Difference between revisions of "Thunderclast"
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{{lifeform |
{{lifeform |
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| − | |image=Thunderclast.jpg |
+ | |image=Thunderclast Matthew Johnson Inktober2018.jpg |
| + | |type=Animated stone |
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| − | |image-artist=[[User: Sheep]] |
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| + | |sapient=Yes |
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|world=Roshar |
|world=Roshar |
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| + | |universe=[[Cosmere]] |
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|books=[[The Stormlight Archive]] |
|books=[[The Stormlight Archive]] |
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| + | }} |
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| − | }}{{spoilers|book=sa3}} |
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| + | {{update|sa4}} |
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| ⚫ | |||
| + | {{quote |
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| + | |Those aren’t stones. They’re creatures. |
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| + | |[[Dalinar]]{{book ref|sa1|60}} |
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| + | }} |
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| ⚫ | |||
| + | == Appearance and Nature == |
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| − | ==Ancient Times== |
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| + | {{image|Thunderclast Bota.jpg|side=left|width=250px|[[Renarin]] confronting a thunderclast at the [[Battle of Thaylen Field]].}} |
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| − | Thunderclasts are enormous beasts made of stone. They seem to be skeletal in shape, with long limbs, and with things that resemble ribs. They have red eyes with an arrow-like head. The hand of the beast is about six feet tall.{{book ref|sa|part=prelude}} In one of his [[Dalinar's visions|visions]], [[Dalinar]] oversaw the battlefield and described creatures that could also have been thunderclasts.{{book ref|sa1|60}} |
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| + | {{for|/Gallery|more images}} |
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{{quote |
{{quote |
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| + | |Even after all these centuries, seeing a thunderclast up close made Kalak shiver. |
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| − | |Those aren’t stones. They’re creatures. Massive creatures, easily five or six times the size of a person, their skin dull and grey like granite. They had long limbs and skeletal bodies, the forelegs--or were they arms?--set into wide shoulders. The faces were lean, narrow. Arrowlike. |
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| + | |[[Kalak]]{{book ref|sa1|part=prelude}} |
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| − | |Dalinar's observation when he saw the aftermath of a desolation during [[Nohadon]]'s time{{book ref|sa1|60}} |
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}} |
}} |
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| + | Thunderclasts are enormous stone beasts, easily five or six times larger than a person, with their hands alone being six feet long.{{book ref|sa1|60}}{{book ref|sa1|part=prelude}} They take a skeletal, humanoid form, with long limbs that end with spiky, clawed fingers. On their chests, they have rib-like protrusions, and there are ridges running along their backs.{{book ref|sa2|4}} Their heads are narrow and arrow-like, with glowing red eyes.{{book ref|sa2|4}}{{book ref|sa3|84}} |
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| − | In another vision, Dalinar sees a thunderclast created, as a hostile spren plunges into the bed of the Purelake and animates a thunderclast, allowing it to tear itself free from the surrounding stone.{{book ref|sa2|4}} |
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| + | |||
| + | The thunderclast proper, however, is a [[Cognitive Realm|Cognitive]] entity of some kind, significantly larger and more twisted than a [[Fused]] soul. When seeing one in a vision, Dalinar assumes that it is a spren{{book ref|sa2|4}}, but during the Battle of Thaylen Field [[Venli]] assumes it to be a [[singer]] soul. She was not entirely correct, as thunderclasts are different from Fused.{{wob ref|15730}} When they desire to take on a physical form, they sink into the stone and animate it, ripping themselves out in the humanoid form.{{book ref|sa3|115}} As such, they retain some qualities of the material they take on, like the color or a covering of moss or fungus.{{book ref|sa2|4}} |
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| + | |||
| + | == Abilities and Attributes == |
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| + | {{quote |
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| + | |Thunderclast! Hammers! Ready hammers! |
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| + | |Soldiers hunting thunderclasts on the [[Purelake]]{{book ref|sa2|4}} |
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| + | }} |
