Chapter 78: Stormblessings – Summary & Analysis
Spoiler Notice: This page reveals major plot points from Words of Radiance and the Stormlight Archive. Proceed with caution.
Summary
Kaladin’s weeks in prison end when King Elhokar signs a pardon. He emerges to find that Adolin Kholin has locked himself in a cell alongside him, refusing to leave as long as Kaladin was confined. The two men, reconciled, step into a room where Bridge Four awaits. Adolin publicly awards Kaladin a full set of Shards taken from the duel, but Kaladin immediately gives the Blade and Plate to Moash, explaining that he cannot stomach the weapons that killed his friends. Moash becomes a Shardbearer, and the bridgemen celebrate with Rock’s long-simmering stew. Privately, Kaladin tells Moash that he will now help with the plan to assassinate Elhokar, rationalizing it as a necessary act for Alethkar. The chapter closes with Kaladin returning to the sunlight, rejoining Bridge Four.
Key Events
- Elhokar signs a pardon; Kaladin is released without loss of rank.
- Adolin reveals he had voluntarily imprisoned himself in solidarity with Kaladin.
- Adolin gifts the Shards to Kaladin as thanks for saving his life and Renarin’s.
- Kaladin refuses the Shards out of trauma and hands them to Moash, making him a Shardbearer.
- Bridge Four holds a joyful reunion and celebration.
- Kaladin privately tells Moash he agrees to aid in the conspiracy to kill Elhokar.
- Moash begins training in his Plate, and Kaladin’s darkness lifts in the company of his men.
Character Development
Kaladin: Facing freedom, he makes a silent vow never to be caged again. His irrational fears during imprisonment underscore his ongoing battle with depression and PTSD. Despite the chance to become a lighteyes and gain legal standing, he rejects the Shards—not out of spite, but because they represent the blood of those he loved. His decision to finally support the assassination plot marks a moral turning point; he convinces himself it is for Alethkar’s good, not just Moash’s revenge.
Adolin: His self-imprisonment reveals profound humility and loyalty. He shrugs off the loss of his dueling opportunity, insists Kaladin did not ruin the plan, and openly calls Elhokar the one at fault. His willingness to wear cologne in prison and banter with Kaladin shows his unshaken confidence and humor, while his genuine bafflement at Kaladin’s Shard refusal highlights the gap between their worlds.
Moash: Elevated to Shardbearer, his pure joy and immediate determination to master the Plate underscore how deeply he craves power and revenge. His whispered “thank you” to Kaladin carries the weight of a darker pact, and his willingness to train immediately hints at his readiness to use the Shards for the coming murder.
Dalinar: Briefly seen watching from the sidelines, his pensive expression suggests he senses something shifting in Kaladin, or perhaps the larger schemes at play.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
- The Weight of Shards: Shards are portrayed not only as symbols of power but also as objects of deep personal trauma for Kaladin. Their gleam stirs panic rather than desire, reinforcing the motif of Shards as cursed relics for some.
- Freedom and Imprisonment: Kaladin’s release is explicitly linked to a resolve never to be subjugated again. Adolin’s voluntary cell underscores that honor can invert imprisonment into an act of solidarity.
- Lighteyes/Darkeyes Divide: The eye-color change debate and Moash’s instant rise in dahn highlight the rigid class structure. Kaladin’s refusal to become lighteyed through Shards is a direct challenge to the system.
- The Slow-Cooking Stew: Rock’s weeks-long simmered stew becomes a tangible emblem of community, patience, and the nurturing bonds of Bridge Four that finally banish Kaladin’s inner darkness.
- Revenge vs. Justice: Moash frames the assassination as revenge, while Kaladin tells himself it is for Alethkar. The chapter leaves the moral distinction dangerously blurred.
Why This Chapter Matters
“Stormblessings” resolves the arc of Kaladin’s imprisonment and sets the stage for the novel’s climax. It cements the bond between Kaladin and Adolin, showing that Adolin’s respect is earned, not inherited. The redistribution of Shards to Moash arms a key co-conspirator and accelerates the assassination plot. Kaladin’s verbal commitment to the plot—however rationalized—pushes him into a dark complicity that will test his Radiant oaths and his loyalty to Dalinar. The chapter also serves as a brief emotional reprieve before the storm, renewing the brotherhood of Bridge Four just ahead of the tragedies to come.
Study Questions
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Why does Kaladin refuse the Shards, and what does this refusal reveal about his psychology?
Kaladin cannot touch Shards without seeing the friends they have killed. His refusal shows that the trauma of losing his squad to Amaram’s betrayal and the horrors of the bridge runs are still raw. He values his identity as a darkeyes championing ordinary soldiers over the social elevation a Blade would bring. -
In what way does Adolin’s self-imprisonment alter the dynamic between him and Kaladin?
Adolin’s act demolishes Kaladin’s assumption that all lighteyes are self-serving. By sharing Kaladin’s confinement voluntarily, Adolin proves that his honor is not performative. This shared experience transforms their rivalry into genuine mutual respect and sets the foundation for their later battlefield partnership. -
What motivates Kaladin to finally agree to Moash’s plan, and how does he rationalize it?
Kaladin tells himself that the assassination is what Alethkar—and perhaps the world—needs, not merely Moash’s revenge. After weeks of imprisonment that pushed him into despair and a fierce vow never to be bound again, he convinces himself that removing Elhokar is a justified, necessary step. However, his justification remains fragile and will be severely tested.