Difference between revisions of "Szeth"

|parents=[[Neturo]]

|profession={{cat tag|Assassins|Assassin}} <small>(formerly)</small>, Honor guard

|I amwas Truthless. I dosimply asfollowed myorders. masterTell requiresme. andDo Iyou requirethink nothat explanation.absolves a man?

|Szeth, regardingto his oath.[[Taravangian]]{{book ref|sa2|Isa4|14113}}

'''Szeth{{nosnippet|-son-Honor}}''', formerly '''Szeth-son-son-Vallano''' or '''Szeth-son-Neturo''', [[Truthless]] of [[Shinovar]], is a [[Shin]] man from [[Roshar]]. He is the infamous Assassin in White and is responsible for the death of [[Gavilar Kholin]], which kickstartingstarted the [[War of Reckoning]].{{book ref|sa1|prologue}} As the Assassin, he wields [[Jezrien]]'s [[Honorblade]]; eventually, he loses it, and is gifted [[Nightblood]].{{book ref|sa2|88}}

Szeth is currently a [[Skybreaker]] of the Third Ideal and serves [[Dalinar Kholin]]. He intends to return to Shinovar and bring justice to the ones who exiled him asfor his Fourth Skybreaker Ideal quest.{{book ref|sa3|121}}

[[File:{{image|Szeth by Jessi Ochse.jpg|thumb|side=right|width=350px|<center><small>by {{a|Jessi Ochse}}</small></center>]]

Szeth is roughly thirty-five years old at the start of the [[True Desolation]]. Like all [[Shin]], he's short and pale-skinned, with roundlarge, beadyround eyes lacking the epicanthic fold that most [[Roshar]]ans possess. Normally, his eyes are dark green, but whenever he summons theJezrien's [[Honorblade]], they change to pale sapphire.{{book ref|sa1|i|3}}{{book ref|sa2.5|8}} He's bald, and shaves his head often, mentioning that he's unable to grow hisa hairfull outhead asof much as most peoplehair.{{book ref|sa3|90}}

As the Assassin, Szeth always wears white. While this originally stemmed from [[listener]] customs, [[Taravangian]] had him keep the outfit as a symbol.{{book ref|sa1|prologue}}{{book ref|sa1|i|9}} Even after he stops following his [[Oathstone]], he continues to wear white.{{book ref|sa4|16}} Following his death and subsequent revival, his soul was improperly attached to his body, leaving him with a ghostly white afterimage that can be seen by someanyone peoplewith sufficient [[Investiture]], includingsuch as [[Lift]] or the Skybreakers.{{book ref|sa2.5|9}}{{book ref|sa3|90}}{{wob ref|2563}}

Szeth is bound unwaveringly to honor, and loyal to the extent that he will do anything asked by his master, including self-mutilation. However, as a Truthless he's forbidden to take his own life or to give up his Blade. While accomplished at assassination, he's not a willing killer, always facing inner turmoil when taking a life. He hears the screams of his victims when he closes his eyes; his self-loathing eventually sends him spirallingspiraling into madness. His resurrection did nothing to help him; he continues to hear the whispers of those he'd killed, which [[Nale]] believes to be trembles from the [[Spiritual Realm]], serving as a constant reminder of his crimes.{{book ref|sa3|90}}

As a [[Skybreaker]], Szeth develops a far greater suspicion of his superiors; he starts questioning his orders, and even argueargues with those above him if he believes they are wrong.{{book ref|sa2.5|9}} He slowly learns to make his own decisions, although still seems to yearn for someone to follow, as evidenced by his newfound dedication to Dalinar.{{book ref|sa3|119}} His [[Szeth's highspren|highspren]] believes he needs to learn to rely on himself instead of Dalinar more.{{book ref|sa4|i|7}} He's exceedingly serious, and unless severely agitated, highly respectful to others. He also seems deaf to jokes or sarcasm, often finding what others say to be incredibly profound, even when it's nonsensical or silly.{{book ref|sa3|120}}

[[File: {{image|The Assassin in White by Ari Ibarra.jpg|width=250px|thumb|side=right|<center><small>by {{a|Ari Ibarra}}</small></center> Drawing [[Nightblood]] ]]}}

