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{{culture
|image=Fused_monochrome.jpg
|related=[[Odium]]▼
▲|related=Odium
|world=Roshar
|universe=[[Cosmere]]
|books=[[The Stormlight Archive]]
}}
{{
{{quote
The '''Voidbringers''' are historically considered to be a group of creatures that attacked the humans of [[Roshar]] in a series of wars known as [[Desolation]]s.{{book ref|twok|45}} In the four and a half millennia since [[Aharietiam]],{{book ref|sa3|38}} much of the factual evidence on the Voidbringers has faded into myth and legend, as well as [[Vorin]] doctrine.{{book ref|sa1|45}} Voidbringers were said to have cast humanity out of the Tranquiline Halls and fought the [[Herald|Heralds of the Almighty]] and [[Knights Radiant]] on Roshar.▼
| Collected on Palahishev, 1172, 21 seconds pre-death. Subject was a baker's apprentice.{{epigraph ref|twok|7}}
}}
▲The '''Voidbringers''' are historically considered to be a group of creatures that attacked the humans of [[Roshar]] in a series of wars known as [[Desolation]]s.{{book ref|twok|45}} In the four and a half millennia since [[Aharietiam]],{{book ref|sa3|38}} much of the factual evidence on the Voidbringers has faded into myth and legend, as well as [[Vorin]] doctrine.{{book ref|sa1|45}} Voidbringers were said to have cast
Despite the fact that the Voidbringers were mostly dismissed as legends and folklore, the scholar [[Jasnah Kholin]] feared what was to come and tried to surmise the true nature of Voidbringers, hypothesizing that the singers were the Voidbringers.
== History ==
=== Origins of the Voidbringers ===
{{quote
|Well were they named Voidbringers, for they brought the void. The empty pit that sucks in emotion. A new god. Their god.
|[[Eila Stele]]{{epigraph ref|sa3|117}}
}}
{{sidequote
|
|
|side=right|size=300px
}}
The very earliest people called the Voidbringers were actually the first humans on Roshar.{{book ref|sa3|111}} They came to Roshar fleeing their former homeworld{{book ref|sa3|111}}
=== Trapped in Damnation ===
While this Oathpact worked for a time, the Heralds could be tortured into betraying their oaths and allowing the spirits to return to Roshar in an event known as a [[Desolation]].{{book ref|sa3|38}} Over time the singers and the rest of Odium's forces became known as the Voidbringers by
{{sidequote
| The Ancient of Stones must finally begin to crack It is a wonder that upon his will rested the prosperity and peace of a world for over four millennia.
| The Diagram, Book of the 2nd Ceiling Rotation: pattern 1{{epigraph ref|sa2|83}}
|side=left|size=300px
}}
Millennia later, the remaining singers fought against
=== True Desolation ===
In 1173, a [[Listener|group of singers]] that had avoided losing their Connection and Identity by abandoning their gods and
{{sidequote
| Flame and char. Skin so terrible. Eyes like pits of blackness. Music when they kill.
| A quote from the [[Iviad]]{{epigraph ref|twok|50}}
|side=right|size=300px
}}
The Voidbringer forces in Alethkar [[Siege of Kholinar|laid siege]] to the capital of [[Kholinar]].{{book ref|sa3|51}} With the help of several Unmade sowing chaos in the city,{{book ref|sa3|77}} the Voidbringers managed to take the city and its Oathgate, despite the best efforts of the returning Knights Radiant.{{book ref|sa3|85}} Several weeks later, Odium directed the Voidbringers to make another push to capture an Oathgate, this time located in [[Thaylen City]],{{book ref|sa3|115}} as well as force the Bondsmith [[Dalinar Kholin]] to submit to Odium and become his champion.{{book ref|sa3|117}} With the help of [[Nergaoul]], the Voidbringers successfully managed to bond with the men of the [[Sadeas princedom|Sadeas]] army.{{book ref|sa3|115}} These corrupted humans, along with [[Yelig-nar]],{{book ref|sa3|118}} the Fused, and two thunderclasts, formed the major Voidbringer forces for the battle.{{book ref|sa3|115}} Fortunately Dalinar managed to shake off this temptation and swear his next [[Immortal Words|Ideal]], opening [[Honor's Perpendicularity]] to provide Stormlight for the fight and allow some of his Radiants in Shadesmar to aid in the fight.{{book ref|sa3|119}} The Radiants
== Types of Voidbringers ==
=== Fused ===
{{quote
| 1=<span style='font-variant: small-caps'> They are the spren of parshmen long dead. They are their kings, their lighteyes, their valiant soldiers from long, long ago. </span>
| 2=The [[Stormfather]] to [[Dalinar Kholin]]{{book ref|sa3|38}}
}}
{{for|Fused}}
