Hearthebeard

I'm also not certain that Kelsier is the Dawnshard, but I think it has either been used on him to command him to survive (which is part of why he didn't go beyond to be with Mare) or it is calling to him and he what we've seen is just foreshadowing that he will be. In regards to Preservation, I think there is certainly some reason that the Shards have not gobbled up the Dawnshards. There must be some realmatic explanation - either they can't hold them and the shard, or they can't use them/see them/something. Rysn also has to make all these vows about not accruing other investiture.

That all tracks to me. The main issue I would have is that if there was a dawnshard hidden on Scadrial or possessed by Kelsier it seems like Harmony would be very interested in that, and so far he seems to be focusing on some other things. I guess Lost Metal might open our eyes to some stuff. Also, this stuff with Kelsier is not so different than Dalinar and Unite and we seem a little early in the Cosmere storyline to have three of the four dawnshards visible and in possession of viewpoint characters. Then again there's a reason Scadrial and Roshar are at the heart of the narrative. Also we don't really know what being/holding a dawnshard really means or does for a character. Also, if Kelsier is Survive/Persist you might think his interactions with Hoid might have hinted at that. Though maybe that's why Hoid could punch him.

I think all the survive language leans more toward a Command - like a dawnshard - especially because Persist/Survive seems like a corollary to Change that Rysn holds. In the end, Ambition and autonomy connect well with both Kelsier and this thematic command to survive. Though there's also the shard that Brandon has stated is just out to survive. I can't help but think Thaidakar is gonna get tangled in all this stuff.

I'm still of the mind that Preservation gave Kelsier a Dawnshard, Survive, I'm not sure what this means for his personal ambitions - but I wonder if this would grant him some kinship with Shards that have associated intents. Like Autonomy? I don't want Kelsier to be in league with Trell because I like Harmony, but if Trell really is Autonomy I could see Kelsier liking that intent alot.

Here's my deal with Shallan. I don't get too enamored with her as a character, she's somewhat self-absorbed but not in a way that's written as a flaw to deepen her character but more in an aloof/naive the world is her playpen style. To me this doesn't jive with the tragedy in her past. However, I love her chapters because she's an analyst. In her chapters we get details and revelations that the other characters simply walk past or would never think about. I think I have learned more about Roshar from Shallan's chapters than the rest combined. Which is fantastic, because I always read fantasy series for the world more than the characters.

Well hello fellow Roshar...ians? Rosharites?, My name is Hearthebeard and I have just finished Way of Kings and Words of Radiance at a blistering pace, though that is all of Sanderson's work that I have read. I love the mythos of this world, though just from perusing this site, it is evident that much more information about this universe is available in his other books. Which should I read? And in what order? Life before Death, Radiants.