Oathbringer/Epigraphs

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Preface to Oathbringer

In Part One of Oathbringer the epigraphs are excerpts from the preface of the in-universe book of the same name.

Chapter	Text
1	"I’m certain some will feel threatened by this record. Some few may feel liberated. Most will simply feel that it should not exist."
2	"I needed to write it anyway."
4	"I know that many women who read this will see it only as further proof that I am the godless heretic everyone claims."
5	"I can point to the moment when I decided for certain this record had to be written. I hung between realms, seeing into Shadesmar—the realm of the spren—and beyond."
6	"I thought that I was surely dead. Certainly, some who saw further than I did thought I had fallen."
7	"I did not die. I experienced something worse."
8	"That moment notwithstanding, I can honestly say this book has been brewing in me since my youth."
9	"The sum of my experiences has pointed at this moment. This decision."
10	"Perhaps my heresy stretches back to those days in my childhood, where these ideas began."
12	"I ask not that you forgive me. Nor that you even understand."
13	"I ask only that you read or listen to these words."
14	"In this record, I hold nothing back. I will try not to shy away from difficult topics, or paint myself in a dishonestly heroic light."
15	"I will express only direct, even brutal, truth. You must know what I have done, and what those actions cost me."
16	"For in this comes the lesson."
17	"It is not a lesson I claim to be able to teach. Experience herself is the great teacher, and you must seek her directly."
18	"You cannot have a spice described to you, but must taste it for yourself."
20	"However, with a dangerous spice, you can be warned to taste lightly. I would that your lesson may not be as painful as my own."
21	"I am no storyteller, to entertain you with whimsical yarns."
22	"I am no philosopher, to intrigue you with piercing questions."
23	"I am no poet, to delight you with clever allusions."
24	"I have no doubt that you are smarter than I am. I can only relate what happened, what I have done, and then let you draw conclusions."
25	"I will confess my murders before you. Most painfully, I have killed someone who loved me dearly."
27	"I will confess my heresy. I do not back down from the things I have said, regardless of what the ardents demand."
28	"Finally, I will confess my humanity. I have been named a monster, and do not deny those claims. I am the monster that I fear we all can become."
29	"So sit back. Read, or listen, to someone who has passed between realms."
30	"Listen to the words of a fool."
31	"If they cannot make you less foolish, at least let them give you hope."
32	"For I, of all people, have changed."

Letters

In Part Two of Oathbringer the epigraphs are three letters. The first and second one is directed to somebody refered to as Cephandrius. The third one is addressed to "Friend." The second letter is theorized to be written by Bavadin(Autonomy) and the third letter is most likely written by Sazed(Harmony).

Chapter	Text
33	Dearest Cephandrius I received your communication, of course.
34	I noticed its arrival immediately, just as I noticed your many intrusions into my land.
35	You think yourself so clever, but my eyes are not those of some petty noble, to be clouded by a false nose and some dirt on the cheeks.
37	You mustn't worry yourself about Rayse. It is a pity about Aona and Skai, but they were foolish--violating our pact from the very beginning.
38	Your skills are admirable, but you are merely a man. You had your chance to be more, and refused it.
39	No good can come of two Shards settling in one location. It was agreed that we would not interfere with one another, and it disappoints me that so few of the Shards have kept to this original agreement.
40	As for Uli Da, it was obvious from the outset that she was going to be a problem. Good riddance.
41	Regardless, this is not your concern. You turned your back on divinity. If Rayse becomes an issue, he will be dealt with. And so will you.
42	Cephandrius, bearer of the First Gem, You must know better than to approach us by relying upon presumption of past relationship.
43	You have spoken to one who cannot respond. We, instead, will take your communication to us--though we know not how you located us upon this world.
44	We are indeed intrigued, for we thought it well hidden. Insignificant among our many realms.
45	As the waves of the sea must continue to surge, so must our will continue resolute. Alone.
46	Did you expect anything else from us? We need not suffer the interference of another. Rayse is contained, and we care not for his prison.
47	Indeed, we admire his initiative. Perhaps if you had approached the correct one of us with your plea, it would have found favorable audience.
48	But we stand in the sea, pleased with our domains. Leave us alone.
50	We also instruct that you should not return to Obrodai. We have claimed that world, and a new avatar of our being is beginning to manifest there. She is young yet, and--as a precaution--she has been instilled with an intense and overpowering dislike of you.
51	This is all we will say at this time. If you wish more, seek these waters in person and overcome the tests we have created. Only in this will you earn our respect.
53	Friend, Your letter is most intriguing, even revelatory.
54	I would have thought, before attaining my current station, that a deity could not be surprised. Obviously, that is not true. I can be surprised. I can perhaps even be naive, I think.
55	I am the least equipped, of all, to aid you in this endeavor. I am finding that the powers I hold are in such conflict that the most simple of actions can be difficult.
56	I am also made uncertain by your subterfuge. Why have you not made yourself known to me before this? How is it you can hide? Who are you truly, and how do you know so much about Adonalsium?
57	If you would speak to me further, I request open honesty. Return to my lands, approach my servants, and I will see what I can do for your quest.

