Herald

The Heralds are servants of the Almighty worshipped across the whole of Roshar. There are ten of them -- though one has been replaced -- with each associated with one of the Ten Essences and one of the ten orders of the Knights Radiant. They are known by different names in different cultures -- in Azir, they are known as the Kadasixes, and in Vorin countries, the suffix "'Elin" is often appended to their names, presumably as an honorific.
== History ==
=== Time on Ashyn ===
Most of the Heralds were born on Ashyn, notable exceptions being Kaladin, who was born long after Aharietiam and did not replace Jezrien until the True Desolation, and Talenel, who was born on Roshar seven-thousand years before the True Desolation and was made a Herald because of the need for ten Heralds, and Nale saw him as a connection to the common people. 
After humanity destroyed that planet's ecosystem through surgebinding, they traveled along with the rest of the refugees to Roshar, although they weren't Heralds yet at that point. Jezrien had become King of Odium's empire on Ashyn before the exodus to Roshar, due to the death of the previous King Zoral during the destruction of Ashyn. Odium's empire had been granted access to unbound Surges by Odium for reasons unclear. While Nale, belonging to a coalition of other states, had opposed the hegemonic expansion of Odium's empire.
=== Becoming Heralds ===
Prior to the first Desolation, most of them held various positions of importance -- scholars, generals, priests, and kings, with a notable exception being Talenel who was a soldier and bodyguard before being stripped of his weapons after attempting to kill Cultivation. 
 
Around forty-three years into the First Desolation, Honor formed the Oathpact, granting the newly-made Heralds a connection to him and, through it, their supernatural abilities. This was done as they possessed a Connection to Odium, who had initiated a process when he granted most of them Surges, but which had been completed by Honor to make them his, to exert some measure of control over Odium. Before becoming immortal, a process adjacent to, but not included in becoming a Herald, the ten people who became Heralds were granted extreme longevity from the Surges granted to the by Odium or Honor. Only volunteers could be accepted as Heralds. The Heralds were chosen due to their strong Connection to Odium, which was required for the Oathpact to operate properly. Apparently, only persons who had felt the touch of Shards could become Heralds, a condition which qualified Talenel for candidature, as he had attempted to assassinate Cultivation. Each Herald swore slightly modified oaths to Honor to protect the people of the land and "hold back the darkness."
After accepting the Oathpact, the Heralds were made immortal by Vedel, who used their Connection to Honor in order to grant them a constantly flow of Investiture from the Spiritual Realm, locking their body and soul at its current age.
When Kaladin became a Herald, he passed through manifestations of the distinct phases of his life he viewed as parts of himself and finally through that of a "terrifying, glorious being" - the perception he had of himself as a Herald. The Words he uttered were "I accept this journey", Words which Nale affirmed the other Heralds had not spoken. The Reforging of the Oathpact used Vedel's method, which relied on powers Ishar had not used in a long time - powers of Surges outside Radiance, Stormlight or Honorblades.
=== The Desolations ===
From there on, the (original) Heralds were stuck in the cycle of Desolations. At the end of each one, they would travel to Braize, their presence there preventing the voidspren and the Fused from returning to Roshar. They would attempt to hide, but eventually, Odium's forces would track them down and begin torturing them until one of the Heralds broke. At this point, the Heralds would be returned to Roshar and resurrected to push Odium's forces back.
At some point, the spren began mimicking their abilities, creating the first Surgebinders. The Heralds found that surprising, but had no compunctions against using the Surgebinders in battle. Ishar imposed structure upon them, creating the Knights Radiant, and each Herald took patronage over the Order that matched their Surges. The last to do so was Nale, who initially rejected the Skybreakers even when they called him their master.
The Heralds also gifted humanity knowledge called the "wisdom of the Heralds". This consists of some germ theory and antiseptic practices such as hand-washing before surgery. The wisdom of the Heralds is still known and applied as far in the future as the True Desolation. Entities with strong life sense can detect these germs and verify the truth of the wisdom of the Heralds.
Over time, they grew more capable of drawing on the powers of Roshar itself, not merely the Surges of Honor. Around four-thousand-five-hundred-fifty years before the Night of Sorrows, after the destruction of the capital of Natanatan, Honor granted them greater access to the power of the Surges and to the powers of Roshar. However, he kept them bound by their Oaths, leaving them incapable of destroying the land like had happened on Ashyn.
