Chapter 107: The First Planet Burns
⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.
Summary
Seven thousand one hundred years ago, the divine being known as God—who has taken the name Tanner and formed a physical avatar—holds the lifeless body of a child and weeps as the sky burns around him. The first planet, later renamed Ashyn, is being consumed by ash and fire. Rayse, tall as a mountain, appears and remarks that their plan went too far. He dismisses the mass death with cold pragmatism, stating that there are always more people, then vanishes.
Adonalsium can feel every death directly, especially those of his followers. The power within him is pleased that these people died with honor, but that pleases him not at all. He weeps for their lost hopes and loves.
Nearby, Nale searches the dead and finds the body of his sister. He screams in anguish. A group of soldiers approaches, led by a man named Jezrien, who had been a leader of a city‑state that joined the empire. Jezrien finds Makibak, Nale’s uncle, sitting exhausted and burned among the dead. When Jezrien offers the hand of friendship and promises to lead survivors to a new world via a portal, Makibak responds with bitterness, accusing him of being no better than the previous Voidbringer leader Zoral. Jezrien kneels and explains that Zoral is dead and that he intends to be a better leader. He insists that Makibak bring his people, pointing out that Nale is still alive.
Makibak’s words—that he leads only ghosts—cut deep, but Jezrien’s willingness to try and salvage something from the catastrophe gives Adonalsium a thread of hope. The god returns to the embrace of Kor and weeps in her arms until the portal opens. Many survivors come through—and among them, Adonalsium notes, is Rayse.
Key Events
- Adonalsium, in avatar form, mourns over a dead child while Ashyn burns.
- Rayse appears, belittles the tragedy, and then leaves.
- Nale discovers the corpse of his sister.
- Jezrien approaches the defeated Makibak and offers peace and a way to a new world.
- Makibak refuses trust, but Jezrien insists on saving the living.
- Adonalsium returns to Kor and weeps until the portal opens.
- The chapter ends with the survivors—including Rayse—passing through the portal.
Character Development
- Adonalsium (Tanner): For the first time, we see the divine being in a state of raw, unfiltered grief. He is not detached; he weeps for individual lives and feels the deaths of his followers viscerally. His observation of Jezrien’s attempt at redemption gives him a fragile hope, suggesting that even a god can be buoyed by mortal decency.
- Rayse: Already the deceiver, Rayse shows his callousness and lack of empathy. He treats the annihilation of a planet as an inconvenience rather than a tragedy. This early portrait reinforces his eventual role as Odium.
- Nale: Already defined by loss. His scream over his sister’s corpse foreshadows his later rigidity and devotion to law as a way to impose order on a chaotic, painful world.
- Jezrien: Presented as a pragmatist and a conciliator. He acknowledges past wrongs and seeks to build a future, even on a mountain of corpses. His line “If I wasn’t willing, would I be here?” suggests a leader trying to earn trust through action.
- Makibak: Broken and bitter, he represents the perspective of the defeated. His refusal to hope is understandable, yet Jezrien’s persistence plants a seed that may eventually bear fruit.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
- The Cost of Divinity: Adonalsium’s ability to feel every death highlights the burden of godhood. His power is indifferent; only his own heart seems to care.
- Redemption from Ruin: The chapter’s central emotional arc is Jezrien’s attempt to salvage something from absolute destruction. The image of a king offering friendship to his enemy over a field of corpses asks whether such a fresh start is possible.
- Fire and Ash: Ashyn’s burning sky and the ash that covers everything symbolize the irreparable cost of conflict. The name “Ashyn” itself becomes a permanent reminder of what was lost.
- The Portal as Exodus: The portal represents both escape and uncertainty. It does not guarantee a better future—only a different one.
Why This Chapter Matters
This chapter provides the earliest historical glimpse into events that ripple through the entire Cosmere. It confirms that the Heralds and their adversaries (Jezrien, Nale, Rayse) have histories stretching back before the Oathpact. It also deepens the readers’ understanding of Adonalsium’s emotional complexity and reveals that Rayse’s cruelty was present from the start. The decision to flee to a new world echoes the later migrations that shape Roshar and sets the stage for the conflict between Honor, Odium, and Cultivation.
Study Questions
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Why does Adonalsium weep for the dead child even though he is a divine being?
Answer: Because he has formed an avatar capable of touch and emotion, and he feels each death directly. The power within him values honor in death over life, but Adonalsium himself grieves the lost hopes and loves of his followers. -
What does Jezrien hope to accomplish by offering peace to Makibak?
Answer: Jezrien wants to save as many remaining people as possible by leading them through a portal to a new world. He believes he can be a better leader than the dead Zoral, and he hopes to build something new from the ashes. -
How does the portrayal of Rayse in this chapter set up his future role as Odium?
Answer: Rayse shows no remorse for the planetary destruction and treats the dead as disposable. His cold calculation and deceitful nature—calling the plan “too far” yet blaming Adonalsium—prefigure the god of hatred he will become.