Day of Recreance
The Day of Recreance was the final act of the Knights Radiant. They abandoned their Shardblades and Shardplate and left their duties, killing their spren. 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 Final generation of Knights discovered that the singers, or parsh as they were called at the time, were the original inhabitants of Roshar. The first Voidbringers were Humans, who displaced the ancient Dawnsingers after destroying their original home.
It is implied in an excerpt from Words of Radiance that not all ten orders took part, but that one order hid themselves away instead:This was later confirmed to be the Order of Skybreakers.[1]
Cause
The Knights Radiant somehow discovered that surgebinding had destroyed the world humankind first inhabited and humans then invaded the singer's land. When previous generation had learned this fact, Honor had counseled them that their cause was just. During the generation of the Recreance, Honor was deteriorating for an unknown reason and did not do so. Instead, he raved about the dawnshards, ancient weapons responsible for the destruction of the Tranquiline Halls, and promised the Radiants they would also destroy Roshar. In order to save the world, nine orders decided to give up their powers so that Roshar wouldn't be destroyed like their first world was. [2]
Quotes
“ 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[3]
“ "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.”
Notes
| Day of Recreance |
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