Difference between revisions of "Listener"
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== Anatomy == |
== Anatomy == |
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=== Forms === |
=== Forms === |
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| − | [[File:parshendiwarform.png|thumb|300px|Warform by [[User:Khal]]]] |
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| − | By staying out in a [[highstorm]] with a [[spren]], listeners are capable of bonding with said spren, which has the effect of changing their appearance,{{qa ref|987|18|Do Parshendi need a highstorm to change form?|date=2012-11-06}} physical abilities, and mental capabilities. These changes are known as '''forms'''. Many forms are mentioned in the old listener song, the [[Song of Listing]], but most are lost to modern listeners. |
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| − | With several exceptions -- such as mateform and slaveform -- most Listener forms are asexual.{{reddit ref|books|2ytg2h|crbq12w}}{{reddit ref|books|2ytg2h|crcbbv7}} |
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| − | ;Warform: |
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| − | {{quote|Warform is worn for battle and reign,<br><!-- |
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| − | -->Claimed by the gods, given to kill.<br><!-- |
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| − | -->Unknown, unseen, but vital to gain.<br><!-- |
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| − | -->It comes to those with the will. |
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| − | |15th stanza of the [[Song of Listing]]{{epigraph ref|sa2|13}}}} |
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| − | Warform gives listeners an armor-like carapace; it also seems to give them advanced physical capabilities, although it severely hampers artistic ability and is not equipped to handle abstractions. Most [[Parshendi]] that interact with the Alethi are in warform. |
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| − | ;Workform: |
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| − | {{quote|Workform worn for strength and care.<br><!-- |
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| − | -->Whispering spren breathe at your ear.<br><!-- |
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| − | -->Seek first this form, its mysteries to bear.<br><!-- |
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| − | -->Found here is freedom from fear. |
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| − | |19th stanza of the [[Song of Listing]]{{epigraph ref|sa2|15}}}} |
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| − | Workform also endows significant physical strength, although without the armor of the warform; those in workform also have thinner fingers. While in workform, the Parshendi find it difficult to commit violence and did not like confrontation. |
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| − | ;Mateform: |
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| − | {{quote|Mateform meek, for love to share,<br><!-- |
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| − | -->Given to life, it brings us joy.<br><!-- |
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| − | -->To find this form, one must care.<br><!-- |
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| − | -->True empathy, one must employ. |
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| − | |5th stanza of the [[Song of Listing]]{{epigraph ref|sa2|14}}}} |
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| − | Mateform is used for reproductive purposes. A few listeners maintain mating form constantly, although most enter it only briefly in order to reproduce with a partner; if these partners later entered warform they became a warpair. It is a distracting form which makes productive work difficult. |
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| − | ;Dullform: |
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| − | {{quote|Dullform dread, with the mind most lost.<br><!-- |
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| − | -->The lowest, and one not bright.<br><!-- |
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| − | -->To find this form, one needs banish cost.<br><!-- |
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| − | -->It finds you and brings you to blight. |
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| − | |final stanza of the [[Song of Listing]]{{epigraph ref|sa2|17}}}} |
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| − | Dullform is an older form which was rarely used after the discovery of the newer forms. Those in dullform are not very intelligent. |
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| − | |||
| − | ;Nimbleform: |
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| − | {{quote|Nimbleform has a delicate touch.<br><!-- |
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| − | -->Gave the gods this form to many,<br><!-- |
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| − | -->Tho' once defied, by the gods they were crushed.<br><!-- |
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| − | -->This form craves precision and plenty. |
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| − | |27th stanza of the [[Song of Listing]]{{epigraph ref|sa2|16}}}} |
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| − | Nimbleform is a form used by the Parshendi scholars because they do not know the correct spren to bond with for scholarform. It does not impede the mind and the fingers are delicate enough for recording their findings. It grows long hair without any carapace to block it and yeilds delicate swirling patterns in their skin, along with a thinner facial structure. |
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| − | ;Scholarform: |
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| − | {{quote|Scholarform shown for patience and thought.<br><!-- |
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| − | -->Beware its ambitions innate.<br><!-- |
