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I was under the impression that in that very moment Shallan was hardly in the state to stop and take a careful count. The realization that the murals seem to depict spren for each of the orders would come even from a vague impression that the murals are somewhat around 10. Because it just makes sense, that a sanctum sanctorum of the Radiants would depict representatives from the so important partners of the bonds. Shallan's realization, that the murals depict spren for each order does not come from the first moment. She first has to see that there are depictions of Cryptics and Windrunner's spren. And only after that she sees the pattern. Probably counting the “traditional depiction of the Almighty” in the number of spren too, because she knows at least something about Dalinar's spren, even if not seeing the Stormfather herself. The first glance at the “traditional depiction” was just first glance, when the cultural prejudice will be strongest and Shallan will see what a Rosharan of Vorin upbringing would see. Saying that, I agree that your point weakens a bit this interpretation of mine. But still, if the murals really depict spren for each of the orders, as Shallan is guessing (and it actually makes sense), then the Stormfather's depiction must be among them (in Urithiru they should know, so, unlike God's and Herald's of long past, the spren's depicton should be right). I don't believe there will be something more Stormfather-like than the “traditional depiction” Shallan mentions. And that leaves the tree-woman and the figure falling into the pool mixed up with the known spren named Stormfather. paperstones, bo.montier, my main point was, that these 3 images were mixed up with the depictions of prime spren. And the Bond-making spren are something every Radiant would be very aware of, how they look. So it makes sense for the 3 special Bondsmiths' spren to be there also. And they are special enough to be visibly different from the usual prime spren thus earning mention.

Is it possible, that Shallan is meant to go in her fight with her trauma not on the way of catharsis, but by sublimation? After all isn't sublimation what Freud most often considered in connection to Art as such? While catharsis… Shallan already had many occasions when her circumstances literally shrieked in demand for a catharsis, e.g. when she was appalled by Jasnah killing the foodpads, or when she realised what Kabsal did to her. It was not her way however to experience catharsis. Instead she used the stress to improvise some new decision, and after that the trauma was not cleansed by catharsis, but Shallan moved in such a state, that the stress stopped to be traumatic for her. So, sublimation vs catharsis: is it feasible?

I see, that everybody seems to identify the three figures on the walls as depictions of Honor, Cultivation and *ahem* Somebody Else. However it's only part of the murals, and the rest of them are specifically spren-themed. In fact the rest of them are to be the types of spren, that make bonds with Knight Radiants: Cryptics, Windspren and… the Stormfather. Yes, unsurpisingly he is there on the murals: “Depictions of the Almighty in his traditional form as a cloud bursting with energy and light” - exactly the image of the Stormfather. That means that the “woman in the shape of a tree” seems to be how the Nightwatcher is looking. As Shallan thinks about “pagan symbols” just after mentioning the tree-shaped woman, there is apparently an widespread belief among the population of Roshar, depicting Cultivation in just this form, just like it's the popular belief that Honor looks like a “cloud bursting with energy and light”, that formed the Stormfather's image as such. It will mean that the Nightwatcher would be shaped by a corresponding belief. Now the third figure. We know that there are only 3 spren that make Bonds with Bondsmiths, and together with Stormfather and Nightwatcher it's most likely to find the image of the third Great Spren, who is also most likely the image of a god as believed by large enough percentage of Rosharians. And it's not Odium, since I cannot believe, that an Odium-shaped spren will be so much in the ranks of the Radiants. And in fact there is another significant religion on Roshar, we know about. The Iriali and their One. A religion that clearly refers to some significant worldhopping experience in the mythical past. Doesn't it strike anybody as quite fitting, that the One's depiction would coincide with the worldhopping image from the pool of Elantris?

Is Yelig-nar's name Legion? I mean, the general l-g-n consonant patern, and the "voice accompanied by the wails of those he consumed”, i.e. there are many inside a single posessed.