Szeth knows how to use all of the [[Surge]]s, having practiced with them throughwith the Shin's eight [[Honorblade]]s.{{book ref|sa3|120}} WhenAs hehis family was exiledgiven to the Honorblades,{{book ref|sa4|i|7}} he was giventhe bearer of [[Jezrien]]'s Honorblade,. It grantinggrants him the powers of a [[Windrunner]] and thus the Surges of [[Gravitation]] and [[Adhesion]].{{book ref|sa3|87}} Over the years, he has become a master of it, easily controlling all three [[Lashing]]s. However, he is unaccustomed to fighting other Windrunners, levellingleveling the playing field somewhat when his opponent can also take to the skies.{{book ref|sa2|85}}

The training has also included basic information about all Radiant orders; Szeth is familiar with their names, their powers, and their capabilities, as well as strategies to counter all of them.{{book ref|sa3|120}} It hasThis alsotraining gave him an assortment of other, non-supernatural skills, such as ice-skating.{{book ref|sa3|120}}

At the present, Szeth no longer has Jezrien's Honorblade, and has since become a [[Skybreaker]] of the Third Ideal. This gives him access to the Surges of Gravitation and [[Division]]. While he has been using the former extensively, thanks to his prior experience, he's yet to use the latter, although he already has access to it.{{book ref|sa3|121}} Theoretically,Although he shouldhas also havebonded a Shardbladespren at this point, althoughand hisit sprenshould isbe tooable skittishto manifest as a Shardblade, it has yet to approachdo so, and in fact rarely shows itself to him at all.{{book ref|sa3|121}}{{book ref|sa4|i|7}} He will gain his Shardplate upon the completion of his Fourth Ideal crusade.{{book ref|sa4|i|7}}

After losing Jezrien's Honorblade, Szeth has beenwas gifted [[Nightblood]] by [[Nale]].{{book ref|sa2|88}} While Szeth cannot dismiss Nightblood the way he could with a regular Shardblade, he is nonethelesseven just asmore dangerous with it, if not more, as with a BladeNightblood. He cannot, however, draw it from its sheath in most circumstances; lackingLacking [[Breath]], he has to feed it Stormlight to survive the act of using it, which means he cannot draw it very frequently.{{book ref|sa3|98}}

Notably, it seems that unlikeUnlike Shardblades, Nightblood is capable of erasing [[Fused]] from existence completely, preventing them from resurrecting in the next [[Everstorm]].{{book ref|sa3|117}}{{wob ref|10440}} Other unique capabilities include denting an Honorblade, collapsing an open [[perpendicularity]], and destroying [[Connection]]s made by [[Bondsmith]]s.{{book ref|sa4|111}}

=== Early Life ({{Rosharan date|1138}} - {{Rosharan date|1166}}) ===

As a younger man, Szeth was a highly-regarded member of the [[Shin]] society.{{wob ref|4040}} AtHe thecarried time,water heand traineddid withother thetasks on his father [[HonorbladeNeturo-son-Vallano]]'s sheep farm.{{book ref|sa4|i|7}} He lived near the coast.{{book ref|sa4|i|7}} At some point, his family was given to the Honorblades,{{book ref|sa4|i|7}} and he started his training with them, familiarizing himself with all ten of the [[Surge]]s. Among others, the training included ice-skating exercises to mimic [[Abrasion]].{{book ref|sa3|98}}{{book ref|sa3|120}} At some point, however, he began hearing a voice in his head, possibly that of a [[spren]].{{book ref|sa3|92}} Perhaps as a result of this, he began saying that the [[Voidbringers]] were returning to Roshar.{{book ref|sa2|i|14}} The Shin leaders, however, told him that his claims were false and, at the age of 27, named him Truthless.{{book ref|sa2|i|10}} LikelyBy due tothis his prior high statuspoint, he was givenalready the bearer of [[Jezrien]]'s Honorblade.{{ref|text=Szeth beforecalls beingit sent"''his'' blade" and away&mdash;somethingrelates that wasn'the doneflew forwith otherit Truthlessthrough the skies of Shinovar,{{cite}} implying that he held it before leaving.}}{{wob ref|5089}}

=== Assassin in White ({{Rosharan date|1166}} - {{Rosharan date|1173|10|10|3}}) ===

[[File:{{image|Szeth and Gavilar by ThomasW.jpg|thumb|side=left|width=200px|<center><small>by {{a|ThomasW}}</small></center> Facing off against [[Gavilar Kholin]] ]]}}

