The Shattered Plains
The battlefield east of the Alethi warcamps, now revealed by Shallan's matched fragments of maps to be a cymatic pattern radiating from a broken central city — Stormseat — whose Oathgate (per the Vorin scholars) lies at the centre. The plateaus and chasms are the wave-figure standing-pattern of a strike at that point in ancient times. SA:WoR:Ch 71
A distant battlefield where the king's real war is fought against the Parshendi in vengeance for the murder of King Gavilar. Soldiers good enough to be sent there see it as a promotion to a real war. SA:WoK:Ch 1 superseded at SA:WoR:Ch 71
Known facts
- topographyA vast riven plain of rock, split and cut by sheer chasms twenty or thirty feet wide that disappear into darkness — like a platter broken and reassembled with small gaps between fragments.SA:WoK:Ch 4
- rim-warcampsThe ten craterlike formations along the western rim of the Shattered Plains are the settled warcamps of the Alethi highprinces — Kaladin arrives inside Sadeas's.SA:WoK:Ch 6
- siege-strategyDalinar's original siege plan: pin the Parshendi against the impassable eastern spires and starve them out. He had not anticipated the gemhearts — the chrysalises turned the war into a competitive sport between the highprinces.SA:WoK:Ch 15
- plateau-tradePlateaus close to the Alethi side are bought and sold between highprinces. By agreement, a highprince cannot cross a plateau maintained by another without permission — which determines who has the best paths to the contested centre and who carries the watch-post and bridge-maintenance cost.SA:WoK:Ch 23
- traces-of-an-old-built-structure-buried-under-cremOn a plateau far out from the Kholin warcamp, Shallan coaxes Adolin into shearing the top off a peculiar rock formation with his Shardblade. The cross-section reveals quarried white stone inside ordinary cremstone — meaning a structure once stood here long enough ago that centuries of highstorm crem have buried it.SA:WoR:Ch 68
- arrayed-in-a-cymatic-pattern-around-a-broken-central-cityFrom two plateaus' worth of sketching, Shallan sees that the plateaus repeat symmetrically across the Plains — they are a cymatic pattern, the kind sand traces on a struck plate. At the centre once stood a city; something turned its stone to sand, and the highstorms hollowed out the cracks between, leaving the plateaus. She can map almost the whole thing from her memory of Kholin maps, and locate the Oathgate at its heart.SA:WoR:Ch 71
- site-of-a-built-and-broken-tenth-cityThe Shattered Plains are revealed to be the ruins of a deliberately built city — a tenth Oathgate site raised by a pre-Radiant human nation in the era around the founding of Urithiru and the rise of Nohadon, using Surges without the Radiant structure. *Stone went haywire* when *the new gods came*, and Honor himself broke the city at the same time the Heralds vanished at Aharietiam.SA:WaT:Ch 60
- contains-fourth-moon-stoneThe stones tell Venli that the heart of the Shattered Plains still holds alien rock from *the fourth moon — now dead, now fallen* — *stone that is not quite stone*, the buried thing the singers and pre-Radiant humans were drawn to and which still calls her to the centre.SA:WaT:Ch 60
