This week we’ll be digging into some disturbing stuff, my Cosmere Chickens. Gird your loins and prepare yourselves for this one, because Hrathen’s up to no good and Dilaf’s up to worse, and things aren’t looking too grand over the wall in Elantris, either…
(Non-)Spoiler warning: This week’s article has no spoilers from other Cosmere works. Read on fearlessly, chickens!
Trigger warnings: Mob violence, immolation (death by fire), chronic pain.
Last time on Elantris: Savvy Socialites…
Sarene begins her fencing lessons with the ladies of Kaye, and is nearly shown up at her own game by Eondel. She learns what’s expected of her in her Widow’s Trial, and hatches a clever plan to block Hrathen’s maneuverings toward turning the city’s people against the Elantrians. Later, Sarene makes a call to her father and learns some important bits of news; if Arelon falls, Teo will have no choice but to surrender. And Wyrn has been sinking all of the Arelon merchant ships…
Chapter Essentials
POV Character(s): Hrathen
Discussion
Chapter 18
“Say hello to Diren, Arteth,” Hrathen said, gesturing to the black-and-grey-faced Elantrian.”
P: So Hrathen’s captain of the Elantris City Guard makes good and brings Hrathen an Elantrian who had tried to escape. What’s not mentioned is how he tried to escape. Surely not the same way Raoden and Karata got out.
But whatever the case, Dilaf was certainly stunned. Turning red, eyes bugging out, cursing in Fjordell and taking Jaddeth’s name in vain. Hrathen wanted to shock him; he really shouldn’t be surprised at where Dilaf goes later.
“The skin isn’t the only sign, my hroden. Their insides are rotten as well.”
“How can you tell?”
L: Yeah, Dilaf. How DO you know?
Buy the Book
City of Bones
P: Ugh, a thought I hadn’t considered until now. Thanks, Lyn. Lol!
And what was it that Dilaf said? No heartbeat? Perhaps the disease does something to the metabolism—makes the heart beat so quickly that it’s hard to detect, increases the appetite somehow?
L: That’s an interesting hypothesis. I honestly don’t remember if he’s right.
P: I don’t recall anything of the sort. And we don’t even know if Elantrians’ hearts beat before the earthquake. Perhaps they didn’t.
He even showed Hrathen a cut in his skin. The wound wasn’t bleeding, however, so Hrathen just suspected that the pieces of skin hadn’t sealed properly as they healed.
L: This would disprove Hrathen’s theory, then. If his heart were beating faster, he’d still be bleeding, presumably.
P: Precisely. Which makes me wonder if all the blood in their bodies settles somewhere. But there’s no mention of discoloration of feet or legs. Does it just cease to exist?
The masses are always quick to find devils around them, as long as you give them proper motivation.
L: This is chillingly true of the real world as well.
P: Oh, yes, people are incredibly quick to hate. I don’t understand it.
“I was just planning for the evening speech. I believe it is time for us to move on to the next step in our plans.”
P: So Hrathen is telling Dilaf that it’s time to link Shu-Korath with Elantrians by creating an association between the two. Because Korathi priests prepare those who have been taken by the Shaod to be cast into Elantris, Hrathen plans to turn the Arelenes against the Korathi priesthood.
“Their priests will be faced with two options: Either they accept our incrimination, or they side with us against Elantris. If they choose the former, then the people will turn against them. If they choose the latter, then it puts them under our theological control.”
L: Disturbingly logical.
P: Hrathen is nothing if not disturbingly logical!
“It is perfect,” Dilaf said. “But will it happen quickly enough? There is so little time.”
Hrathen started, looking over at the still smiling arteth. How had the man known about his deadline? He couldn’t—he must be guessing.
L: Hrathen’s still underestimating Dilaf… as he’ll discover, before too long.
P: Rather quickly, in fact! Hrathen is taken aback by Dilaf’s comment, wondering if the arteth somehow knows of his deadline. But then he dismisses the thought. He should never discount this madman.
Hrathen felt himself grow cold. Dilaf gestured to the side of the stage, where a pair of torches suddenly burst into flame. Diren the Elantrian stood tied to a post, his head bowed.
P: So Dilaf either took Hrathen’s words about taking the next step too much to heart, or he’s specifically trying to somehow disparage his hroden. I think we all know which it is. Dilaf is most certainly trying to assert himself and defy Hrathen. Nothing else would have caused him to have the captain of the Elantris City Guard bring the Elantrian back so he could be tortured and then burned alive before a raging crowd.
