Day of Recreance
The Day of Recreance was the final act of the Knights Radiant. They abandoned their Shardblades and left their duties. For a long time it was unknown why this happened, but after the key to Dawnchant was deciphered, it was revealed that the Recreance occurred because the Knights discovered that the Listeners where not, in fact, the original Voidbringer's, invading the human lands, but that the humans were the Voidbringers, who had invaded Roshar, and destroyed its native inhabitants, the Dawnsingers, or Listeners. When the Knights found out that the humans had invaded Roshar because they destroyed their previous home with surgebinding, and that Honor had been hiding this from them, they renounced their vows and unbound their Nahel Bonds in an attempt to preserve this world.
It is implied in one of the epigraphs to Words of Radiance that not all ten orders took part, but that one order hid themselves away instead:
“ This act of great villainy went beyond the impudence which had hitherto been ascribed to the orders; as the fighting was particularly intense at this time, many attributed this act to a sense of inherent betrayal; and after they withdrew, about two thousand made assault upon them, destroying much of the membership; but this was only nine of the ten, as one said they would not abandon their arms and flee, but instead entertained great subterfuge at the expense of the other nine. ”
— Words of Radiance, Chapter 38, page 20[1]
This was later confirmed to be the Order of Skybreakers.
In one of Dalinar's visions.
“ "They are the first," the Radiant said, turning to Dalinar.
Dalinar recognized the depth of that voice. It was the voice that always spoke to him in these visions. "They were the first, and they were also the last."
"Is this the Day of Recreance?" Dalinar asked.
"These events will go down in history," the Radiant said. "They will be infamous. You will have many names for what happened here."
"But why?" Dalinar asked. "Please. Why did they abandon their Duty?"
The figure seemed to study him. "I have said that I cannot be of much help to you. The night of Sorrows will come, and the True Desolation. The Everstorm."
"Then answer my questions!" Dalinar said.
"Read the Book. Unite them."
"The Book? The Way of Kings?"
The figure turned and walked from him, joining the other Radiants as they crossed the stone plain, walking toward places unknown.”
Speculation
“ Ten orders. We were loved, once. Why have you forsaken us, Almighty! Shard of my soul, where have you gone? ”
It is speculated that the Day of Recreance was actually the day when Odium vanquished Honor, the Almighty, Splintering him. This caused all Knights Radiant to lose the connection that they had, possibly through their Spren. Believing that they had been abandoned, they lost all hope and abandoned their duties.
Notes
| Day of Recreance |
|---|