Desolación
Desolación | |
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por Greg Call
| |
Participantes | Heraldos, Caballeros Radiantes, Portadores del Vacío |
Efectos | Destrucción de Roshar |
Mundo | Roshar |
Universo | Cosmere |
“Fueron la destrucción manifiesta, brillante señor. Cada una de ellas fue tan devastadora que dejó resquebrajada a la humanidad. Poblaciones destruidas, sociedades mermadas, eruditas muertas. La humanidad se vio obligada a dedicar generaciones y generaciones a reconstruir después de cada Desolación. ”
Las Desolaciones son eventos cataclísmicos que ocurren en Roshar, los cuales involucran a los Heraldos y a los Portadores del Vacío.[2] Eran guerras masivas que abarcaban el continente entero. Tras cada Desolación, la civilización humana quedaba en ruinas.[3]
Participantes
Heraldos
- Artículo principal: Heraldos
Los Heraldos fueron los líderes de las fuerzas de Honor durante las Desolaciones. Eran los encargados de enseñar y preparar a los humanos para el conflicto venidero. Por ejemplo, Jezrien enseñaba liderazgo, Vedel entrenaba a los cirujanos, y Kalak enseñaba a forjar el bronce.[4] Cada uno de ellos era además patrón de una orden de los Caballeros Radiantes a los que ayudaron y guiaron. Participaban en el combate, siendo Taln en particular conocido por elegir luchas desesperadas y ganarlas.[5] Entre Desolaciones, los Heraldos eran los que estaban en Braize conteniendo a los Fusionados. Hicieron el Juramento con Honor, quien les otorgó las hojas de Honor y la habilidad para retener a los Fusionados. Sin embargo, debido a un resquicio en el Juramento, los Heraldos podían ceder permitiendo así el regreso temporal de los Fusionados a Roshar, lo cual llevó a que estos capturaran y torturaran a los Heraldos en Braize.[6]
Caballeros Radiantes
- Artículo principal: Caballeros Radiantes
“Fueron una solución, un modo de compensar la destrucción de las Desolaciones. Diez órdenes de caballeros, fundadas con el propósito de ayudar a los hombres a luchar, y luego reconstruir.”
Los Caballeros Radiantes fueron una sorpresa para Honor, ya que él no les había enseñado algo así a los Heraldos. Los spren decidieron imitar a los Heraldos y dar a los humanos acceso a la potenciación mediante la creación de vínculos Nahel.[7] Los Caballeros Radiantes en conjunto ayudaron en la lucha contra los Portadores del Vacío y en la reconstrucción de la sociedad, aunque cada orden tenía un rol específico. Los Corredores del Viento hacían de exploradores, los Custodios de Piedra eran soldados de primera línea en el frente,[8] y los Tejedores de Luz proporcionaban a las tropas sustento espiritual.[9] Muchos de los Radiantes, especialmente los Corredores del Viento,[10] vivían en ciudades en Alezela y cruzaban las fronteras hacia otras naciones para luchar.[11] Las hojas y armaduras esquirladas que los Radiantes podían usar, les daban una oportunidad a la hora de luchar contra los Portadores del Vacío, sobre todo contra los tronadores.[12] Los Radiantes invitaban a todo aquel que tuviera el deseo y la habilidad de luchar o liderar a entrenar junto a ellos y, potencialmente, unirse a sus filas.[11][13]
Portadores del Vacío
- Artículo principal: Portadores del Vacío
Se conocen como Portadores del Vacío a todas las fuerzas aliadas con la Esquirla Odium durante una Desolación. Esto incluye a los Fusionados, Regios, cantores, vaciospren, Deshechos, y tronadores: Los Portadores del Vacío tienen una jerarquía muy estricta. Los Fusionados están en lo alto, muy por encima de los Regios. Los Regios, quienes han vinculado un vaciospren obteniendo así formas de poder, se encuentran por encima de los cantores corrientes.[14]Aún se desconoce dónde encajan los vaciospren sapientes y los Deshechos en esta jerarquía, aunque a Ba-Ado-Mishram se la ha descrito como una comandante de las fuerzas de Odium, por lo que probablemente tenga un rango bastante alto.[15] Algunos humanos también decidieron luchar junto a los Portadores del Vacío.[6]
Historia
La Primera Desolación
La primera Desolación ocurrió cuando la humanidad invadió Roshar. Los humanos habían destruido su anterior hogar con la potenciación y vinieron a Roshar en busca de refugio.[16] Los cantores les concedieron las tierras que más tarde se convertirían en Shinovar. No satisfechos con lo que se les había dado, los humanos decidieron invadir el resto del continente.[17] Este fue el primer conflicto armado entre humanos y cantores. Un cantor que fue testigo de la invasión escribió el Eila Stele como advertencia para no confiar en los humanos.[16]
El Juramento
- Artículo principal: Juramento
Some of the singers that were killed by the invading humans were infused with power by Odium before they passed Beyond. These singers became the Fused, Cognitive Shadows that possess living singers and could not be killed.[6][18] Ishar founded the Oathpact as a solution.[19] He and the other nine people that would become Heralds made a pact with Honor to seal the Fused on Braize. Taln was not originally meant to join the Heralds, but somehow became part of the group. The Heralds thought the Oathpact would end the endless war, but because they are human, there was a loophole. The Heralds had the ability to bend their oath and let the Fused return to Roshar, starting a Desolation. Knowing this loophole, the Fused captured and tortured the Heralds.[6]