I would be very very dissapointed if Shallan did so. And I don't beieve she will. Because it is too much out of her character, too much against something she built in herself to amazing measure and proved several times under most horrible conditions. Shallan is extremely stubborn in her devotion, once she grows such. I don't know what should happen for her to "overreact" to a misstep from somebody, to whom she is comitted. And exaclty the comparison with her father is a proof against the option of her starting an angry fuss about Adolin's crime. The point is - she still feels compassion and devotion to her father. Even during the very process of killing her father she still feeled so. And not just some curious feeling eerily resembling devotion, mind you, noq it's a deep devotion (and the more it hurt her to kill him after all, after so many years desperately struggling to get him out of the hell he drove himself in, after sacrificing so much in thah fight). Or how much she still never lets anybody say anything bad about her mother, remember - the one who went to kill her own little daughter coldly denouncing her as a monster who never should have lived. She doesn't hate or curse a single time her parents, or even Kabsal or Tyn, to whom her affection was much more superficious, their assassination attempts notwithstandong. (And it's not because she cannot curse - she can be very inventive and passionate in this art to strangers who don't truly deserve it). She's just like that. One Adolin reminded her about her father, you say? Well, we do have another example of somebody who reminded her much more about her father - Nan Balat with his nice habit of torturing crabs. She's truly devoted to her brothers despite all their missgivings (which missgivings all three of them really do have). I say: exacty the comparison to her father can actually add deepness to Shallan's relationship to Adolin. Having in mind that in this comparison Adolin would appear rather good. Shallan had nothing against Heralan threatening her father with killning him, if you want a character witness. I do agree with Alexiel, that until now Shallan is lacking deepness in her relationship to Adolin, I agree that it could eventually lead to her dropping him. I also agree, that she might decide that Adolin the murderer is not exacly the man she would want as her beloved. But I disagree that it would happen as angry hysterical confrontation. More likely of Shallan it would be her feeling guilty quitting him, similar to how she felt uncomfortable quitting Kabsal. And, IMHO, I guess there would be better chances for her breaking with Adolin if this happens before the truth about Sadeas' death comes out. After that, I doubt Shallan will be blinded by Adolin's deed, and it would give a much needed for their relations opportunity for them to communitate about truly deep and serious matters (especially while Kaladin is conveniently away struggling with the impulse to let Roshone be literally struck by meeting a most beautiful and articulate young lady). The problem is that Dalinar is quite a particular loving father, and Shallan is quite a particular crush. Dalinar truly loves his son, and very deeply indeed, but Dalinar is too much of the conviction that personal happyness is lower in priority than honor. A Iunius Brutus reincarnate. Like all he didi to resist his feelings to Navani for all those years. And Adolin's deed is so much against the rules of honorable conduct he fought so much to bring into being. No, Dalinar will react very very bad. It will kill him to do so, but he will be exemplary harsh to Adolin for it. Everything in his way to behave untli now to his closest and beloved proves so.While Shallan has also a long story of reacting to very unpleasant loses of self-control by her closest relatives, and she invarianlty and far over the limits of endurance of an average person reacted with most astounding compassion. Judging from past behavior, she would most likely act like kari-no-sugata said (and yes, I would like that very much). And, even if I say this myself, I'm against Sadeas's murder acusing Shalan's breaking with Adolin, it's not because I'm generally in favor of the continuing of Shallan-Adolin ship. But it's because of how exacly this ship is to be broken. Similarilly, I would be very much against a number of hypothetical reasons for Adolin and Shallan going closer (e.g. if both grow to share taking with whole hearth the teachings of the Ghostbloods) - no matter how I would enjoy a relationship, it would be bad for it to happen in a dissapointing manner. And there are ways for the relationship Shallan - Adolin to break, I would like. E.g., based on how confronting Dalinar would mean confronting Adolin, I can imagine how Dalinar gets very harsh to Adolin and Shallan confronts passionately Dalinar because of it (I'm very much in agreement with kari-no-sugata, about it's being the most likely outcome), only for Adolin to ... rebuke his crush in defence of his father.

I see, I was wrong. mainly because I just couldn't imagine a single Radiant belonging to two Orders in same time, even if it's quite likely for one person to have character well matching the ideals of more than one Order. But still, this WoB is clear that a bonding of more han one living spren to a single person is something not easily to come. That would be definitely an exception. And surely just being of a character matching some spren's ideals doesn't mean htat person will be automatically sought for by other spren after the first bond. Else bonding the same Radiant by more of the same order of spren would be a commonplace, because a peson attracting one spren will of course attract more of the same kind.