The group most easily called the Voidbringers, the Fused are [[Cognitive Shadow]]s of ancient singers that were granted access to the [[Surge]]s by Odium long ago.{{book ref|sa3|38}} Making use of [[Voidlight]], the Fused are often also referred to as spren instead of Cognitive Shadows,{{book ref|sa3|38}} although either term is applicable. The Fused are among the most dangerous enemy of
=== Voidspren ===
{{for|Voidspren}}
While the Fused may technically be considered to be Voidspren, there are several other varieties of Voidspren that exist as well. There are several varieties of more intelligent Voidspren,{{book ref|sa3|102}} such as [[Ulim]]{{book ref|sa3|i|3}} and [[Yixli]]{{book ref|sa3|23}} that seem capable of sapience in the Physical Realm without a spren bond. Some of these spren are made of golden light, while others appear as red shadows.{{book ref|sa3|102}} Those in the Physical Realm have been guiding groups of the singers to staging points{{book ref|sa3|23}} and administering the singers.{{book ref|sa3|i|7}} They have also
=== Regals ===
{{quote
| Qualify yourselves for greater service, and you will be elevated to the place of a Regal, given a form of power.
| A Fused to
}}
{{for|Regal}}
Regals are singers that have bonded one of the various types of lesser Voidspren.{{book ref|sa3|i|7}} This grants them one of the forms of power, such as stormform{{book ref|sa3|i|11}} or envoyform,{{book ref|sa3|i|7}} which each have various abilities. Common singers that have proven themselves to be particularly effective or loyal to the Fused are granted the privilege of become a
=== Singers ===
{{for|Singers}}
{{sidequote
| That chanting, that singing, those rasping voices.
| One of the [[Death Rattle]]s{{epigraph ref|twok|66}}
|side=right|size=300px
}}
The singers themselves are merely
=== Unmade ===
{{for|Unmade}}
The Unmade are a group of nine{{book ref|sa3|1}} ancient, twisted spren{{book ref|sa3|62}} comprised of [[Splinter]]s of [[Odium]].{{
== Culture ==
=== Myth & Folklore ===
{{quote
{{quote|They lived out in the wilds, always awaiting the Desolation—or sometimes, a foolish child who took no heed of the night's darkness.|A child's tale, yes, but this quote from Shadows Remembered seems to hint at the truth I seek. See page 82, the fourth tale.{{epigraph ref|twok|43}}}}▼
| They lived out in the wilds, always awaiting the Desolation—or sometimes, a foolish child who took no heed of the night's darkness.
▲
}}
In rural areas, Voidbringers played a wide variety of cultural roles
There are darker rumors of the Voidbringers as well. They are also said to haunt the most violent highstorms{{book ref|sa1|4}} along with the shades of the Lost Radiants, causing the damage left by the storm{{book ref|sa1|16}} and feasting on human flesh{{book ref|sa1|4}} and stealing their hearts.{{book ref|sa1|43}} Other groups claim that the Voidbringers steal souls.{{book ref|sa2|i|9}} Some peoples, such as the [[Unkalaki]], totally deny that the Voidbringers ever
Tales of the Voidbringers are common among the darkeyes, and are occasionally collected into volumes, such as ''[[Shadows Remembered]]''.{{book ref|sa1|33}} In these, the Voidbringers are often associated with stories of ghosts and spirits;{{book ref|sa1|33}}
=== Theology ===
According to Vorin theology, the Voidbringers are real creatures,{{book ref|sa1|45}} incarnations of destruction{{book ref|sa3|51}} or death given form.{{book ref|sa2|35}} They were created in Damnation forged from pure hatred.{{book ref|sa1|45}} They are viewed as counterparts to the Almighty,{{book ref|sa1|45}} as well as his mythological enemies.{{book ref|sa1|42}} They are said to have come into existence to oppose the Almighty, as the cosmere needed to balance his ultimate goodness.{{book ref|sa1|45}} They dwell in the hearts of mankind, just as the Almighty once did. The Voidbringers were said to have red eyes{{book ref|sa2|78}} and stand dozens of feet tall with bodies of flame{{book ref|sa1|prologue}} and stone,{{book ref|sa1|3}} which required [[Shardblade]]s to be defeated.{{book ref|sa1|prologue}} In other tales, the Voidbringers had horrific faces and spindly arms of bone.{{book ref|sa3|81}} Other Voidbringers lacked a form, spectral spirits of the dead or spren from Damnation.{{book ref|sa3|2}}
{{sidequote
| A scourge and a plague. A hundred times they came upon mankind. First casting us from the Tranquiline Halls, then trying to destroy us here on Roshar. They weren't just spren that hid under rocks, then came out to steal someone’s laundry. They were creatures of terrible destructive power, forged in Damnation, created from hate.
