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|image=Odium captrosko.jpg
|shard=Odium
|
|status=Whole
|splinters=[[Voidspren]], [[Unmade]]
|universe=[[Cosmere]]
|books=[[The Stormlight Archive]]
}}
{{quote
| I am emotion incarnate. I am the soul of the spren and of men. I am lust, joy, hatred, anger, and exultation. I am glory and I am vice. I am the very thing that makes men men.
}}
'''Odium''' is a [[Shard
== Intent ==
{{quote
| They call me Odium. A good enough name. It does have a certain bite to it. But the word is too limiting to describe me, and you should know that it is not all I represent.
| [[Rayse]]{{book ref|sa3|57}}
}}
How to interpret the Shard of Odium is a matter of some debate. [[Frost]] claims a straightforward definition: that it is the wrath of god.{{epigraph ref|sa2|71}} Odium himself, however, claims that he's Passion, a Shard of emotions, in particular excessive emotions.{{book ref|sa3|57}} Many of his [[splinter]]s, the [[Unmade]], represent giving into the sensations with nothing to rein them in - [[Ashertmarn]] wants people to mindlessly revel in what they feel, while [[Nergaoul]] inspires a battle rage.{{book ref|sa3|84}}{{book ref|sa3|115}} On the other hand, the overwhelming amount of emotions inspired by Odium are hateful, among them the aforementioned [[Thrill]] and the [[Singer#Rhythms|Rhythms]] of Odium-derived [[singer]] forms.{{book ref|sa2|i|11}} Moreover, much of Odium's influence promotes apathy rather than passion, as his followers are encouraged to give up their sense of guilt and their pain.{{book ref|sa3|78}}{{book ref|sa3|118}}
It's worth noting that [[Rayse]] has a tendency towards self-deception, and that apart from him, everyone else understands him as the Shard of hatred.{{wob ref|9507}} While it's possible for a Vessel to influence a Shard to an extent, Odium's declaration of being Passion should not be taken at face value.{{wob ref|12312}}
Apart from the issue of the Shard's nature, Odium desires to become the sole god of the [[cosmere]].{{wob ref|5489}} Whether this is motivated by the Shard or its Vessel is uncertain.
== Associated Magics ==
=== Voidlight ===
{{for|Voidlight}}
Voidlight is the gaseous form of Odium's [[Investiture]], analogous to [[Honor]]'s [[stormlight]].{{book ref|sa3|79}} Unlike stormlight, however, Voidlight's applications are far more narrow. It can be utilized by the [[Fused]] to provide healing and fuel their use of [[Surge]]s, and it might have some relation to the forms of power used by the [[Regal]]s.{{book ref|sa3|54}}{{epigraph ref|sa3|80}}
How Voidlight enters the [[Physical Realm]] is uncertain. In the past, it was provided by [[Ba-Ado-Mishram]], and possibly through other means.{{epigraph ref|sa3|80}} How it's supplied during the [[True Desolation]] is yet to be revealed, though if it's similar to stormlight in that respect, it may come from the [[Everstorm]].
=== Voidbinding ===
{{for|Voidbinding}}
The [[Roshar]]an magic system associated with Odium is [[Voidbinding]].{{wob ref|1640}} Very little is known about it at the moment, including the specific powers it grants or the method of aquiring the ability to Voidbind. What is known is that there are ten levels to it, and that it involves something called the Voidbindings, which might be the name of individual powers, analogous to Surges.{{book ref|sa1|ars}} It's highly likely predicting the future is one of those powers.{{book ref|sa1|18}}
[[File:Midnight Mother 1.jpg|thumb|right|200px|<small>by [[Coppermind:Artists/DNAVENOM|DNAVENOM]]</small> [[Re-Shephir]], an [[Unmade]] of Odium ]]
=== Spren ===
Despite his reservations about [[Invest]]ing into a planet, Odium has created numerous [[spren]] in the Rosharan system, known collectively as [[voidspren]].{{book ref|sa2|81}} Some of them are intelligent, and capable of autonomous thought despite not being bonded to an living creature, in contrast to most spren of [[Honor]] or [[Cultivation]].{{book ref|sa3|17}}{{book ref|sa3|i|3}} Others are as mindless as ordinary emotion or nature spren. [[Singer]]s can bond the latter to become [[Regal]]s, taking the spren into their [[gemheart]]s to gain forms with supernatural abilities ranging from speaking all languages, to summoning lightning.{{book ref|sa2|81}}{{book ref|sa3|i|7}}
{{for|Unmade}}
Standing apart from regular voidspren are the Unmade, a group of nine great [[splinter]]s of Odium, each granted immense power.{{book ref|sa3|1}}{{wob ref|1672}} What power this is precisely varies from Unmade to Unmade -- some are capable of influencing human minds, some can grant powers to other creatures, and others the ability to change spren. Likewise, their levels of intelligence varies; while [[Sja-Anat]] is almost human-like, [[Nergaoul]] behaves more like a blind force of nature or animal.