Or, let phrase it so, the spren never tried to bond the Heralds, because the Heralds were already bound. Just like we never have seen a Knight Radiant being bound by two spren in the same time (well, there's no positive evidence about this, but I'd say it's unlikely an evidence of the contrary would turn up.) Doesn't the way Honorblades grant abilities look like the way larasium grants abilities. I mean the way the Shard is taking away part of his "body". And comparing the importance of oaths in the fuctioning of the Nahel Bond to the way holding the Honorblade by the Heralds is important for the Oathpact, it looks more and more likely that there was a bond between the Heralds and Honor very similar in many aspects to the Nahel bond. It would be quite matcing, if the Nahel bond itself was actually mimicking the Honor's bond to Heralds. For the spren to take the idea about bonding humans from the fact of the Heralds, the Heralds' situation has to be a similar bond itself, hasn't it? Which rises interesting questions about what was exactly the impact of breaking the Oathpact by the Heralds on Tanavast.

about Kaladin - the thing that stinks of supernatural grade ability is his fighting ability, but not all aspects of it. Such important aspect of fighting skill as reading the enemy and predicting his moves, is something that Kaladin doesn’t have at all in the beginning of his story and that he apparently got the hard way, by very long experience, like every veteran. When Kaladin encounters a differently behaving enemy he is still baffled at first and had to struggle to adapt. Neither does Kaladin have the instinct to detect and counter unexpected moves against him - another very important part of fighting skill. The fighting spirit is also something that has to come to him through him being utterly broken, but in Hearthstone and before Tien’s death he doesn’t express anything of it. It’s a very specific part of fighting art, that he is instinctively super-capable. And this specific capability has to be manifested also in non-fighting situations. One of his most astounding feats is how easy does Kaladin adapt to the suddenly changed speed and strength during toe very first battle he has to use it. Brandon is very aware how change in speed and strength causes problem to adapt - it’s perfectly shown many times regarding Shardbearers and their problems to adapt to their new speed and strength. Kaladin just does it, as if he used to move so his whole life. The same instinctive adaptability to very new for him conditions of movement is seen when he begins to run on walls and especially when he begins to fly. Szeth with all his experience, when his actions should be already in his muscle memory is calculating, how many lashing he will need for this or this move. Kaladin doesn’t need to calculate anything, he just knows how much force to apply and in what direction, and he copes even better if he doesn’t think of it at all. As if Kaladin is the more experienced one in this ability than Szeth. Another thing is how fast does Kaladin adapt to a new weapon, i.e. to new reach, shape, weight, balance. The normal thing here is that on will overbalance himself, will misjudge reach and momentum, normally a unusual weapon will do what it wants, not what you want it to do. But the very first time Kaladin gets a quarterstaff in his hands (and it’s the first weapon at all he wields) he knows exactly where the staff will land if he is swinging it or lunging with it, and most astoundingly, the staff really goes exactly where Kaladin wants it. And when Syl becomes a Shardplate, he is surprisingly well adapting to the changing length and shape of his weapon - he never used a sword before, and I doubt he trained with a halberd, but he uses Syl in these forms as efficiently as if he is expert in all these weapons, exactly when he is needing all that. His grace and balance - yes, he is surprisingly graceful the first time he is fighting on a boulder tumbling around through the sky. But there is no grace at all when he is on horseback. Because the horse is moving deliberately, and Kaladin needs experience as the next man to start feeling the horse’s intentions, but if the moving thing is moved by physical forces only, Kaladin is reading it instinctively. I guess Kaladin would cope surprisingly well on a ship during a storm too. Also Kaladin’s ability to assess the movement of many objects in the same time from all sides. Also in situations very new to him, like his chase after Szeth in the Highstorm with all the stuff flying around. As manipulation of gravitation is essentially intimate relations of directions of physical force (and dynamical changes of said directions), all aforementioned abilities of Kaladin could be defined as his instinctive ability to assess and apply of classical mechanics - such things as momentum, torque, moment of inertia etc.