=== The Last Desolation ===
Eventually, the pattern of continuous resurrections and torture led to the Heralds growing increasingly stressed and psychologically damaged, making the period between the Desolations shorter as they broke faster and faster. Things came to a head in Aharietiam, a Desolation where only one Herald, Talenel, died in battle. Those who survived were supposed to return voluntarily; however, Ishar theorized that one Herald remaining in Braize was sufficient to keep the Oathpact going. This was confirmed by Honor, who accepted their choice to leave the Oathpact behind. However, he said that he would no longer aid the Heralds if they made the decision.
Various Heralds displayed great conflict in their choice, not wanting to abandon Talenel, but being unable to continue the cycle of torture and war. But in the end, all nine decided to leave him behind. The Heralds felt the pain of leaving their burden upon Talenel, and Ishar chose to take their suffering unto himself.
To hide their betrayal of Talenel and humanity, the Heralds told the ordinary people that the Desolations were over, and that they would take the fight to the Tranquiline Halls. This event marked the end of the Heraldic Epoch.
While the Oathpact was not broken by this betrayal, it was left cracked and damaged.
=== Era of Solitude ===
For the next four and a half thousand years, Taln remained on Braize, being tortured by the voidspren to make him break and allow them to return. At the same time, the nine living Heralds went on to live among the people of Roshar, hiding their true nature. The only one to recover his Honorblade was Nale, who also remained in touch with the Order of Skybreakers, eventually joining them and becoming their leader.
Over time, the mental state of the Heralds deteriorated, due to a combination of their ages, trauma, and possibly other factors. Nale grew compassionless; Kalak became paranoid; Jezrien started to drink heavily; Shalash began to track down and destroy her own artwork. While Shalash and Nale both believed that Ishar remained unaffected, he, too, went mad. 
==== The False Desolation ====
Kalak and Nale, and perhaps other Heralds, were, to same extent, involved in the False Desolation. They were present during the imprisonment of Ba-Ado-Mishram.
==== Ishar and Shinovar ====
Around one thousand years before the Night of Sorrows, Ishar absorbed part of the Well of Control, and Connected himself to the land of Shinovar. He later took over the country of Tukar, becoming its god-priest, and started to swing wildly between megalomania and the desire to end his own existence. 
==== The Coming of the True Desolation ====
When Nale came to Ishar with questions about the possibility of a new Desolation arriving, Ishar told him that the return of Knights Radiant could prompt it, causing Nale to travel the world killing any potential Surgebinders. At some point, perhaps in pursuit of this goal, he and Kalak found themselves in the Kholinar palace on the night of king Gavilar's assassination. On the same night, Chana was killed in self-defense by her daughter, Shallan Davar.
=== Lead-up to the True Desolation ===
Sometime around the year 1173, Talenel was finally returned to Roshar to proclaim a new Desolation, although it was Chanarach, not him, who had broken. He was initially disbelieved by Rosharans, who assumed him to be some random madman, which was further confirmed, in their eyes, by his deranged, near-catatonic behavior. Some of the Heralds, such as Nale, initially refused to believe a new Desolation had arrived, though he was convinced upon seeing the awakening of the Parshmen.
When Dalinar Kholin sought to bring Tukar into his alliance, Ishar refused him, claiming that instead, it was Dalinar's forces who should bow down to him, and give Urithiru over to him, which was met with no answer. At the same time, Shalash was searching for Taln, aware that, if the Desolation has returned, so had he. She was eventually pointed on the right track by Mraize.
Ash and Taln met again during the Battle of Thaylen Field. After surviving the fighting, Shalash attempted to bring Taln with her to Ishar, but the two were intercepted by Jasnah Kholin before they could make it to the Oathgates. At the same time, Jezrien, hiding as a drunkard in the captured Kholinar, was killed by Moash in a way that made him permanently incapable of returning. The shock of it sent Taln and Shalash unconscious.
=== Reforging of the Oathpact ===
In the days leading up to the True Desolation, the Wind began to push Kaladin Stormblessed to become a Herald during the Cleansing of Shinovar. 
