Graves

Graves
Abilities	Shardbearer
Groups	Diagram
Homeworld	Roshar

This page or section needs to be updated with new information for Oathbringer!

Be aware that in its current state, it may not include all additional content yet.

This page is part of the August 2018 objectives!

It has been claimed by [[User: {{subst:lizbusby}}]], please contact them before doing edits.

Graves is a member of the Diagram who orchestrated an assassination attempt against Elhokar and Dalinar.

Appearance and personality

Graves is a lighteyed mercenary with crisply styled jet-black hair, slightly older than Adolin. He is usually impeccably dressed. He claims to be an Alethi patriot.

He has a set of Shards (Plate and Blade). It is mentioned by Moash that Graves is an excellent shot with a bow and arrow.

According to Moash he's married to a dark-eyed woman, and has multiple children one of which is a "one-eye", presumably affected by heterochromia. He treats all men the same, regardless of eye color and doesn't care what anyone thinks of him, according to Moash.

History

The Diagram

Graves introduced to Kaladin by Moash, who had ties with him before Moash was made a bridgeman. Danlan is in his retinue. Graves is a member of the Diagram. He informs Moash that until he is given specific orders, he is allowed to pursue his own interests and goals. He chooses to assassinate King Elhokar so that Dalinar could take the Alethi throne, making him an ally of the Diagram.

Taravangian tells a slightly different story. He says that Graves communicated his interpretation of the Diagram in relation to Dalinar, and because Taravangian wasn't confident his own interpretation was correct, he allowed Graves to proceed. Taravangian says that Graves is replaceable, but since he was high enough up to have his interpretation heard by Taravangian himself, it is unclear exactly where Graves was in the Diagram hierarchy.

From his reading of the Diagram, Graves had knowledge of Fused using voidlight and that Honorblades can provide access to surges.

Assassination Attempts

Graves attempted to assassinate Elhokar three different times.

The first plot involved weakening the balcony railing in his chambers and allowing the king to "accidentally" fall to his death. The railing was cut with a shardblade, presumably by Graves himself. But Elhokar was able to hold on and was rescued by his guards. Kaladin assesses this plan as both cowardly and stupid because it failed to directly confront the king and could as easily have hurt someone else.

The second plan was to shoot Elhokar from a distance, Graves being an excellent marksman.

Finally, Graves and Moash went to the Pinnacle to assassinate Elhokar directly with their Shardblades. After confronting and injuring Kaladin, Graves planned to kill the king himself. After Kaladin says the third Ideal, Graves remarked that the Diagram failed to predict his ascension, instead focusing on the need to assassinate Dalinar. He and Moash fled the Shattered Plains after the Battle of Narak.

Death

After fleeing the warcamps, Graves' party was lost for a time in the Frostlands. The party included four members: Graves, Moash, Febrth, and Fia. While attempting to determine where they were, they were ambushed by a party of four Voidbringers, presumably Fused using voidlight. Graves was stabbed in the chest by one of them, and his shardblade materialized next to him, signaling he was truly dead. Febrth and Fia were also killed, while Moash was taken prisoner after killing one Voidbringer.

Trivia

In a Reddit discussion, Brandon indicated that Graves represents a splinter of the Diagram:

“Graves is supposed to (though people missed this, so perhaps I didn't do it well enough) indicate that the Diagram is not simply one group, following Taravangian. They follow the diagram itself, not him, and some think his interpretations are wrong.

Graves was ordered to remove the Alethi leadership entirely--though Taravangian was sending Szeth after Dalinar (the more dangerous one) and Graves was to remove Elhokar. Graves, however, interpreted the diagram differently. He thinks that Dalinar cannot be killed by Szeth, or anyone, and is hoping to remove Elhokar, have Dalinar step up, and help them. He has passages of the Diagram that indicate, to him, this is the natural outcome of removing Elhokar.

”

—Brandon Sanderson

Notes

This article is still missing information. Please help The Coppermind by expanding it.