Until now there was never mentioned a glyph meaning the Vorin faith as such. Some symbols are there - as the double-pupiled eye, that is known to be the ancient symbol of the Radiants, but still is considered a most holy image, despite the reputation of the Radiants. But it is not a glyph. Glyphs mean so much for the Vorin religion, prayers are written and ritualistically burned, glyphs are drawn for all kinds of protective mystic goals. How could it be, that there would be no widespread glyph for the Vorin main principle itself? What could the “Vorin” glyph be? Or since it’s not a sacred palindrome, as befits a meaning this symmetry-loving religion would of course try to apply to it’s self-identification, most likely the “Vorin” form is derivative from some more sacred root, like “vorov”, while the “-in” (or “-rin”) would be a suffix, so that the word “vorin” would mean “of the Vorov”. Or “of the Vov”. Or… if it’s like the Roman inscriptions, where ‘V’ stands often instead of ‘U’ too, could this glyph, in some another transcription (or in a different dialect) read probably “Uru”? My first guess about the possible meaning of the word „Vorin” was that it could be literally “Heraldic”. Because it’s the only known religion focused on the Heralds and claiming that it’s doctrine comes ultimately from the teachings of the Heralds. And aren’t usually religions describe themselves by the authority that gave them their teaching? However more than one Herald is referred with the (almost certainly) title “’elin” after their name, most significantly Talenel refers about himself as such “elin”, so most likely the word for “herald” is not “vorov” or “uru”, but exactly said “elin”. As the Vorin religion has a history of describing itself as pure against heresies, another possibility is for it, as some real-world religions, to name itself as the Genuine, or orthodox, or authentic faith, or some other synonym of that. What would be a most fetching synonym of this line for Roshar? What about the “Original” faith? Since it is supposed to be the teaching given by the Heralds, who for every Desolation had to take humankind from primitive state back to civilization, so there would be surely those who would claim, that no other doctrine could be more original, than the doctrine (supposedly) given by the Heralds. So the hypothesis: the word “vorin” meaning “of the Origin”. Interesting about the Origin, as it is most often referred, that it does represent not only the origin of the Highstorms, that bring the fertile rainwater and stormlight, but it’s coincidentally also the direction from where rises the other popular in mythologies symbol of Light and Fertility: the Sun comes from the same point the Highstorms come. I doubt the Vorin religion would fail to use this coincidence. One possible usage of the symbol of the Sun is the name chosen by the king Sunmaker, who brought down the Hierocracy and enforced the current canon of Vorinism. Sunmaker’s very difficult war against the Church was not anti-vorin, but Sunmaker promoted another, more true form of Vorinism. He needed a propaganda slogan against the priests. Obviously Sunmaker used the most often used in sacred wars for a reformation of a faith idea - that the bad church has corrupted the original form of the faith, and now it’s Sunmaker who brings the more original true form. So in his throne name he would likely chose something to proclaim his fight for the Original Faith. So now, in the Vorin kingdoms, where piety is so important in so many aspects of life, there must be widespread use of the symbols of this faith. Including the glyph for the faith itself. It must be very widespread. The most likely candidate for this glyph in my opinion is the famous Windrose. It has the royal place among the glyphs of the ten Alethi highprinces, even if it is quite unlikely to mean Alethkar as kingdom (else the king’s own glyph would be much more prominently associated with it). But Alethkar is a Vorin kingdom, and it takes the authority for the holiness of the current social order from Vorinism. So it makes lot of sense to place the Vorin symbol in the middle. In the depiction of Kharbranth we see the same “windrose” on the sail of one of the ships. Very much reminiscent of the big crosses on the sails of Columbus’ caravels. And what is more, on the same picture we have the same windrose depicted above the very top dome of the Conclave, like a rising sun. It’s exactly the place where the Highstorms are to come, because the lait of Kharbranth is oriented to give shelter against exactly this direction. Therefore it is the place the sun is to rise from too. To note here is that both of these images seem to be quite for the common public, and not some arcane and esoteric charts, so there should be nothing there uncommon or strange in the symbolics. Another interesting thing about the Origin, that it’s location is not so unambiguously certain as it could seem. Urithiru is said to be built where it’s built for the reason to be closer to the Origin. (By the way, could Urithiru be also named for being close to the Origin, literally “Origin-close city” or something?) And so it was built quite west of Alethkar. This means that for the more esoteric scholars the location of the Origin should be not just west of the continent, but otherwise. That must be the reason that the “windrose” could be placed on different locations on different maps. So on the map of Roshar by the Gavilar’s cartographer it is likely that the placement of the symbol will reflect some arcane knowledge from Gavilar himself, who had visions after all. The promiscuity of windroses of the Thaylen map IMO should mean most likely that they included for reference the different prime meridians, that might be in circulation in different lands. It’s like about the maps before 1884 in the realworld, when some maps were according to Greenwich, others according to Ferro meridian, or to Paris meridian, or to Antwerp meridian, so in few cases for surety there were references to more than one prime meridian.

