Akinah Dawnshard mural
| Akinah Dawnshard mural | |
|---|---|
| |
| Type | Mural |
| World of Origin | Roshar |
| Universe | Cosmere |
The Akinah Dawnshard mural is a supernatural piece of art in the undersea caverns of Aimia on Roshar. It housed a Dawnshard related to Change.[1]
LocationEdit
The mural is located in a small room in a network of caves underneath Akinah. The room also contains Shardplate and Soulcaster fabrials, and it is adjacent to a large chamber containing lanceryn skulls.[2] The island and the caves have been protected by the lanceryn and then the Sleepless for millenia. Few (if any) mortal beings were aware of the mural's existence until Rysn and Cord found it during the expedition to Akinah.[1]
AppearanceEdit
The mural is described as "grand" and "incredible". Circular in shape, it depicts a sun exploding into quarters and then further shattering into sixteen near-symmetrical pieces. Inlays of gold foil throughout the mural make it seem to glow on its own rather than merely reflecting outside light. Red foil inlays trace the outer lines of the mural to create depth and give definition to the pieces. Parts of the shattered sun are surrounded by written characters, artistically stylized to curl around the outside of the mural. The writing is not Dawnchant or any other language known on Roshar.[1]
The Sleepless are able to detect the presence of the Dawnshard in the mural, seemingly using specialized hordelings to do so.[3]
HistoryEdit
The provenance of the Akinah Dawnshard mural is unknown. Humans are thought to have used at least one Dawnshard to devastate Ashyn before settling on Roshar,[4] but the details of this event have been lost.
According to Unkalaki songs, the Change Dawnshard came to Roshar through Cultivation's Perpendicularity in the Horneater Peaks.[2] At some point, the Dawnshard became the mural. It is unclear how this happened, but the mural itself was not mundane.[5]
The mural predates the functional extinction of the lanceryn that occurred during the Scouring of Aimia.[2] It likely predates the Recreance since Nikli mentioned that the Aimians of the Heraldic Epochs had kept many secrets with the assistance of the Knights Radiant.[6]
Discovery by Cord and RysnEdit
When the Wandersail made landfall on Akinah in late 1174, Chiri-Chiri followed luckspren underwater; after escaping the Sleepless, Rysn and Cord did the same. They found themselves in a network of caves without any apparent exit, and tentatively explored them. When Rysn saw the mural, she was strongly drawn to it, while Cord barely seemed to notice it.[1]
Rysn seemed to feel both heat and emotions radiating from the sun in the mural. She believed it was not angry about the event that was depicted, but she had some difficulty discerning other emotions that it was projecting. The mural called to her, putting pressure on her mind and even speaking to her directly about Chiri-Chiri and the Sleepless.[1]
Rysn turned her attention away from the mural, but felt it getting increasingly warm; it seemed to loom over her. When she looked at it again, it told her to "CHANGE", and she accepted it.[1] Although she initially felt that the Command wanted to merge with her, she later realized that it did not have a will and that she had made the choice to accept it.[2] Light streamed from the mural into Rysn's eyes and then consumed her. When this process was completed, the mural was simply a piece of art, and Rysn had become the Dawnshard.[1][5]
When Nikli discovered Rysn and Cord, he did not immediately realize what had happened to the mural. After a brief discussion, he noticed that something was wrong, and his hordelings quickly confirmed that the Dawnshard was no longer in the mural.[3] The Sleepless had no idea that it could have been absorbed by a human.[7] Although Nikli was enraged, Rysn and Cord managed to cut a deal to ensure their safety, and they agreed to never speak of the mural to anyone.[2]
SpeculationEdit
- The mural appears to depict the Shattering of Adonalsium. Although there are known to be four Dawnshards and sixteen Shards, Brandon has been intentionally vague regarding the layout of the mural and what it could mean for the relationship between the two.[8]
- Since the Dawnshard is thought to have come to Roshar through a Perpendicularity and the writing on the mural is not in any known Rosharan language,[2] it could be a language that originates off-world.
TriviaEdit
NotesEdit
- ↑ a b c d e f g Dawnshard chapter 16#
- ↑ a b c d e f Dawnshard chapter 19#
- ↑ a b Dawnshard chapter 18#
- ↑ Oathbringer chapter 113#
- ↑ a b Dawnshard Annotations Reddit Q&A
— Arcanum - 2020-11-06# - ↑ Dawnshard chapter 9#
- ↑ Dawnshard Annotations Reddit Q&A
— Arcanum - 2020-11-12# - ↑ Dawnshard Annotations Reddit Q&A
— Arcanum - 2020-11-06# - ↑ Dawnshard Annotations Reddit Q&A
— Arcanum - 2020-11-09#