Diferencia entre revisiones de «Usuario:Windrunner/KwaanStuff»

“The"The upstairs quarters are empty,”" Marsh said. “This"This trip has been a waste—my brethren took anything of use with them.”"

“Not"Not a waste, Marsh,”" Sazed said, turning back to the plate of text. He hadn’thadn't read all of it; he hadn’thadn't even gotten close. The script was written in a tight, cramped hand, its etchings coating the wall. The steel had preserved the words despite their obvious age. Sazed’sSazed's heart beat a little faster.

This was a fragment of text from before the Lord Ruler’sRuler's reign. A fragment written by a Terris philosopher—a holy man. Despite ten centuries of searching, the Keepers had never fulfilled the original goal of their creation: they had never discovered their own Terris religion.{{book ref|mb2|12}}

Alendi’sAlendi's height struck me the first time I saw him. Here was a man who was small of stature, but who seemed to tower over others, a man who demanded respect.

Oddly, it was Alendi’sAlendi's simple ingenuousness that first led me to befriend him. I employed him as an assistant during his first months in the grand city.

It wasn’twasn't until years later that I became convinced that Alendi was the Hero of Ages. Hero of Ages: the one called Rabzeen in Khlennium, the Anamnesor.

And yet, any who know me will realize that there was no chance I would give up so easily. Once I find something to investigate, I become dogged in my pursuit. I had determined that Alendi was the Hero of Ages, and I intended to prove it. I should have bowed before the will of the others; I shouldn’tshouldn't have insisted on traveling with Alendi to witness his journeys. It was inevitable that Alendi himself would find out what I believed him to be.

Yes, he was the one who fueled the rumors after that. I could never have done what he himself did, convincing and persuading the world that he was indeed the Hero. I don’tdon't know if he himself believed it, but he made others think that he must be the one.

If only the Terris religion, and belief in the Anticipation, hadn’thadn't spread beyond our people. If only the Deepness hadn’thadn't come, providing a threat that drove men to desperation both in action and belief. If only I had passed over Alendi when looking for an assistant, all those years ago.

Sazed looked over his work. He’dHe'd spent his entire trip north anticipating the time when he could finally begin work on the rubbing. A part of him had been worried. Would the dead man’sman's words seem as important sitting in a well-lit room as they had when in the dungeons of the Conventical of Seran?

And now he had a document made by a Worldbringer’sWorldbringer's own hand.

Tindwyl is going to be very annoyed with me, Sazed thought, opening his eyes. He’dHe'd read the entire rubbing, but he would need to spend time studying it. Memorizing it. Cross-referencing it with other documents. This one bit of writing—perhaps twenty pages total{{book ref|mb2|30}}

Tindwyl looked away. “I"I do not believe that this will destroy us, Sazed. You have made a grand discovery, that I will admit. The writings of the man Kwaan tell us much. Indeed, if the Deepness was the mists, then our understanding of the Lord Ruler’sRuler's Ascension has been enhanced greatly.”"{{book ref|mb2|37}}

“‘I"‘I write this record now,’”'" Sazed read out loud, “‘pounding"‘pounding it into a metal slab, because I am afraid. Afraid for myself, yes—I admit to being human. If Alendi does return from the Well of Ascension, I am certain that my death will be one of his first objectives. He is not an evil man, but he is a ruthless one. That is, I think, a product of what he has been through.’”'"

“That"That fits what we know of Alendi from the logbook,”" Tindwyl said. “Assuming"Assuming that Alendi is that book’sbook's author.”"

It fit together. Even though the logbook author never mentioned his own name, it was obvious that he was Alendi. “It"It is a very safe assumption, I think,”" Sazed said. “The"The logbook even speaks of Kwaan, and the falling-out they had.”"

“But"But, if Kwaan feared the Deepness, then he should not have opposed Alendi,”" Tindwyl said. “He"He was climbing to the Well of Ascension to defeat the Deepness.”"