Or "unmade" closer to the meaning of how spren go dead. After all the Unmade are suposed to be kind of Odium's spren. Very hihg-ranking but still. It would correspond to Shen's words abotu Parshendi's gods. And in this case the Unmade are not simply dead but "undead", eh?

@ Aminar Becoming a Radiants goes together with coping with issues, but killing one’s spren and stopping been a Radiant would ruin all the mental health work again. The Radiants in the Recreance scene seen by Dalinar look pretty heavily depressed, even if they should have learned to cope with it during their process of becoming Knights in the first place. Nothing strange here, since Radiants’ way to cope with their soul-cracks was by finding the purpose to live for, and once they forsake said purpose, what is left for them. The same should be valid for the Heralds too, but in a greater measure. They all obviously heroically endured a torture after torture between Desolation, so they had the strength to cope with tremendous inner pain. But what gave them this strength? Once they threw away their purpose, what would they use to fight against their cracks next? @hoser Jezrien was regal, yes. But Kaladin the squadleader was also looking regal in Cenn’s eyes. I mean, after Jezrien broke the oathpact and chose to remove himself from further communicating with people as Herald, for whom will be needed to be regal? If he chose to stop protecting, then how would his protection-oriented skills survive. I guess for Jezrien and Ishar (the spiritual leader) the breaking of the Oathpact would the most profoundly destroy the possibilities to cling to their past purpose. All the others could strive to find a reduced form of their past role. But what is a reduced form of a supreme leader? For what reason, for what excuse could Jezrien regain his regal posture? If he have nobody to inspire, what are his regal manners needed for? I’d say they will inevitably rust. Whom would Jezrien want to rule after breaking the Oathpact, and why? That Nalan’s comment about the drooling can be about the new Prime, is a valid point. It’s not necessary that Jezrien will come to literally drooling. Probably he could even find himself some odd group to patronize, who knows. But for him after the breaking of Oathpact, I’m too easily reminded of all the numerous dictators, who managed so energetically rule long long years, but after losing power suddenly succumb surprisingly fast to illness and depression. Nalan is corrupted enough, that I also wouldn’t be surprised at all in finding in him Odium’s influence. But I’m more interested of how one of Honor’s own and most trusted could gradually come to the state we see him now. It couldn’t be for him to simply changing sides. I believe his process of despair could explain the long evolution to the state he becomes obviously evil now. And it’s a good idea of Vedel being broken by distracting herself by a increasingly insignificant tasks. Up to doting on stuffed toys. That could be even one of the ways of what I tried above to define as finding excuses to not listen.

No, only some Blades are double-edged. remember how often Adolin is shown resting the blunt side of his Blade to his Plate. Most importantly the left fighter on the fechtbuch and Adolin (#4) bear definitely single-egded Blades. And yes, my votes are represented correctly in the table. Save I'm not sure about the Stonestance, but let say #5 looks the most likely.

