Wind and Truth Chapter 135: Adolin's Deadeye Army and Szeth's Final Oath
⚠️ 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
With ten minutes until the deadline, Adolin faces imminent defeat in the Azimir palace. Maya unexpectedly returns accompanied not by honorspren but by dozens of deadeyes—forgotten spren who have chosen to fight. Adolin distinguishes between oaths and promises, accepting their aid. He summons Shardblades and Plate for nine soldiers, including Yanagawn, forming the Unoathed. Elsewhere, Renarin and Rlain decide together to free Ba-Ado-Mishram, acknowledging the need for a human-singer act of reparation. In Shinovar, Szeth speaks the Fifth Ideal but then releases his highspren, declaring he will seek out dissenters who follow the old Skybreaker ways. Ishar forces Szeth, Kaladin, Syl, and Nale to experience the Heralds' accumulated pain, revealing the burden he carries.
Key Events
- Maya arrives with approximately fifty deadeyes from Shadesmar, having misunderstood Adolin's request.
- Adolin distinguishes between oaths (breakable) and promises (enduring), which the deadeyes accept.
- Nine Shardblades and Plate sets appear, arming Adolin's forces against the Fused.
- Yanagawn is the first to arm himself, followed by others, forming the Unoathed.
- Renarin and Rlain agree to shatter the gem imprisoning Mishram, deciding together as singer and human.
- Szeth speaks the Fifth Ideal, becoming the law, then releases his highspren bond to reject the corrupted Skybreakers.
- Ishar uses a Bondsmith power to connect to Szeth, Kaladin, Syl, and Nale, forcing them to feel the weight of all Heralds' madness.
- Kaladin experiences intense self-loathing and despair, mirroring his darkest moments.
- The Honorbearers collapse under the shared burden of Heraldic pain.
Character Development
- Adolin: Demonstrates leadership by trusting Maya's unconventional decision and redefining what it means to keep a promise. His willingness to accept aid from deadeyes shows growth beyond Radiant dogma.
- Maya: Acts autonomously, gathering deadeyes instead of honorspren. She reclaims agency and helps others find purpose in the fight.
- Renarin & Rlain: Make a joint moral decision to free Mishram, showing their bond and commitment to reparation rather than victory.
- Szeth: Achieves the Fifth Ideal only to realize his spren and the Skybreakers are ethically bankrupt. He chooses to sever the bond—an act of self-determination that leaves him powerless but principled.
- Kaladin: Confronts the distilled despair of the Heralds, which amplifies his existing guilt and self-doubt. This external assault on his mental health intensifies his internal struggle.
- Ishar: Revealed as the one who holds back the Heralds' madness, forcing others to witness the cost of his role.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
- Oaths vs. Promises: Adolin separates the formal, breakable oath from the flexible, enduring promise. This philosophical distinction allows the deadeyes—beings who have broken or lost oaths—to still commit to a cause.
- Forgotten Spren as Allies: The deadeyes, long discarded by history, become the unexpected army. They represent the power of memory, solidarity among the wounded, and the idea that those considered broken can still make a difference.
- Shared Pain: Ishar forces others to experience the Heralds' inherited sorrow. This theme of burden-sharing contrasts with Adolin's theme of shared strength, highlighting different responses to trauma.
- Choosing One's Own Law: Szeth's Fifth Ideal interpretation—that all men should be the law, not the law itself—rejects authoritarian rule in favor of personal conscience, a radical departure from Skybreaker tradition.
- Gesture of Unity: Renarin and Rlain's decision to free Mishram together symbolizes a joint human-singer effort to heal a historic wrong, setting aside conflict for reparation.
Why This Chapter Matters
This chapter marks a turning point for three major plotlines. Adolin's acquisition of the deadeye army establishes a new military force—the Unoathed—that operates outside Radiant structures, which may prove decisive in the contest for Azimir. The decision to free Mishram sets in motion events that could either destroy the current system or bring a new form of peace to Roshar. Szeth's choice to abandon his spren after achieving the Fifth Ideal redefines what it means to be a Skybreaker and sets him on an entirely new path of personal justice. Finally, Ishar's exposure of the Heralds' madness to Kaladin and others deepens the psychological stakes of the Oathpact and may be key to breaking its cycle of suffering.
Study Questions and Answers
1. Why does Adolin distinguish between an oath and a promise, and how does this distinction enable the deadeyes to fight?
Adolin sees oaths as formal bonds that can be broken when circumstances change, while promises are deeper commitments that stand as long as someone is still trying. This distinction matters because the deadeyes have been defined by failed oaths—their original Radiants broke their bonds. Adolin offers them a framework where their continued effort, even after failure, counts as a valid promise. This allows the deadeyes to perceive themselves as worthy allies again, fighting not under a binding oath but under an enduring promise to help.
2. What is Szeth's reasoning for releasing his highspren after speaking the Fifth Ideal?
Szeth realizes that the Skybreakers under Nale have become corrupt, valuing rules over people. His spren embodies that flawed philosophy, acting as an attendant to him rather than an equal partner. Szeth decides that true adherence to law requires personal judgment—all men should be the law, not blindly follow it. He therefore severs the bond, seeking out dissenters among the Skybreakers who practice a more principled form of justice, even if it leaves him powerless.
3. How does Ishar's transfer of the Heralds' pain to Kaladin, Syl, and Nale affect each of them?
Ishar uses his Bondsmith connection to force Kaladin, Syl, Nale, and Szeth to experience the accumulated sorrow and madness of all ten Heralds. Kaladin is overwhelmed by intensified versions of his own depression and self-loathing, falling to the ground. Syl, normally joyful, weeps and trembles. Nale, his own madness already present, is reduced to whimpering. Szeth lies immobile. The effect shows that even the strongest individuals cannot bear this weight alone—and that Ishar's role as the container of that pain is both essential and monstrous.