Two years after his banishment, Szeth was purhcased by an assassin named [[Liss]].{{book ref|sa2|prologue}} She believed that Szeth was the best servant she ever had and told [[Jasnah]] that she wanted to show him off to her. However, she later found that Szeth was too good of a servant, so she sold him to slavers in [[Kholinar]]. A few weeks later, Szeth was purchased by [[Klade]], a member of the [[listener]] ruling council.{{book ref|sa3|prologue}} Klade knew of him from [[Venli]], who in turn learned of him from Nale.{{book ref|sa4|77}} When Klade pressured him, Szeth told him about his Shardblade and the abilities it brought.{{book ref|sa3|prologue}} As a result, [[the Five]] ordered him to murder king [[Gavilar Kholin]] of [[Alethkar]] during the treaty-signing celebration. They stipulated that the killing had to be done with live witnesses, and while wearing white.{{book ref|sa1|prologue}}

Before dying, Gavilar had two last requests: to tell his brother to "find the most important words a man could say," and to protect a mysterious [[black sphere]] that shone [[anti-Voidlight|dark light]]. Szeth honored both requests, scrawling a message to [[Dalinar]] into the wood with Gavilar's own hand and blood.{{book ref|sa1|prologue}} Eventually he also hid away the black orb somewhere in [[Jah Keved]].{{book ref|sa1|i|3}}

[[File:Facing{{image|Teamfight offby withMarie the Assassin in WhiteSeeberger.jpg|thumb|side=right|width=350px|<center><small>by {{a|Jules Aguimatang}}</small></center> First attempt to assassinate [[Dalinar]], foiled by [[Kaladin]]}}

Szeth's new mastersmaster gave him a list of high-ranking targets, all of whom were to be eliminated with the sameflashy display of skill displayedseen over five years ago in [[Kholinar]]. Szeth set out to do just that, carvingcarved a bloody path across the continent, slaying, among many others, two [[Azir|Azish]] Primes.{{book ref|sa2|i|9}} His second-to-last kill was King [[Hanavanar]] of Jah Keved, whom he killed along with his two Shardbearer guards and many others who were present.{{book ref|sa1|i|9}} This led directly intoto the Jah KevedVeden civil war.{{book ref|sa2|i|14}}

King [[Taravangian]], the last onename on Szeth's hit list, turned out to be his secret employer. When Szeth arrived in [[Kharbranth]], Taravangian revealed a portion of his schemes, showcasing his "hospitals" in which people were slowly killed in order to draw out [[Death Rattle]]s.{{book ref|sa1|71}} Upon showing this to Szeth, he sentordered him out on a mission to kill a new target: [[Dalinar Kholin]].

During a [[highstorm]], Szeth attacked King [[Elhokar]]'s palace on the [[Shattered Plains]], entering it through a hole cut in the wall with his Blade. On his way, he killed [[Beld]] and cut through [[Hobber]]'s midriff, crippling the use of his legshim, then proceeded to fight against [[Adolin]], [[Kaladin]], and [[Dalinar]], who all of whom believed he was there to assassinate Elhokar. HeSzeth quickly gained the upper hand, lashing Adolin to the ceiling and cutting through Kaladin's arm. However, he ultimately failed, as Kaladin managed to push him through his entryway. The two of them fell to the ground, both surviving. Szeth panicked when he saw Kaladin healing his arm, and when Kaladin told him that he was a Windrunner, Szeth fled.{{book ref|sa2|32}}{{book ref|sa2|33}}

After his confrontation with Kaladin, Szeth retreated to the top of Urithiru, shaken by Kaladin's words and wondering if he was wrong the entire time. Ultimately, he decided to confront Taravangian about the matter.{{book ref|sa3sa2|i|10}} He found the king in [[Vedenar]], and, control almost gone, demanded to know if the [[Knights Radiant]] were returning. TaravangainTaravangian managed to appease him by claiming that aan Honorblade with [[Regrowth]] has been stolen. HearingHaving heard that, Szeth made to departdeparted, vowing to kill [[Kaladin]]; however, Taravangian forbade him to approach Kaladin, demanding that Szeth kill only Dalinar.{{book ref|sa2|i|14}}

=== Skybreaker Trainee ({{Rosharan date|1173|10|10|3}} - {{Rosharan date|1174|2}}) ===