Historical Desolations
The coming of a Desolation was announced by the appearance of the Ten Heralds.[5][20][21] The appearance of Midnight Essence was also a sign of an upcoming Desolation.[11] A Desolation began when the Fused returned to Roshar, known as the Return.[22][4] Each Return, Fused needed to find singers willing to give the Fused their bodies.[14] One of the Desolations lasted eleven years.[20] There were not many more than fifteen Desolations total.[23] A Desolation ended with the Heralds leaving Roshar and returning to Braize. The Heralds had a fixed period of time they could remain on Roshar. If they exceeded it, a new Desolation would start.[24]
Between Desolations
“In the aftermath of each one, mankind was broken. Great cities in ashes, industry smashed. Each time, knowledge and growth were reduced to an almost prehistoric state. ”
Humankind was devastated in the aftermath of each desolation. Casualties were generally severe; in one desolation, ninety percent of the population of Nohadon's kingdom died. This mass death lead to the fall of many nations, with some—such as Sur, Eiliz, and Tarma—wiped out so thoroughly that they disappeared from history altogether.[20] This level of cataclysmic event pushed men to a technology level equivalent to that of the stone age. Although society would sometimes progress beyond that before the next Desolation began, the Heralds would often be forced to push technology forward thousands of years in the single year after their return.[25] It is the duty of the Knights Radiant to stay vigilant and prepare themselves and mankind for Desolations, and to fight the Voidbringers when it arrives.[11]
Between Desolations, the Heralds returned to Braize. At first, the ten men and women hid from and fought the Fused. Inevitably, they would be caught and tortured. By the nature of their bond, the Heralds were able share their pain and withstand the torture together until someone broke. Early on, the Heralds were able to withstand torture for hundreds of years between Desolations. The torture slowly broke the Heralds, however, and the gaps were decreasing to less than ten years near the end. The last gap was less than a year long, with the Heralds breaking as soon as the Fused caught and began the torture. The only Herald to never break was Taln.[6] The torture the Heralds endured between Desolations included hooks digging into their skin, their skin getting seared off, and their fat burning. The torture began over again every day.[5]
The Last Desolation
- Main article: Last Desolation
At the end of what is called the Last Desolation, nine of ten Heralds managed to survive the fighting, which was an unusual occurrence. Fearful of the torture they would face on their return to Braize, the Heralds chose to break the Oathpact rather than return.[6] Although they had been warned that lingering on Roshar would lead to another Desolation, Ishar told the others that Taln alone would be enough to maintain the Oathpact. Whether or not this was true mattered little to the Heralds as they only wished to avoid torture. The Heralds left their Honorblades in a circle and all walked in a different direction, telling people that humanity had finally won the war for good.[26] Ishar's prediction turned out to be true, and Taln held back the Fused for 4500 years while mankind believed there would be no more Desolations.
The False Desolation
- Main article: False Desolation
“Something must be done about the remnants of Odium’s forces. The parsh, as they are now called, continue their war with zeal, even without their masters from Damnation.”
—Drawer 30-20, first emerald[27]
Unlike previous Desolations, the False Desolation did not involve the Heralds or Fused. The False Desolation began when Ba-Ado-Mishram learned how to Connect with the majority of the singers, giving them forms of power and access to Voidlight.[28] The Radiants, unaware of how she did this, sought a way to end the fighting for good, as the Heralds had promised them.[29] The fighting became particularly intense at this time,[30] as the singers made a push towards Feverstone Keep, possibly as part of a plan to capture Rall Elorim.[31]
Working together, the scholars among the Radiants theorized that an Unmade could be imprisoned like a regular spren.[32] That devised a plan to trap Ba-Ado-Mishram and prevent her from Connecting with the singers and providing them with Voidlight.[33] This plan would require Melishi, the only Bondsmith of his generation,[34] and a special prison, likely a perfect gemstone.[32] Although Melishi was confident the plan would succeed in destroying the Voidbringers, Naze-daughter-Kuzodo warned of unintended side effects.[35] Although the plan seems to have succeeded, as Ba-Ado-Mishram has not been seen in modern times unlike other Unmade,[36] Naze-daughter-Kuzodo's warning was correct. Because she had been Connected to all the singers, their Connection and Identity was torn out of them, creating slaveform or parshmen.[37] The Radiants' horror for what happened likely contributed to the Recreance.
