Difference between revisions of "Odium"

The Shard of Odium is even harder to control than [[Ruin]].{{wob ref|1514715172}} The word "odium" means being subjected to hatred and contempt as a result of a despicable act.{{url ref|url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/odium|text=Definition of Odium|site=Merriam-Webster Dictionary}} However, interpretation of the Shard's intent is not as simple. [[Frost]] claims a straightforward definition: that it is God's own divine hatred.{{epigraph ref|sa2|71}} Rayse himself, however, claims that he's Passion, a Shard of emotions, in particular excessive emotions.{{book ref|sa3|57}}{{wob ref|15736}} Upon Ascension, Taravangian grappled with the vicious urge to destroy and burn.{{book ref|sa4|114}} Many of his [[splinter]]s, the [[Unmade]] compel people to give in to powerful sensations - [[Ashertmarn]] compels people to revel mindlessly, and [[Nergaoul]] inspires exultation in battle.{{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, Odium's influence sometimes promotes apathy rather than passion, as his followers are encouraged to give up their pain and sense of guilt.{{book ref|sa3|78}}{{book ref|sa3|118}}

Odium was created at the [[Shattering]], whenaround theten-thousand creatoryears god,before the [[AdonalsiumTrue Desolation]], was killed by sixteen people, splitting it into sixteen [[Shards]].{{mshbook ref|3sa4|2i|1}} One of those killers was [[Rayse]], who chose for himself the Shard of Odium.{{epigraphbook ref|sa2tsm|7111}}

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}} Because they had settled together, Odium attacked them since he could argue that they were breaking the agreement the Vessels made about not being in the same system as another Shard.{{wob ref|8358}} Through means unknown, Odium killed and [[Splinter]]ed them both.{{book ref|sa1|22}}{{wob ref|2614}}{{au ref|Sel}} 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}} 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}}

Next, over 7000 Rosharan years before the True Desolation,{{book ref|sa4|14}}{{book ref|sa4|76}} Odium set out for [[Rosharan system]], seeking to kill either [[Honor]], [[Cultivation]], or both. According to the [[Eila Stele]], he was brought by the humans from another world, and the singers considered 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 occurred, 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}}

Odium, though severely limited by Honor's actions, was nonetheless active. He also kept a limited awareness of what was going on all across the cosmere, and was aware that Ruin and Preservation had combined to become Harmony in Scadrian Year {{date|1025|fe}}, aroundover 309 Rosharanthree-hundred years before the True Desolation.{{wob ref|7320}}{{wob ref|9869}}{{wob ref|14998}} The idea of someone taking up two Shards at once, and finding harmony between them, terrified him.{{wob ref|4437}} He therefore began formulating a plan to eliminate this threat after being freed from the Rosharan System.{{wob ref|7319}}