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xianpoxi

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  1. Ok, so ever since I first read Bands of Mourning when it first came out, I've been wondering about this. (disclaimer, I am not suggesting that Brandon is going to do something like this in the books at all, just that its a curious idea.) There were 2 discussions in particular that brought the idea to my attention. First, when Melaan patched a bullet wound for Marasi. She took a nibble to create a flesh bandage for Marasi's intestine an skin and tissue, which is a pretty awesome idea in itself. Then Wayne was later telling Marasi to be careful w/ the Kandra spike. He said something along the lines of "Be careful not to poke yourself and turn into a Kandra" Anyway, Wayne is certainly crazy enough to make the attempt and he might intrigue Melaan enough to try it out. The attempt being turning Wayne into a Kandra or 1/2 Kandra. All Melaan really needs is enough food and focus to make the attempt. Wayne needs enough health stored just in case. If he stores up enough health, or gets a identity-free metalmind with the gold misting ability stored in it, he can compound for the health. If the Kandra can recreate a body so precisely, what about creating an entire body that way? So Melaan eats Wayne, slowly, and rebuilds each piece, connecting the nerves along the way. So as long as Melaan is connected she can be a life support system. If the attempt fails entirely, Wayne regenerates with stored health. So Wayne gets a nearly full body prosthesis made from Kandra flesh. The next challenge would be how Wayne would gain any control over the "kandra" nerves of the flesh instead of just the synthesized human ones. Could Melaan leave the prosthetic behind, attached to wayne, and let it function like a normal body? Or, would the kandra flesh, separated from the Kandra revert to dead mistwraith flesh? Would Wayne's ability as bloodmaker, reject and regenerate the full body, or would it incorporate the kandra Prosthesis? Yes, I know I sound like a mad scientist. Thoughts?
  2. I'm convinced the copycat killing is aimed to put pressure on Sadeas' killer to try to draw them out. Its too targeted for anything else. Sure Adolin killing Sadeas showed everyone in the camps how easy it is to get away w/ murder, but the precise positioning of the body to be just like Sadeas is a message. It implies that Sadeas' killer is killing more people. It means if one is discovered, they will take the fall for others. The other message is to Adolin himself. "I'm coming for you" Also, whoever is aiming for Sadeas' killer is amoral. They are plenty willing to murder in order to investigate who killed Sadeas. Sure Adolin was willing to kill Sadeas under those circumstances, but Sadeas has long held that special place in Adolin's heart. This other death has too much business in it. Most likely more than 1 goal is being met. Either, the killer is getting rid of an enemy and trying to pin it on someone else, or it is deliberately targeting Sadeas. I think its both. I think anyone just doing business would not think to specifically make it such a blatent copycat. which is why my money is on Ialai rather than the Ghostbloods. Both suspects are amoral and ruthless enough for the job, but Ialai has the stronger personal motivation for this play. She wants to know who killed her husband, and she will want vengeance in a very Alethi way. She will also suspect Dalinar's household. The 2nd murder will target Dalinar whether he or his family killed Sadeas or not.
  3. I always interpreted the phrase "the bonds that drive Roshar" to be like "the forces of nature".
  4. I'm not sure how much discussion to put into it, but Looking at the map of Roshar, the land is shaped like a storm. It doesn't have a full circle, but recent images of Of Harvey and Irma show a similar shape. Its certainly thematically appropriate.
  5. Do we know that Szeth cannot gain investiture from Stormlight anymore? He doesn't have the honor blade anymore, but does he have a high-spren? That is what Nale's apprentices do. Also, I don't think Nale has his honorblade. Windle said he had a spren. Which could be a mistake, but I don't think it is. Ifso, then it implies he's been the longest surviving Radiant. I think he became a Radiant after the Recreance perhaps? or maybe before and he has simply kept a low profile for a LONG time. I think he would not have too much trouble attracting a High Spren. He's a Fanatic about law. He's rather reminiscent of Javier from Les Miserables. Sure, there has been plenty of time for him to recover his Honor blade from the Shin, but I don't think that is what happened. There is a reason the honorblades were left behind when the oathpact was shattered and Talanelenalat was the only one of the Heralds to be bound and tortured. I believe the Heralds needed to leave the blades behind to be free, but I think that Nale has no honorblade, but a high spren. I think this ties in with a few things Szeth said as well. As Truthless, he seems to fear or expect that He'll be bound and tortured for all that he is 'owed'. This seems reminiscent of Talanelenalat's fate and the fate the other Herald's fled.
