The Dink Network

And don't get me started with Roran... if you recall the first book, Galbatorix is described as going on such a quest for vengence of his so-called friends, and ended up destroying order as we know it. While Roran's character may not have been demurred as such, he has become cold and fanatical... in other words, a zealot to his own cause, almost begging to be a martyr.

Not all who go on such quests turn out like Galbatorix. In the Sword of Truth books Richard often goes on quests on righteous wrath (especially when people kidnap his love, Kahlan), but throughout the series Richard remains a hero and does not go the way Galbatorix did. Also Galbatorix started from a level of selfishness and self-interest gone too far that Roran did not. Roran has what is described in the Sword of Truth as one of the most rational and most dangerous things: righteous wrath. Roran does not want to be a matyr. He wants the one he loves back, just like Richard did when he used a powerful spell to kill thousands of Imperial Order troops in one go when they blocked his access to Kahlan. Note they were evil men anyway. To want the person you want back is not vengance. It's love.