Records

In Part three of Oathbringer, the epigraphs are records retrieved from the eponymous Stormlight Archive in Urithiru. In at least some of these epigraphs, the gemstone used to make the record seems to correspond with the order of the Knight who made it. (eg. Sapphires for Windrunners, Zircons for Elsecallers) The drawer and gemstone designations have been included, as this indicates when a series of epigraphs all relate to the same topic.

Chapter	Gem location	Text
58	Drawer 29-5, topaz	As a Stoneward, I spent my entire life looking to sacrifice myself. I secretly worry that is the cowardly way. The easy way out.
59	Drawer 12-15, ruby	If this is to be permanent, then I wish to leave record of my husband and children. Wzmal, as good a man as any woman could dream of loving. Kmakra and Molinar, the true gemstones of my life.
60	Drawer 8-21, second emerald	I worry about my fellow Truthwatchers.
61	Drawer 2-3, smokestone	We can record any secret we wish, and leave it here? How do we know that they'll be discovered? Well, I don't care. Record that then.
62	Drawer 2-22, smokestone	I wish to submit my formal protest at the idea of abandoning the tower. This is an extreme step, taken brashly.
63	Drawer 16-16, amethyst	I returned to the tower to find squabbling children, instead of proud knights, That's why I hate this place. I'm going to go chart the hidden undersea caverns of Aimia; find my maps in Akinah.
64	Drawer 27-19, topaz	The disagreements between the Skybreakers and the Windrunners have grown to tragic levels. I plead with any who hear this to recognize you are not so different as you think.
65	Drawer 8-1, amethyst	Now that we abandon the tower, can I finally admit that I hate this place? Too many rules.
67	Drawer 24-18, smokestone	This generation has had only one Bondsmith, and some blame the divisions among us upon this fact. The true problem is far deeper. I believe that Honor himself is changing.
68	Drawer 1-1, first zircon	My research into the cognitive reflections of the spren at the tower has been deeply illustrative. Some thought that the Sibling had withdrawn from men by intent- but I find counter to that theory.
69	Drawer 1-1, second zircon	The wilting of plants and the general cooling of the air is disagreeable, yes, but some of the tower's functions remain in place. The increased pressure, for example, persists.
70	Drawer 1-1, third zircon	Something is happening to the Sibling. I agree this is true, but the division among the Knights Radiant is not to blame. Our perceived worthiness is a separate issue.
72	Drawer 4-17, second topaz	The Edgedancers are too busy relocating the tower's servants and farmers to send a representative to record their thoughts in these gemstones. I'll do it for them, then. They are the ones who will be most displaced by this decision. The Radiants will not be taken in by nations, but what of all these people now without homes?
73	Drawer 3-11, garnet	I am worried about the tower's protections failing. If we are not safe from the Unmade here, then where?
74	Drawer 10-1, sapphire	Today, I leaped from the tower for the last time. I felt the wind dance around me as I fell all the way along the eastern side, past the tower, and to the foothills below. I'm going to miss that.
77	Drawer 30-20, first emerald	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.
78	Drawer 30-20, second emerald	A coalition has been formed among scholar Radiants. Our goal is to deny the enemy their supply of Voidlight; this will prevent their continuing transformations, and give us an edge in combat.
79	Drawer 30-20, third emerald	Our revelation is fueled by the theory that the Unmade can perhaps be captured like ordinary spren. It would require a special prison. And Melishi.
80	Drawer 30-20, fourth emerald	Ba-Ado-Mishram has somehow Connected with the parsh people, as Odium once did. She provides Voidlight and facilitates forms of power. Our strike team is going to imprison her.
81	Drawer 30-20, fifth emerald	We are uncertain the effects this will have on the parsh. At the very least, it should deny them forms of power. Melishi is confident, but Naze-daughter-Kuzodo warns of unintended side effects.
82	Drawer 30-20, final emerald	Surely this will bring - at long last - the end to war that the Heralds promised us.
83	Drawer 20-10, zircon	As the duly appointed keepers of the perfect gems, we of the Elsecallers have taken the burden of protecting the ruby nicknamed Honor's Drop. Let it be recorded.
84	Drawer 19-2, third topaz	The enemy makes another push toward Feverstone Keep. I wish we knew what it was that had them so interested in that area. Could they be intent on capturing Rall Elorim?
85	Drawer 30-20, a particularly small emerald	Don't tell anyone. I can't say it. I must whisper. I foresaw this.
86	Drawer 10-12, sapphire	My spren claims that recording this will be good for me, so here I go. Everyone says I will swear the Fourth Ideal soon, and in so doing, earn my armor. I simply don't think that I can. Am I not supposed to want to help people?
87	Drawer 29-29, ruby	Good night, dear Urithiru. Good night, sweet Sibling. Good night, Radiants.