The True Desolation
- Main article: True Desolation
The True Desolation began approximately two thousand years after the False Desolation, when Talenel appears at the gates of Kholinar, after returning to Roshar from Braize.[21] Not all that long after, at the Battle of Narak, Stormform Listeners summon the Everstorm, which appears to begin the True Desolation.[38]
Warfare
Fabrials
- Main article: Fabrials
“All this time we’ve been assuming that we lost great technology in the Desolations, but it seems we are far, far more advanced than the ancients ever were. ”
During the ancient Desolations, mankind did not have access to the modern fabrials and fabrial knowledge that is currently known on Roshar. The only fabrials they had access to were ancient fabrials.[39] These fabrials seem to work through a mutual agreement with a sentient spren rather than trapping a spren in a gemstone. The vast majority of fabrials seem to replicate surges and were used in a support position rather than actual combat. The Oathgates utilizes the surge of Transportation to allow instantaneous travel across the continent. Healing fabrials use the surge of Progression to heal wounds and seem to have been carried often by Radiants on patrol.[11] Although it is not courrently known how these fabrials were created, Aimia could have been involved as that is where Soulcasting fabrials originated.[40] It is also possible that Urithiru is a giant fabrial powered by the Sibling.
Technology
“The Desolations were so terrible they destroyed learning and progress and left behind a broken people. ”
Humanity was stuck at an extremely low level of technology during the Desolations. Most soldiers fought with bronze and leather armor.[41] Because of the destruction, humanity often still had stone tools and weapons when the Heralds returned. The Heralds would attempt to push humanity forward several thousand years worth of technology in the year before the Desolation, which often included learning to cast bronze. Even when humanity had learned to cast bronze already, the Heralds tried to advance technology further.[25] Other areas they attempted to push technology forward include medicine, where Vedel would teach techniques such as keeping wounds clean.[4]
Culture
- See also: Vorinism
“The Desolations had happened during the near-mythical shadowdays, before real history began. Before mankind had defeated the Voidbringers and taken the war to heaven. ”
According to Vorinism, mankind fought the Voidbringers during Desolations ninety and nine times, before mankind finally won and drove them back to the Tranquiline Halls.[42] That victory was later referred to as the Last Desolation.
Notes
History of Roshar | ||
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Expulsion to Roshar | The Desolations | Aharietiam |
- ↑ Juramentada capítulo 2#
- ↑ El camino de los reyes capítulo 61#
- ↑ a b Palabras radiantes capítulo 6#
- ↑ a b c Palabras radiantes interludio I-7#
- ↑ a b c Preludio al Archivo de las Tormentas#
- ↑ a b c d e f g Juramentada capítulo 38#
- ↑ a b Palabras radiantes capítulo 4#
- ↑ Skyward Atlanta signing
— Arcanum - 2018-11-17# - ↑ Palabras radiantes capítulo 47 Epígrafe#
- ↑ Juramentada capítulo 61#
- ↑ a b c d e f El camino de los reyes capítulo 19#
- ↑ Juramentada capítulo 120#
- ↑ Juramentada capítulo 34#
- ↑ a b Juramentada interludio I-7#
- ↑ Juramentada capítulo 106 Epígrafe#
- ↑ a b Juramentada capítulo 111#
- ↑ Juramentada capítulo 113#
- ↑ Oathbringer London signing
— Arcanum - 2017-11-28# - ↑ Juramentada capítulo 64#
- ↑ a b c El camino de los reyes capítulo 60#
- ↑ a b El camino de los reyes epílogo#
- ↑ Juramentada interludio I-6#
- ↑ Legion Release Party
— Arcanum - 2018-09-19# - ↑ Words of Radiance signing Dayton
— Arcanum - 2014-03-19# - ↑ a b Words of Radiance signing Portland
— Arcanum - 2014-03-07# - ↑ El camino de los reyes prólogo#
- ↑ Juramentada capítulo 77 Epígrafe#
- ↑ Juramentada capítulo 80 Epígrafe#
- ↑ Juramentada capítulo 82 Epígrafe#
- ↑ Palabras radiantes capítulo 41 Epígrafe#
- ↑ Juramentada capítulo 84 Epígrafe#
- ↑ a b Juramentada capítulo 79 Epígrafe#
- ↑ Juramentada capítulo 78 Epígrafe#
- ↑ Juramentada capítulo 67 Epígrafe#
- ↑ Juramentada capítulo 81 Epígrafe#
- ↑ Juramentada capítulo 107 Epígrafe#
- ↑ Juramentada capítulo 17#
- ↑ Palabras radiantes capítulo 83#
- ↑ a b Juramentada capítulo 96#
- ↑ Juramentada interludio I-4#
- ↑ El camino de los reyes capítulo 52#
- ↑ El camino de los reyes capítulo 45#