Tranquiline Halls
| Tranquiline Halls | |
|---|---|
 by Greg Call
| |
| Related to | Vorinism |
| Universe | Cosmere |
“Vorinism taught that the finest warriors would have the holy privilege of joining the Heralds after death, fighting to reclaim the Tranquiline Halls from the Voidbringers. ”
The Tranquiline Halls are heaven[2] and the original home of mankind according to Vorinism.[1] In Vorin doctrine, humans were driven from the Tranquiline Halls by the Voidbringers, but with the help of the Heralds they are fighting to take back their home.[3]
Vorin Doctrine
“May you someday find a place of honor in the Tranquiline Halls, fallen brother. And may we find a better end than you. ”
According to Vorin tradition, the Tranquiline Halls are the original home of mankind.[1] Humans lived there in peace until the attack of the Voidbringers.[5] These monsters made of hate came from Damnation, driving out mankind from its home and to Roshar.[3] The Voidbringers claimed the Tranquiline Halls as their own, and began their attempt to oust mankind from Roshar to Damnation.[6] The Almighty then sent the Dawnsingers to Roshar to care for the defeated humans.[3] The Voidbringers attacked mankind a hundred times and during Aharietiam, their final attempt, the Heralds of the Almighty and the Knights Radiant defeated the Voidbringers. The Heralds followed the Voidbringers back to the Tranquiline Halls, intending to drive them back to Damnation and reclaim their home. This marked the ending of the Heraldic Epochs and the beginning of the modern Era of Solitude.
“The ardents were careful to point out that excellence in any Calling would bring power. A farmer would be able to wave his hand and create great fields of spiritual crops. A spearman would be a great warrior, able to cause thunder with his shield and lightning with his spear.”
It is the Vorin belief that people spend their lives practicing their Callings, preparing to aid the Heralds.[7] The very best and those who die with valor are granted the holy privilege to rise again after death to join the Heraldic Forces.[1] They make use of the skills of their Calling in the afterlife, given magical abilities to enhance their skills.[2] They fight alongside the Heralds in the War for Heaven, the struggle against the Voidbringers in the Tranquiline Halls. The most important people are those with the Calling of soldiers,[8] who are glorified in the Tranquiline Halls[9] and assist the Heralds in fighting their battles.[1] Those who do not fight but still live exceptionally well are still accepted by the Almighty[8] and will aid in other ways, such as farmers growing crops to sustain the soldiers.[2][10] Those who lived unremarkable lives and did not excel at their Callings remain asleep until the Halls are reclaimed, after which they will awaken and return to their home,[2] and finally reclaim the peace that ended when the Tranquiline Halls were lost.[5] The Almighty himself awaits the recapture of the Tranquiline Halls by his Heralds.[11] He depends on the Vorin peoples to train themselves well for this fight,[12] as he cannot do good himself and aid them directly without creating more evil by his actions.[3]
Historicity
Just how much of what is spoken of in Vorin mythology has its basis in history is unknown. In Roshar's past, there was knowledge of other planets in the Rosharan system, which has influenced the modern day mythology.[13] For instance, another name for Damnation is Braize,[14] which is known to be an actual planet within the Rosharan system.[15] This indicates that the Tranquiline Halls may exist or have existed at one point, although their location, on Roshar or another planet, is uncertain. The mentions of fantastical animals that bear resemblance to creatures like lions,[16] and mankind's general incongruity with other forms of life on Roshar indicate that perhaps humans did at one point travel to Roshar from some other place, which by the time of the Era of Solitude they referred to as the Tranquiline Halls. It is likely that the final planet in the Rosharan system is where humans came from after their control of surges forced them to leave it and invade Roshar. The realization of this truth became known as the Day of Recreance.
It is known for certain that Heralds did not truly return to the Tranquiline Halls to defeat the Voidbringers.[17] Rather, after the Final Desolation they made the decision not to return to Damnation and rather tell mankind that they have won, leaving Talenel alone in Damnation.
Trivia
- In the Circle of Memories in Kholinar, the ardentia believe that the eleventh painting on the walls that does not represent one of the Silver Kingdoms is a reference to the Tranquiline Halls.[18] In reality, the Circle of Memories is an Oathgate and the eleventh painting represents Urithiru.[citation needed]
Notes
| History of Roshar | ||
|---|---|---|
| War in the Tranquiline Halls | Expulsion to Roshar | |
- ↑ a b c d e The Way of Kings chapter 15#
- ↑ a b c d e The Way of Kings chapter 59#
- ↑ a b c d The Way of Kings chapter 45#
- ↑ The Way of Kings chapter 27#
- ↑ a b The Way of Kings chapter 24#
- ↑ The Way of Kings chapter 61#
- ↑ The Way of Kings chapter 16#
- ↑ a b The Way of Kings chapter 18#
- ↑ Words of Radiance chapter 44#
- ↑ The Way of Kings interlude I-8#
- ↑ The Way of Kings chapter 43#
- ↑ The Way of Kings chapter 28#
- ↑ Steelheart Seattle signing
— Arcanum - 2013-10-14# - ↑ Words of Radiance chapter 32#
- ↑ Arcanum Unbounded - The Rosharan System#
- ↑ Words of Radiance chapter 89#
- ↑ The Way of Kings chapter prelude#
- ↑ Words of Radiance interlude I-12#