Chapter 85: Ghostblood

Spoiler Notice

Spoiler Warning: This page contains spoilers for The Way of Kings. Proceed with caution if you have not read this chapter.

Summary

Shallan stays up all night reading Jasnah’s research and concludes that the Voidbringers are the parshmen. Jasnah reveals her theory that the Parshendi are wild parshmen and that all tamed parshmen could turn violent, repeating the ancient Desolations. She explains that the accounts from the Shattered Plains show the Parshendi can communicate across distances, suggesting a linked mind like spanreeds. If all parshmen on Roshar suddenly turned on humanity, civilization would collapse. Jasnah plans to travel to the Shattered Plains to investigate what triggered the Parshendi and whether they hold the key to turning ordinary parshmen into soldiers. She then discloses that a secret organization, the Ghostbloods, tried to have her assassinated. Kabsal was a member, bearing a distinctive tattoo of three overlapping diamonds. Shallan recognizes the symbol from her family’s steward Luesh and the men pressuring her family, leading her to suspect her father was involved. Though torn by her family’s financial ruin, Shallan decides to join Jasnah, prioritizing the world’s safety over her personal obligations.

Key Events

  • After a night of reading, Shallan confirms Jasnah’s theory that the Voidbringers are the parshmen.
  • Jasnah elaborates on the danger: tamed parshmen everywhere could suddenly revolt, mirroring past Desolations.
  • Jasnah decides they must go to the Shattered Plains to study the Parshendi and find out what caused their transformation.
  • She reveals the existence of the Ghostbloods, a secret society that orchestrated the assassination attempts against her.
  • Kabsal is identified as a Ghostblood via a tattoo of three overlapping diamonds.
  • Shallan recognizes the symbol from her past—Luesh, her father’s steward, wore it, and the men threatening her family for the Soulcaster display it.
  • Shallan realizes her father may have been a Ghostblood member.
  • Despite her family’s desperate situation, Shallan commits to helping Jasnah save the world.

Character Development

Shallan

Shallan transitions from personal grief to global awareness. The terror of the Voidbringer truth overshadows her own troubles, and she chooses duty over family. Her discovery that her father might have been tied to the Ghostbloods adds a layer of guilt and urgency. She resolves to find another way to aid her brothers while embracing the larger mission.

Jasnah

Jasnah’s grim satisfaction at being proven right shows her relentless pursuit of truth. Her admission of being “downright terrified” humanizes her. She is willing to walk into the heart of danger—the Shattered Plains—to prevent catastrophe. Her sharing of the Ghostblood threat deepens the conspiracy and her trust in Shallan.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

  • Hidden Danger: The parshmen’s ubiquitous presence as silent servants masks an existential threat, symbolizing how civilizations can be blind to internal weaknesses.
  • Secrets and Conspiracies: The Ghostbloods’ symbol connects Shallan’s personal history to a wider web of intrigue, emphasizing that no one is untouched by the hidden conflicts.
  • The Voidbringer Revelation: The twist that the legendary enemies are the docile parshmen challenges assumptions and forces characters to confront uncomfortable truths.
  • Duty vs. Family: Shallan’s internal conflict highlights the tension between personal loyalty and responsibility to the greater good.

Why This Chapter Matters

This chapter marks a pivotal turn in the novel’s primary mystery. By confirming the Voidbringers’ identity, it recontextualizes the entire world and raises the stakes to apocalypse level. The introduction of the Ghostbloods ties together several plot threads—the assassination attempts, Shallan’s family’s downfall, and the mysterious symbol—into a coherent conspiracy. Shallan’s choice to accompany Jasnah to the Shattered Plains sets the stage for the convergence of major storylines. It also deepens her character from a desperate manipulator to a committed scholar willing to sacrifice for the world.

Study Questions and Answers

  1. What evidence leads Shallan to conclude that the Voidbringers are the parshmen?
    Shallan reviews Jasnah’s extensive historical research, which correlates periods of peace with parshmen invasions, ancient accounts of Desolations, and the Parshendi’s sudden transformation on the Shattered Plains. The key clue is that parshmen are integrated everywhere yet could turn at any moment, mirroring the pattern of the Heraldic Epochs.

  2. Why does Jasnah consider the Parshendi key to understanding the parshmen threat?
    The Parshendi were once ordinary parshmen who somehow acquired a trigger that turned them into warriors with linked minds. By studying them on the Shattered Plains, Jasnah hopes to discover what caused this change—knowledge that could either prevent a global parshmen revolt or, more urgently, stop the Ghostbloods from weaponizing it.

  3. How does Shallan’s discovery about the Ghostbloods connect to her family?
    The Ghostbloods’ tattoo of three overlapping diamonds matches the symbol shown to Shallan by her brother Nan Balat. It was worn by Luesh, her father’s steward who had a Soulcaster, and by the men pressuring her family to return the device. This strongly suggests her father was involved with the Ghostbloods, linking her personal tragedy to the larger conspiracy.

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