- shattered-plains-fall-and-oathgate-locked-offThe coalition abandons the Shattered Plains in a staged rout: Venli's chasmfiends break the wall, the human troops retreat through the Oathgate to Urithiru, and the mechanism is locked from the human side to keep El's army from following. The plateau goes to Odium for the first time since the Knights' return — by design.SA:WaT:Ch 118
- shattered-plains-fell-during-the-contest-windowWord reaches the saferoom in Azimir in the small hours of Day Ten: the Shattered Plains — where the coalition had stationed most of its Radiants — have fallen to the enemy, with Sigzil down (alive but without a spren) and Leyten and Deti dead. the Mink never reached Herdaz in time, bogged down fighting to reach the capital. The defense failed on every front Jasnah had warned was *of the ten fools.*SA:WaT:Ch 126
Backreferences
- summarySA:DS:Ch 6
- summarySA:DS:Ch 14
- summarySA:ED:Ch 9
- summaryMB2:TLM:Ch 51
- summarySA:OB:Prologue
- summarySA:OB:Ch 1
- summarySA:OB:Ch 2
- summarySA:OB:Ch 5
- summarySA:OB:Ch 8
- summarySA:OB:Ch 9
- factTallan
- summarySA:OB:Ch 10
- summarySA:OB:Ch 12
- factNalma
- summarySA:OB:Ch 20
- summarySA:OB:Ch 22
- summarySA:OB:Ch 31
- summarySA:OB:Ch 34
- summarySA:OB:Ch 35
- factDemid
- summarySA:OB:Ch 40
- factGift
- factStar
- factKuma'tiki
- factBeautiful Song
- factRock the younger
- summarySA:OB:Ch 48
- summarySA:OB:Ch 50
- factJasalai
- summarySA:OB:Ch 54
- factLeshwi
- factLeshwi
- summarySA:OB:Ch 55
- summarySA:OB:Ch 58
- summarySA:OB:Ch 60
- summarySA:OB:Ch 61
- summarySA:OB:Ch 62
- summarySA:OB:Ch 67
- summarySA:OB:Ch 69
- summarySA:OB:Ch 70
- summarySA:OB:Ch 74
- summarySA:OB:Ch 83
- summarySA:OB:Ch 100
- summarySA:OB:Ch 104
- summarySA:OB:Ch 105
- summarySA:OB:Ch 107
- summarySA:OB:Ch 112
- factMourn's Vault
- summarySA:OB:Ch 122
- summarySA:RoW:Ch 3
- summarySA:RoW:Ch 4
- summarySA:RoW:Ch 5
- summarySA:RoW:Ch 9
- summarySA:RoW:Ch 10
- factNarak
- summarySA:RoW:Ch 20
- factBeryl
- factIalai's Journal
- summarySA:RoW:Ch 27
- summarySA:RoW:Ch 38
- summarySA:RoW:Ch 45
- factthe First-Rhythm Family
- factthe listeners
- factthe listeners
- summarySA:RoW:Ch 46
- summarySA:RoW:Ch 48
- factthe listeners
- summarySA:RoW:Ch 52
- factVenli
- factthe listeners
- factAxindweth
- summarySA:RoW:Ch 57
- factStormwagon
- factHusal
- factKeeper of Songs
- factthe listeners
- factthe Living-Songs Family
- summarySA:RoW:Ch 73
- summarySA:RoW:Ch 79
- summarySA:RoW:Ch 81
- summarySA:RoW:Ch 92
- factthe listeners
- summarySA:RoW:Ch 96
- summarySA:RoW:Ch 102
- summarySA:RoW:Ch 109
- factLeshwi
- factThude
- summarySA:RoW:Epilogue
- summarySA:WoK:Ch 1
- factGavilar Kholin
- summarySA:WoK:Ch 4
- summarySA:WoK:Ch 6
- factThe Shattered Plains
- factBridge Four
- factSadeas's warcamp
- factGemheart
- summarySA:WoK:Ch 11
- factDalinar Kholin
- factChasmfiend
- factChasmfiend
- factThe Tranquiline Halls
- factQueen Aesudan
- factAladar
- summarySA:WoK:Ch 18
- factNatanatan
- summarySA:WoK:Ch 23
- factThe Gallery of Maps
- factThe Prime Map
- factThe Tower
- factThe Tower
- summarySA:WoK:Ch 27
- factChasm duty
- summarySA:WoK:Ch 71
- summarySA:WoK:Ch 72
- summarySA:WoK:Ch 74
- summarySA:WoK:Epilogue
- summarySA:WaT:Ch 4
- summarySA:WaT:Ch 15
- summarySA:WaT:Ch 20
- factSigzil
- summarySA:WaT:Ch 21
- summarySA:WaT:Ch 23
- summarySA:WaT:Ch 30
- summarySA:WaT:I-3
- factEl
- summarySA:WaT:Ch 34
- summarySA:WaT:Ch 37
- factAdolin Kholin
- summarySA:WaT:Ch 39
- factKappak
- factGerenor
- factIsalor
