Chapter 87: True Glory

Spoiler Warning: This guide covers events through Chapter 87 of Words of Radiance and reveals major plot developments. Read on only if you’ve finished the chapter.

Summary

Dalinar Kholin readies his army to march beyond the Shattered Plains, brushing aside Amaram’s plea to reconcile with Sadeas. A horn announces a chrysalis, but Dalinar orders the plateau run called off to keep forces concentrated. Moments later, a messenger rushes in: Kaladin Stormblessed has returned alive from the chasms. Dalinar runs to the triage tent and finds a battered Kaladin, who presents a massive, glowing gemheart and reveals that Shallan Davar is also safe. Kaladin downplays the feat, but Shallan clarifies they found the chasmfiend already dead. Navani wraps Shallan in care, treating her as family. Adolin embraces Shallan and vows to protect her, a promise Shallan forcefully rejects—she refuses to be locked away. Dalinar asks Shallan to join the expedition as a cartographer. She agrees on the condition that she can help map the Plains and that the army leaves behind its parshmen, citing Jasnah’s warnings. Dalinar consents, and the expedition departs within the hour sans parshmen. The chapter closes Part Four.

Key Events

  • Dalinar dismisses Amaram’s plea to negotiate with Sadeas, insisting that unity will come through action, not words.
  • A chrysalis is spotted; Dalinar cancels the gemheart run to preserve his forces for the expedition.
  • A messenger announces Kaladin’s return; Dalinar sprints to the edge of camp.
  • Kaladin, exhausted and injured, salutes Dalinar and produces a green gemheart from the chasmfiend.
  • Shallan reveals they found the beast dead and weathered the highstorm by climbing onto its corpse.
  • Navani bustles around Shallan, signaling her acceptance of the girl into the Kholin inner circle.
  • Adolin promises to protect Shallan, but she bristles at the idea of being shielded or locked away.
  • Pattern eavesdrops on Dalinar and Navani discussing the need for Shallan to map the Plains.
  • Shallan asks Pattern about her status as a Radiant; Pattern explains the Recreance killed thousands of spren and that she must find “truth.”
  • Dalinar requests Shallan’s map-making skills; Shallan counters by requesting to join the expedition and to leave the parshmen behind.
  • Dalinar agrees to both conditions, and the army prepares to move without parshmen.

Character Development

  • Dalinar: Shows unwavering resolve to end the war on his own terms, rejecting political compromise. He finally recognizes something almost miraculous in Kaladin, even if he doesn’t label it Radiant.
  • Kaladin: Returns a hero but remains self-deprecating, deflecting credit and hiding the truth about the battle. His humility and loyalty shine through exhaustion.
  • Shallan: Fiercely asserts her independence. She refuses to be a protected object and leverages her cartographic skills to secure a place on the expedition, while also acting on Jasnah’s warnings about the parshmen.
  • Navani: Her maternal instincts emerge fully as she fusses over Shallan, marking a shift from formal ally to protective family.
  • Adolin: Genuinely cares for Shallan but inadvertently threatens her autonomy, highlighting a conflict between his idea of protection and her need for agency.
  • Amaram: Functions as a foil, advocating diplomacy and questioning Dalinar’s solitary leadership, though his advice is rejected.
  • Pattern: Provides critical lore about the Recreance and the nature of spren bonds, deepening Shallan’s understanding of her role.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

  • True Glory: The chapter title finds its embodiment in Kaladin’s gemheart. Unlike Sadeas’s scheming, true glory is earned through sacrifice, endurance, and bringing others back alive.
  • Duty vs. Vengeance: Dalinar’s expedition is framed not as revenge but as a fulfillment of the Vengeance Pact and a step toward unity, contrasting with Sadeas’s selfish pursuits.
  • Protection and Autonomy: Shallan’s rejection of Adolin’s well-meaning promise echoes her past trauma of being locked away. She demands to act, not be shielded.
  • The Cost of Radiance: Pattern’s revelation that the Recreance annihilated thousands of sapient spren underscores the mortal peril Shallan courts by bonding a Cryptic.
  • Leap of Faith: Dalinar’s decision to march into the unknown without knowing the Parshendi’s exact location mirrors the larger leap required to unite Alethkar.
  • Exhaustion vs. Glory: Kaladin’s exhaustionspren give way to gloryspren when he tosses the gemheart, symbolizing that true recognition follows harrowing effort.

Why This Chapter Matters

Chapter 87 serves as the emotional and logistical pivot at the end of Part Four. It rewards readers with Kaladin and Shallan’s improbable return, turning the chasm disaster into a triumph that galvanizes the expedition. Shallan’s insistence on leaving the parshmen behind takes on prophetic weight, planting a seed that will flower into a major revelation about the Voidbringers. Dalinar’s rejection of Amaram’s political realism cements his transformation from a general clinging to the past into a visionary leader ready to risk everything. The chapter also deepens the tension between Shallan’s Radiant journey and the looming threat of the Recreance, while her conflict with Adolin injects personal stakes into the coming battle.

Study Questions and Answers

  1. Why does Dalinar refuse to negotiate with Sadeas, and what does he mean by “the road to unity … is out there”?
    Dalinar believes Sadeas is beyond redemption and that true unity cannot be forged through more broken promises at the negotiating table. Instead, he thinks demonstrating decisive leadership—successfully striking at the Parshendi and ending the war—will expose Sadeas’s treachery and unite the highprinces behind action, not talk.

  2. What is the significance of Shallan demanding that the parshmen be left behind?
    Acting on Jasnah’s research, Shallan suspects the parshmen are more than simple servants; they may be tied to the Voidbringers. Her request plants the first official precaution against what will later prove to be a critical threat, and it shows her growing influence and willingness to carry forward Jasnah’s mission even at personal risk.

  3. How does the conversation between Shallan and Pattern about the Recreance foreshadow future events?
    Pattern explains that all bonded Cryptics died during the Recreance, leaving no survivors, and that Shallan still lacks “truth” to fully progress. This foreshadows that her past—and the lies she tells herself—must be confronted before she can advance as a Radiant, and it raises the ominous possibility that breaking her oaths could destroy Pattern.

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