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=== The Last Legion and Abandoning of the Gods ===
{{quote
|Long are the days since we knew the dark home,” Mother sang softly to one of the Rhythms of Remembrance. “TheThe Last Legion, that was our name then. Warriors who had been set to fight in the farthest plains, this place that had once been a nation and was now rubble. Dead was the freedom of most people. The forms, unknown, were forced upon us. Forms of power, yes, but also forms of obedience. The gods commanded, and we did obey, always. Always.
|[[Jaxlim]] to [[Eshonai]]{{book ref|sa2|I-4}}
}}
Since the listeners recall this story about throwing off the Fused, this event must have occurred prior to or around the time of [[Aharietiam]], the Last Desolation, as Fused been trapped in [[Damnation]] for four and a half millennia after that point.
 
Later, near the time of the [[Recreance]] and what was probably the [[False Desolation]],{{book ref|sa3|56}} the [[Unmade]] [[Ba-Ado-Mishram]] Connected to most singers, providing the singers with [[Regal|forms of power]] and [[Voidlight]].{{epigraph ref|sa3|80}} The [[Knights Radiant]] sought to stop this threat by imprisoning Ba-Ado-Mishram. They succeeded but in doing so, stole part of singers' souls, turning them into slaveform.{{epigraph ref|sa3|81}} The listeners were spared from this event, and so it seems that they were not involved with the False Desolation. They became the only singers on Roshar with their minds still intact. The listeners inhabited the broken kingdom of Natanatan and the Unclaimed Hills in eastern Roshar for long time, unknown to most humans.{{book ref|sa2|I-4}} For much of this, they knew only dullform and mateform, but eventually discovered workform.
 
The listeners inhabited the broken kingdom of Natanatan and the Unclaimed Hills in eastern Roshar for long time, unknown to most humans.{{book ref|sa2|I-4}} For much of this, they knew only dullform and mateform, but eventually discovered warform and workform (and much later, nimbleform).
 
The listeners were much less unified than they are when seen during the [[War of Reckoning]]. They were once split into a number of separate tribes, with raids and assassinations as a relatively frequent occurrence. This is reflected in the listeners having enough cultural experience with assassination to have norms as to how they ought to be carried out.{{wob ref|4530}}
 
{{image|Parshendi archer.jpg|side=left|height=300px|A listener archer}}
=== Alethi Discovery ===
To modern humans, the listeners were originally discovered by Alethi [[Gavilar|King Gavilar]]'s brother [[Dalinar Kholin]] during a hunting trip.{{book ref|sa1|28}}{{book ref|sa1|45}} Dalinar was scouting in a forest that wasn't on any maps., Inin a valley south of the [[Shattered Plains]] and about two weeks' march from the [[Drying Sea]]. There, Dalinarhe sawfound theEshonai, firstexploring.{{book listenerref|sa3|prologue}}{{book campedref|sa4|45}} onShe led the otherhumans sideto ofher afamily's tributarycamp. ofIn thethat [[Deathbendsame River]].day, [[EshonaiVenli]] washad onediscovered ofthat these[[painspren]] campedmay listeners.{{bookbe ref|sa3|prologue}}the Thekey Alethito calleddiscovering thewarform, listenersbut theher "Parshendi,"discovery orwas ''parshmenovershadowed whoby canher think'sister's.{{book ref|sa1|prologue28}}
 
At first, the Council of Five only let a few listeners come to meet the Alethi, afraid of frightening them. Slowly, some of the listeners, including Eshonai, began to learn the Alethi language. The Alethi were very interested in the listener's ancient weapons and in the chasmfiends. Due to a mistake in translation, the Alethi started believing that the listeners worshipped the chasmfiends.{{book ref|sa4|48}} The listeners were very intrigued by the Alethi's parshmen, believing they had no souls.{{book ref|sa4|52}} The Alethi called the listeners the "Parshendi", or ''parshmen who can think''.{{book ref|sa1|prologue}} They gave many steel weapons to Eshonai's family, wanting them to take one of the cities at the edge of the Plains.{{book ref|sa4|48}}.
 
In the next human visit, Eshonai and Venli's family had already taken one of the cities at the border of the Shattered Plains. Venli had made no more progress in discovering warform. One of the Alethi, [[Axindweth]], gave a gemstone to Venli with [[Ulim]] trapped inside, saying it might help her cure Jaxlim.{{book ref|sa4|52}} Venli broke the gemstone, and started talking with Ulim.{{book ref|sa4|57}} Ulim helped Venli cut a gemstone so that it glowed more brightly, and trap a painspren in it.{{book ref|sa4|62}} She made about two dozen gemstones with painspren, and gave them for listeners to adopt warform. One of those was Jaxlim, but since Jaxlim didn't adopt the proper mindset for the form, Eshonai, who was acompanying her, took the form instead.
The Alethi made a treaty with the listeners to secure trade routes.{{cite}} <!--Where is it stated that this was the purpose of the treaty?--> Due to a translation error, the Alethi thought the listeners' gods were the [[greatshell]]s on the Shattered Plains, the [[chasmfiend]]s. However, Gavilar, having seen visions, knew the chasmfiends were not the Parshendi gods. Gavilar came up with a plan to bring back the listener gods to bring back the [[Herald]]s{{book ref|sa3|prologue}}. Gavilar gave [[Eshonai]] a [[black sphere]]—filled with [[Voidlight]]—and told her to give it to the listeners' leading council, [[Council of Five|The Five]]. Gavilar hoped they would welcome their gods returning.
 
After the storm in which they adopted warform, another family attacked them. So, the warform listeners and the family's Shardbearer went out and told them to unite with their family, in order to show the humans an united nation when they next came to the Shattered Plains.{{book ref|sa4|68}} They went to dozens of families with their proposal of unity, and they all gathered in Eshonai and Venli's city. Venli told Ulim to have his contacts among the humans make Gavilar bring listeners to the human cities, hoping to intimidate the other listeners and convince them to take forms of power.{{book ref|sa4|73}}
But the listeners feared their gods' return. Their ancestors had abandoned their gods and adopted [[dullform]] to escape them. After frantic debate, the Five decided they would maintain their freedom at any cost. Earlier that day, [[Klade]] purchased [[Szeth]], an assassin, from the slavers.{{book ref|sa3|prologue}} They instructed him to assassinate Gavilar and to wear white while doing it, because it was a Parshendi tradition for assassinations.{{book ref|sa1|prologue}}
 
However, upon visiting the human cities, the listeners weren't intimidated; they liked the city, and enjoyed themselves there.{{book ref|sa4|77}} They signed a treaty with the humans, and there was a party to celebrate it.{{book ref|sa1|prologue}} That day, [[Nale]] approached Venli, saying Gavilar was going to betray the listeners and that Venli had to assassinate the king to stop him. That gave Ulim the idea of killing the king to drive the humans to attack the listeners, to intimidate them.{{book ref|sa4|77}} At the same time, Gavilar indicated to Eshonai that he wanted to bring back the listener gods. Since the Council of Five feared their gods' return, they voted and decided to kill the king to stop him. Ulim had guided [[Klade]] to buy [[Szeth]], so they sent Szeth and he killed Gavilar.{{book ref|sa3|prologue}} The assassination led to the formation of the Alethi [[Vengeance Pact]] and caused the [[War of Reckoning]], a prolonged war between the listeners and the Alethi on the Shattered Plains.
The assassination led to the formation of the Alethi [[Vengeance Pact]] and caused the [[War of Reckoning]], a prolonged war between the listeners and the Alethi on the Shattered Plains.
 
{{image|Parshendi Army.jpg|side=right|width=500px|A Listener army}}
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