The crowd raged, each member yelling his own accusations at the wretched target.
L: It’s easy to whip a crowd into a murderous mob… but difficult to control them once the monster has been awakened and unleashed.
P: Indeed. It took all Hrathen’s skill to calm them and redirect their hatred to the Korathi religion.
He would turn them all into zealous replicas of himself, Hrathen thought. Except their passion would burn out quickly once the moment passed. They needed more. They needed knowledge, not just hysteria.
L: He’s so coldly calculating. It’s terrifying.
P: He really is, and despite his moments of almost humanity, he is a terrifying force to be reckoned with.
Hrathen felt a stab of guilt for betraying Diren, but that emotion was foolish; the Elantrian might not have been a true devil, but he was certainly a creature that Jaddeth had cursed. Hrathen owed the Elantrian nothing.
Still, he regretted having to burn the creature.
L: There’s that fleeting little flash of a conscience again.
P: Just a flash, though.
“A riot must be very carefully planned and executed, otherwise it will just as likely turn against its creators as their enemies.”
L: Wise words.
P: Any wisdom Hrathen might show to Dilaf is wasted time. The man is too fanatical to listen to reason. Too full of hate to plot and plan, as his actions with the Elantrian proved.
L: And unfortunately Hrathen doesn’t realize this until it’s too late.
Was he trying to undermine Hrathen’s authority, or was he simply acting on his zealous passions?
L: Why not both?
P: Exactly. It’s definitely both.
The seon floated free from its box, responding to Hrathen’s command.
…
“It is I, Forton.”
“My lord Hrathen?”
…
“I have need of one of your elixirs. Forton,” Hrathen said.
P: So, what, he’s going to poison Dilaf? But he asks for two doses from the man, who is apparently a whiz at potions and the like. I don’t recall his plan off the top of my head. Do you, Chickens?
L: If I remember right it’s for the king, but… my memory is famously spotty.
Chapter 19
The city of Elantris glowed brilliantly.
P: As a child, Raoden suffered a compound fracture to his thigh; an imperfect setting resulted in an infection that was killing him. Here, he’s dreaming about his parents taking him to Elantris for healing.
Throughout the city stood large metal plates carved with Aon Tia, and occasionally an Elantrian would approach and place his or her hand in the center of the character. The Elantrian’s body would flash, and then disappear in a circular burst of light, his body instantly transported to another section of the city.
L: Aon alert!
Also, teleportation magics, eh? Handy. Sounds very Final Fantasy (or any MMORPG for that matter).
P: Very cool! We’ll see this in play later, IIRC!
The woman traced carefully, completing Aon Ien—but it wasn’t just Aon Ien, it was more complex. The core was the familiar Aon of healing, but there were dozens of lines and curves at the sides.
L: Oh, two Aon alerts in one chapter!
But he could still feel the pain. It charred him, cut him, caused his soul to tremble. It should have been gone, but it was not.
L: Just using this line to speak about this whole flashback/dream sequence—it’s so masterfully done. We get to see a glimpse back in time at the Elantrians in their heyday, as well as gleaning a bit of information about Raoden and why he’s so fascinated by them. They literally saved his life.
P: They did. But I hadn’t recalled that he still felt the pain. Could that have any bearing on the way he’s deteriorating so quickly in the present?
L: That’s just because it’s a dream. He’s feeling the pain of his real wounds in the moment as he dreams. His experience in the past didn’t feel pain at this time.
P: Well, that makes more sense.
He had dozens of tiny wounds and bruises now, even though he had been in Elantris for only three weeks. He could feel each one distinctly, and together they formed a unified frontal assault on sanity.
L: Fellow sufferers of chronic pain (or any chronic illness, really) will sadly understand this all too well.
P: Even mental pains can compound in this way.
He also knew that the pain was supposed to be steady, or so everyone said, but for him it seemed to come in waves. It was always there—always ready to pounce on him in a moment of weakness.
L: Interesting that it affects him differently.
P: …something something because he was healed as a child and perhaps the aon that healed him was still working somehow? Until the Shaod took him? I mean, it’s a theory. What do you think, Chickens?
He still found it odd that Elantrians should sleep. Their hearts no longer beat, they no longer needed breath. Why did they need sleep?
L: A fascinating question. There are studies about how the human brain needs sleep (specifically the REM sleep cycle) in order to function properly, so maybe—while the physical brain itself doesn’t need the sleep—the consciousness does? Their minds appear to be the one thing that’s actually working as intended, after all.
