Chapter 74: Mishim – A Plan, a Market, and a Moon's Tale

Spoiler Warning: This page contains complete plot details for Oathbringer Chapter 74 and references events from earlier in the book. Read on only if you’ve progressed through this chapter.

Summary

A day after the attempt on her life, Shallan feels recovered and checks the tailor’s mirrors for the Unmade’s presence she glimpsed. Elhokar, Adolin, Kaladin, and Shallan gather in the kitchen. The king has drafted a map and presents a three-part plan: Shallan, as Veil, will infiltrate the Cult of Moments to secure the Oathgate platform; Adolin and Elhokar will approach local lighteye houses to rally a military force for a potential palace rescue; Kaladin will investigate the enigmatic Azure and the Wall Guard.

Veil heads into Kholinar’s ancient market, growing more comfortable in her persona. She observes the grain distribution run by soldiers of House Velalant from a former Thaylen bank. The system is riddled with corruption: servants of wealthy lighteyes collect food while the destitute are pushed aside. A boy with a mangled hand tells her the guards arbitrarily exclude the poor. Veil’s initial optimism fades as she witnesses pools of angerspren and feels the city’s despair.

Moving through the crowd, she hears a familiar voice. Hoid, the King’s Wit, performs for a gathering crowd, telling the story of Mishim, the cleverest moon. He narrates how Mishim tricked Queen Tsa of Natanatan into trading places so the moon could experience mortal pleasures. Tsa, however, gained the favor of Nomon and Salas, and returned bearing a child with blue-tinged skin—the origin of the Natan people. Hoid’s smoke artistry captivates Shallan, and midway through he recognizes her despite her Lightweaving disguise. After the tale, he invites her to buy him a meal.

Key Events

  • Elhokar devises a coordinated plan: Shallan infiltrates the Cult of Moments to access the Oathgate, he and Adolin recruit lighteye allies, and Kaladin investigates Azure.
  • Veil explores Kholinar’s market, noting its ancient, weathered quality and the pervasive oppression.
  • She discovers that House Velalant manages grain rations but soldiers mishandle distribution, excluding the poorest.
  • Hoid performs the myth of Mishim and Queen Tsa using hypnotic smoke manipulation, then identifies Shallan through her Lightweaving.

Character Development

Elhokar: Displaying surprising initiative, he drafts a practical map and a coherent multi-pronged plan. Adolin’s simple compliment earns a beaming, genuine smile and a gloryspren, highlighting the king’s hunger for validation. He also wrestles with the charges against his wife, insisting her excesses must have a hidden cause.

Shallan / Veil: Veil’s confidence grows as she realizes her earlier barroom posturing in Urithiru was amateurish. She now embodies the role with instinct—checking pockets, chatting with vendors, and reading street-level corruption. Her distress at the city’s suffering and her self-doubt about saving anyone surface sharply. The moment Hoid sees through her Lightweaving shakes her.

Hoid / Wit: His appearance adds an otherworldly layer. He spins a myth with smoke that borders on the supernatural, then pierces Shallan’s illusion with a knowing smile. His exhaustion after the tale and his cryptic remark about missing his flute deepen his enigmatic nature.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

  • Incompetent Authority: Velalant’s grain distribution mirrors the larger collapse of Kholinar’s social order. Soldiers exclude the poor while serving the wealthy, a microcosm of systemic failure.
  • Stories and Identity: Hoid’s tale of Mishim reflects the chapter’s title and underscores Shallan’s own fractured identities. Just as Mishim swaps places, Shallan slips between personas—yet Hoid sees through the mask.
  • Loss: The myth ends with Mishim learning loss, the one emotion previously reserved for mortals. This echoes the city’s mood of exhaustion and despair, as well as Shallan’s refusal to think about her missing brothers.
  • Deceptive Appearances: Lightweaving, the queen’s hidden nature, grain-line corruption, and Hoid’s smoke-art all reinforce that nothing in Kholinar is as it seems.

Why This Chapter Matters

Chapter 74 breaks the pattern of reactive survival and delivers a structured mission plan, reorienting the party toward objectives. It contrasts their hope with the grim reality of Kholinar’s civilians through Veil’s ground-level viewpoint. The grain-distribution scene crystallizes the city’s rot without a single battle. Hoid’s story provides a folkloric anchor, linking the reader to Roshar’s deeper mythos while foreshadowing themes of identity and sacrifice that resonate with Shallan’s arc. Finally, Hoid recognizing her Veil persona hints at abilities beyond normal perception, raising questions for future encounters.

Study Questions and Answers

  1. What does the grain distribution scene reveal about Kholinar’s leadership under Queen Aesudan and Highlord Velalant?
    The soldiers serve grain from a former bank but enforce arbitrary rules that benefit the wealthy while excluding the destitute. This suggests that even the semblance of order serves entrenched lighteye interests rather than the population’s survival. The queen’s neglect and Velalant’s political maneuvering together deepen the city’s crisis.

  2. How does Hoid’s story of Mishim parallel Shallan’s situation in this chapter?
    Mishim trades places with a mortal to experience life below, much as Shallan adopts Veil to navigate dangerous environments. Both exchanges involve deception, temporary freedom, and the risk of losing one’s original place. Hoid’s tale also ends with loss and a child of two worlds, mirroring Shallan’s fractured sense of self and her hidden burdens.

  3. Why is Elhokar’s plan significant for his character progression?
    Until this chapter, Elhokar has largely been reactive or dependent on advice. His self-initiated map, clear division of tasks, and acknowledgment of uncomfortable truths about his wife show growth into a more decisive leader—even if he still craves external approval.

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