Difference between revisions of "Odium"

 

== 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.

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}}

 

 

==== Battle of Thaylen Field ====

{{for|Battle of Thaylen Field}}

|No. No, we killed you. WE KILLED YOU !

|Odium upon seeing [[Honor's Perpendicularity]]

}}

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}}

 

==== 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 inadvertently let Taravangian know that Odium was unable to perceive anything involving [[Renarin Kholin]].{{book ref|sa3|122}}

==== Contest of Champions ====

A year later, Odium brought Dalinar into a vision and agreed to set the terms of their contest.{{book ref|sa4|112}} Although Odium's most important point was being able to leave Roshar--a restriction that Dalinar ''could'' have lifted, as the largest remnant of Honor's Investiture--Dalinar refused, deciding that since Honor had died to keep Odium in the system, that point would need to remain. At this point, Odium came very close to incinerating Dalinar, almost losing control of his Intent, but managed to keep his temper in check. After such points being raised as Odium's inability to stop the Fused from being reborn and Dalinar's inability to command the Radiants to follow Odium, they agreed that on the tenth day of the new month, they would each appoint a champion, and their champions would fight atop Urithiru, unhindered by either side, until one was dead. If Dalinar won, Odium would retreat to the kingdoms that he controlled at the time for one thousand years, but would cede control of Alethkar and [[Herdaz]] to Dalinar so that he could keep his oath to the [[Dieno|Mink]]. If Odium won, though, he personally would remain in the Roshar system, but would gain control of the kingdoms of the coalition--and Dalinar's soul, which would be turned into a [[Fused]] to begin Odium's forays throughout the cosmere.

 

===Taravangian's Ascension===

{{for|Taravangian#History|the history of Odium's second Vessel prior to his Ascension}}

Later that day, Taravangian managed to get Szeth and Rayse to come to him at the same time. When Rayse pulled him into a vision, Taravangian grabbed [[Nightblood]]'s Cognitive aspect and stabbed Rayse with it, killing him. While he had been doing this, Szeth had stabbed him with his belt knife, but just as he died, Taravangian Ascended to become Odium.{{book ref|sa4|113}} His previous [[Old Magic]] afflictions seemed to vanish as soon as he Ascended, giving him both emotion and intelligence in far greater amounts and he possessed all the power of the Shard. Taravangian realized that Rayse had been sliding towards oblivion for a very long time, as he had been severely weakened by his previous battles, especially against [[Honor]]; Rayse had been enslaved by the power he wielded.{{book ref|sa4|114}} Rayse's body appeared in the place of Taravangian's, although it was so damaged by Nightblood that Szeth was unable to tell the difference. Some time later, when [[Hoid]] was walking the hallways in Elhokar's palace, Taravangian confronted him. When he asked Hoid what he would have done in Taravangian's place, Hoid realized that there was a new Vessel, and was unable to hide his terror. Taravangian then tampered with the Breaths that Wit was using to contain his memories, and retried the whole encounter, this time pretending to be Rayse much more effectively.{{book ref|sa4|epilogue}}

 

{{image|Odium - XV the Devil.jpg|side=left|width=200px|Odium, the creator of the [[Fused]]}}

{{quote

The storm rumbled, like a thoughtful aged father. The face vanished, shattering into droplets of water.

 

}}

Throughout his existence, Odium has had profound effect on the [[cosmere]] and its various [[Shardworld]]s. He has been called the most frightening and terrible of all Shards, and with good reason.{{epigraph ref|sa1|19}}