38. Broken People

Dalinar enters a vision of Aharietiam, the Last Desolation, deliberately bringing Navani and Jasnah with him. He loses his arm in battle but heals with Stormlight, then explores the aftermath of the war with his companions. They discover nine abandoned Honorblades and learn the true history of the Heralds and the Oathpact from the Stormfather.

Dalinar enters the vision of Aharietiam prepared to bring others safely. During combat with primitive soldiers, he loses his left arm but refuses to heal immediately, instead relying on tactical advantage. He successfully leads seven survivors down a cliff face where a Shardbearer (identified as a Stoneward) intervenes against a Voidbringer. After healing his arm, Dalinar brings Navani and Jasnah into the vision. They explore a massive battlefield containing thousands of corpses, both human and parshmen. Jasnah observes the primitive weaponry and destroyed civilizations, confirming that the Desolations were catastrophic enough to collapse technological progress. Navani becomes fascinated with a fabrial device used for healing. As they explore further, Dalinar and Navani discover nine Honorblades abandoned in a shadowed recess. The Stormfather reveals the true history: Voidbringers were originally slain souls of creatures given power by Odium, who refused to pass on. The ten Heralds created the Oathpact, sealing these spirits in Damnation in exchange for enduring torture themselves. However, the oath could be broken if any Herald yielded under torture, triggering a Desolation and allowing all Voidbringers to return. This cycle repeated for thousands of years with decreasing intervals between Desolations. At Aharietiam, nine Heralds survived without dying and chose to remain on Roshar, leaving only Talenelat (the Bearer of Agonies) in Damnation alone—a burden he carried for four and a half thousand years until finally breaking. The Stormfather reveals Talenelat is the 'madman' Dalinar encountered. A tenth Honorblade is missing from the circle. The Stormfather refuses to reveal the secret that caused the Recreance, warning that knowledge of it would cause Dalinar to abandon his oaths as the ancient Radiants did. A young Shin man appears and speaks with the Almighty's voice, commanding: 'Unite them.' The vision ends.