The Midnight Mother reminds too much of the Midnight form of the listeners. Even if Deadrattle is foretelling, it doesn't mean it will be the only voidish foretelling-related entity. Especially if the Unmade would have two anti-surges each like the Radiants. The Deadrattle seems to appear only in a specific situation, most likely brought by the infamous deathspren. While Odium would certainly need for his minions another way of prophecy, not necessarily once in a life, but on demand.

Please bear with me, I'm around here from too soon a time, while the main material to base upon here is from WoK and likely was discussed and dissected a lot. Now for me the first interpretation for the rear endsheet of WoK, for the first glance more likely than the more exotic voidish interpretation, would depicting rather a diagram of Spren politics in Shadesmar. So, please, is there strong evidence against the Spren Politics interpretation so that we have to move to a more exotic reading? Because it seems... well, after all the color scheme and especially the frame with the woman dressed as Vorin lighteye matches exactly the map of Shadesmar. The coloring matches in the same time the feeling of strange twilight in Shadesmar, and the colors of the gems associated with the 3 orders of Radiants particularly responsible for contacts with Shadesmar - zircon, garnet and amethyst. The glyphs correspond well to the glyphs of the Radiants diagram, because spren are what make the difference between the orders, and therefore spren peoples and orders must correspond exactly and there is good reasons for them to be described by the same glyph. It seems, that the glyphs are exactly the same to those in the Radiants diagram, but in a different calligraphic style. Such difference can be seen e.g. between the both variations of the "bridge four" glyph - on the badge, and the element in the tattoo. The style in the tattoo seems to be rather in the style used in the rear endsheet. (by the way the glyph on the endsheet corresponding to Dustbringers is the same as the glyph in the four corners of the frame of the Kharbranth illustration. Since Kharbranth is ancient city proud for heritage from a Silver Kingdom, and the Silver kingdoms were associated with different Heralds and orders, there is a reason for Kharbranth to be historically symbolized by a Radiant glyph, but I don't see a reason for a voidish symbol to be there.) The lightnings between the glyphs - Honorspren have a tension with the Cryptics, and obviously with their Stormfather, who is a Bondsmith's spren. And also Syl mentioned being not a highspren almost in the tone as for being not a cryptic. And we see lightnings connecting honorspren with cryptics, highspren and Bondsmith's spren. Lightning is a pretty good symbol for tension. So why isn't the endsheet a depiction of the relation between the peoples of Shadesmar?

If all the 9 Heralds feel it unbearable to fight more, if they surrender to their weakness, still haunted by the longing for what they cared earlier, but believing they are unable to care further, what is the logical development for everyone of them further up to the present moment in the Roshar’s story? It seems very much like the Wretch syndrome Kaladin is suffering during his darkest days in Bridge Four. The wretch who so much wanted to care, but failed and failed and failed again and now doesn’t believe to be able to care again, and actually resigns and agrees to stop caring. We are told, that every order of Radiants matched it’s Herald patron in temperament. Every order has the obligation to care for the world, with variations in the mission matching the specifics of their Heralds. All those missions are extremely difficult, i.e. prone to repeating failures. Therefore wouldn’t the failures, the weaknesses, the manner of how different Radiants in making are broken correspond to the manner every Herald’s resignation and decline will manifest? That’s the main assumption of this attempt to systematize the ways the Heralds decline and to predict how different Heralds would likely behave now. Whether the Heralds are influenced by Odium and twisted because of their betrayal, as I have read in other threads? Whether only some of them went dark, or possibly only Nin? It’s all worth to think about, but for Occam’s razor sake first it would be better to concentrate on the question: can all of their current state be explained as logical consequences of their weakness and resignation at the breaking of the Oathpact, as various variations of a Wretch syndrome? I think it can. 1. Jezrien. We don’t see much of Jezrien directly, asides for Nalan’s comment about him not stopping drooling. But indirectly I believe that we can see lot about Jezrien’s current state in the character of … the Stormfather. The Stormfather is definitely not Jezrien - there are no questions about that. But, 1. We are told, that the Stormfather was shaped by ages of human belief about the Almighty; 2. We