Summary:Words of Radiance/Interlude I-1
| Interlude I-1: Narak | |
|---|---|
| |
| Words of Radiance Summary | |
| Follows | Chapter 12: Hero |
| Precedes | Interlude I-2: Ym |
| Analytics | |
| Viewpoint | Eshonai |
Plot summary[edit]
Eshonai leads the Parshendi as they return to their home plateau after successfully harvesting a gemheart that was brought back by Devi, who is allowed to carry it as a reward for spotting the chrysalis. She wonders where Dalinar is, and feels a need to speak with him, but she can't join battles since her leg is still injured from when Kaladin stabbed her during the Battle of the Tower. She wanders through the ancient ruins on the plateau they named Narak, or Exile, where her people came to escape their gods. She enters the Hall of Art to observe the heretofore futile efforts to rediscover a new form for making art, as an incremental step towards discovering other more useful forms, but Varanis, one of her lieutenants, is unsuccessful in trying to attract creationspren to his novice attempts at painting. The paintings are not successful, which frustrates many of them. Varanis wonders why so many beautiful colors added together look so terrible. She contemplates the six current known forms, and laments the loss of the hundreds that their old songs mention, thinking her people may die off if they don't become more versatile.
She leaves the Hall, and encounters three mateforms who are playing idly in a pool, and berates them for being unproductive. She reflects back on how she and the rest of the Parshendi leaders conspired to assassinate Gavilar, to prevent the Parshendi gods from returning, at the cost of the slow annihilation of her people. She returns to her home, and finds her sister, Venli, and tells her of the plateau run and that Dalinar was not present on the Alethi side. Eshnonai says that she wants to talk to Dalinar and sue for peace but Venli thinks that he wouldn't accept, and says that she discovered stormform. Eshonai exclaims that this could cause their gods to return, but Venli says that is a moot point since the Alethi now have surgebinders, though Eshonai isn't sure about this. Demid, Venli's former mate, agrees that they should risk using stormform to protect their people from being wiped out. Venli says she wants to raise the issue with the Five, and Eshnonai says she will consider supporting it.
Characters[edit]
- Present
- Mentioned
Setting[edit]
Center of the Shattered Plains by Urithiru, where the Parshendi territory is.
Notable[edit]
Chapter Heading[edit]
- Eshonai's picture
The icon used for Eshonai's chapters.
- Shalash wedge
Shalash represents creativity, and the Parshendi in artform are struggling with being creative.