P: That’s a good thought. Without sleep, they would likely become Hoed much more quickly.
Iadon had spoken harshly of Elantris as they left, and Raoden had contradicted the words with vehemence. It was the first time Raoden could remember taking a position against his father. After that, there had been many others.
L: Ah, the seeds of rebellion being planted in the young heart.
P: So sweet, seeing Raoden as a rebellious child. Oh my feels. Lol.
His theories were working better than even he had expected—but only on everyone else. He had brought peace and purpose to the dozens who followed him, but he couldn’t do the same for himself. The pain still burned him. It threatened him every morning when he awoke and stayed with him every moment he was conscious.
L: Again with the parallels to Kaladin…
P: Ask Lyndsey–when we first began this reread, she had to keep correcting my writing when I typed “Kaladin” instead of “Raoden.”
“Then I’ll have to give them their reason back,” Raoden said.
“And how, sule, do you intend to do that?”
“I will find a way.”
L: An endless font of optimism, this one.
P: Isn’t he, though? You’d think it would be tiresome and annoying but with Raoden, it’s just not. He’s so likable, so loveable, that you just want to bask in his optimism. It’s especially profound in light of his own increasing pain, which he hasn’t even disclosed to Galladon.
As far as anyone could tell, an Elantrian died when he was completely beheaded—at least their eyes didn’t move, nor did their lips try to speak, if the head was completely separated from the body.
L: Thank goodness for that small mercy.
P: No Walking Dead zombies here, thank merciful Domi.
“Those people gave in to their pain because they couldn’t find purpose—their torture was meaningless, and when you can’t find reason in life, you tend to give up on it. This wound will hurt, but each stab of pain will remind me that I earned it with honor.”
L: I’d like to think that, in a similar situation, I’d be able to comport myself with the same strength. But I hope I never have to find out. (Also I’d like to point out that apparently Google doesn’t think that “comport” is correctly used there and I say FIE ON YOU, GOOGLE! FIE I SAY!)
P: ::giggle:: You tell it, Lyn!
But yes, Saolin is quite amazing in his unwillingness to give into the pain of the wound he took in the conflict with Shaor’s men.
…advanced AonDor consisted of drawing a base Aon in the center, then proceeding to draw other figures—sometimes just dots and lines—around it. The dots and lines were stipulations, narrowing or broadening the power’s focus. With careful drawing, for instance, a healer could specify which limb was to be healed, what exactly was to be done to it, and how an infection was to be cleansed.
L: As always, Sanderson’s magic systems fascinate me. While the magic here on Sel is arguably one of the more powerful ones, it’s also very limited and—obviously—capable of being thrown into chaos very, very easily.
P: And it sounds dreadfully complicated to learn. I don’t know how Raoden is able to piece things together; I don’t recall. But we’ll find out eventually!
“Of course not—it can’t be an Aon; it only has one vowel in it.”
L: I feel like an absolute moron for not seeing this earlier.
P: Right there with you, sister.
“Dor is the unseen power—it is in everything, but cannot be touched. It affects nothing, yet it controls everything.
L: Does it have a light side and a dark side, and holds the universe together?
P: ::giggle again:: Lyn is funny today.
L: Lyn is funny every day. It’s literally (one of) my job(s) as an improv comedian… ;)
…there must be some sort of link between this land and the Dor.
L: There you go, Raoden! You’re on the right track!
P: Keep that brain working on it, son… you’ll get there!
We’ll be leaving further speculation and discussion to you in the comments, and hope to join you there! Next week, we’ll be back with chapters 20 and 21.
Paige resides in New Mexico, of course. Between work and school and the SA5 beta read, she’s trying to work on book 3 of a YA/Crossover trilogy with just a hint of the supernatural. Read book 1 on her Patreon. Links to that and to her other writing are available in her profile. Also, her Tor.com article “The Pain of Elantris” might be interesting to check out for followers of the reread.
Lyndsey lives in Connecticut and makes magic wands for a living, as well as working as the costumer for two of her local Renaissance Faires. If you enjoy queer protagonists, snarky humor, and don’t mind some salty language, check out book 1 of her fantasy series. Follow her on Facebook or TikTok!
This chapter especially reminds of the last series of Torchwood, the one after Children of Earth. Though presumably people still healed normally.
Also, I am pleased to remember what the plan for the potions is.
I don’t see the Elantrian as having tried to escape Elantris but as having tried to escape his banishment by hiding his condition.
