100. An Old Friend

Dalinar tours Vedenar and confronts the devastating aftermath of the Veden civil war, where soldiers reveal the Thrill—a supernatural force compelling endless violence—drove the conflict. After learning the Thrill has abandoned him to influence others, meeting with Taravangian about moral compromise, and being excommunicated by the ardent council, Dalinar descends into psychological crisis, ultimately seeking oblivion through alcohol to escape the returning voices of his dead wife Evi.

Dalinar arrives in Vedenar to assess Veden military strength but struggles with the city's destruction and memories of his own atrocities at Rathalas. Taravangian guides him through a garden and engages him in a philosophical discussion about moral compromise—suggesting that tyranny's historical consequences cannot be undone and questioning whether securing present victory justifies past slaughter. Dalinar visits wounded Veden soldiers, who describe experiencing the Thrill during the civil war: a supernatural compulsion to fight that made soldiers unable to stop killing regardless of their condition. Dalinar realizes the Thrill has left him to influence these soldiers instead, explaining his own recent weakness. Overwhelmed by the Thrill's stirring presence, the smell of smoke, and phantom voices of Evi condemning him, Dalinar flees through the city toward the Oathgate. Before he can escape, Voden curates arrive to excommunicate him for heresy—specifically his teachings that the Almighty is not God. The confrontation triggers the Thrill further; sensing his own imminent violence, Dalinar panics and uses his Bondsmith power to forcibly activate the Oathgate without a proper Shardblade, causing the Stormfather to withdraw his favor in disapproval. Transported to Urithiru, Dalinar finds himself unable to escape the Thrill or Evi's condemning voice. Desperate, he finds a bottle of wine in Adolin's chambers and drinks, choosing oblivion over further suffering or the risk of becoming violent again.