He took over the country of Tukar, becoming its god-priest, and started to swing wildly between megalomania and the desire to end his own existence.

While Shalash and Nale both believed that Ishar remained unaffected, he, too, went mad. Nale grew compassionless Kalak became paranoid Jezrien started to drink heavily Shalash began to track down and destroy her own artwork. Over time, the mental state of the Heralds deteriorated. The only one to recover his Honorblade was Nale, who also remained in touch with the Order of Skybreakers, eventually joining them and becoming their leader. At the same time, the nine living Heralds went on to live among the people of Roshar, hiding their true nature. This event marked the end of the Heraldic Epoch įor the next four and a half thousand years, Taln remained on Braize, being tortured by the voidspren to make him break and allow them to return. To hide this fact, they told the ordinary people that the Desolations were over, and that they would take the fight to the Tranquiline Halls. And so, the Heralds decided to abandon Taln to his fate, leaving their Honorblades - and the Oathpact - behind. Those who survived were supposed to return voluntarily however, Ishar theorized that one Herald remaining in Braize was sufficient to keep the Oathpact going. Things came to a head in the Aharietiam, a Desolation where only one Herald, Taln, died in battle. Įventually, the pattern of continuous resurrections and torture led to the Heralds growing increasingly stressed and psychologically damaged, making the period between the Desolations shorter as they broke faster and faster.

The last to do so was Nale, who initially rejected the Skybreakers even when they called him their master. Ishar imposed structure upon them, creating the Knights Radiant, and each Herald took patronage over the Order that matched their Surges. The Heralds found that surprising, but had no compunctions against using the Surgebinders in battle.

Īt some point, the spren began mimicking their abilities, creating the first Surgebinders. At this point, the Heralds would be returned to Roshar and resurrected to push Odium's forces back. They would attempt to hide, but eventually, Odium's forces would track them down and begin torturing them until one of the Heralds broke.

At the end of each one, they would travel to Braize, their presence there preventing the voidspren and the Fused from returning to Roshar. Kalak after centuries of Desolations įrom there on, the Heralds were stuck in the cycle of Desolations.

The stormlight archive