“Yes"Yes,”" Sazed said. “But"But by then, Kwaan was convinced that Alendi wasn’twasn't the Hero of Ages.”"

“But"But why would that matter?”" Tindwyl said. “It"It didn’tdidn't take a specific person to stop the mists—Rashek’smists—Rashek's success proves that. Here, skip to the end. Read that passage about Rashek.”"

“‘I"‘I have a young nephew, one Rashek,’”'" Sazed read. “‘He"‘He hates all of Khlennium with the passion of envious youth. He hates Alendi even more acutely—though the two have never met—for Rashek feels betrayed that one of our oppressors should have been chosen as the Hero of Ages.

“‘Alendi"‘Alendi will need guides through the Terris mountains. I have charged Rashek with making certain that he and his trusted friends are chosen as those guides. Rashek is to try and lead Alendi in the wrong direction, to discourage him or otherwise foil his quest. Alendi won’twon't know that he has been deceived.

“‘If"‘If Rashek fails to lead Alendi astray, then I have instructed the lad to kill my former friend. It is a distant hope. Alendi has survived assassins, wars, and catastrophes. And yet, I hope that in the frozen mountains of Terris, he may finally be exposed. I hope for a miracle.

“‘Alendi"‘Alendi must not reach the Well of Ascension. He must not take the power for himself.’”'"

“Something"Something is wrong there, I think,”" she said. “But"But I cannot tell you precisely what.”"

Sazed scanned the text again. “Let"Let us break it down to simple statements, then. Rashek—the man who became the Lord Ruler—was Kwaan’sKwaan's nephew.”"

“Yes"Yes,”" Tindwyl said.

“Kwaan"Kwaan sent Rashek to mislead, or even kill, his once-friend Alendi the Conqueror—a man climbing the mountains of Terris to seek the Well of Ascension.”"

“Kwaan"Kwaan did this because he feared what would happen if Alendi took the Well’sWell's power for himself.”"

Tindwyl raised a finger. “Why"Why did he fear that?”"

“It"It seems a rational fear, I think,”" Sazed said.

“And"And Kwaan says that he knew Alendi well,”" Tindwyl said. “In"In fact, in this very rubbing, he compliments the man on several occasions. Calls him a good person, I believe.”"

“Yes"Yes,”" Sazed said, finding the passage. “‘He"‘He is a good man—despite it all, he is a good man. A sacrificing man. In truth, all of his actions—all of the deaths, destructions, and pains that he has caused—have hurt him deeply.’”'"

“So"So, Kwaan knew Alendi well,”" Tindwyl said. “And"And thought highly of him. He also, presumably, knew his nephew Rashek well. Do you see my problem?”"

Sazed nodded slowly. “Why"Why send a man of wild temperament, one whose motivations are based on envy and hatred, to kill a man you thought to be good and of worthy temperament? It does seem an odd choice.”"

“Exactly"Exactly,”" Tindwyl said, resting her arms on the table.

“But"But,”" Sazed said, “Kwaan"Kwaan says right here that he ‘doubts that if Alendi reaches the Well of Ascension, he will take the power and then—in the name of the greater good—give it up.’”'"

Tindwyl shook her head. “It"It doesn’tdoesn't make sense, Sazed. Kwaan wrote several times about how he feared the Deepness, but then he tried to foil the hope of stopping it by sending a hateful youth to kill a respected, and presumably wise, leader. Kwaan practically set up Rashek to take the power—if letting Alendi take the power was such a concern, wouldn’twouldn't he have feared that Rashek might do the same?”"

“Perhaps"Perhaps we simply see things with the clarity of those regarding events that have already occurred,”" Sazed said.

Tindwyl shook her head. “We’re"We're missing something, Sazed. Kwaan is a very rational, even deliberate, man—one can tell that from his narrative. He was the one who discovered Alendi, and was the first to tout him as the Hero of Ages. Why would he turn against him as he did?”"