[[File:{{image|Szeth and Nightblood.png|thumb|side=left|width=300px|<center><small>by {{a|LittleGreyDragon}}</small></center>]]

He was able to find and fight one. He found that the convict had a knife, but was thin, dirty and emaciated. Upon questioning him, Szeth also learned that the prison fort had only one guard. Once back, he saw other convicts, confirming that they had all been poorly fed and under a strict regime, leading him to the realization that the prison itself was improperly ranrun. When he confirmed with Ki that the prison administrator was also on the list of the guilty, Szeth drew Nightblood and killed the man. This allowed him to swear the Second Ideal, letting him draw Stormlight. Impressed, Ki chose him as her squire.{{book ref|sa3|92}}

[[File:{{image|Szeth Thunderclast.jpg|thumb|side=right|width=250px|<center><small>by {{a|Matthew Johnson}}</small></center> Szeth killing a [[thunderclast]] ]]}}

=== Serving Dalinar Kholin ({{Rosharan date|1174|2}} - Present) ===

Szeth arrived on the field just in time to drop down and slay a [[thunderclast]]. After landing, he met [[Lift]], who let him know that Dalinar asked her to recover the [[HonorKing's Drop]], a perfect gemstone. Acknowledging this as Dalinar's will, Szeth joined her in the hunt.{{book ref|sa3|117}} Things initially went poorly, especially when Szeth lost Nightblood's sheath to one of the [[Fused]], causing the sword to go out of control and begin devouring him, despite Lift's attempts to help.{{book ref|sa3|118}}

Fortunately, it was then that Dalinar managed to open [[Honor's Perpendicularity]], infusing the city with enough Stormlight to slake Nightblood's thirst. Szeth managed to resheathe the blade, and met with Dalinar. After managing to convince the Alethi of his new loyalty, he returned to his search for HonorKing's Drop with Lift.{{book ref|sa3|119}}

Together, the two managed to trick the Fused carrying it into letting it go and grabbing a [[Surgebinding#Illumination|Lightwoven]] fake, with Lift bringing the real HonorKing's Drop to Dalinar, who then used it to trap [[Nergaoul]].{{book ref|sa3|120}}

==== Aftermath of the Battle ====

|The Fourth Ideal of the [[Skybreakers]], as sworn by Szeth{{book ref|sa3|121}}.

Szeth acquires [[Nightblood]] from Nale after his death and resurrection.{{book ref|sa2|88}} He does not react with either bloodlust or nausea, perhaps indicating that Nightblood's test of character failed to affect him. He does not know its name, referring to it with the honorific "sword-nimi" instead. Nightblood is sentient and can communicate with Szeth telepathically. The two often have conversations, and throughout them, Nightblood has learned a fair deal about Szeth's past, including what might've been an attempt at bonding a [[spren]]. In turn, the sword has no sense of time and casually speaks of his creators and wielders, such as [[Vivenna]], [[Shashara]], and [[Vasher]], even though Szeth has no idea who they are.{{book ref|sa3|92}} However, Szeth often finds Nightblood's words to be helpful and profound, and when the [[Battle of Thaylen Field]] comes, it's Nightblood that helps him decide which side to take.{{book ref|sa2|116}}

Szeth has only fully drawn the sword twicethrice, during the [[Skybreaker]] test at the [[Purelake]]{{book ref|sa3|92}} and, at the [[Battle of Thaylen Field]].,{{book ref|sa3|118}} and to strike at the Herald Ishar.{{book ref|sa4|111}} In botheach casescase, the sword single-mindedly begins screaming into Szeth's mind while quickly consuming any available Stormlight and causing him extreme pain.{{book ref|sa3|119}} However, Nightblood insistinsists that it wouldn't deliberately attack Szeth, as it doesn't consider him to be evil.{{book ref|sa3|92}}{{book ref|sa4|i|7}}

* In ''[[The Way of Kings]]'' and ''[[Words of Radiance]]'', every chapter written exclusively from Szeth's point of view begins with the phrase "Szeth-son-son-Vallano, Truthless of Shinovar..." In ''[[Oathbringer]]'', the phrase is dropped for "Szeth of Shinovar" and then "Szeth of the Skybreakers". In ''[[Rhythm of War]]'', this is changed to "Szeth-son-Honor".