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Expand the article greatly; it's probably close to complete now, though I'm not quite confident to tag it as complete
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(Expand the article greatly; it's probably close to complete now, though I'm not quite confident to tag it as complete) |
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|universe=[[Cosmere]]
|books=[[The Stormlight Archive]]
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'''Truthless''' is the lowest caste division amongst the people of [[Shinovar]]. A Truthless is a slave to anyone who holds his Oathstone. A Truthless is no longer bound by the tenets of his faith, but rather is obligated to obey the commands of his master in all things except for taking his own life, and, in the case of [[Szeth-son-son-Vallano]], giving up his [[Shardblade]].{{book ref|twok|i|3}} To be made a Truthless is possibly the worst punishment for a Shin, for one would have to bear the guilt of all the deeds that he/she is commanded to do.▼
|I am Truthless. I do as my master requires, and I do not ask for an explanation.
|Szeth, regarding his oath{{book ref|sa2|I|14}}
}}
The '''Truthless''' are the lowest social class among the people of [[Shinovar]]. The underlying meaning of the word "Truthless" is similar to "liar", but not quite the same.{{wob ref|12620}}
▲
Being named Truthless is used as a terrible punishment by the Shin.{{book ref|sa1|71}} Truthless have to bear the guilt of all the deeds that they are commanded to do -- even though they must obey their masters, they are not absolved of the guilt of their actions, as outsiders commonly believe they are.{{book ref|sa1|71}} Being prohibited from taking their own lives is part of the punishment as well, as it helps extend their suffering as long as possible.{{book ref|sa1|i|3}}
== Becoming Truthless ==
The leaders of the Shin can name someone Truthless as punishment for a fundamental betrayal of their people.{{wob ref|8847}} Szeth is named Truthless after making a claim that the [[Voidbringers]] and [[Knights Radiant]] will return to [[Roshar]], which the leaders of the Shin consider to be a dangerous lie.{{book ref|sa2|i|14}} He is also equipped with [[Jezrien]]'s [[Honorblade]], though that is a special case and not usually done.{{wob ref|5089}} While he is Truthless, the Stone Shamans of Shinovar intend come to reclaim his Blade after he dies.{{book ref|twok|i|6}}
When Szeth discovers that the claim for which he was called a liar and made Truthless is actually true, he begins to think of himself as never having been Truthless at all and stops following the rules accordingly.{{book ref|sa2|88}} This may indicate that it is generally possible to have one's Truthless status retracted, though that is not certain, given that he makes that decision unilaterally and is in a somewhat unstable mental state by that time.
== Oathstones ==
Each Truthless has an Oathstone assigned to them; whoever holds it becomes their master and the Truthless is required to strictly obey their orders.{{book ref|sa1|i|3}} Despite the absoluteness with which Szeth obeys his masters, Oathstones have no magic properties; it is solely a sense of honor that holds Truthless to their orders.{{book ref|sa3|92}}{{wob ref|5726}}
Szeth's Oathstone, the only known one so far, is a plain chunk of rock, about the size of a [[Spheres|sphere]], that contains embedded quartz crystals and a visible iron vein;{{book ref|sa1|i|3}} it is not known how Oathstones look in general.{{wob ref|3253}}
When a Truthless knows that their Oathstone is unheld, they are required to retrieve it and then stand quietly in place until someone interacts with them.{{book ref|sa1|i|3}} If their Oathstone were destroyed, a Truthless might try to put the pieces back together, switch their devotion to the object that destroyed it, or return to Shinovar to get a new one;{{wob ref|11361}} if a person consumed it, they might treat that person as their master.{{wob ref|11472}}
Shin warriors are traded by means of stones that are very similar to Oathstones.{{wob ref|9754}}
== Notes ==
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