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| − | -->Though study and diligence bring the reward,<br><!-- |
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| − | -->Loss of innocence may be one's fate. |
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| − | |69th stanza of the [[Song of Listing]]{{epigraph ref|sa2|18}}}} |
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| − | ;Artform: |
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| − | {{quote|Artform applied for beauty and hue.<br><!-- |
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| − | -->One yearns for the songs it creates.<br><!-- |
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| − | -->Most misunderstood by the artist it's true,<br><!-- |
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| − | -->Come the spren to foundation's fates. |
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| − | |90th stanza of the [[Song of Listing]]{{epigraph ref|sa2|20}}}} |
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| − | {{quote|Artform for colors beyond our ken;<br><!-- |
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| − | -->For its grand songs we yearn.<br><!-- |
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| − | -->We must attract creationspren;<br><!-- |
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| − | -->These songs suffice 'til we learn. |
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| − | |279th stanza of the [[Song of Revision]]{{epigraph ref|sa2|29}}}} |
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| − | ;Mediationform: |
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| − | {{quote|Meditationform made for peace, it's said.<br><!-- |
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| − | -->Form of teaching and consolation.<br><!-- |
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| − | -->When used by the gods, it became instead<br><!-- |
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| − | -->Form of lies and desolation. |
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| − | |33rd stanza of the [[Song of Listing]]{{epigraph ref|sa2|21}}}} |
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;Nightform: |
;Nightform: |
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{{quote|Nightform predicting what will be,<br><!-- |
{{quote|Nightform predicting what will be,<br><!-- |
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|4th stanza of the [[Song of Winds]]{{epigraph ref|sa2|22}}}} |
|4th stanza of the [[Song of Winds]]{{epigraph ref|sa2|22}}}} |
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Storm form is a newer form re-discovered during the [[War of Reckoning]]. It allows the user to have control over wind and lightning. This form causes protective ridges to form along the skin, and causes the eyes to turn red. This form makes its users more aggressive and angry. Listeners bonded to this form can jump chasms without a running start, and shoot lightning from their bodies. |
Storm form is a newer form re-discovered during the [[War of Reckoning]]. It allows the user to have control over wind and lightning. This form causes protective ridges to form along the skin, and causes the eyes to turn red. This form makes its users more aggressive and angry. Listeners bonded to this form can jump chasms without a running start, and shoot lightning from their bodies. |
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| − | ===Slave form (Parshmen)=== |
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| − | {{quote|slaveform, the form with no spren, no soul, and no song. (...) It wasn't really a form at all, however, but the lack of any form.|Eshonai musing about listener forms{{book ref|sa2|I-1}}}} |
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| − | There is also "slaveform," which is not a true form, but the lack of a bond with a spren or lack of a form. The creatures known as the '''parshmen''' throughout Roshar are actually listener in this "slave form". |
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| − | Parshmen live among humans (notably the [[Alethi]] but also in [[Jah Keved]] and [[Kharbranth]]{{book ref|sa1|3}}) and generally function as servants.{{book ref|sa1|prologue}} Barely of intelligence,{{book ref|sa1|55}} it is said that these people, if left in the woods, would stand around amiably until someone comes along to tell them what to do.{{book ref|sa1|28}}{{book ref|sa1|36}} Generally, a parshmen would take orders without any objection.{{book ref|sa1|3}} They could speak but rarely did so.{{book ref|sa1|7}} |
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| − | Physically, slave form listeners are strong enough to perform physical labor.{{book ref|sa1|55}} Their skin has either a marbled pattern of black and red or white and red, although the white and red is more common in Alethkar.{{book ref|sa1|prologue}}{{book ref|sa1|72}} |
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| − | They care about and are protective of their dead, usually objecting to anyone other than one of themselves tending to them.{{book ref|sa1|26}} This care for the dead presumably extended to corpses of other listeners as well.{{book ref|sa1|55}} |
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| − | == Rhythms == |
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| − | The listeners speak to Rhythms. These Rhythms are underlying tunes that seem to exist independently from their actual use. Also, Rhythms are "playing" constantly. For example, Rhythms can be used to measure time.{{book ref|sa2|i|4}} Rhythms represent a certain state of mind, the feelings of the person using it. When not paying attention, Parshendi will attune to the Rhythm that corresponds to their mood, but they can attune to another Rhythm in order to fit with their message. Dullforms and "Slave forms" don't use Rhythms. The rhythms connect the listeners.{{qa ref|836|51|Are Parshendi like a hive mind sort of culture?|date=Sep 22nd, 2012}} |
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| − | === List of Rhythms === |