==
{{for|Fused}}
Fused are [[Cognitive Shadow]]s of singers bound to Odium. This grants them numerous benefits, chief among them the ability to resurrect by taking over a body of their living kinsmen. During the [[True Desolation]], this can occur when the [[Everstorm]] passes over singers who have been mentally primed to let something into their [[gemheart]]s.{{book ref|sa3|i|6}} How this bonding happened before the Everstorm existed is unknown.
Other than the ability to resurrect, the Fused possess other powers. They can use voidlight to heal themselves, as well to fuel their use of [[Surge]]s. Unlike [[Surgebinder]]s, however, the Fused have access to only one Surge each.
== History ==
{{for|Rayse#History|the history of Odium's current Vessel prior to his Ascension}}
===
==== Creation and initial killings ====
Odium was created at the [[Shattering]], when the creator god, [[Adonalsium]], was killed by sixteen people, splitting him into sixteen [[Shards]].{{msh ref|3|2}} One of those killers was [[Rayse]], who chose for himself the Shard of Odium.{{epigraph ref|sa2|71}}
At some point after Ascending, Odium went after one of his fellow Shards, [[Ambition]], as he felt most threatened by her intent. However, before he could find her, he located two other Shards, [[Devotion]] and [[Dominion]], in the [[Selish system]].{{wob ref|1550}} Through means unknown, Odium killed and [[splinter]]ed them both. To prevent their remaining power from gaining intelligence of its own, he then pulled them out of the [[Spiritual Realm]] and into the [[Cognitive Realm|Cognitive]], creating the [[Dor]] and causing [[Sel]]'s magic systems to become location-dependent.{{wob ref|1473}} This being said, he wasn't very experienced at the time, and his countermeasure failed as the Dor did, indeed, begin to gain a measure of sentience.{{au ref|Sel}}{{wob ref|9616}}
After creating the Dor, Odium went on to [[Threnodite system]], where he fought and subsequently killed Ambition and its Vessel, [[Uli Da]]. While fighting, Ambition was dealt a grievous wound, and chunks of her power were flung into [[Threnody]], greatly affecting the system in ways not yet fully understood. The final splintering of Ambition took place beyond the system.{{au ref|Threnody}}
==== Battle with Honor ====
Next, Odium set out for [[Rosharan system]], seeking to kill either [[Honor]], [[Cultivation]] or both. While the [[singer]]s refused him, humans were willing to give him more of an ear, and the singers came to consider him a human god. It can be assumed that Odium was crucial in the breakdown of the relations between the two species.{{wob ref|8808}}{{book ref|sa3|111}} Eventually, for unknown reasons, a swap occured, whereupon singers came to worship Odium while humans began serving Honor and Cultivation. Both sides created their own immortal armies - Odium, the [[Fused]], and Honor, the [[Herald]]s.{{book ref|sa3|38}}
{{sidequote
| I am … I was … God. The one you call the Almighty, the creator of mankind. And now I am dead. Odium has killed me. I am sorry.
