Wind and Truth Chapter 73: Szeth's Swordmaster Trial
⚠️ 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
The chapter opens in a monastery training hall where Szeth, then a young acolyte, defeats the swordmaster Gonda-son-Darias in a practice bout. He lands a blow to the neck, winning the fifth match of the day without letting Gonda score a single touch. Pozen, the Honorbearer, announces that Szeth has taken the rank of swordmaster. Pozen notes Szeth's weakness with Elsecalling and assigns him a hunt riddle: find the first clue atop the "seventh spire."
Szeth tries solving the riddle literally by searching rooftops but eventually realizes Pozen meant "the Seven's spire"—a street named the Seven. He finds the clue on the roof of a church dedicated to the Herald Ishu. Sivi, a Willshaper Honorbearer, intercepts him and hands him all the remaining clues, pointing out that Pozen always uses the same places. She invites him for tea and presses him to consider why he obeys so readily.
Sivi challenges Szeth to think about nuance, revealing that she has a personal connection to his father Neturo, the mayor of Mokdown. She explains that Pozen wants obedient acolytes, not true colleagues. Szeth struggles with the idea that right and wrong can shift with context. After reflecting, he accepts Sivi's invitation: he will go on pilgrimage, train with all the Surges, and eventually challenge the Windrunner Tuko-son-Tuko for his Honorblade. He does so not for Pozen or Sivi, but to find answers about the mysterious Voice he once heard.
Key Events
- Szeth defeats Gonda without allowing a touch, becoming swordmaster of Pozen's monastery.
- Pozen gives Szeth a riddle hunt; Szeth initially misinterprets "seventh spire" as a building number.
- With help from Sivi, Szeth obtains all the clues at once and learns she visits often because of his father.
- Sivi reveals that Pozen cultivates obedient followers and that three other Honorbearers trained under him.
- Szeth decides to embark on the pilgrimage, intending to challenge the Windrunner and discover the truth about the Voice.
- The chapter ends with Szeth paying for Sivi's drink, a small act of integrity.
Character Development
Szeth-son-Neturo – Szeth has grown from a boy who cried for his mother into a disciplined, peerless fighter. Yet he still struggles with rigid thinking: he wants clear, predictable rules and resists nuance. Sivi's prodding forces him to confront his own laziness in not wanting to see complexity. By the chapter's end, he chooses a path of seeking answers, showing a willingness to grow beyond blind obedience.
Sivi – The Willshaper Honorbearer is perceptive and patient. She sees Szeth's potential but also his flaw—an inability to handle moral ambiguity. She uses conversation as a tool to nudge him toward self-reflection. Her cryptic wink suggests she has her own motives, but she also gives him honest warnings about Pozen.
Pozen – The Honorbearer is a background figure who tests obedience rather than skill. He trains talented warriors but prefers those who jump at his command. His use of the same riddles for decades implies a formulaic approach to grooming successors.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
Obedience vs. Questioning – The central tension: Pozen values quick obedience, while Sivi advocates for thoughtful questioning. Szeth's final decision to act for his own reasons rather than because he is told bridges this divide.
Nuance and Complexity – Sivi repeatedly challenges Szeth's black-and-white worldview. Life was never simple, she argues; he was merely allowed to pretend it was. Accepting nuance is a sign of maturity.
The Hunt as a Metaphor – Pozen's riddle hunt mirrors the larger pilgrimage: both are tests of obedience and problem-solving. The fact that Sivi has solved the same riddle before suggests that the path is predetermined, yet Szeth must still walk it.
Metal vs. Soulcast Materials – Szeth notices that common people use metal hinges while holy items are Soulcast. This contrast symbolizes the divide between the sacred and the mundane, and Szeth's discomfort with imperfect practices in the "holy" land of Shinovar.
Why This Chapter Matters
Chapter 73 provides essential backstory for Szeth, showing his early training and the moral foundation he later subverts when he becomes a Truthless. It establishes the political dynamics among the Honorbearers—Pozen's manipulation, Sivi's subtle rebellion, and the coming conflict with the Windrunner. Most importantly, it reveals Szeth's initial motivation: a desire for answers about the Voice, which connects directly to the larger cosmological mysteries of the Stormlight Archive. Without this flashback, Szeth's actions in the present timeline would lack context.
Study Questions
1. Why does Szeth choose to go on the pilgrimage even though he suspects both Pozen and Sivi are using him?
Answer: Szeth wants answers about the Voice he heard. He decides that his own quest for truth is more important than serving anyone else's agenda. He acknowledges nuance but refuses to be a mere pawn.
2. How does Sivi's relationship with Neturo influence her interactions with Szeth?
Answer: Sivi appears to have a romantic interest in Neturo, which is why she visits Mokdown so often. This gives her a personal stake in Szeth's development; she sees him as more than just a potential Honorbearer and tries to guide him away from Pozen's influence.
3. What does Szeth's reaction to the metal hinges reveal about his character at this stage?
Answer: Szeth is disturbed that Shin people use metal hinges instead of Soulcast alternatives, perceiving it as a violation of propriety. This shows his rigid adherence to religious customs and his difficulty adapting to local differences—a trait Sivi wants him to outgrow.