I-5. Taravangian
Spoiler Notice
This page contains full spoilers for Oathbringer through Chapter 63. Proceed only if you have read up to this point.
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Summary
On a day of towering intellect, King Taravangian impatiently completes the daily tests that gauge his mental capacity, then retreats into his chambers at Urithiru. Demanding a copy of the Diagram and complete solitude, he takes a knife and cuts the book’s pages into pieces, sticking them to the walls so he can rearrange them. This unconventional method reveals hidden connections: clusters of numbers are actually shorthand for words he was too impatient to write down during his one transcendent day. The “Dalinar paradigm” had predicted the Blackthorn’s unification effort; now Taravangian sees that killing Dalinar would raise suspicion and instead decides to support the coalition. His goal is to force Dalinar to step down, using secrets collected by the Dustbringer Malata’s spren, so that he—perceived as unthreatening—can take the position of power and negotiate with Odium. The chapter closes with Taravangian kneeling among the shredded Diagram, resolved to save whatever he can and abandon the rest.
Key Events
- Taravangian passes the daily intelligence tests, demonstrating he is on a high-functioning day but not so smart as to be restricted.
- He clears his chambers, obtains the Diagram, and begins cutting its pages apart to physically rearrange them.
- By shuffling the pieces and matching halves of different pages, he discovers new links; he deciphers numbered shorthand that had previously resisted interpretation.
- The Diagram’s “Dalinar paradigm” foretold Dalinar’s coalition; Taravangian labels Renarin a wild element that the Diagram did not foresee.
- He concludes that assassinating Dalinar would now backfire. Instead, he must support the coalition, gather Dalinar’s secrets via Malata’s Dustbringer spren, and pressure Dalinar until he “collapses.”
- Taravangian insults Adrotagia as “uscritic” (a literary reference meaning “stupid”), then feels a glimmer of shame.
- He orders the children’s choir to be killed, then quickly amends it to merely silencing them, though the threat reveals his callousness.
- Reading the birth surgeon’s note about potential “diminished capacity,” he muses on how he overcame that reputation and will now save the part of the world that matters.
- He ends the day kneeling before the fragmented Diagram, reaffirming his pact to save what he can through surrender to Odium.
Character Development
Taravangian
This chapter exposes the full range of his fractured persona. On a smart day he is arrogant, contemptuous of any mind slower than his own, and utterly convinced that his intelligence grants him moral authority. He views the Diagram as a holy artifact and himself as its prophet, free to reinterpret and even amend the text. Yet hints of vulnerability surface: he feels shame after wounding Adrotagia, he recalls the surgeon’s early judgment, and he acknowledges that even his brilliant self is less than the “God” who wrote the Diagram. His ultimate plan—negotiate with Odium rather than fight—hinges on a willingness to sacrifice countless lives for a slice of humanity’s survival.
Adrotagia
She balances loyalty with caution. She catches the loophole Taravangian exploited to avoid the “danger zone” and presses him about circumventing his own rules. Her bond with Malata shows she is working to secure the Dustbringer as an asset. Despite his insults, she remains steady, reminding the reader that the Diagram organization is run by true believers.
Mrall
The bodyguard and final adjudicator provides the voice of the common soldier. He questions whether they could simply beat Odium, underscoring the moral simplicity that the Diagram’s ruthless logic rejects.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
- The Diagram as Holy Writ – Taravangian treats the Diagram with religious reverence, yet he also feels empowered to slice it, glue it to walls, and scribble on it. This tension between fixed prophecy and active interpretation mirrors larger questions about how the Diagram organization uses (or misuses) its foundational text.
- Intelligence and Arrogance – The chapter equates Taravangian’s smart days with breathtaking clarity and a nearly godlike sense of superiority. His casual cruelty (ordering children killed) and his belief that preventing the stupid from reading would be “so much good” illustrate how raw intellect, untethered from empathy, can become monstrous.
- Light and Cleansing – Taravangian fills his empty bedroom with diamonds, associating light with pure thought. He sees himself “chasing away the shadows of dullness and ignorance,” framing his work as a kind of ritual purification.
- The Nightwatcher’s Boon/Curse – The chapter’s final thought—“Thankfully, he had been given that capacity”—evokes the deal that granted him alternating days of genius and idiocy. It ties his present ruthlessness directly to the supernatural contract that defines him.
- Sacrifice and Compromise – Taravangian’s mantra “save what he could, abandon the rest” embodies the core utilitarian horror of the Diagram: that defeating Odium is impossible, so only those willing to sell out the world can salvage a remnant.
Why This Chapter Matters
This interlude pulls the curtain back on the intelligence operation hiding within Dalinar’s coalition. It reveals that Taravangian is not merely the doddering old man he pretends to be, but a cunning strategist whose goal is to usurp Dalinar and then strike a bargain with Odium. The chapter establishes the true stakes of the political intrigue: while Dalinar fights to unite Roshar against the Voidbringers, the Diagram faction is actively working toward a negotiated surrender. Taravangian’s decision to spy on Dalinar and hoard secrets sets up the inevitable collision between the two leaders and deepens the sense of betrayal lurking within Urithiru itself. The callousness of Taravangian’s methods—casually contemplating child murder, disdaining whole segments of the population—forces the reader to confront the moral chasm between Dalinar’s path and the “pragmatic” path of the Diagram.
Study Questions and Answers
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Why does Taravangian cut up the Diagram and paste it on the walls?
He believes that reading the Diagram as a bound book imposes a linear structure that his original transcendent self never intended. By separating the pieces and physically rearranging them, he hopes to recapture the freedom of thought from his greatest day, allowing new juxtapositions and meanings to emerge. The act is both a literal and a symbolic break from rigid interpretation. -
According to Taravangian, why is it now a mistake to kill Dalinar?
He reasons that assassination would arouse suspicion and fracture the coalition he needs to control. Instead, he intends to keep Dalinar alive, support his efforts outwardly, and then undermine him by exposing secrets that will force Dalinar to collapse politically. Once Dalinar steps aside, Taravangian—seen as harmless—can assume leadership and negotiate with Odium from a position of strength. -
What does Taravangian mean when he says he will “save what he can” and “abandon the rest”?
It is the core principle of the Diagram: Odium cannot be defeated, so humanity’s only hope is to bargain for the survival of a select few. Taravangian is willing to sacrifice the majority of the world’s population—the “rest”—in exchange for preserving the segments that matter (likely his own kingdom and the Diagram’s inner circle). The phrase reveals the terrifying utilitarian calculus that guides every decision he makes.