Chapter 100: 88. Voices

Spoiler Warning

This analysis covers events from Chapter 88 of Oathbringer and may contain spoilers for the entire Stormlight Archive series.

Summary

Eight years ago, Dalinar stands in the shadows while Gavilar meets with highprince heirs. Three years after the Rift’s destruction and Evi’s death, Dalinar remains haunted. The scent of incense from Renarin’s room drives him away, and a signal to light a fire in the den forces him to flee; both evoke the weeping of children and Evi’s voice that never leave him. Desperate for wine, he ends up on the Beggars’ Porch with Ahu, a mad beggar who hears voices. Ahu shares a bottle of burning white wine and rambles about Moelach, the Unmade that scratches at time. Dalinar drinks to silence the weeping. Later, drunk, he stumbles to the wrong door and overhears Adolin, Gavilar, and Elhokar discussing his decline. Adolin fiercely defends his father, but Gavilar merely suggests a trip to Azir as a distraction. Dalinar retreats to his rooms, the guilt as raw as ever.

Key Events

Dalinar lurks in Gavilar’s den, feeling the weight of his past as the Blackthorn, and notices fear in the young lighteyes.
Gavilar’s fire-lighting signal forces Dalinar to leave because flames trigger memories of the Rift.
The scent of Renarin’s incense, reminiscent of Evi, propels Dalinar away from his own rooms.
Dalinar fails to find hidden wine in the serving room and instead seeks out the beggar Ahu.
Ahu, who hears voices, speaks of Moelach tearing at time, linking his madness to supernatural forces.
Dalinar shares Ahu’s wine, welcoming the mental fog that momentarily silences Evi’s weeping and the children’s cries.
Drunk and disoriented, Dalinar overhears Adolin defending him to Gavilar and Elhokar, who see him only as a drunken fool.
Gavilar’s solution is a trip to Azir, revealing that no one truly understands Dalinar’s inner torment.
Dalinar collapses alone, no closer to peace.

Character Development

Dalinar Kholin

The chapter exposes the raw wound of Dalinar’s guilt. He cannot stomach fire or the scent of incense, both tied to Evi and the Rift. He drinks not for pleasure but to silence the weeping voices—both imaginary and remembered. His treatment of Adolin is harsh and avoidant; even his son’s genuine smile becomes unbearable because it mirrors Evi’s. This is the Blackthorn at his lowest, a man failing to process grief, hiding behind alcohol and a reputation that now only inspires fear.

Adolin Kholin

At fifteen, Adolin is eager, sincere, and already a budding duelist. He defends his father against Elhokar’s insults and refuses to see Dalinar as a fool. His desire for approval and his pride in his father contrast sharply with Dalinar’s inability to face him, underscoring the rift that guilt has carved between them.

Gavilar Kholin

Gavilar is the careful politician. He knows how to spin the Rift’s destruction and publicly censure Dalinar while privately enabling his brother’s self-destruction. His suggestion of a trip to Azir as a distraction shows a superficial understanding of trauma, concerned more with maintaining appearances than truly helping Dalinar heal.

Ahu

The mad beggar serves as a dark mirror to Dalinar. Ahu hears voices, references the Unmade Moelach, and believes his madness was invited. His rambling connects Dalinar’s haunted state to larger cosmere influences, suggesting that the “weeping” Dalinar hears may not be purely psychological.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Guilt and Trauma: Dalinar’s every action is shaped by the Rift. Fire, smoke, and even his son’s smile become unbearable triggers, illustrating that repressed guilt festers rather than fades.
Voices: The chapter title resonates literally and figuratively. Dalinar hears weeping children and Evi’s voice; Ahu hears voices that chant of tearing flesh. Both point to a world where madness and supernatural influence blur.
The Unmade Moelach: Ahu’s direct mention of Moelach “scraping at time” introduces one of the Unmade into the narrative, hinting that the voices Dalinar endures might be more than mere memory.
Alcohol as Escape: Wine is Dalinar’s only respite, but it only deepens his isolation. The chapter shows the futility of numbing pain instead of confronting it.
The Cost of the Blackthorn: Dalinar’s past as a weapon of conquest leaves him as a broken man whom even his own brother treats as a liability. The chapter questions whether a reputation for destruction can ever be separated from the person who built it.

Why This Chapter Matters

“Voices” is Dalinar’s nadir before his eventual redemption. By grounding his torment in a specific flashback, it shows exactly what he must overcome. The chapter also embeds the Unmade into Dalinar’s backstory, planting the earliest seed that his “madness” might be influenced by Moelach. This retroactively enriches the present-day narrative, where the Unmade become central antagonists. It demonstrates that the stoic, oath-driven Dalinar of the main timeline emerged not from a flawless hero, but from a man who once collapsed on a couch, deafened by the cries of those he killed.

Study Questions and Answers

How does Dalinar’s avoidance of fire and his son’s smile reveal his unresolved guilt?
- Fire directly triggers memories of burning Rifters and Evi’s death, so Dalinar flees rather than confront the images. Adolin’s smile, which is a mirror of Evi’s, forces him to see the wife he lost and the person he failed, making it impossible to face his own son. Both reactions show that Dalinar is trapped in a cycle of avoidance, using alcohol to silence the past instead of processing it.
What is the significance of Ahu’s reference to Moelach, and what does it foreshadow?
- Moelach is an Unmade associated with the Death Rattles, and Ahu claims it is “close,” scraping at time. This suggests that the weeping voices Dalinar hears could be a supernatural phenomenon, not merely guilt. It foreshadows the later revelation that the Unmade are active near Kholinar and that Dalinar’s mental torment has been influenced by forces beyond his understanding, linking his personal struggle to the larger cosmere conflict.
In what ways does this chapter set up Dalinar’s eventual journey toward the Bondsmith oaths?
- It establishes the core wound he must accept and transcend. Dalinar’s refusal to face the truth of the Rift—his own hand in the massacre and his wife’s death—is the barrier to growth. The chapter shows him at his most broken, denying responsibility, which creates a powerful contrast with the man who later admits, “I am the monster.” Without this low point, his later rise to unite Roshar and swear the third ideal would lack emotional weight.