- factTalenel
- factTalmut's Honorblade
- summarySA:WaT:Ch 47
- factNarak Prime
- factNarak Two
- factBridge Four
- summarySA:WaT:Ch 52
- summarySA:WaT:Ch 54
- summarySA:WaT:Ch 55
- factKo
- factZumble
- summarySA:WaT:Ch 56
- factLeshwi
- factthe listeners
- factThe Song of the Beasts
- summarySA:WaT:Ch 58
- factChasmfiend
- summarySA:WaT:Ch 60
- factThe Shattered Plains
- factThe Shattered Plains
- summarySA:WaT:Ch 61
- summarySA:WaT:Ch 63
- summarySA:WaT:Ch 67
- factMoash
- factElsegate
- factWeiss
- summarySA:WaT:Ch 72
- factThundercloud
- summarySA:WaT:Ch 73
- factJasnah Kholin
- factMoelach
- factDeti
- summarySA:WaT:Ch 78
- factJasnah Kholin
- summarySA:WaT:Ch 89
- factJasnah Kholin
- summarySA:WaT:Ch 90
- summarySA:WaT:Ch 101
- factVenli
- summarySA:WaT:Ch 103
- factLeyten
- summarySA:WaT:Ch 105
- factVenli
- summarySA:WaT:Ch 112
- summarySA:WaT:Ch 118
- factThe Shattered Plains
- summarySA:WaT:Ch 119
- summarySA:WaT:Ch 121
- summarySA:WaT:Ch 126
- factThe Shattered Plains
- summarySA:WaT:Ch 127
- factBridge Four
- factAdolin's Shardplate
- summarySA:WaT:Ch 137
- factThe Five
- summarySA:WaT:Ch 142
- summarySA:WaT:Ch 145
- summarySA:WaT:Ch 146
- factOlo
- summarySA:WoR:Ch 1
- summarySA:WoR:Ch 5
- summarySA:WoR:Ch 6
- factUrithiru
- factWind's Pleasure
- summarySA:WoR:Ch 8
- factYenev
- summarySA:WoR:Ch 9
- summarySA:WoR:Ch 11
- factShallan Davar
- summarySA:WoR:Ch 12
- factAmaram
- summarySA:WoR:Ch 13
- factBrightlady Istow
- summarySA:WoR:Ch 15
- summarySA:WoR:Ch 16
- summarySA:WoR:Ch 20
- factShallan Davar
- factVathah
- factYix
- summarySA:WoR:Ch 21
- factBluth
- factMacob
- summarySA:WoR:Ch 23
- summarySA:WoR:Ch 24
- factOdium
- factTyn
- factRed
- factFarcoast
- factBethab
- factChrysalis
- summarySA:WoR:Ch 28
- summarySA:WoR:Ch 30
- summarySA:WoR:Ch 31
- summarySA:WoR:Ch 34
- factTyn
- summarySA:WoR:Ch 35
- factNavani Kholin
- summarySA:WoR:Ch 36
- factShallan Davar
- factAdolin Kholin
- factRelis Ruthar
- summarySA:WoR:Ch 38
- factDalinar Kholin
- summarySA:WoR:Ch 39
- summarySA:WoR:Ch 40
- factSebarial
- factPalona
- factSebarial's warcamp
- factKaladin
- summarySA:WoR:Ch 43
- summarySA:WoR:Ch 47
- factShallan Davar
- summarySA:WoR:Ch 49
- summarySA:WoR:Ch 50
- summarySA:WoR:Ch 51
- factDalinar Kholin
- summarySA:WoR:Ch 52
- factKaladin
- factAmaram
- factAmaram
- factHelaran Davar
- summarySA:WoR:Ch 54
- summarySA:WoR:Ch 55
- summarySA:WoR:Ch 58
- summarySA:WoR:Ch 60
- factShallan Davar
- factStormseat
- factEpoch Kingdoms
- summarySA:WoR:Ch 63
- factBordin
- factBordin
- factHonorblade
- factDalinar Kholin
- summarySA:WoR:Ch 68
- factKaladin
- factThe bridge saboteur
- summarySA:WoR:Ch 70
- factShallan Davar
- summarySA:WoR:Ch 71
- summarySA:WoR:Ch 74
- summarySA:WoR:Ch 75
- factDalinar Kholin
- factShallan Davar
- summarySA:WoR:Ch 76
- factAladar
- factSebarial
- summarySA:WoR:Ch 77
- summarySA:WoR:Ch 79
- summarySA:WoR:Ch 80
- factDalinar Kholin
- summarySA:WoR:Ch 81
- factShallan Davar
- factLyn
- factAttractor Fabrial
- summarySA:WoR:Ch 83
- factThe Everstorm
- factOathgates
- factSzeth-son-son-Vallano
- factThe Everstorm
- factKaladin
- summarySA:WoR:Ch 85
- factKaladin
- factRoion
- factSzeth-son-son-Vallano
- factOathgates
- factThe Stormfather
- summarySA:WoR:Ch 87
- factHonorblade
- factKaladin
- summarySA:WoR:Ch 88
- factSzeth-son-son-Vallano
- factThe Everstorm