| Tanavast{{book ref|sa1|75}}
|side=right
|size=350px
}}
Somewhere around that time, Honor and Odium fought, the former with assistance from Cultivation.{{wob ref|2729}} Unlike other Shards, Honor prepared, and his particular nature as the Shard of binding allowed him to tie Odium to one of the system's planets, [[Braize]].{{wob ref|8560}} Honor additionally crafted the [[Oathpact]], which would use the Heralds to imprison Odium's forces on Braize along with their master.{{book ref|sa3|38}} Unfortunately for Honor, Odium was a much better fighter at this point, and [[Tanavast]] was killed.{{wob ref|8560}}{{book ref|sa1|75}}
=== Preparations ===
Unfortunately for Odium, killing Honor did not free him from Braize, and the sacrifice of the Herald [[Taln]] meant that he could not send his armies to [[Roshar]]. And so, over the next four and a half thousand years, he prepared for the time when Taln would break, allowing for one last [[Desolation]] -- the [[True Desolation]].{{book ref|sa3|38}}
There were several elements of the plan. One, as one of his [[Unmade]], [[Nergaoul]], was still free, Odium sent him to [[Alethkar]] to faciliate the [[Thrill]] among the Alethi. Over the centuries, the battle-rage brought about by Nergaoul became normal, and even desirable for the Alethi men, which would later allow Odium to use it to control them.{{book ref|sa3|115}} Moreover, the Thrill allowed Odium to groom a champion whom he could later put in command of his armies and use to release himself. In the final decades of the [[Era of Solitude]], such a potential champion appeared in the form of [[Dalinar Kholin]]. Odium focused on him to ensure he had as many hooks in him as possible.{{book ref|sa3|118}}
Odium also focused on the [[listener]]s, a group of [[singers]] that had denied him some centuries prior. On the day of a treaty between them and the Alethi, Odium used one of his [[voidspren]] to lead them to buy an assassin, [[Szeth]], who was used when [[Eshonai]] found out that the Alethi king, [[Gavilar Kholin]], intended to release the very gods the listeners had once fled. Whether Gavilar's plan was inspired by Odium or not, it pushed the listeners to assassinate him, leading to the [[War of Reckoning]].{{book ref|sa3|prologue}} The War brought tremendous losses to the listeners, until the idea of assuming an old form of power grew appealing to them.{{book ref|sa2|i|4}} Odium then used the [[stormform]] and the change of personality it brought in Eshonai to persuade the listeners to summon the [[Everstorm]], initiating the True Desolation.{{book ref|sa3|84}}
=== True Desolation ===
==== Preparing a champion ====
As the True Desolation began and the [[Fused]] started taking over human territory, Odium focused on [[Dalinar Kholin]] while maneuvering his forces towards [[Thaylen City]], where the confrontation between the two sides would occur.{{book ref|sa3|107}} He hijacked one of [[Dalinar's visions]] and let the other man believe that Odium was the Almighty for a short while before revealing himself. Although Dalinar refused to release him at the time, Odium was certain that Dalinar would eventually do so, and showed him his true form when Dalinar began to get too comfortable. He did not, however, agree to the contest of champions Dalinar suggested.{{book ref|sa3|57}}
At the same time, he also interacted with [[Venli]], stopping the Fused from taking her over and turning her into an [[envoyform]] instead to spread his propaganda among the newly awakened singers.{{book ref|sa3|i|6}} When she didn't work hard enough to his satisfaction, he tortured and threatened her, causing Venli to reconsider her current allegiance further.{{book ref|sa3|i|11}}
Dalinar and Odium spoke once more in a different vision, after Dalinar attempted to negotiate with Venli. Odium initially attempted to tear the vision apart, although Dalinar managed to send Venli out of it before that could happen. Odium then appeared to Dalinar and scolded him for thinking that any sort of accord between the two races was possible, before reassuring Dalinar that peace would, indeed, happen -- after Roshar was destroyed.{{book ref|sa3|109}}
[[File:I am Unity.jpg|thumb|left|200px|<small>by [[Coppermind:Artists/Wanda Sonnemann|Wanda Sonnemann]]</small> Dalinar opening a [[Perpendicularity]] ]]
==== Battle of Thaylen Field ====
{{for|Battle of Thaylen Field}}
Odium decided to lead his forces on [[Thaylen City]] personally, although he didn't intend to use the plain [[singer]]s in battle. He first sent a pair of [[thunderclast]]s, one to destroy the city walls, and the other to get to the [[Thaylen Gemstone Reserve]], along with [[Fused]] to ensure that the [[King's Drop]] wouldn't fall into the wrong hands. Then, Odium used [[Nergaoul]] and the Alethi dependence on the [[Thrill]] to possess the [[Sadeas princedom]] forces in the city and make them turn against their own allies.{{book ref|sa3|115}}{{book ref|sa3|116}}
{{sidequote|No. No, we killed you. WE KILLED YOU !|Odium upon seeing [[Honor's Perpendicularity]]|side=right|size=350px}}