On , the Oathpact was Reforged, and Kaladin became a Herald, replacing Jezrien. 
Following the Reforging of the Oathpact, the Heralds travelled to Braize to begin a new Isolation. However, they transported their minds into a vision of Ashyn from before its destruction, so that they wouldn't have to experience Fused torture.
== Abilities ==
=== Resurrection ===
The Heralds are Cognitive Shadows capable of repeatedly returning back to life and have become so heavily Invested they are no longer human. While alive, they do not age, allowing them to live for millennia. Upon death, they are transported to Braize, where they are tortured until one of them breaks. When that happens, they are returned back to life on Roshar. This process isn't well-understood, though one thing that is certain about it is that unlike the Fused, the Heralds do not hijack human bodies to resurrect, as Honor found this process abhorrent. Heralds' new bodies were formed out of power, pure Investiture, according to their Perception of themselves, a fact which explained the calluses Talenel'Elin sustained even though he had not engaged in any strenuous physical activity. Their highly Invested bodies are not truly immortal, as only their souls are immortal. They appear to still need food to sustain their bodies, and hunger if they do not eat. While leaving the mortal body for the first time, a Herald suffers intense agony. 
This ability to resurrect makes the Heralds essentially immortal. It was not until seven thousand years after the Oathpact that singers figured out they can be trapped in gemstones, much like spren can. The method involves stabbing them with a specially constructed raysium dagger. The dagger would trap the Herald's soul into the gemstone at its hilt. Heralds are similar to spren, in that they are essentially Investiture that is self-aware; this is due to their nature as resurrected Cognitive Shadows - despite the fact that Heralds were, at one point, normal humans. As the properties of raysium conduct Investiture, the pure Investiture that is a Cognitive Shadow is easily drawn into the raysium dagger. The trapped Herald's bond to the Oathpact would be severed, causing the soul to disintegrate back to a normal soul, then go on to the Beyond, permanently killing the Herald.
=== Immortality ===
The Heralds are ageless, with the bodies and souls kept young over their millennia of life. This is done through their Connection to Honor. Through this, they tap into the constantly rejuvenating Investiture of the Spiritual Realm, locking their souls, and bodies, at the age in which they became Heralds. It is unknown if they can can use this Investiture to power Invested Arts.
Unlike similar resurrected entities, like the Nalthian Returned, the Heralds don't have to consume Investiture in order to remain alive.
=== Surgebinding ===
Each Herald wields an Honorblade, a sword similar in function to a Shardblade, albeit far more powerful. Honorblades can be bonded like regular Shardblades, and are similarly sharp, but unlike Shardblades, they allow their wielders to utilize two Surges each. As such, while wielding their Blades, each of the Heralds is a Surgebinder. While they each have an Honorblade assigned to them, in the past, they would occasionally swap their Honorblades between each other, allowing them to use the Surges of others.
Spren would later copy the Heralds' Surgebinding, thus creating the Knights Radiant, with each order matching the powers of one of the Heralds. The Radiants have some powers that the Heralds lack -- for example, the Heralds did not have squires. However, unlike the Knights, the Heralds were powered directly by Honor, and had access to raw levels of Investiture that no Radiant could possibly match. Additionally, they didn't need to draw Stormlight from gems, which implies they could get it directly from their bond with Honor. This ability appears to be inherent to the Heralds and not tied to their Honorblades as it is not replicable by other users. How this manifests after Honor's death and Splintering is unknown.
Heralds can also gain Surgebinding by forming a Nahel bond. Their spren would follow them to Braize.
Following the destruction of Natanatan four-thousand-five-hundred-fifty years before the Night of Sorrows, Honor granted the Heralds even greater access to his power and the Surges. This greatly increased the power of the Heralds, whilst keeping them bound by oaths.
=== Powers of Roshar ===
As time passed, they began to become more and more capable of drawing upon the powers of Roshar itself, instead of just Honor's Surges. The full extent of what this means, however, is not currently known. However, they are known to be able to draw upon the natural Investiture of Roshar, separate from the three Shards which inhabited it.
