Difference between revisions of "Knights Radiant"

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|world=Roshar
|universe=[[Cosmere]]
|books=[[The Stormlight Archive]], [[The Sunlit Man]], [[Yumi and the Nightmare Painter]], [[Mistborn Era 2]]
}}
{{spoilers|yumi|tsm}}
{{update|sa3|sa4|yumi|tsm|mb4}}
{{quote
|"I'm not some glorious knight of ancient days. I'm a broken man. Do you hear me, Syl? ''I'm broken''."<br />She zipped up to him and whispered, "That’s what they all were, silly"
}}
 
The '''Knights Radiant''' (ParshendiListener: ''Neshua Kadal''){{book ref|sa1|67}}{{book ref|sa1|68}} were an organization of [[Surgebinding|Surgebinders]] on [[Roshar]]. Their Orders were centered at [[Urithiru]], but they lived all across [[Alethela]], the [[Silver Kingdoms|Silver Kingdom]] who had to maintain the arts of war. They considered it their duty and privilege to stay vigilant for [[Desolation|Desolations]].{{book ref|sa1|49}} It is commonly believed that they betrayed mankind on the [[Day of Recreance]], and were then referred to as the '''Lost Radiants'''.{{book ref|sa1|43}} Their symbol was a golden hourglass shape, of eight spheres connected with two at the center.
 
== History ==
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The first Surgebinders came to be as a result of [[spren]] trying to imitate what [[Honor]] had given his [[Herald]]s. The spren formed bonds with the mankind to give them [[Surgebinding]] abilities.{{book ref|sa2|4}} Honor was surprised by their coming, because he hadn't taught it to his Heralds.{{book ref|sa2|4}} These Surgebinders were later formed into the ten orders of the Knights Radiant by the Herald [[Ishar|Ishi'Elin]], for the purpose of watching for the coming Desolations, and helping men fight, then rebuild the society from the destruction of the Desolations, and they adopted the city of Urithiru as their center of power.{{book ref|sa1|60}} ForThis aformalized longsystem time,was theyin maintainedplace theirby duty, until eventually they abandoned it on what is now knownat asleast the DaySixth of RecreanceEpoch,{{book ref|sa1|52}}Year and possibly even turned against their wards, as some legends say31.{{bookwob ref|sa1|45}} This betrayal caused many spren to die, their [[Shardblade|corpses]] becoming tools of destruction, and as a result they stopped granting humanity Surgebinding.{{book ref|sa2|316437}}
 
For a long time, they maintained their duty, until eventually they abandoned it on what is now known as the Day of Recreance,{{book ref|sa1|52}} and possibly even turned against their wards, as some legends say.{{book ref|sa1|45}} This betrayal caused many spren to die, their [[Shardblade|corpses]] becoming tools of destruction, and as a result they stopped granting humanity Surgebinding.{{book ref|sa2|3}}
 
In recent times, sensing an impending danger, the spren started returning to mankind as an act of self-preservation.{{book ref|sa2|1}} People all over Roshar started gaining Surgebinding powers by forming Nahel bonds with the spren in the following years. At the beginning of the year 1174, Urithiru was reclaimed, and the Knights Radiant were re-founded with initially four members; [[Kaladin]], [[Shallan Davar]], [[Dalinar Kholin]], and [[Renarin Kholin]].{{book ref|sa2|89}}
 
;[[Order of Willshapers]]
:Willshapers bond with [[lightsprenReacher]]s, also known as Reacherslightspren, which gives them the ability to use the Surges of Transportation and [[Cohesion]].{{book ref|sa2|part=ars}} Willshapers are associated with the amethyst polestone, the essence of Foil, and the Herald [[Kalak]].
 
;[[Order of Stonewards]]
{{image|Knights-Radiant-antti.jpg|side=right|height=350px|Knights Radiant heading into battle}}
 
The Ideals of the Knights Radiant, known as the '''Immortal Words''', serve as a guide for the Radiants' actions and lives.{{book ref|sa1|59}} Each order of Radiants has five Ideals, though different Radiants from the same order may swear an ideal with slightly different words and Lightweavers swear more individualized truths instead of ideals.{{wob ref|2674}} The wording of the First Ideal, however, is exact and is used by all orders, including the Lightweavers.{{wob ref|9709}}{{book ref|sa2|87}} It appears that it is not necessary to speak the First Ideal as a complete uninterrupted phrase, as when [[Navani Kholin]] spoke them to bond the [[Sibling]], she spread the three sentences throughout the length of a conversation, and though he was unable to complete the Ideal before being killed, [[Elhokar Kholin]] stuttered and repeated its words.{{book ref|sa4|110}}{{book ref|sa3|84}} The First Ideal acts as a motto and guide for the Radiants as a whole,{{book ref|sa1|59}} and is known as the Ideal of Radiance by the Skybreakers,{{book ref|sa3|90}} who may have carried the name over from the ancient Radiants. The unique Ideals of each order are designed as a progression that develops a Radiant's character toward the central concepts of their order.{{wob ref|2711}} The [[Stormfather]] and [[Cultivation]] have some discretion in deciding whether or not a Radiant has progressed enough that their oath can be accepted,{{book ref|sa3|121}}{{book ref|sa4|60}} though this discretion appears to be limited.{{book ref|sa2|84}} It is unclear whether or not the Stormfather had this ability prior to Honor's Splintering, but it seems likely it was instead Honor's decision at this time. A Bondsmith may also be able to accept the oaths of other orders.{{book ref|sa4|108}}
 
As a Radiant swears additional Ideals, they gain their Shardblade and Shardplate (though the Ideal at which these are received is not the same for all orders){{wob ref|7873}} and become more efficient in their use of Stormlight.{{book ref|sa1|59}} Additionally, some orders cannot use one of their Surges until they swear a higher Ideal.{{book ref|sa3|121}}{{wob ref|13774}} Swearing the Fifth Ideal, also known as the Final Ideal, makes the Nahel bond between Radiant and spren so strong that it can only be broken by death; until that point, there are apparently safe ways to break the bond.{{book ref|sa3|108}} Swearing the Fifth Ideal is generally not necessary to be considered a full Knight Radiant and is such a difficult process that the Order of the Skybreakers has not had someone swear the Fifth Ideal for centuries.{{book ref|sa3|90}}
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