Editing User:Argent/pages/Oathpact

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|related=Heralds, Honor, Fused

|universe=Cosmere

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The '''Oathpact''' was an ancient agreement between [[Honor]] and the men and women who would become his [[Herald]]s, with the purpose of giving humanity a fighting chance against the ever-returning [[Fused]].

== Mechanics ==

Little is known about the Realmatic causes behind the Oathpact, but some its effects have become relevant in recent events. The Oathpact, as founded by [[Ishar]],{{book ref|sa3|64}} was a magical binding oath between Honor and his Heralds{{wob ref|2898}}, with the sole purpose of aiding humanity in the Cycle of [[Desolation]]s by preventing the Fused from continuously returning to Roshar.{{book ref|sa3|38}} The binding of [[Odium]] to [[Greater Roshar]] is not a direct result of the Oathpact, though there is some connection between the two.{{wob ref|6273}} Millennia later, the Oathpact still stands,{{wob ref|2898}} even if it has been weakened by most of the Heralds walking away from it after [[Aharietiam]].{{cite}}

The effects of the Oathpact are best described by looking at the broad categories they fall into.

=== Powers & Abilities ===

Honor's Heralds are among the most powerful individuals in the known Cosmere, and the Oathpact is a massive contributing factor to that. The [[Honorblade]]s - though not explicitly confirmed to have been a part of the Oathpact - are direct conduits to Honor's Investiture in the [[Spiritual Realm]], which grants the Heralds wielding them a near-infinite supply of power for [[Surgebinding]] - substantially more than what a [[Surgebinder]] would have access to.{{wob ref|10331}}

In addition to the Honorblades, the Heralds themselves are infused with Honor's power, similarly to how the Fused are infused with Odium's, or - to an extent - how [[Kelsier]] is infused with [[Preservation]]'s. This infusion of Investiture stabilizes their spirits and transforms them into [[Cognitive Shadow]]s, allowing them to survive the death of their bodies. When the time comes for them to return to Roshar, new fully-grown bodies are created for them directly from Investiture.{{wob ref|10880}} This creates a parallel between the Heralds and the [[Returned]] of [[Nalthis]], but there are some important differences between them - most notably, the Heralds don't need to continuously consume Investiture to remain in the [[Physical Realm]]. All this makes the Heralds effectively immortal, outside of extraordinary events.

=== Oaths & Bonds ===

It is well known that with great power comes great responsibility,{{url ref|link=https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Uncle_Ben#/%22With_great_power_comes_great_responsibility%22}} and the Heralds are not exception to this rule. Honor's blessings came with a cost, an oath that bound the Heralds in a neverending cycle of pursuit, torture, and war. Each Desolation, any Herald who died was immediately sent back to [[Braize]] where they could keep the Fused contained; any Herald who survived a Desolation had a short grace period during which they could remain on Roshar, but they had to return to Braize quickly, lest their oaths were considered broken, and another Desolation could begin.{{wob ref|2893}}

Once back in [[Damnation]], the Heralds were hunted by the Fused. If any were captured, they were tortured in an attempt to force them to break their oaths to Honor and thus let the Fused back in Roshar.{{book ref|sa3|38}} Through the connection they shared through the Oathpact, the Heralds could share the pain of torture and help each other endure it. It was that same connection that allowed [[Shalash]] to sense her father's final death after the [[Battle of Thaylen Fields]].

After [[Aharietiam]] all of the surviving Heralds vowed to break free from the Oathpact. They had correctly guessed that [[Taln]]'s presence on Braize would be enough to maintain the pact, but had not realized that all they had done by walking away was to weaken the Oathpact, not break it.

The origins of the Oathpact can be traced back to the first war between humans and [[Dawnsingers]]. Enraged by the human attack, some esteemed Dawnsingers - their kings, lighteyes, and valiant soldiers, in the words of the [[Stormfather]] - were given power by [[Odium]] after their death, their souls infused with his [[Investiture]]. These ancient [[singers]], known as the [[Fused]], turned the war back in the Dawnsingers' favor, for Odium's power had turned them into [[Cognitive Shadow]]s, able to return to life by possessing the bodies of living Dawnsingers. The humans of old had no way of winning over such foe by themselves, so they sought power of their own. Ten people, five men and five women, all but one highly ranked in their own right, asked Honor for aid, and he gave them the Oathpact - a binding oath between the [[Shard]] and his Heralds that allowed them to seal defeated Fused back on [[Braize]], similarly to how the power of Honor and [[Cultivation]] had sealed Odium.{{book ref|sa3|38}}

The Oathpact led to the Cycle of [[Desolation]]s, a period in [[Roshar]]an history marked by frequent global wars. Both Honor and his Heralds had hoped to seal the Fused away from Roshar once and for all, but in forging the Oathpact Honor hadn't accounted for one crucial human flaw - the fact that, unlike spren and Shards, humans can and will break their oaths. Though well-intentioned, the Heralds would repeatedly fail to uphold their oath to Honor, as the trapped Fused were relentless in hunting them down and torturing them, forcing them to break their oaths. This led to a millennia-long cycle where the Heralds would help humankind defeat the Fused and push them back to [[Damnation]], and would then follow the Fused to keep them contained. The Fused would try to force the Heralds to break their oaths by torturing them, as just one breaking would render the Oathpact moot and let them return to Roshar. Upon their return, the Fused would clash with the Heralds-led human armies, and the cycle would repeat.

As the

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