=== Binding to the Rosharan System ===
Heralds, much like spren and Knights Radiant, are incapable of leaving the Rosharan system. This is due to how they are heavily Invested and Connected to the planet, and due to the system of oaths that Honor, Odium, and Cultivation swore to each other. These oaths bound their Investiture, and thus Invested beings, to the Rosharan system. The further a Herald moves from the Rosharan system, the more that they would be pulled back, making them feel progressively heavier in proportion to their distance from the system.
=== Other ===
Apart from the Surges, Heralds get a number of other advantages, although what precisely they are is uncertain. It's appears some of those advantages include superhuman speed, strength and reflexes as multiple Heralds are shown great physical prowess, seemingly without Stormlight. Such examples are when Taln moved so quickly it caused nearby windows to crack, and was strong enough to kill multiple Fused barehanded. Nale battled Kaladin without Stormlight, moving so fast he looked like a blur; and was strong enough to smash Kaladin out of his Shardplate by slamming him against a stone wall. Nale describes this as the Herald's true skill. However, they are also said to have no innate powers, suggesting that whatever they can do is the result of either their connection to Honor or their own experience. The abilities a Herald has access to can fluctuate depending on how attuned they are to the promises they made when becoming Heralds. Although not all the Heralds were originally soldiers, they have mastered their fighting skills throughout the ages, and are now capable of fighting multiple Shardbearers with ease. Moreover, each Herald had their own field of expertise, such as leadership, medicine or smithing, and the knowledge of how to teach those skills to others. 
Heralds are able to procreate, though not necessarily in the traditional way. The child of a Herald will inherit a terrible burden, including predispositions inherited from their Herald parent. What the burden and predispositions are is uncertain, but it could be a higher affinity for the Spiritual Realm.
Heralds are able to share pain with each other through their bond, but it is unknown if they can do this outside of Braize. They are able to sense when another Herald has permanently died, which can cause them enough shock to render them temporally unconscious. They are also able to tell when another Herald has broken and allowed the Voidbringers to return to Roshar, even if they are not currently on Braize.
Some Heralds are more cosmere-aware than others. A few of them are aware of AonDor, but only on a conceptual level. Some Heralds are able to see hidden spren.
== Heralds of the Almighty ==
=== Original Heralds ===
The Heralds are listed here in order by their associated numbers, which is also the order in which they joined the Oathpact.
==== Jezrien ====
Known as the Herald of Kings in the East, Kadasix of Kings in Azir and the Prime Kadasix in Emul. At some point prior to becoming a Herald, he ruled as a king. He is associated with the number Jes (1), the essence Zephyr, and the attributes Protecting and Leading. He is patron of the Order of Windrunners.
:Surges: Adhesion, Gravitation
:Other names: Jezerezeh'Elin (Vorinism), Yaysi (Iri and Rira), Yaezir (Azir)
:Status: deceased; captured by Vyre on Odium's command, before the remnants of his soul were destroyed by El using anti-Stormlight.
==== Nale ====
The Herald of Justice. He is associated with the number Nan (2), the essence Vapor, and the attributes Just and Confident. He is patron of the Order of Skybreakers. Unlike the other Heralds who abandoned the Oathpact, he eventually recovered his Honorblade. While he was the last to accept his own Order, he was also the only Herald to join it.
:Surges: Gravitation, Division
:Other names: Nalan'Elin (Vorinism), Nin-son-God (Shinovar), Nakku the Judge (Makabak)
:Status: alive; on Braize.
==== Chanarach ====
Associated with the number Chach (3), the essence Spark, and the attributes Brave and Obedient. She is patron of the Order of Dustbringers.
:Surges: Division, Abrasion
:Other names: Chanaranach'Elin (Vorinism), Chana (nickname)
:Status: alive; on Braize.
==== Vedel ====
Associated with the number Vev (4), the essence Lucentia (Light), and the attributes Loving and Healing. She is patron of the Order of Edgedancers.
:Surges: Abrasion, Progression
:Other names: Vedeledev'Elin (Vorinism)
:Status: alive; on Braize.
==== Pralla ====
Associated with the number Palah (5), the essence pulp, and the attributes Learned and Giving. She is patron of the Order of Truthwatchers.