Odium then went, taking with him Venli and several other Fused, to confront Dalinar in front of the city. Dalinar once more repeated his demand for the contest of champions, and this time, Odium agreed, before revealing that his champion would be Dalinar himself.{{book ref|sa3|117}} By reminding Dalinar of his past crimes, chief among them the murder of his wife, [[Evi]], Odium attempted to persuade Dalinar to surrender his guilt and accept that it was all Odium's fault.{{book ref|sa3|118}} However, though Dalinar was initially horrified, he refused to give in. Odium could only watch, speechless, as Dalinar's newfound resolve allowed him to swear the Third Ideal of the [[Bondsmiths]] and open [[Honor's Perpendicularity]].{{book ref|sa3|119}}
This development horrified Odium, especially when he recognized whatever Dalinar became at this moment. Realizing that he lost his trump card -- and that Dalinar could now push him into a ''real'' contest of champions -- Odium swiftly retreated from the field, leaving his armies to lose the battle.{{book ref|sa3|119}}{{book ref|sa3|120}}
==== Deal with Taravangian ====
King [[Taravangian]] of [[Kharbranth]] had been planning to strike a deal with Odium for some time, as neither he nor his [[Diagram (literature)|Diagram]] believed that defeating a god would be plausible.{{book ref|sa3|i|5}} As such, he found a way to communicate with the Shard, both by writing and through actions such as opening the [[Kholinar]] [[Oathgate]] to let the [[Voidbringers]] invade [[Urithiru]].{{book ref|sa3|122}}
Some time after the Battle of Thaylen Field, Odium obliged him, visiting him in Urithiru after Taravangian let him in by opening a window. Odium revealed that he knew perfectly well that Taravangian had both brilliant and less intelligent days, and deliberately visited on one of the latter, to make sure that Taravangian knew he had nothing to negotiate with. Though Odium praised the Diagram, he used it to show how much further his own future sight reached. This inadvertedly let Taravangian know that Odium was unable to perceive anything involving [[Renarin Kholin]].{{book ref|sa3|122}}
By reading the Diagram, Taravangian eventually managed to negotiate with Odium, though his initial offering of sparing anyone Taravangian ruled was discarded, with Odium pointing out that Taravangian sought to become the king of the whole of Roshar. Eventually, the two settled on sparing every citizen of Kharbranth and their spouses.{{book ref|sa3|122}}
== Influence ==
[[File:Odium - XV the Devil.jpg |thumb|right|200px|<center><small>by {{a|taratjah}}</small></center> Odium, the creator of the [[Fused]] ]]
{{quote
|"Wait!" Kaladin said. "Why is there so much war? Must we always fight?" He wasn’t sure why he asked. The questions simply came out.
The storm rumbled, like a thoughtful aged father. The face vanished, shattering into droplets of water.
ODIUM REIGNS, the voice said more softly.
|[[Stormfather]] to [[Kaladin]]{{book ref|sa1|46}}
}}
Throughout his existence, Odium has had profound effect on the [[cosmere]] and its various [[Shardworld]]s. He has, on occassion, been called the most frightening and terrible of all Shards, and with a good reason.{{epigraph ref|sa1|19}}
On [[Sel]], Odium's influence is omnipresent -- literally so, as the [[Dor]], created by him in the aftermath of his murder of [[Devotion]] and [[Dominion]] suffused the entirety of the planet's [[Cognitive Realm]], fuelling the various magic systems. The [[seon]]s and [[skaze]], the [[splinter]]s of Devotion and Dominion respectively, also owe their existence to Odium's killing of their parent Shards.{{au ref|Sel}}
On [[Threnody]], Odium's battle with [[Ambition]] had vast ramifications for the entire system, though what exactly this entails is unclear. It's possible that the [[Evil]] that had taken over [[Homeland]], as well as the [[Shade]]s, are a side effect of the battle between the Shards.{{au ref|Threnody}}
On [[Roshar]], Odium's influence is felt most acutely through the numerous [[Desolation]]s he caused, as well as the murder and subsequent splintering of [[Honor]], which made the [[Stormfather]] what he is today.{{book ref|sa2|82}} He is known obliquely in the various religions of the world as the leader of the [[voidspren]] and the force behind the [[Voidbringers]].{{book ref|sa2|3}} In the present, the [[Everstorm]] and the [[True Desolation]] are his doing.{{book ref|sa2|84}}
== Trivia ==
* Odium's original name was Hatred; Brandon changed it because, in his words, it was "too on-the-nose", while the name Odium brought the Shard a step closer to Passion.{{wob ref|12312}}
* The mere mention of the word Odium makes [[Syl]] hiss.{{book ref|sa1|46}}
* Odium is very scared of [[Harmony]].{{wob ref|4437}}
* Odium might currenly have an alliance -- or, at least, an understanding -- with [[Bavadin]], the holder of [[Autonomy]]. He's also allied with a cosmere power other than her.{{wob ref|2263}}
== Theories and Speculation ==
=== The Broken One ===
{{quote
|Three of sixteen ruled, but now the Broken One reigns.
|Way of Kings, epigraph 11{{epigraph ref|sa1|11}}
}}
Odium may be the one referred to as the Broken One. This quote mirrors how
== Notes ==
<references />
| |||