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| − | {{columns| |
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| − | *Rhythm of Amusement{{book ref|sa2|i|1}} |
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| − | *Rhythm of Annoyance{{book ref|sa2|i|4}} |
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| − | *Rhythm of Anticipation{{book ref|sa2|i|13}} |
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| − | *Rhythm of Anxiety{{book ref|sa2|i|4}} |
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| − | *Rhythm of Awe{{book ref|sa2|i|8}} |
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| − | *Rhythm of Appreciation{{book ref|sa2|i|4}} |
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| − | *Rhythm of Betrayal{{book ref|sa2|i|4}} |
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| − | *Rhythm of Confidence{{book ref|sa2|i|11}} |
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| − | *Rhythm of Consideration{{book ref|sa2|i|4}} |
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| − | *Rhythm of Craving{{book ref|sa2|i|13}} (new rhythm) |
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| − | *Rhythm of Curiosity{{book ref|sa2|i|1}} |
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| − | *Rhythm of Derision{{book ref|sa2|i|11}} |
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| − | *Rhythm of Destruction{{book ref|sa2|i|11}} (new rhythm) |
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| − | *Rhythm of Excitement{{book ref|sa2|i|1}} |
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| − | *Rhythm of Fury{{book ref|sa2|i|11}} (new rhythm) |
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| − | *Rhythm of Irritation{{book ref|sa2|i|4}} |
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| − | *Rhythm of Joy{{book ref|sa2|i|11}} |
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| − | *Rhythm of Lost{{book ref|sa2|i|1}} |
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| − | *Rhythm of Mourning{{book ref|sa2|i|1}} |
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| − | *Rhythm of Peace{{book ref|sa2|i|11}} |
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| − | *Rhythm of Pleading{{book ref|sa2|i|4}} |
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| − | *Rhythm of Praise{{book ref|sa2|i|1}} |
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| − | *Rhythm of Remembrance{{book ref|sa2|i|4}} |
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| − | *Rhythm of Reprimand{{book ref|sa2|i|1}} |
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| − | *Rhythm of Resolve{{book ref|sa2|i|1}} |
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| − | *Rhythm of Ridicule{{book ref|sa2|i|11}} (new rhythm) |
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| − | *Rhythm of Satisfaction{{book ref|sa2|i|11}} |
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| − | *Rhythm of Skepticism{{book ref|sa2|i|1}} |
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| − | *Rhythm of Spite{{book ref|sa2|i|11}} (new rhythm) |
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| − | *Rhythm of Supplication{{book ref|sa2|i|4}} |
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| − | *Rhythm of Tension{{book ref|sa2|i|11}} |
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| − | *Rhythm of Winds{{book ref|sa2|i|4}} |
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| − | }} |
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==History== |
==History== |
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{{reddit ref|books|2ytg2h|crds34r|text=The Horneaters and the Herdazians are both descendants of Parshendi/human interbreeding.|date=17 may 2015}} |
{{reddit ref|books|2ytg2h|crds34r|text=The Horneaters and the Herdazians are both descendants of Parshendi/human interbreeding.|date=17 may 2015}} |
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{{reddit ref|books|2ytg2h|crcbbv7|text=Most Listener forms are asexual, but several forms are different, including slaveform.|date=19 may 2015}} |
{{reddit ref|books|2ytg2h|crcbbv7|text=Most Listener forms are asexual, but several forms are different, including slaveform.|date=19 may 2015}} |
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</references> |
</references> |
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{{partial}} |
{{partial}} |
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{{Stormlight}} |
{{Stormlight}} |
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| − | [[category: sapient beings]] |
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| − | [[category: magical entities]] |
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[[category: notable articles]] |
[[category: notable articles]] |
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Revision as of 04:46, 18 November 2017
| Listener | |
|---|---|
| World of Origin | Roshar |
The listeners are a species of sapient creatures on Roshar.[1] There are two main groups of listeners, the Parshendi on the Shattered Plains, and the docile parshmen. The Stormfather called them the Old Ones. [2]
The listeners can communicate their emotions through certain rhythms to each other and can keep perfectly in time with these rhythms even when apart, although the parshmen do not have this ability. Male listeners grew beards, which they thread through beads infused with Stormlight.
Anatomy
Forms
- Nightform
“Nightform predicting what will be,
The form of shadows, mind to forsee.
As the gods did leave, the nightform whispered.
A new storm will come, someday to break.
A new storm a new world to make.
A new storm a new path to take, the nightform listens. ”—17th stanza of the Song of Secrets[3]
- Decayform
“Decayform destroys the souls of dreams.
A form of gods, to avoid it seems.
Seek not its touch, nor beckon its screams, deny it.
Watch where you walk, your toes to tread.
O'er hill or rocky riverbed
Hold dear to fears that fill your head, defy it. ”—27th stanza of the Song of Secrets[4]
- Smokeform
“Smokeform for hiding and slipping between men.
A form of power, like human Surges.
Bring it 'round again.