  6. Wow, I'm a noob at this forum tool, didn't mean to quote Eki at all.. can't quite figure how to delete the quote box.. I found this in WoB The suspicion about Stormlight or the Nahel bond affecting age for me is more from scifi/medical theories about aging. Our cells do not copy well. they deteriorate. So each cell is less perfect than the one before and after so many iterations, the body breaks down. meaning taking alot of injuries throughout life will age you faster. However, Stormlight not only is healing them from anything but being brain-dead, but also regenerating body parts. The comment about how you see yourself is a good point and often said in WoB. So again... If you see yourself as young, wouldn't it keep you young? I do not at all doubt that some people see themselves as eternally in there 20's. The phenomena of a "Mid-life crisis" is all about the disillusionment of this belief. Sadeas describes exactly that perspective in WoR also.
  7. This is actually a questions chain that leads to more interesting questions/speculation. Radiants all appear to experience growth and regrowth thru stormlight. If the regeneration is so perfect, does it affect aging? Does it slow it or stop it? If not, what happens to bonded spren when their Radiant dies? Did Syl say "If you die, I go stupid again" ? I don't remember accurately if I read this or not. Either way there are a few possibilities that come to mind. 1. Yes, when a Radiant dies, the bond is lost and the spren loses its benefits. 2. The bond is passed on to a successor 3. The spren dies, like the recreance. I rather think that 1 and 2 are both likely. Pattern said that spren are too static, that they always change in the same ways over and over. However, there is also a difference in Pattern's description of the recreance and Syl's memories. Pattern says that all the bonded spren were killed save a few like the stormfather. Syl doesn't seem to match Pattern's scenario. However, Syl's vague memories in WoK often imply she was part of a Nahel bond before. Was she not bonded during the recreance? or did she survive it somehow? I think she was unbonded, but I think she has been part of the bond before. I would also think that many spren and radiants would desire to keep the spren sentient after they pass away, and try to arrange for a successor if possible. I'll go hunt WoB for any hints, but wondering if anyone already has info or thoughts on this.
  8. Lightweavers speak no Oaths (which are where they promise to keep the ideals) beyond the first. Instead they speak truths in a progression of self-awareness. I think its clear that the progression is not a parallel or equivocated process between different orders.
  9. I have a hard time not thinking of Rock as looking Polynesian. I know its based off his name, and that He has red hair, but I keep fighting with the images in my head.
  10. I don't think the Recreance was "planned" by the Knights Radiant. From Dalinar's vision of it, the Knights were in shock. Something broke their will. Collectively. I'm guessing it is some overwhelming contradiction in to their Oaths. There has been another idea in the Stormlight archive, which I don't particularly like or wish to agree with, but I feel compelled to mention it as a possible part of this "overwhelming contradiction". The knights are focussed on helping mankind and defending against the desolations and against Odium. If their very existence seemed to bring about, encourage or cause the desolations, then it could be a cause for despair for many. Its a collective guild trip, ala peter parker or Kaladin. Blaming themselves for the evils they were not able to protect against. I don't like this idea, but it could provide the contradiction. We also see some indicators that this is so in Words of Radiance. The interlude chapters among the Parshendi (before storm form) indicate that the reports of a surgebinder (Kaladin) amongst the Alendi indicate a return of the Gods. Also, Nin, in his persecution of surgebinders, (or extreme execution of justice for them) indicates that they will unwittingly bring about greater chaos and destruction. I don't understand how surgebinders, who are bonded to spren which are part of the powers of Honor and Cultivation could be responsible for the actions of the agents of Odium. but it could be constructed somehow. I imagine the Knights saw the Recreance as their best way of preserving life. A near hopeless sacrifice brought on by shock and despair. The contradiction is one possibility. Other possibilities seem to be the death of Honor, and perhaps a discovery of the deception of the Heralds. When did Honor die? Obviously it was before the visions came to Dalinar. It takes a long time for Odium to expand his influence. It seems Cultivation is still around, but broken by Honor's death. She doesn't seem actively engaged. Or maybe her efforts against Odium are the only reason Roshar is not gone already as shown in Dalinar's vision. It could be that Honor died 1000 years ago and the effects are just catching up. Or was it discovery of the Herald's failure? The Heralds seem to burn in hellfire for hundreds or thousands of years in between desolations when they come back to help mankind. Why do they have such a system and pact? If they are used to disappearing, the Radiants likely may not have known that they abandoned their duty for a long time. However, the reason for the Recreanse is unknown amongst people and spren alike. It was too sudden and too complete for any explanations. There had to be an overwhelming event to cause it. Likely some revolation of terrible knowledge. Anything else, and they would have slowly dwindled and some information would have survived.
