Words of Radiance: Chapter 51

Progression of the Chapter:
Adolin makes decisions; an expedition is planned; Adolin wins an argument; as a result, he rides out on his father's Ryshadium, Gallant, wearing his brother's armor; he and his escort meet Eshonai and her escort, with uneasiness on both sides; Adolin takes a scribe with him to speak with Eshonai between the two groups; pretending to be Dalinar, he opens by suggesting that they discuss her surrender; she seems much different than last time they met, and no longer wishes to parley; she tells him that there will be peace when one side is dead; Adolin returns to the warcamp to find Dalinar already planning a different, much larger expedition - one which will take the battle to the Parshendi and an ending.
Quote of the Chapter:
Commentary:
Adolin has made his decision not to worry about Dalinar’s "disconcerting behavior" during highstorms; he’s already concluded that his father’s sanity is just fine, there’s really nothing he might do, and so he pragmatically moves past it.
From there, things go steadily downhill. His worry about the assassin's return is always hovering; his worry about Dalinar’s survival is stepped up by the emphasis on how much they all need him. Everything is weird about Adolin’s departure, but to him it centers around the difference between riding his father’s Ryshadium and his own.
Then things get more ominous, as Eshonai repudiates everything she had said earlier to set up this meeting, and further states that it will be over when one side is dead, because they’ve just changed the rules. As Adolin tries to get more understanding of the situation, there’s this:
Just what was Gavilar planning and how much did he unleash without their knowledge?
When Adolin finally reaches the warcamp after this abortive negotiation, Dalinar is well into a plan to assault the Parshendi - too well into it for this to be a new idea. He’s clearly been working on it for some time, and now that they have the negative response from Eshonai, he’s working out the details with his generals. There’s going to be a real war soon, and it’s going to put them out in the middle of the Shattered Plains just as the countdown finishes.
Stormwatch:
Thirty-one days to go; this takes place on the day after the Highstorm of the previous chapter.
All Creatures Shelled and Feathered:
The Ryshadium are definitely not mere horses. Aside from their stature, they’re connected with their riders in a significant way. To quote or paraphrase Brandon, "Investiture is involved."
Heraldic Symbolism:
Here are Chach and Ishar within a chapter that primarily involves Adolin and Dalinar. (This combination was frequent in The Way of Kings.) For a more obvious association, though, once again Adolin is guarding his father and Dalinar is guiding his nation.
Words of Radiants:
Just who was Kazilah? With whom/what was he fraternizing? Why was he executed?
- Paraphrased from Alice Arneson