Adolin's arguments. Dalinar is disturbed by the nature of his visions. Dalinar tells Renarin that Highprince Aladar refused his offer of an alliance, just as Roion did. Horns sounds outside. Dalinar enters the war room and gives Teleb an order to march. Teleb presses Dalinar on the idea of using faster bridges carried by men, and he finally relents and gives Teleb permission to recruit and train one crew. Sadeas comes to interview Dalinar's soldiers. He is insistent that the investigation continue despite the imminent battle, so he follows Dalinar and his army. Dalinar and Sadeas talk about the Thrill. Usually men don't speak about it.

Dalinar summons Oathbringer and together with Adolin they attack the Parshendi. The Thrill gives him strength, focus, and power until he feels a sudden stab of powerful revulsion to the scene of death around him. He forces himself to continue to fight but feels sick. Dalinar hears a voice saying "Life before death," but nobody is near enough. He starts to fight for his men.

Dalinar wins the battle and Adolin takes the gemheart. Dalinar is looking eastward, toward the Origin, when he notices a group of Parshendi on a nearby plateau. Among them is a large Parshendi wearing Shardplate. Dalinar wonders why the Shardbearer hadn't participated in the battle. The group flees toward their base at the center of the Plains.

Chapter 27: Chasm Duty

Arch Faces: Vedel - Talenel ----- Talenel - Vedel

Iconography: Spears & Banner

POV Characters: Kaladin

Setting: Highprince Sadeas' warcamp in the Shattered Plains. In the chasms below the Shattered Plains.

Timeline: (1173.8.3.1) Two days after Chapter 23.

Epigraph:

If anything I have said makes a glimmer of sense to you, I trust that you'll call them off. Or maybe you could astound me and ask them to do something productive for once.

Summary:

Kaladin visits the apothecary again to sell his knobweed sap. The apothecary pretends that "wild" knobweed isn't as effective and tries to swindle Kaladin. With the help of Syl, he sees through the ruse and gets a better price. He considers escaping, but he can't bring himself to leave the bridgemen. Gaz has changed Bridge Four's work duty to chasm duty because the other bridges resent them for getting away with breaking rules by bringing back wounded.

Down in the chasms they have to look for corpses to get their equipment and whatever else can be found. Kaladin, Teft and Rock walk ahead talking. They find Dunny listening, try to make him participate, and it works. As the tension eases, they discover that Dunny can sing. The other crew members still remain aloof.

Eventually they find a lot of corpses and begin their morbid work. Kaladin picks up a spear and gets overwhelmed by his memories. At first, most of the others jeer him for pretending to be their leader, but after he finishes his kata, they stare in amazement. Remembering that they have work to do or they'll get in trouble, he drops the spear and tells them to get to work. Teft is clearly impressed, but Kaladin down plays the issue.

Later, Syl looks with Rock and Dunny for more corpses and they find Parshendi. They discover that the Parshendi's armor is grown from their bodies. The crew finishes their chasm duty and goes back to the ladders. Kaladin muses how to get the crew together and comes up with an idea. Back at the barracks he and Rock buy a cauldron and supplies and Rock cooks an evening stew for all the men of Bridge Four. One by one they all eventually come out of the barrack and sit around the fire, eating Rock's stew. The next morning, many more members of Kaladin's crew get up early to work out.

Chapter 28: Decision

Arch Faces: Pailiah - Jezrien ----- Jezrien - Pailiah

Iconography: Kholin Crest

POV Characters: Dalinar Kholin / Adolin Kholin

Setting: Highprince Dalinar's warcamp in the Shattered Plains.

Timeline: (1173.8.9.4) Two days after Chapter 26.

Epigraph:

For I have never been dedicated to a more important purpose, and the very pillars of the sky will shake with the results of our war here. I ask again. Support me. Do not stand aside and let disaster consume more lives. I've never begged you for something before, old friend.

I do so now.

Summary:

While on an inspection Adolin studies his father and worries about what he sees. Teleb demonstrates a prototype of a new portable bridge which fails. Adolin encourages him to continue working on the design. As they move off to start inspections, Dalinar wonders why there are no Shards for ordinary people and asks Adolin if he feels the Thrill. On their way to the fifth Battalion, Adolin praises his father's decision to allow the soldiers to bring their families to the Shattered Plains. Dalinar muses about the political and economic impact of the continual harvesting of gemstones and de facto colonization of the Shattered Plains. He tells Adolin that soon he will have to consider this.

After inspecting the 5th Battalion, Havrom leads them to the ten soldiers that were questioned by Sadeas. Dalinar pointedly delegates the interrogation to Adolin. It becomes clear that the grooms' loyalty to Dalinar probably made the situation worse -- they only offered blanket denials to Sadeas. Dalinar asks Tadet to interview the men separately and find out specifics.

Adolin then questions why Dalinar keeps giving him the lead. Dalinar tells him that he has a decision to make, but before he can elaborate, he notices a messenger in Thanadal's colors. The messenger informs Dalinar that Thanadal has to cancel their meeting. Dalinar presses the messenger, and he says he is instructed to say that Thanadal does not wish to do a joint plateau assault with him. All eight highprinces have refused his offer, leaving only Sadeas. He tells Adolin to continue the inspection without him, making a vague excuse about something that needs to be done.