She stopped there. Sazed frowned, reading the words again. Kwaan’sKwaan's last testimony—the rubbing Sazed had taken at the Conventical of Seran—had proven useful in more than one way. It had provided a key.

It wasn’twasn't until years later that I became convinced that he was the Hero of Ages, Kwaan had written. Hero of Ages: the one called Rabzeen in Khlennium, the Anamnesor….{{book ref|mb2|45}}

But, I must continue with the sparsest of detail, Kwaan’sKwaan's account read.

In the end, my pride may have doomed us all. I had never received much attention from my brethren; they thought that my work and my interests were unsuitable to a Worldbringer. The couldn’tcouldn't see how my studies, which focused on nature instead of religion, benefited the people of the fourteen lands.

Kwaan’sKwaan's final words stared back at him.{{book ref|mb2|epilogue}}

Vin turned back to the plate, rereading the Lord Ruler’sRuler's words. On a different plate, much like this one, Sazed had found the words of Kwaan, the long-dead Terrisman who had changed the world by claiming to have found the Hero of Ages. Kwaan had left his words as a confession of his errors, warning that some kind of force was working to change the histories and religions of mankind. He’dHe'd worried that the force was suborning the Terris religion in order to cause a “Hero”"Hero" to come to the North and release it.{{book ref|mb3|5}}

“What"What is this?”" Breeze asked, leaning down, scanning the words. “Hum"Hum. Looks like you’veyou've got the wrong term, my dear doggie. Not ‘Announcer’‘Announcer' at all, but ‘Holy Witness.’' ”"

Sazed looked up. “This"This is one of the passages that Ruin changed, Breeze,”" he said quietly. “When"When I wrote it, it read differently—but Ruin altered it, trying to trick me and Vin into fulfilling his prophecies. The skaa had started to call me the Holy Witness, their own term. So Ruin retroactively changed Kwaan’sKwaan's writings so that they seemed prophetic and reference me.”"{{book ref|mb2|62}}

CONVENTICAL OF SERAN: A stronghold of the Inquisitors where Sazed and Marsh discovered Kwaan’sKwaan's last words.

I don’tdon't know why Kwaan betrayed me. Even still, this event haunts my thoughts. He was the one who discovered me; he was the Terris philosopher who first called me the Hero of Ages. It seems ironically surreal that now—after his long struggle to convince his colleagues—he is the only major Terris holy man to preach against my reign.{{epigraph ref|mb1|15}}

Kwaan and I met by happenstance—though, I suppose, he would use the word “providence"providence.”"

The others all think I should have had Kwaan executed for betraying me. To tell the truth, I’dI'd probably kill him this moment if I knew where he’dhe'd gone. At the time, however, I just couldn’tcouldn't do it.

The man had become like a father to me. To this day, I don’tdon't know why he suddenly decided that I wasn’twasn't the Hero. Why did he turn against me, denouncing me to the entire Conclave of Worldbringers?

Would he rather that the Deepness win? Surely, even if I’mI'm not the right one—as Kwaan now claims—my presence at the Well of Ascension couldn’tcouldn't possibly be worse than what will happen if the Deepness continues to destroy the land.{{epigraph ref|mb1|19}}

It is unlikely that I will spend very much time with prequels because as a reader I’mI'm not terribly fond of them: Since I already know what happens it ruins some of the story for me. Though the video game, which by the way is taking a long time and I have no updates *laughter* was going to be a prequel. And so that sort of thing you might see mediums like that. And it’sit's not impossible that I will do something like that. You might see a novella or something like that, but it’sit's unlikely-- I’mI'm unlikely to do a whole series about, y’knowy'know Alendi and Kwaan and people like that.{{wob ref|date=2015-10-13|6599|Shadows of Self Lansing signing}}

Realmatic theory was part of the ancient Terris religion.{{wob ref|date=2012-09-28|1253|17th Shard Forum Q&A}}