Always with You
Spoiler Notice
This page contains full spoilers for Oathbringer Chapter 60. If you haven’t read it yet, proceed with caution.
Summary
The chapter opens with a cryptic epigraph from the Diagram expressing uncertainty about Adonalsium and hidden truths. Dalinar materializes inside Feverstone Keep’s courtyard, a fortress with a bloodred stone wall. He has brought Navani and Jasnah into the vision by touch, without a highstorm—further proof of his growing control. Jasnah immediately identifies the era as roughly two thousand years ago, late classical architecture, and a multiethnic coalition. She speculates they are witnessing either the pseudohistorical False Desolation or early clashes with parshmen before they lost their form-changing abilities. Navani plans to record details to locate the keep in the physical world.
Dalinar summons Emperor Yanagawn, who is in Azir where the highstorm currently rages. The vision shows Radiants retreating, then planting their Shardblades in the ground and discarding their armor. Dalinar hears the screaming deaths of the spren as men rush out and begin killing each other for the abandoned weapons. Yanagawn, shaken, asks why the Radiants gave up. Dalinar admits his own ignorance is the theme of his rule, but he still hopes to give the emperor knowledge. During their conversation, Yanagawn confesses that he is merely a figurehead; the viziers are scared of Dalinar and truly rule. He mentions that Lift distrusts Dalinar because he acts too righteous. The Almighty’s recorded voice then delivers its warning about the True Desolation, and Yanagawn fades from the vision.
Unexpectedly, Dalinar does not dissolve with him. He remains on the field and turns to find an elderly Shin man in white and gold, wearing a crown and holding a golden scepter. Overwhelmed, Dalinar falls to his knees, calling him God. The stranger smiles kindly and says he has always been with Dalinar. Then he reveals his name: Odium.
Key Events
- Dalinar brings Navani and Jasnah into a vision using only physical contact, no highstorm required.
- Jasnah deduces the time period and suggests the vision might depict the False Desolation.
- Yanagawn witnesses the Recreance, and the field fills with men slaughtering each other for Shardblades.
- Yanagawn admits he is a powerless emperor, and the Azish viziers fear Dalinar more than the Assassin in White.
- The Almighty’s pre-recorded message repeats the warning about the Night of Sorrows and the Everstorm.
- After Yanagawn vanishes, Dalinar stays in the vision and meets a man who claims to be God, then reveals himself as Odium.
Character Development
Dalinar demonstrates advanced control over his Bondsmith powers, but his desperation to share knowledge with Yanagawn shows his political isolation. His harsh judgment of the ancient Radiants—“they killed their spren … they failed Roshar”—reveals his own fear of failing again, as he once did in his past. Falling to his knees before “God” underscores his spiritual vulnerability and the longing for a higher purpose, which Odium immediately exploits.
Jasnah is in her element as a scholar, confidently dating the vision and connecting it to the False Desolation legend. Her analysis deepens the historical mystery.
Yanagawn drops his imperial mask, confessing that he is only a boy thrust onto the throne. His candor about Lift’s distrust and his own powerlessness adds an emotional layer to Dalinar’s political struggle. He is more engaged by this vision than previous ones, hinting that the tragedy of the Recreance resonates with him.
Odium appears for the first time in a form meant to disarm. His gentle, grandfatherly demeanor and the claim that he has “always been with you” mirrors the Almighty’s role in earlier visions, making his revelation as the god of hatred deeply unsettling.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
- Burden of ignorance: Dalinar openly declares ignorance as the theme of his rule. The vision raises questions he cannot answer, and even Jasnah’s knowledge is incomplete.
- Fallibility of heroes: The Radiants are not villains, but Dalinar condemns their failure to uphold their oaths. This mirrors his own past and the fear that current Radiants might repeat the mistake.
- Divine deception: Odium’s appearance masquerading as God (the Almighty) underscores the theme of false gods and hidden threats. The chapter title, “Always with You,” takes on a sinister double meaning.
- Legacy and bloodshed: The Shardblades, dead spren, become the cause of immediate slaughter. The vision shows how the Recreance doomed spren and fueled mortal warfare.
- Powerlessness and leadership: Yanagawn’s confession contrasts with the weight on Dalinar. Both are leaders who feel their authority is incomplete or fragile.
Why This Chapter Matters
This chapter marks Odium’s first direct conversation with Dalinar, escalating the cosmic conflict from a distant threat to a personal confrontation. It also deepens the mystery of the Recreance by adding the False Desolation hypothesis and Jasnah’s historical context. Dalinar’s attempt to win over Yanagawn illustrates the real-world political obstacles to the coalition, while Yanagawn’s honesty forces Dalinar to face the limits of his influence. The revelation that Odium has been watching Dalinar all along reframes the entire series of visions and sets the stage for the next phase of the war.
Study Questions and Answers
1. Why does Dalinar judge the ancient Radiants so harshly, and what does this reveal about his own fears?
Dalinar insists they killed their spren and failed Roshar by becoming distracted by politics and pettiness. This parallels his own history as a warmonger who nearly destroyed himself. He fears that today’s Radiants, including himself, might similarly lose their way. His judgment is as much a warning to Yanagawn as it is a self-admonition.
2. What does Yanagawn’s confession about Lift’s distrust tell us about Dalinar’s reputation?
Lift sees Dalinar as a man who acts too righteous, implying that his public persona feels performative or conceals darker truths. This echoes the Alethi’s general mistrust and hints that even his allies sense a disconnect between his reformed image and his bloody past. It complicates Dalinar’s attempts to unite Roshar.
3. How does Odium’s introduction as “the other one” and his claim to always have been with Dalinar alter the stakes of the story?
Previously, Dalinar believed he was guided by the Almighty (Honor). Now he learns a second divine being has been observing him, possibly influencing events or simply biding his time. Odium’s kindly appearance is designed to destabilize Dalinar, making him question everything he thought he knew about the visions, his calling, and even his redemption.