I think when Raoden was taken to Elantris by the king, the king only asked to cure the infection and that is what is cured. The compound fracture was never mentioned and that’s why Raoden still has pain. I would speculate that the waves of pain are Elantris trying to heal him further since we know from the flashback that healing causes pain.
Having re-read Elantris a few weeks ago, it is very entertaining to read various speculations about what is coming and how. I have also recently read somewhere that Sanderson himself thinks that it has too many unnecessary twists, heh.
Anyway, how did Raoden’s mother die? Did Iaden refuse to take her to Elantris for healing, or? My understanding is that she died before the Reod.
If beheading kills Elantrians, why did Galladon say in the beginning and why is it still widely believed that only burning might kill them? You’d think that many Elantrians would have sought to end their suffering in such a relatively quick and painless manner instead.
Yes, both Dilaf and Hrathen are terrifying in their own unique ways. Hrathen as Wyrn would have been astuff of nightmares, despite his occasional flashes of humanity, because of how coldly insightful and consequent he is
Hmm, I thought we were only going to tackle one chapter today (from the last week’s post: Next week, we’ll be back with chapter eighteen.). Not that I ever complain about any amount of added time with Raoden! And he does seem to have a special relationship with Dor.
And no, the potions Hrathen asked for were not for the king. But since noblehunter did not say it out, I will mark it as a spoiler just in case even though it is a reread: I believe the potions he asked for were the ones that mimicked the symptoms of being an Elantrian, one for himself and the other he will later use on Sarene.
And Dilaf is just the worse. Ugh.
@@.-@ although when Hrathen eventually does use a vial there is some mention of an original plan (which may have been to poison Dilaf? Unsure) that they were for.
@5 It i never said what he was going to use it for, as what happens to it was during a moment of personal crisis. Maybe the plan was to get rid of Dilaf for a couple of days, if he needed to.
Re vials, as I recall, one vial was poison and the other was the antidote. What I don’t remember is the scheme Hrathen had but it was directed at Dilaf.
Do we know for sure that Elantrians have blood? I’m thinking it may have been replaced with Investiture.
@3 – it does seem that there would be people who would opt for beheading, for sure. I wonder if there are any who provide that ‘mercy’ to some, if they had the weapons.
I can totally see Raoden as a proto-Kaladin. Except where Raoden is a font of optimism, Kaladin just keeps going out o pure grit/stubborness. Although, come to think about it, in a way, his transforming of the Bridge crew might be as similar theme.
Blood is one of those substances that have special significance in the Cosmere, e. g. Hemalurgic spikes can be preserved in blood.
Interesting if probably meaningless thought that just came to me: Elantrians post-Reod don’t breathe. So, could they use Breath? Would enough Breath restore one to at least humanlike status? Of course, this happens way in the past of Warbreaker, so there might not yet be any Selish worldhoppers.
I presume the similarity between the Lifeless of Sel and Elantrians during the Reod period is not a coincidence. Again, this happens before the time of the Five Scholars made Lifeless a big thing in at least part of Sel.
To my mind, the Elantrians have a heart but it doesn’t beat and therefore they have blood but it doesn’t flow. The original Elantrians seem to have beating hearts and flowing blood since when they healed Raoden they targeted the infection in his blood and they had the Aon grammar to do it.
Hi all! Just wanted to let everyone know that there will not be a new reread post this week, but the discussion should be back on track again next week (Thursday, September 14th). Thanks!
@12 Moderator
Thanks for the heads up.
Yes, thanks, @Moderator.
I am very belatedly returning to the reread, having fallen behind due to a bout of covid and not wanting to restart until I could catch up fully (which of course did not happen). With the reread itself fully complete I’ll have to limit myself to just some focused thoughts on how the chapters play into the whole story and worldbuilding.
I found it particularly interesting in chapter 19 how we got so much information about the Dor and AonDor that is meaningful to the Cosmere-aware without being particularly useful to the characters in the moment — a “river of light” (the Dor) “trying to force its way through the small crack” (I guess, a Connection being made between Physical and Cognitive Realms that channels the Dor through to the recipient, “the chaotic power raging behind that tear … sought to overwhelm him, to break him down until he became part of it”. That raging power in the Cognitive Realm is known (see Coppermind) to make travel through the Cognitive Realm around Sel quite dangerous. And Raoden is also definitely on to something when he says that “there must be some sort of link between this land and the Dor”, another consequence of the power being located in the Cognitive Realm.