know that the Stormfather is so often identified with Jezrien in popular beliefs, and sometimes (Emul) even completely with the Almighty. In those persistent popular beliefs, that shaped the Stormfather, right? Therefore it’s easy to draw the conclusion, that many of Jezrien’s traits are reflected in the Stormfather, no matter of the difference between the both. And I’d say Stormfather’s attitude strikingly resembles the position of Kaladin’s inner wretch in it’s peak. All those Stormfather’s moaning about how he wanted to protect, but he cannot (as when he is speaking to Eshonai); all of those belligerent ravings, that all Radiants will inevitably kill his children and therefore he cannot allow them to bind again - this compared to Kaladin’s desperate belief that he inevitably will fail again and therefore he has not to attempt to save anybody again; and also compared to his firm “all lighteyes are traitors” position). Unlike Kaladin Jezrien wouldn’t have anything to stop him surrendering to his inner wretch. I can easily see him suffering of a “There is no point to try protect anyone, it will only fail and add to my burden” kind of thinking. He might believe that by just walking by and non intervening he will no cause himself further hurt, but he hardly would be able to stop grieving. He could degrade into the mentality of a wretch literally, the beaten slave mentality - so the drooling. 2. Nalan. We don’t know what weaknesses a skybreaker in making would experience, but we have very good information about the current state of mind of the Herald himself. And Darkness is so calm and efficient, as if there is nothing tormenting him at all. But what actually can be seen in him is the belligerent refusal to care for people. Under the pretext, that true judgment must be free of any “sentiment”. He looks so stable, nothing can disturb him, as Lift keeps to observe - he shows no frustration, no cursing even when he is bested. He is saying Szeth how he will teach him the path with no sentiments that “obfuscate judging”. But is he truly calm? As emotionless as he is, and as sure he must be to be perfectly able to discipline his minion in due time, he goes out of his way and allows Lift to actually escape, i.e. he lets a sentiment to cloud his judgment. Because of how strongly he feels about ‘the only sure thing in this world”. There’s desperation and resignation in this declaration. Nalan obviously is longing to care about something. But he voluntarily and militantly restricts himself to “the only thing left”, because so it’s easy to not be hurt by failures to make something really just. If he cares only to be true to some written rules, no matter how just, he will not be hurt if he fails to bring justice. And so he can remain more sane than the other Heralds. Rationalizing away his shame, limiting himself into small agenda. Refusing to care. Even if the fragment about him in the $Words of Radiance” book inside book describe him as too stern, I don’t believe he was like this before the breaking of the Oathpact. Obviously he has to reintroduce law as such into society Desolation after Desolation, i.e. he couldn’t rely on already existing laws, as such were most likely usually nonexistent. And I don’t believe a “Just” as divine attribute could be felt as divine in the form of simple uncaring formal law. Nalan changed. His declaration of “Goodness is irrelevant” is looking too much as resignation to actually create good law, but only limiting himself to what is left. 3. Chana. I cannon have anything definite about her. But most likely Chana’s and Releasers’ interpretation of honor was to never let wrong just pass, never be complacent, but always confront wrong with all passion and without fear. Brandon’s revelation that Dustbringers would love Adolin’s act of murdering Sadeas stays in line with this assumption. I guess that under such code (or if I’m wrong here, under whatever code of honor will go together with the divine attribute of “Braveness”) Chana will have tons of occasions to make painful errors. What would be the most likely form for her to surrender to the despair, that she can not effectively stand against wrong? I guess the best way for her to get rid of the burden of guilt is to refuse to think, but instead surrendering herself to unthinking impulses. So it would be easy for her - whatever the outcome of her actions, she could simply go to the next impulse, never stopping to reflect. If it’s true that Adolin and/or Eshonai have inclination to join this order, it would explain their way quite well, I think. 