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| + | |||
| + | Despite their enormous size, thunderclasts have no problems staying upright, and can swing their body around with incredible force, easily toppling regular fortifications.{{book ref|sa3|116}} Though brute force is their greatest strength, they're also capable of precise actions such as throwing boulders,{{book ref|sa3|83}} or carrying regular [[Fused]] in their hands without crushing them.{{book ref|sa3|116}} |
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| + | |||
| + | Although warped and twisted, thunderclasts seem to retain some level of personality, enough so to answer to names and have a concrete sense of their gender. While they can obey commands, however, they do not seem capable of communicating themselves.{{book ref|sa3|117}} They are capable of making earth-shaking roars and trumpeting sounds to express their emotions, though.{{book ref|sa3|120}} |
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| + | |||
| + | Despite being made of the same material as their targets, they do not crack, and it seems they cannot be destroyed by ordinary means, although hammers are given as a viable option for combating them.{{book ref|sa3|116}}{{book ref|sa2|4}} Another viable way to deal with them is to cut them up with [[Shardblade]]s to the point where they're no longer mobile, although this carries significant risk to both people and their surroundings. Indeed, [[Adolin]] theorizes that killing thunderclasts was in fact the original purpose of Shardblades, an idea mirrored by Szeth's thoughts on them.{{book ref|sa1|prologue}}{{book ref|sa3|120}} [[Nightblood]] can kill them for good.{{book ref|sa3|117}} |
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| + | |||
| + | == History == |
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| + | {{image|Killing Thunder.jpeg|side=right|width=350px|[[Szeth]] attacking a [[Thunderclast]]}} |
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| + | While it's unknown for how long they've been in [[Odium]]'s service, thunderclasts date back to the [[Desolation]]s of old, even back to [[Nohadon]]'s times.{{book ref|sa1|60}} People back then knew to look out for them, and sent out hunting parties, although only [[Knights Radiant]] were capable of fighting them.{{book ref|sa2|4}} They were powerful enough to pose dangers even to the [[Herald]]s, with [[Kelek]] in particular dying to them several times.{{book ref|sa1|part=prelude}} After the [[Aharietiam]], however, thunderclasts passed on into myths. By the [[Era of Solitude]], there were numerous stories about [[Voidbringer]]s with bodies of stone, likely as a cultural memory of the thunderclasts.{{book ref|sa1|3}}{{book ref|sa2|51}} |
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| + | |||
| + | Thunderclasts appeared a few times in [[Dalinar's visions]]. When he met [[Nohadon]], he saw numerous corpses of them littering the battlefield and, in a separate vision in which he participated in a hunt for a corrupted spren on the [[Purelake]], he witnessed one rip itself out of the ground.{{book ref|sa1|60}}{{book ref|sa2|4}} However, they didn't make their proper debut in the modern era until the [[Siege of Kholinar]], when at least one thunderclast participated in the main attack, easily breaking down the city wall and decimating numerous buildings in its wake.{{book ref|sa3|83}}{{book ref|sa3|epilogue}} |
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| + | In the [[Battle of Thaylen Field]], Odium called two [[Cognitive Shadow | Cognitive Shadows]] -- [[Kai-garnis]] and [[Yushah]] -- to create thunderclasts. After Yushah broke through the wall, he sent her after the [[Thaylen Gemstone Reserve]] while Kai-garnis went to assist the [[Fused]] in taking the [[Thaylen City]] [[Oathgate]]. Both were eventually defeated; Yushah was destroyed permanently by [[Szeth]] with [[Nightblood]],{{wob ref|10440}} while Kai-garnis was immobilized by [[Renarin]] and fled her stone body.{{book ref|sa3|117}}{{book ref|sa3|120}} |
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| − | ==Last Desolation== |
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| − | Thunderclasts fight on Roshar for the first time in thousands of years during the [[Last Desolation]]. Thunderclast seem to rip themselves free of stone and fight on the side of [[Odium]] and the [[Singer]]s. They are first encountered during the Battle of Kholinar. They are easily able to break the walls of the city down.{{book ref|sa3|83}} |
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| + | == Known thunderclasts == |
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| − | In the [[Battle of Thaylen Field]] two thunderclasts are created from spren going into the ground and animating a certain part of it. Odium called them by the names [[Kai-garnis]] and [[Yushah]] and commanded them throughout the battle.{{book ref|sa3|117}} Both thunderclasts were eventually brought down, one by [[Szeth]] wielding [[Nightblood]],{{book ref|sa3|117}} and another by the combined efforts of [[Adolin]], [[Renarin]], and [[Hrdalm]], a [[Thaylen]] Shardbearer.{{book ref|sa3|120}} |
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| + | * [[Kai-garnis]] |
