Desolation

Desolation
by Greg Call
Participants	Heralds, Knights Radiant, Voidbringers
Effects	Destruction of Roshar
World	Roshar

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“They were destruction made manifest, Brightlord. Each one was so profoundly devastating that humankind was left broken. Populations ruined, society crippled, scholars dead. Humankind was forced to spend generations rebuilding after each one. ”

—Kalami describing a Desolation

Desolations are cataclysmic events on Roshar.

History

The First Desolation

The first Desolation occurred when mankind invaded Roshar. They had destroyed their previous home with surgebinding and came to Roshar seeking shelter. The singers granted them the land that would later become Shinovar. Dissatisfied with what they had been given, the humans decided to invade the rest of the continent. This was the first military conflict between humans and singers. A singer who witnessed the invasion wrote the Eila Stele as a warning against trusting humans.

The Oathpact

Main article: Oathpact

Some of the singers that were killed by the invading humans were infused with power by Odium before they passed Beyond. These singers became the Fused, Cognitive Shadows that possess living singers and could not be killed. Ishar founded the Oathpact as a solution. He and the other nine people that would become Heralds made a pact with Honor to seal the Fused on Braize. Taln was not originally meant to join the Heralds, but somehow became part of the group. The Heralds thought the Oathpact would end the endless war, but because they are human, there was loophole. The Heralds had the ability to bend their oath and let the Fused return to Roshar, starting a Desolation. Knowing this loophole, the Fused captured and tortured the Heralds.

An in-world artist's depiction of a Desolation by Greg Call

Historical Desolations

The coming of a Desolation was announced by the appearance of the Ten Heralds. The appearance of Midnight Essence was also a sign of an upcoming Desolation. A Desolataion began when the Fused returned to Roshar, known as the Return. Each Return, Fused needed to find singers willing to give the Fused their bodies. One of the Desolations lasted eleven years. There were not many more than fifteen Desolations total. A Desolation ended with the Heralds leaving Roshar and returning to Braize. The Heralds had a fixed period of time they could remain on Roshar. If they exceeded it, a new Desolation would start.

Between Desolations

“ In the aftermath of each one, mankind was broken. Great cities in ashes, industry smashed. Each time, knowledge and growth were reduced to an almost prehistoric state.”

— Jasnah

Mankind was devastated in the aftermath of each desolation. Around ninety percent of the population was destroyed each time. This level of cataclysmic event pushed men to a technology level equivalent to that of the stone age. Although society would sometimes progress beyond that before the next Desolation began, the Heralds would often be forced to push technology forward thousands of years in the single year after their return. It is the duty of the Knights Radiant to stay vigilant and prepare themselves and mankind for Desolations, and to fight the Voidbringers when it arrives.

Between Desolations, the Heralds returned to Braize. At first, the ten men and women hid from and fought the Fused. Inevitably, they would be caught and tortured. By the nature of their bond, the Heralds were able share their pain and withstand the torture together until someone broke. Early on, the Heralds were able to withstand torture for hundreds of years between Desolations. The torture slowly broke the Heralds, however, and the gaps were decreasing to less than ten years near the end. The last gap was less than a year long, with the Heralds breaking as soon as the Fused caught and began the torture. The only Herald to never break was Taln. The torture the Heralds endured between Desolations included hooks digging into their skin, their skin getting seared off, and their fat burning. The torture began over again every day.

The Last Desolation

Main article: Last Desolation

At the end of what is called the Last Desolation, nine of ten Heralds managed to survive the fighting, which was an unusual occurrence. Fearful of the torture they would face on their return to Braize, the Heralds chose to break the Oathpact rather than return. Although they had been warned that lingering on Roshar would lead to another Desolation, Ishar told the others that Taln alone would be enough to maintain the Oathpact. Whether or not this was true mattered little to the Heralds as they only wished to avoid torture. The heralds left their honorblades in a circle and all walked in a different direction, telling people that humanity had finally won the war for good. Ishar's prediction turned out to be true, and Taln held back the Fused for 4500 years while mankind believed there would be no more Desolations.

