I-7. Envoy

Venli, in her powerful envoyform, delivers propaganda speeches to Alethi parshmen-turned-singers across occupied territories, painting herself as a heroic liberator while concealing Ulim's role. After completing another address, she encounters the Fused commander Rine, who advocates for human extermination and prepares to relocate their forces, while Venli privately grapples with doubts about destroying human civilization and discovers a small spren communicating with her through the old rhythms.

Venli stands on a wagon addressing crowds of former parshmen in envoyform, recounting a fabricated version of listener history that portrays them as heroes who sacrificed themselves to free enslaved singers. She speaks fluently in all languages thanks to envoyform's abilities and deliberately omits Ulim's crucial contributions to creating stormform. The crowds respond enthusiastically, though Venli notes they adopt Alethi mannerisms rather than true listener culture. She observes the hierarchy of Odium's forces: common singers in ordinary forms, Regals like herself bonded to Voidspren, and the Fused at the top. When a female singer brings her water, Venli condescends about proper rhythm-speaking, thinking of her sister Eshonai. Inside the town's mansion, the Fused commander Rine confronts her smugness and dismisses her suggestion to enslave humans for labor, instead advocating for complete human extermination because of their Surgebinding abilities and the threat they pose even after the death of the Almighty. Rine criticizes Venli for the listeners' taboos about discussing gemhearts and dead bodies, comparing them to human prudishness. He departs suddenly with the silent female Fused, suggesting an imminent relocation. In her room, Venli admires the beautiful Alethi glasswork and struggles with the moral weight of exterminating such a sophisticated civilization. A small spren emerges from her pouch, pulsing with curiosity and communicating through old listener rhythms—capabilities that unsettle Venli, who orders it to hide as Rine returns.