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| + | * [[Yushah]] |
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== Notes == |
== Notes == |
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Latest revision as of 17:33, 1 December 2023
| Thunderclast | |
|---|---|
| |
| Type | Animated stone |
| Sapient | Yes |
| World of Origin | Roshar |
| Universe | Cosmere |
“Those aren’t stones. They’re creatures. ”
Thunderclasts are giant stone monsters from Roshar that serve Odium during the Desolations.[2][3]
Appearance and Nature[edit]
“Even after all these centuries, seeing a thunderclast up close made Kalak shiver. ”
Thunderclasts are enormous stone beasts, easily five or six times larger than a person, with their hands alone being six feet long.[1][2] They take a skeletal, humanoid form, with long limbs that end with spiky, clawed fingers. On their chests, they have rib-like protrusions, and there are ridges running along their backs.[4] Their heads are narrow and arrow-like, with glowing red eyes.[4][5]
The thunderclast proper, however, is a Cognitive entity of some kind, significantly larger and more twisted than a Fused soul. When seeing one in a vision, Dalinar assumes that it is a spren[4], but during the Battle of Thaylen Field Venli assumes it to be a singer soul. She was not entirely correct, as thunderclasts are different from Fused.[6] When they desire to take on a physical form, they sink into the stone and animate it, ripping themselves out in the humanoid form.[3] As such, they retain some qualities of the material they take on, like the color or a covering of moss or fungus.[4]
Abilities and Attributes[edit]
“Thunderclast! Hammers! Ready hammers! ”
Despite their enormous size, thunderclasts have no problems staying upright, and can swing their body around with incredible force, easily toppling regular fortifications.[7] Though brute force is their greatest strength, they're also capable of precise actions such as throwing boulders,[8] or carrying regular Fused in their hands without crushing them.[7]
Although warped and twisted, thunderclasts seem to retain some level of personality, enough so to answer to names and have a concrete sense of their gender. While they can obey commands, however, they do not seem capable of communicating themselves.[9] They are capable of making earth-shaking roars and trumpeting sounds to express their emotions, though.[10]
Despite being made of the same material as their targets, they do not crack, and it seems they cannot be destroyed by ordinary means, although hammers are given as a viable option for combating them.[7][4] Another viable way to deal with them is to cut them up with Shardblades to the point where they're no longer mobile, although this carries significant risk to both people and their surroundings. Indeed, Adolin theorizes that killing thunderclasts was in fact the original purpose of Shardblades, an idea mirrored by Szeth's thoughts on them.[11][10] Nightblood can kill them for good.[9]
History[edit]
While it's unknown for how long they've been in Odium's service, thunderclasts date back to the Desolations of old, even back to Nohadon's times.[1] People back then knew to look out for them, and sent out hunting parties, although only Knights Radiant were capable of fighting them.[4] They were powerful enough to pose dangers even to the Heralds, with Kelek in particular dying to them several times.[2] After the Aharietiam, however, thunderclasts passed on into myths. By the Era of Solitude, there were numerous stories about Voidbringers with bodies of stone, likely as a cultural memory of the thunderclasts.[12][13]
Thunderclasts appeared a few times in Dalinar's visions. When he met Nohadon, he saw numerous corpses of them littering the battlefield and, in a separate vision in which he participated in a hunt for a corrupted spren on the Purelake, he witnessed one rip itself out of the ground.[1][4] However, they didn't make their proper debut in the modern era until the Siege of Kholinar, when at least one thunderclast participated in the main attack, easily breaking down the city wall and decimating numerous buildings in its wake.[8][14]
In the Battle of Thaylen Field, Odium called two Cognitive Shadows -- Kai-garnis and Yushah -- to create thunderclasts. After Yushah broke through the wall, he sent her after the Thaylen Gemstone Reserve while Kai-garnis went to assist the Fused in taking the Thaylen City Oathgate. Both were eventually defeated; Yushah was destroyed permanently by Szeth with Nightblood,[15] while Kai-garnis was immobilized by Renarin and fled her stone body.[9][10]
Known thunderclasts[edit]
Notes[edit]
- ↑ a b c d The Way of Kings chapter 60#
- ↑ a b c d Prelude to the Stormlight Archive#
- ↑ a b Oathbringer chapter 115#
- ↑ a b c d e f g h Words of Radiance chapter 4#
- ↑ Oathbringer chapter 84#
- ↑ YouTube Spoiler Stream 4
— Arcanum - 2022-06-16# - ↑ a b c Oathbringer chapter 116#
- ↑ a b Oathbringer chapter 83#
- ↑ a b c Oathbringer chapter 117#
- ↑ a b c Oathbringer chapter 120#
- ↑ The Way of Kings prologue#
- ↑ The Way of Kings chapter 3#
- ↑ Words of Radiance chapter 51#
- ↑ Oathbringer epilogue#
- ↑ Idaho Falls signing
— Arcanum - 2018-07-21#