:Surges: Progression, Illumination
:Other names: Pailiah'Elin (Vorinism), Pali (nickname)
:Status: alive; on Braize.
==== Shalash ====
Known as the Herald of Beauty or Lady of Dreams. Daughter of Jezrien. She is associated with the number Shash (6), the essence Blood, and the attributes Creativity and Honesty. She is patron of the Order of Lightweavers. For the past several centuries, she has been tracking down and destroying any depictions of herself she could find.
:Surges: Illumination, Transformation
:Other names: Shalash'Elin (Vorinism), Shush-daughter-God (Shinovar), Epan (Emul), Ash (nickname), Pom (alias)
:Status: alive; on Braize.
==== Battar ====
Associated with the number Betab (7), the essence Tallow, and the attributes Wisdom and Care. She is patron of the Order of Elsecallers.
:Surges: Transformation, Transportation
:Other names: Battah'Elin (Vorinism), Dova (Alias)
:Status: alive; on Braize.
==== Kalak ====
Associated with the number Kak (8), the essence Foil, and the attributes Resolute and Builder. He is patron of the Order of Willshapers.
:Surges: Transportation, Cohesion
:Other names: Kelek'Elin (Vorinism), Kellai (Iri and Rira), Restares (alias)
:Status: alive; on Braize.
==== Talenel ====
Often called the Herald of War, and sometimes also known as the Herald of Soldiers and the Bearer of Agonies. Associated with the number Tanat (9), the essence Talus, and the attributes Dependable and Resourceful. He is patron of the Order of Stonewards. Unlike the others, he wasn't a king, general or famous scholar prior to becoming a Herald. He's also the only Herald not to abandon the Oathpact at the Aharietiam, as he was dead at the time; as a result, he'd spent the past four and a half thousand years being tortured in Braize.
:Surges: Cohesion, Tension
:Other names: Talenelat'Elin (Vorinism), Talmut-son-God (Shinovar), Tuk (Tukar), Taln (nickname)
:Status: alive; on Braize.
==== Ishar ====
Known as the Herald of Luck, and, earlier, the Binder of Gods. Associated with the number Ishi (10), the essence Sinew, and the attributes Pious and Guiding. He is patron of the Order of Bondsmiths.
:Surges: Tension, Adhesion
:Other names: Ishi'Elin (Vorinism), Ishu-son-God (Shinovar), Tashi, Tezim (Tukar)
:Status: alive; on Braize.
=== The New Herald === 
==== Kaladin ====
Known as the Herald of Kings, Herald of the Wind, and Herald of Second Chances, he replaced Jezrien after his death to restore the Oathpact.
:Surges: Adhesion, Gravitation
:Other names: Stormblessed
:Status: alive; on Braize.
== Official depictions ==
Unlike most other characters, the Heralds have official depictions of them in the Stormlight Archive. Those are said to be in-universe artwork, and as such, they're not entirely accurate. Four of them can be found at the beginning and end of Oathbringer, four more are present in Rhythm of War, with the final two being present in Wind and Truth.
Jezrien Endpage.jpg | by Howard Lyon Jezrien
The Next Ideal.png | by Kaladin
Nale Endsheet.png | by Nale
Chanarach Endsheet.png | by Chanarach
Vedel_Endpage.jpg | by Howard Lyon Vedel
Pailiah Endsheet.png | by Pralla
Shalash Endsheet.jpg | by Dan dos Santos Shalash
Battar Endsheet.jpeg | by Battar
Kalak Endsheet.png | by Kalak
Taln Endsheet.jpg | by Donato Giancola Talenel
Ishar Endsheet.jpg | by Dan dos Santos Ishar
== Trivia ==
* In The Way of Kings Prime, the Heralds reincarnated by taking the body of a Rosharan, similar to the Fused, but this is no longer how they return.
* Also in The Way of Kings Prime, the Heralds were capable of sensing the location of the Honorblades, although that ability appears to have been dropped when the story changed into its current form.
* The portraits of the Heralds used in chapter arches each have their own title in Dragonsteel Entertainment's files:
* The Heralds are some of the oldest beings in the cosmere, apart from Hoid, the original Vessels, and some of the dragons.
== Notes ==
 
category: list articles
category:Cognitive Shadows
es: Heraldo