| [[Kabsal]] on the Voidbringers{{book ref|sa1|45}}
|side=left|size=300px
}}
The Voidbringers are said to have attacked humanity in the [[Tranquiline Halls]], capturing it and forcing humanity into [[Roshar]].{{book ref|sa1|45}} The Voidbringers then tried to force humanity into Damnation itself.{{book ref|sa1|61}}
In modern Vorinism, the Voidbringers have been relegated to a less prominent place in the theology, as they are associated with the Lost Radiants and the failings of Vorinism.{{book ref|sa1|45}} The Vorin church rejects the tales of the [[False Desolation]], claiming that no Voidbringers survived on Roshar following the Aharietiam.{{book ref|sa3|56}} Even still, precognition or fortune-telling is still considered to be related to the [[Voidbringers]]{{book ref|sa2|8}}{{epigraph ref|sa2|5}} and [[Voidbinding]],{{book ref|sa1|18}} and forbidden in Vorin society.{{book ref|sa1|i|6}} In fact, the return of the Voidbringers has made the church suspicious of all Radiants and Surgebinding, fearful that their powers come from the Voidbringer.{{book ref|sa3|50}}
Little is known about the beliefs of the Shamanate on the Voidbringers. They say that the Voidbringers could hold Stormlight in perfectly, unlike
=== Scholarship ===
{{sidequote
| The Voidbringers had a natural, real-world correlate, I'm certain of it. Something caused the legends.
| [[Jasnah Kholin]] to [[Shallan]]{{book ref|
|side=right|size=300px
}}
The well educated don't believe in the Voidbringers oftentimes.{{book ref|sa1|10}} They are considered to be little more than myths to most scholars, similar to the [[deathspren]].{{book ref|sa1|45}} Many consider all the tales and folklore to be nonsensical and what few serious histories exist are often self-contradictory and vague, as the Desolations occurred during prehistory.{{book ref|sa1|45}} Some fringe scholars might believe in the Voidbringers, but most respected scholars believe them fabrications{{book ref|sa1|72}} constructed by the Lost Radiants as a justification for their power.{{book ref|sa1|42}} Folklorists are the only ones who make a serious study of the Voidbringers.{{book ref|sa1|61}} [[Jasnah Kholin]] began a study into the Voidbringers,{{book ref|sa1|45}} traveling to various libraries across Roshar searching for information on them.{{book ref|sa1|28}} She developed a hypothesis that the Voidbringers and the parshmen were one and the same before the arrival of the Everstorm.{{book ref|sa1|72}} While Jasnah was trapped in Shadesmar and presumed dead, her ward, [[Shallan Davar]], managed to convince at least some of the Alethi on the Shattered Plains of Jasnah's beliefs.{{book ref|sa2|77}}{{book ref|sa2|78}} Jasnah was ultimately proved at least partially correct,{{book ref|sa2|87}} although she had not anticipated the existence of the Fused.
== Trivia ==
*[[Pattern]] says that the Voidbringers lack a pattern.{{book ref|sa3|81}} It is uncertain what he meant by this. This may be reference to humans being the true Voidbringers, as they do not have marble patterns on their skin such as that of the singers.
*While humans are not technically considered to be Voidbringers by the modern day definition, they have fought on the side of the Voidbringers in both the past Desolations{{book ref|sa3|38}} and the current Desolation.{{book ref|sa3|16}}
== Notes ==
{{
{{demoted|sa4|exemplary=yes}}
{{Stormlight}}
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