Hessi's Mythica

The epigraphs from Part 4 are excerpts from an in-universe book, Hessi's Mythica, that catalogues the Unmade, nine of Odium's lieutenants in his Rosharan war.

Chapter	Text
89	My research into the Unmade has convinced me that these things were not simply "spirits of the void" or "nine shadows who moved in the night." They were each a specific kind of spren, endowed with vast powers.
90	I have done my best to separate fact from fiction, but the two blend like mixing paint when the Voidbringers are involved. Each of the Unmade has a dozen names, and the powers ascribed to them range from the fanciful to the terrifying.
91	I should point out that although many personalities and motives are ascribed to them, I'm convinced that the Unmade were still spren. As such, they were as much manifestations of concepts or divine forces as they were individuals.
92	The most important point I wish to make is that the Unmade are still among us. I realize this will be contentious, as much of the lore surrounding them is intertwined with theology. However, it is clear to me that some of their effects are common in the world - and we simply treat them as we would the manifestations of other spren.
93	Taxil mentions Yelig-nar, named Blightwind, in an oft-cited quote. Though Jasnah Kholin has famously called its accuracy into question, I believe it.
95	Yelig-nar had great powers, perhaps the powers of all Surges compounded in one. He could transform any Voidbringer into an extremely dangerous enemy. Curiously, three legends I found mention swallowing a gemstone to engage this process.
96	Yelig-nar is said to consume souls, but I can't find a specific explanation. I'm uncertain this lore is correct.
97	Of the Unmade, Sja-anat was most feared by the Radiants. They spoke extensively of her ability to corrupt spren, though only "lesser" spren - whatever that means.
98	Lore suggested leaving a city if the spren there start acting strangely. Curiously, Sja-anat was often regarded as an individual, when others - like Moelach or Ashertmarn - were seen as forces.
99	Nergaoul was known for driving forces into a battle rage, lending them great ferocity. Curiously, he did this to both sides of a conflict, Voidbringer and human. This seems common of the less self-aware spren.
100	I am convinced that Nergaoul is still active on Roshar. The accounts of the Alethi "Thrill" of battle align too well with ancient records - including visions of red mist and dying creatures.
101	Moelach is very similar to Nergaoul, though instead of inspiring a battle rage, he supposedly granted visions of the future. In this, lore and theology align. Seeing the future originates with the Unmade, and is from the enemy.
102	Moelach was said to grant visions of the future at different times - but most commonly at the transition point between realms. When a soul was nearing the Tranquiline Halls.
103	Many cultures speak of the so-called Death Rattles that sometimes overtake people as they die. Tradition ascribes them to the Almighty, but I find too many to be seemingly prophetic. This will be my most contentious assertion I am sure, but I think these are the effects of Moelach persisting in our current times. Proof is easy to provide: the effect is regionalized, and tends to move across Roshar. This is the roving of the Unmade.
104	Ashertmarn, the Heart of the Revel, is the final of the three great Mindless Unmade. His gift to men is not prohecy or battle focus, but a lust for indulgence. Indeed, the great debauchery recorded from the court of Bayala in 480 - which led to dynastic collapse - might be attributable to the influence of Ashertmarn.