  11. You are completely wrong there. That means anyone who is offended deserves power. That is way out of line. Plenty of people LIKE being offended way too much. In fact, the like it exactly BECAUSE they can use it as an excuse to claim power and bully others. Truth can hurt. Do you think everyone should tiptoe around someone who is stuck in denial because it hurts them? IT matters if someone does something wrong. Its not wrong just because someone's feelings got hurt. There are actually plenty of REAL life experiences which dehumanize people. I don't even mean abuse from others. For example, Famine. People are so hungry and afraid of death that many will do horrible things to others in order to survive. It is dehumanizing. They become animals instead of people. Describing Renarin as a thing is not inaccurate for the moment he was breaking down. he wasn't acting like a person. Similarly Kaladin at times becomes "The Wretch" this is also a dehumanizing description. Its accurate.
  12. I don't really think having the Honorblades is part of being made Truthless. Its too reckless. It makes me think the secret location of the Honorblades would have leaked out before if that were the case. I think there would have been more Truthless over history. The merchant who trades the Truthless was not especially secretive in calling him Truthless to the Thaylen merchant. The reason the punishment of Truthless doesn't make sense is that anyone who truly deserved it would not keep their oath. They would not live that way. Only someone who was honest AND cowardly would be punished and twisted by it.
  13. I think you are exactly right. I thing the squires will be dependent upon a knight's capacity for forming those bonds with people. More specifically, how that bond is an extension of the Nahel bond. Kaladin is leading the Bridgemen to act Honorably. I think another subtle indicator of squires would be how Rock and a few other bridgemen thought the bridge was lighter when carrying it again on Shallan's expedition. I think they had a little stormlight in them. I would imagine Truthseers not having squires. They are too... asocial methinks.
  14. People's fears are different. Szeth did not fear death as much as he feared the Title "Truthless" Fearlessness does not make one courageous. Neither does it tell when someone is cowardly. Courage is choosing and overcoming fear. Cowardliness is letting the fear choose for you. I am very curious too read the flashbacks about Szeth. I want to know exactly how he became Truthless and exactly what it means in the Shin Culture & Religion. From what I've read so far, it seems like a trick question and a test. IF he has no truth in him, if he was punished for "crying wolf" about a desolation, then he was branded a liar or person incapable of truth, then why or how would anyone who actually was that dispicable, obey the holder of their oathstone? He was so far away from the Shin people, and no one outisde his own culture or religion would understand the significance of the oathstone. He could have lied anytime and disobeyed. How could breaking his oath be worse than being responsible for every evil thing someone else commanded of him? Its seems an absolutely absurd tradition. I wonder how the Shin, who seem to abhor violence, could send someone TRAINED and holding an Honorblade out into the world that way. I can only suppose that Shen insisting the voidbringers were returning was convicted of some Heresy which undermines the entire Shin religion. (it seems like a theocracy, maybe I haven't read enough about them..) He also would have had to already have been a priveleged warrior amongst the shin, if he already was trained in the honorblades... but among the Shin warriors are the least valued... It seems full of contradictions to me. Can't wait to read more.
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