Summary:Words of Radiance/Chapter 30
| Chapter 30: Nature Blushing | |
|---|---|
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| Words of Radiance Summary | |
| Follows | Chapter 29: Rule of Blood |
| Precedes | Chapter 31: The Stillness Before |
| Analytics | |
| Viewpoint | Shallan |
'Tis said it was warm in the land far away
When Voidbringers entered our songs.
We brought them home to stay
And then those homes became their own,
It happened gradually.
And years ahead 'twil still be said 'tis how it has to be.
—From the listener Song of Histories, 12th stanza
- Characters
- Shallan Davar (Point of view)
- Gaz
- Glurv (Mentioned only)
- Adolin Kholin (Mentinoned only)
- Macob
- Pattern
- Tyn
- Vathah
- Plot summary
- Ishanev 1173
Shallan is excited to see a small naturally occurring diverse ecosystem of plants and small animals protected by a rock overhang, and has their caravan diverted to investigate it. Shallan settles down to draw sketches of the small garden and is joined by Gaz, who requests that she draw a sketch of him, to which she replies that she will. Shallan draws a quick portrait with slight modifications from reality to make Gaz appear more impressive and Gaz is very appreciative. Vathah tells Shallan they are stopping for the night and Pattern tells Shallan there will be trouble, and Shallan agrees. Shallan draws a bunch of sketches of the thicket, then draws whatever floats into her mind, including a rocky ocean shore with some indistinct figures of which one reminds her of Yalb and a woman taking a hammer and chisel to a statue, though Shallan does not know why she drew the last picture.
Tyn tells Shallan she has artistic talent but should practice forgery instead of drawing, and that she wants to introduce Shallan to some friends in the Shattered Plains. She also claims Shallan needs a dose of realism in order to be ready for the real life of a criminal. Tyn asks if Shallan wants to back out of their criminal enterprise, but Shallan says she is committed and that her planned scam is to impersonate the betrothed of Adolin Kholin. Tyn gives Shallan some advice on carrying out her love scam. As they talk, Shallan worries about the state of the betrothal even though it is secondary to her research on Urithiru and the Voidbringers, and about what to do with Tyn when the fake scam falls through, though she is also excited as well.