4. Vedel. For the Healer to not feel the pain of her future failures, she in her desperation could believe to be sure, what could Vedel do? She can refuse to listen to pleas. Under some excuse. So she could retain a minimum illusion about her position, but just find some reason to explain away why she doesn’t need to engage in caring and healing. Maybe Lift’s utter ignoring of what Wyndle tries to tell her on the excuse that he is a Voidbringer, is a lighter parallel to this. Probably even more deliberate attempt not to care, similar to Nalan’s can be in place, as Lift is saying to Darkness: I’m not sure Vedel would be able to just make herself stop caring. But try she well can, and finding endless excuses is very viable too. 5. Pali. If Truthwatchers’ calling is, as our truthwatcher puts it “to see”, than if Pali is despaired that giving the truth she sees is only for the worse, she could react by refusing to look. Also as “Giving” is one of the divine attributes, and as Renarin is especially sensitive about how useless son he is, i.e. not able to give what is presumably expected from him, I would guess Pali can degenerate into a “Nobody needs me” kind of whiner. Or probably she can convince herself, that it would be better for everybody to left what she know better unknown. 6. Ash. We know how perfectly can be forgotten something that Shallan finds too painful in her past. How Shallan stayed sane by not allowing the memories. Let multiply this in grade and apply to Ash’s situation. What is Ash? The Herald responsible for introducing art and craving for the ideals again and again into humankind after it’s forgotten each Desolation. As Desolations are apparently something very unfavorable for her trade, she had tons of reasons to despair, to regard all her past efforts a failure. So she broke the Oathpact and had her role forsaken. And now she sees, unlike in previous inter-desolation dark ages, beautiful art, and especially depiction of herself. What would mean that for her, the renegade? Art reminds her of what she was, of what she threw away. How dare it remind her! And if somebody is so unwilling to be reminded about the painful, isn’t the next logical step to destroy what reminds? So Ash’s refusal to remember. Probably here is also another moment that plays very good with Shallan, but is driven to an extreme and stripped of any positive moment with Ash. Shallan’s wisecracks. She used this reducing to clever absurd of what she couldn’t affect directly to relieve the pressure over herself and her brothers. That is the very role in history of the art of grotesque at all - if the high ideals are refused to you, if you are suppressed by the order, you can render said order to absurdity, laugh and get relief of pressure on your sanity. The role of carnival and similar phenomena. But somehow vandalism is somehow a grotesque of the destroyed art too. Vandalism could even be felt as deconstruction in postmodernist terms, i.e. an illusion of kind of creativity by sort of physical wisecracking over other art. Ash couldn’t completely get rid of any “creativity” you see, and as all other eight ex-Heralds she is “hanging from a cliff by a thread”, getting worse and worse. 7. Battar. If somebody is constantly revealing truths, and the population again and again is not listening (compare Jasna’s pain of how nobody listens to her), the explorer might get desperate and refuse to communicate. Our known Elsecaller already has some problems of making herself hard to communicate with. Also from the prologue when Gavilar chastises his daughter about isolating herself in a position of “brilliance” I guess there may be something of how the bearer of the divine attributes “Wise” and “Careful” may manifest her despair and her surrender to hopelessness. I suspect that for finding Battar we have to look for somebody painfully inaccessible. 8. Kalak. Maybe it’s about a builder nightmare to find the building he built abandoned, the tools he produced discarded. Why else Kalak would come to the desperate resignation that there is no good for him to build more. Probably this just comes from my unfounded suggestion that Navani may belong to the Willshaper camp, and there’s her pain about being left alone. Or maybe Kalak could turn into a conformist. Still to think about this one. 9. Ishar. His role is obviously that of the spiritual leader, the one who has to give advice, and to find the conditions people can willingly work together. After all he is the one who organized the first Radiants and forcefully brought them to have self-limitations, rules and ideals. Just as now the role of Dalinar is actually that of a spiritual leader. So as Dalinar’s burden now is to be a living example for everybody and guiding everybody to a suitable ideal. The instance of an ultimate advice. Not an easy burden for sure. What will happen when such a spiritual leader is himself broken? I think that the guideline here is Dalinar’s decision to abdicate. Because of not trusting his own judgment. Well, I guess Ishar actually abdicated of sorts. Meaning he began to refuse taking responsibility. As if getting into a position “don’t bother me, I’m retired”. Making himself believe there is no need to guide. So he could be the beggar from the WoK prologue, or brother Lhan from the interlude about Pai or whatever. Somebody militantly limiting himself to a private life.