Though crafted of gods,
It was by Unmade hand.
Leaves its force to be but one of foe or friend. ”—127th stanza of the Song of Histories[5]
“Smokeform for hiding and slipping 'tween men.
A form of power—like Surges of spren
Do we dare to wear this form again? It spies.
Crafted of gods, this form we fear.
By Unmade touch its curse to bear,
Formed from shadow—and death is near. It lies. ”—51st stanza of the Song of Secrets[6]
- Stormform
“Stormform is said to cause
A tempest of winds and showers,
Beware its powers, beware its powers.
Though its coming brings the gods their night,
It obliges a bloodred spren.
Beware its end, beware its end. ”—4th stanza of the Song of Winds[7]
Storm form is a newer form re-discovered during the War of Reckoning. It allows the user to have control over wind and lightning. This form causes protective ridges to form along the skin, and causes the eyes to turn red. This form makes its users more aggressive and angry. Listeners bonded to this form can jump chasms without a running start, and shoot lightning from their bodies.
History
Listeners have existed on Roshar a very long time, even before humans existed there.[citation needed]
At some point, after listeners felt spren betrayed them, giving Surges to humans instead of them, the listeners turned to other gods.[8][9] These gods, perhaps the Unmade[6] -- though definitely something of Odium[10][11], changed them, into what became the Voidbringers. Later, after the Desolations, Jasnah Kholin theorized that these Voidbringers were not eliminated, but enslaved into what were called the parshmen.[12]
After the Desolations, not all listeners were the unintelligent parshmen; there were several tribes of the dullform listeners, having thrown off the forms of their gods. Raids and assassinations were commonplace, and this later created norms as to how assassinations should have been carried out.[13] These disparate listener tribes eventually unified and moved near the Shattered Plains.
The Alethi discovered this tribe of listeners, shocked that there existed sapient versions of the parshmen. They named the listeners Parshendi. Eventually Alethkar formed a treaty with these Parshendi, but on the eve of the treaty, King Gavilar was assassinated, in an attempt to prevent the listener gods from returning. This led to the Alethi forming the Vengeance Pact, and the War of Reckoning to destroy the assassins.
During the war, these listeners moved their population to Narak from the western edge of the Shattered Plains, where the Alethi warcamps are now situated, though hundreds of thousands of listeners had lived scattered across the entirety of the Plains.[14][15] Eventually, Venli persuaded Eshonai that they would die unless they did something drastic. Venli had discovered stormform, one of their old gods' forms, and Eshonai took the form and was controlled by the form, forcing many other listeners to adopt it as well in order to stop the Alethi and the destruction of their species.
At the Battle of Narak, where Highprince Dalinar Kholin led an expedition to end the War of Reckoning, the listeners in stormform, now referred to as Voidbringers, summoned a storm. Eshonai thought the stormform abilities would summon a highstorm, but they instead summoned the Everstorm, leading to the start of the True Desolation.
Parshendi at some point in their history interbred with humans. The descendants of these Parshendi-human hybrids are modern Roshar's Unkalaki and Herdazian peoples.[16][17]
The Parshendi learned how to capture spren in gemstones by watching humans, then working out the process for themselves. This allowed them to make changes to their forms much more reliably, where before there was an element of chance with the transformation.[15]
See Also
Notes
- ↑ Words of Radiance chapter I-1#
- ↑ Words of Radiance chapter 89#
- ↑ Words of Radiance chapter 23 epigraph#
- ↑ Words of Radiance chapter 24 epigraph#
- ↑ Words of Radiance chapter 25 epigraph#
- ↑ a b Words of Radiance chapter 31 epigraph#
- ↑ Words of Radiance chapter 22 epigraph#
- ↑ Words of Radiance chapter 28 epigraph#
- ↑ Words of Radiance chapter 32 epigraph#
- ↑ {{{text}}}
— Reddit - {{{date}}}# - ↑ Words of Radiance chapter 34 epigraph#
- ↑ The Way of Kings chapter 72#
- ↑ Parshendi once dis-unified
— Theoryland - 2013-02-22# - ↑ Words of Radiance interlude I-1#
- ↑ a b Words of Radiance interlude I-4#
- ↑ Horneaters are human/Parshendi hybrids.
— Theoryland - August 13th, 2014# - ↑ {{{text}}}
— Reddit - {{{date}}}# Cite error: Invalid<ref>tag; name "reddit-books-2ytg2h-crds34r" defined multiple times with different content
Cite error: <ref> tag with name "reddit-books-2ytg2h-crbq12w" defined in <references> is not used in prior text.
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