Taravangian
| House / Order | Formerly mortal; later a Shard |
|---|---|
| Race / Culture | Karbranthian (Rosharan human); later a Vessel of Odium |
| Status | Ascended (holds the Shard of Odium) |
| Origin | Kharbranth; Jah Keved; Roshar |
| Born | Kharbranth |
| Died | Mortal life ends in Rhythm of War (ascends as a Shard) |
| Weapon | Intellect; the Diagram; the power of Odium |
| Fate | Murders the previous Vessel and ascends to hold the Shard of Odium, renaming it Passion |
| Portrayed by |
Taravangian is one of the most significant and morally complex figures in The Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson. Outwardly a kindly, slow-witted old king of Kharbranth famous for building hospitals for the poor, he is secretly the mastermind behind the Diagram -- a sprawling, predictive conspiracy -- and the orchestrator of countless deaths, all justified by his belief that he alone can save humanity. In Rhythm of War he ascends to become the new holder of the Shard of Odium.
Taravangian embodies the series' central question of ends and means: a man who genuinely loves humanity and commits monstrous acts in its name.
Background
Taravangian was king of the small, scholarly city-state of Kharbranth. Fearing the coming Desolation and doubting that anyone else would do what was necessary, he sought a boon from the Nightwatcher -- and was instead granted one by Cultivation: each day he wakes with a different balance of intelligence and compassion. On his most brilliant days he is a cold, transcendent genius (but nearly without empathy); on his most compassionate days he is gentle but dull. The price is that he can never have both at once.
Biography
The Diagram
On a single day of supreme, terrible genius, Taravangian wrote the Diagram -- an interconnected web of predictions and instructions covering his palace walls, intended to guide humanity through the coming apocalypse. Acting on it, he established the Diagram organization, employed the Assassin in White (Szeth) to murder kings across Roshar (including Gavilar Kholin) in a bid to destabilize and unite the world under a survivable order, and even arranged mercy-killings and culls justified by cold calculation.
Words of Radiance and Oathbringer
Taravangian seizes the throne of Jah Keved and maneuvers within Dalinar's coalition while secretly working against it per the Diagram. As the Voidbringers return, the Diagram's predictions begin to fail, forcing him to improvise. He betrays the coalition by making a secret bargain with Odium.
Rhythm of War
Bound to Odium by his bargain, Taravangian schemes relentlessly. When Odium's Vessel, Rayse, is killed by Kelek/another party, Taravangian -- in a stunning turn -- takes up the Shard himself, ascending to godhood as the new holder of Odium, which he renames Passion. His vast mortal cunning now married to a Shard's power makes him the series' preeminent threat.
Wind and Truth
As the new Odium, Taravangian drives the contest of champions against Dalinar Kholin that decides the fate of Roshar, his human history and his divine power combining into a uniquely dangerous adversary.
Character
Taravangian is defined by paradox: profound love of humanity expressed through atrocity, and brilliance unmoored from compassion. He believes himself uniquely burdened to do the unthinkable so others need not. His variable condition means the same man can be saint or monster from one day to the next, and he is haunted by the things his "smart" self orders done. He is both deeply sympathetic and genuinely horrifying.
Powers and abilities
In mortal life Taravangian's only "power" was his mind, sharpened to superhuman heights on his peak days, plus the resources of two kingdoms and the Diagram's predictive genius. Upon ascending he wields the full power of the Shard of Odium -- a god of passion, hatred, and destruction -- able to influence emotions, empower the Fused, and shape events across Roshar, constrained chiefly by the rules and oaths that bind the Shards.
Relationships
- Szeth -- the Assassin in White, whose Oathstone he held and whom he directed to kill kings.
- Odium / Rayse -- the Shard he first bargained with and ultimately supplanted.
- Dalinar Kholin -- his ally turned ultimate adversary.
- Mrall and Adrotagia -- his caretakers and fellow keepers of the Diagram.
Quotes
A man's accomplishments do not excuse his crimes. But a man's crimes do not erase his accomplishments either.
I would trade my soul for a hundred thousand lives. I have already done so.