The False Desolation

Main article: False Desolation

“Something must be done about the remnants of Odium’s forces. The parsh, as they are now called, continue their war with zeal, even without their masters from Damnation.”

—Drawer 30-20, first emerald

Unlike previous Desolations, the False Desolation did not involve the Heralds or Fused. The False Desolation began when Ba-Ado-Mishram learned how to Connect with the majority of the singers, giving them forms of power and access to Voidlight. The Radiants, unaware of how she did this, sought a way to end the fighting for good, as the Heralds had promised them. The fighting became particularly intense at this time, as the singers made a push towards Feverstone Keep, possibly as part of a plan to capture Rall Elorim.

Working together, the scholars among the Radiants theorized that an Unmade could be imprisoned like a regular spren. That devised a plan to trap Ba-Ado-Mishram and prevent her from Connected with the singers and providing them with Voidlight. This plan would require Melishi, the only Bondsmith of his generation, and a special prison, likely a perfect gemstone. Although Melishi was confident the plan would succeed in destroying the Voidbringers, Naze-daughter-Kuzodo warned of unintended side effects. Although the plan seems to have succeeded, as Ba-Ado-Mishram has not been seen in modern times unlike other Unmade, Naze-daughter-Kuzodo's warning was correct. Because she had been Connected to all the singers, their Connection and Identity was torn out of them, creating slaveform or parshmen. The Radiants' horror for what happened likely contributed to the Recreance.

The True Desolation

Main article: True Desolation

The two thousand years of peace that began with the False Desolation ended with the True Desolation. When Talenel appears at the gates of Kholinar, he announces the coming of the True Desolation. At the Battle of Narak Stormform Listeners summon the Everstorm, which appears to be referenced as the True Desolation.

Warfare

Fabrials

Main article: Fabrials

“All this time we’ve been assuming that we lost great technology in the Desolations, but it seems we are far, far more advanced than the ancients ever were. ”

—Jasnah about fabrials

During the ancient Desolations, mankind did not have access to the modern fabrials and fabrial knowledge that is currently known on Roshar. The only fabrials they had access to were ancient fabrials. These fabrials seem to work through a mutual agreement with a sentient spren rather than trapping a spren in a gemstone. The vast majority of fabrials seem to replicate surges and were used in a support position rather than actual combat. The Oathgates utilizes the surge of Transportation to allow instantaneous travel across the continent. Healing fabrials use the surge of Progression to heal wounds and seem to have been carried often by Radiants on patrol. Although it is not courrently known how these fabrials were created, Aimia could have been involved as that is where soulcasting fabrials originated. It is also possible that Urithiru is a giant fabrial powered by the Sibling.

Technology

“The Desolations were so terrible they destroyed learning and progress and left behind a broken people. ”

—Jasnah to Dalinar

Humanity was stuck at an extremely low level of technology during the Desolations. Most soldiers fought with bronze and leather armor. Because of the destruction, humanity often still had stone tools and weapons when the Heralds returned. The Heralds would attempt to push humanity forward several thousand years worth of technology in the year before the Desolation, which often included learning to cast bronze. Even when humanity had learned to cast bronze already, the Heralds tried to advance technology further. Other areas they attempted to push technology forward include medicine, where Vedel would teach techniques such as keeping wounds clean.

Culture

“ The Desolations had happened during the near-mythical shadowdays, before real history began. Before mankind had defeated the Voidbringers and taken the war to heaven. ”

— Dalinar's thoughts

According to Vorinism, mankind fought the Voidbringers during Desolations ninety and nine times, before mankind finally won and drove them back to the Tranquiline Halls. That victory was later referred to as the Last Desolation.

Notes

History of Roshar
Expulsion to Roshar	The Desolations	Aharietiam

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