106	I find Bo-Ado-Mishram to be the most interesting of the Unmade. She is said to have been keen of mind, a highprincess among the enemy forces, their commander during some of the Desolations. I do not know how this relates to the ancient god of the enemy, named Odium.
107	There is very little information about Ba-Ado-Mishram in more modern times. I can only assume she, unlike many of them, returned to Damnation or was destroyed during Aharietiam.
108	Chemoarish, the Dustmother, has some of the most varied lore surrounding her. The wealth of it makes sorting lies from truths extremely difficult. I do believe she is not the Nightwatcher, contrary to what some stories claim.
109	Re-Shephir, the Midnight Mother, is another Unmade who appears to have been destroyed at Aharietiam.
110	The Midnight Mother created monsters of shadow and oil, dark imitations of creatures she saw or consumed. Their description matches no spren I can find in modern literature.
111	It will not take a careful reader to ascertain I have listed only eight of the Unmade here. Lore is confident there were nine, an unholy number, asymmetrical and often associated with the enemy.
112	I am certain there are nine Unmade. There are many legends and names that I could have misinterpreted, conflating two Unmade into one. In the next section, I will discuss my theories on this.
113	If I'm correct and my research true, then the question remains. Who is the ninth Unmade? Is it truly Dai-Gonarthis? If so, could their actions have actually caused the complete destruction of Aimia?

Eila Stele, Way of Kings

After the general content of the Eila Stele is revealed in the chapter of that name in the previous part, we see some excerpts from it in Part 5, and also some postscripts from the Way of Kings.

Chapter	Book	Text
115	Eila Stele	They came from another world, using powers that we have been forbidden to touch. Dangerous powers, of spren and Surges. They destroyed their lands and have come to us begging.
116	Eila Stele	We took them in, as commanded by the gods. What else could we do? They were a people forlorn, without a home. Our pity destroyed us. For their betrayal extended even to our gods: to spren, stone, and wind.
117	Eila Stele	Beware the otherworlders. The traitors. Those with tongues of sweetness, but with minds that lust for blood. Do not take them in. Do not give them succor. Well were they named Voidbringers, for they brought the void. The empty pit that sucks in emotion. A new god. Their god.
118	Eila Stele	These Voidbringers know no songs. They cannot hear Roshar, and where they go, they bring silence. They look soft, with no shell, but they are hard. They have but one heart, and it cannot ever live.
119	Way of Kings (postscript)	As I began my journey, I was challenged to defend why I insisted on traveling alone. They called it irresponsible. An avoidance of duty and obligation. Those who said this made an enormous mistake of assumption.
120	Way of Kings (postscript)	If the journey itself is indeed the most important piece, rather than the destination itself, then I traveled not to avoid duty - but to seek it.
121	Way of Kings (postscript)	It becomes the responsibility of every man, upon realizing he lacks the truth, to seek it out.
122	Way of Kings (postscript)	Yes, I began my journey alone, and I ended it alone. But that does not mean that I walked alone.

Notes

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