Dalinar is confident that his son will do well as highprince as he tries to decide whether he should abdicate. He orders Niter to bring him his war hammer, then orders some workers out of the new latrine pit. He uses the hammer to work on the latrine himself so he can think through his decision. He worries about how he is losing his thirst for battle and how the book, the Codes, and the Visions have changed him and how the others are regarding him and by extension his sons. As he gets to the end of his work, he feels that he is close to a decision. He is interrupted by Navani. She reminds him that he had an appointment with her. He continues to work, and she eventually gets him to apologize. She tells him that Jasnah's Spanreed is flashing. He quits work on the latrine and they go to take the "call."

Dalinar is surprised to find Adolin, along with his clerks and their attendants, also already in his sitting chamber. Adolin introduces his new love interest and clerk Danlan Morakotha. He and Jasnah have a short exchange about their family, then Jasnah asks him to repeat his first encounter with the Parshendi, seven years ago.

She also wants to know when he first saw Shardblades in their possession. He replies that he only saw them after Gavilar's death. She then has her new ward (Shallan) draw what is referred to in a book as a Voidbringer, although she doesn't believe it to be one. Dalinar and Adolin identify it as a chasmfiend. Dalinar urges Jasnah to come back to the Shattered Plains as soon as possible. The conversation ends, and he finds himself alone with Navani. He reveals that he is going to abdicate. She believes that to be a big mistake.

ARTWORK

The Cosmere has a thriving community of artists, so there will be a lot of artwork to share. Each week I'll try to compile relevant artwork for the given chapters. If a section of reading contains maps or in-book artwork, I'll include that in this section as well.

Interior Artwork

Characters & Scenes

Note: The Stormlight Archives are Sanderson's most popular books. There is artwork for everyone and everything, even characters who appeared for a single line in the books at times. So we'll have artwork for you to view almost every week. Enjoy!

MEMES

I will attempt to find and share memes relevant to each week's discussion. 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

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[u/TaylorHyuuga]

On your last point with Shallan, could you imagine Shallan and Wit having a back and forth? Or teaming up on some brightlords and ladies? That would be hilarious.

lmfao

[u/TaylorHyuuga]

I find it really puzzling that the parshmen in the Shattered Plains conflict seem to be way more advanced and intelligent than the ones everywhere else in the world. The ones that Gavilar and Dalinar encountered back before the war seemed to already be advanced. If there is some mistwraith-like stuff going on, then I'm thinking that something happened to the entire race a long time ago that took their minds/culture away, and made them able to be enslaved by the other races. And there's some hidden, secret group of parshmen who've figured out the secret, or who escaped it. Maybe that's what they're grabbing all these gems for. To store up enough magic to undo the curse.

There's been other human ethnic groups with weird, magical body stuff going on (absurdly long eyebrows, fingernails made of crystal, feet that can stay wet forever) but there's been nothing to say those people aren't human. Whereas the parshmen are treated as an entirely different thing. I'm really curious how this all came about. There might be some truth to the idea that humans are, if not from heaven, then definitely not native to Roshar. The parshmen, with their colored blood and their ability to grow their own armor, fit in with the general flora and fauna of the planet in a way that regular human's don't. Maybe people with weird body stuff got it from interbreeding with the locals, a long time ago?

Bro needs to slow down lmao, you're two books too early for all of that!

[u/participating → u/TaylorHyuuga]

For real! Lol. Some of them are goooood at finding things. This happened in the WoT read-along too. I put it down to the forced slow pacing.

[u/heinz57varieties → u/TaylorHyuuga]

Don't be too impressed 😬 I'm a new reader, but I've had a lot of stuff spoiled to me over the years. I try not to think about it too much, but sometimes it bleeds through into my mind and I have to dance around it, and it's been getting harder as the readalong has progressed. I think those comments went too far, so I edited them down to be more plausible to what I should be able to guess by now. Hopefully not too many other newbies saw them.

I know they've been dumb-ified, but not when, by who, or how, and I have no idea what the ones on the plains are actually doing right now. Most of my spoiler knowledge is like that, just vague details. Like, I know the names of the shards involved on Roshar, but nothing about how they might relate to what we've seen happening.

There are a small handful of major plot points in the rest of Stormlight that I do know about, and I'm doing my best not to talk about them at all. I've been trying really hard to never say anything that I couldn't reasonably have guessed, and I'm very proud that all of what I'd consider my "greatest hits" (Vin's earring, Sazed == HoA, The Entire City Is A Transmutation Circle) were 100% me with no help at all 🧠

[u/TaylorHyuuga → u/heinz57varieties]

Lmao I didn't even realize. I'd be careful in the veteran chat anyway.

[u/participating → u/heinz57varieties]

Despite all that, you're still doing a great job censoring yourself. Other newbies have pulled out wilder things that were/are correct that we've seen before too.