alylime

I find the continued presence of rare spren with negative connotations interesting. Here, shamespren make a second appearance near Shallan. Previously, Kaladin commented on gloomspren. I'll be keeping my eyes out for other sightings post-everstorm.

As dbulick said, his bud was too weak. They needed a strong bud or it dies without a host during transport. It also says in the epilogue: Decay didn’t understand one thing. The Former had never been imprisoned. How could he be in prison when he was placed inside that which he had made, that which he loved, and that which he watched over? So I have no idea about this one. The other Dari that Bonded Night had "the taint," presumably related to having been visited by Agaris in their dreams and in some sense being agents of him. Yes, this begs the question: what did Decay get out of the deal?

I do think it useful to separate his combat skills from his mental condition. Kenton didn't find Eric's abilities unexpected. Here was Baon's response, after Eric picks up a sword. But Yata has a good point in that Eric's skill wasn't acquired through darkside magic, since he was evidently as talented before setting foot there: I guess that means that if there is anything supernatural to his fighting it would be from lightside. It is actually not dissimilar to Kaladin's prowess with the spear--lots of hard work, but maybe something else contributing as well. Edited to add: Looking at the quotes in question again, I'm leaning toward it being more likely that his skills are natural hard work than magic. I still find his story horribly tragic and shame on Kenton for causing his friend so much suffering and then doing so little to try to alleviate the pain. I know he was busy leading up to the fight and decision, but surely he'll try to talk to Eric before fleeing to Darkside, right?!!

I find Eric's story arc to be one of the most tragic in the book. Is his condition human or supernatural? I'd think it a PTSD-type response to his upbringing except: Baon is shocked to find him a warrior, and Baon is established as one perhaps the most perceptive and expert viewpoints in the story, particularly in martial matters. After snapping back into PassiveEric, his inner voice fights to get out in a way reminiscent of (WoR spoilers) There is also one time when he's talking to himself and it almost seems like a separate aspect answers back. His fighting quickness is described as superhumanly fast. Acron was also described as moving extremely fast, particularly for being obese. Given his elite training, I was halfway unsurprised and halfway expecting a reveal about Eric that also explained Acron's speed. But overall, I find Acron way less suspicious.

Mr. Suit is also trying to manipulate both Miles and Wax, so it isn't always clear what his own beliefs are. At the end of AoL is this exchange: I find this exchange interesting because: like Miles, he emphasizes the twinborn/allomancy as a reason for Wax's superiority opposite to Miles, he also cites his noble bloodline and descent as a reason for superiority he claims to be the influence behind Miles' beliefs he implies a plan to deliver information to Wax...shortly before Wax receives the book from Marsh. The book is written with Marasi's passage intermixed with the Wax/Ladrian conversation, but I'm not 100% convinced that forms a reliable timeline. Thoughts?

Presumably Kelsier is hanging out in limbo to complete unfinished business. Perhaps he really really wanted to complete the Atium heist. We know Sazed is doing something with the extra bits of Ruin to keep his shards in balance, so maybe upon learning the true nature of Atium, Kelsier decided his rest would be incomplete until he laid his hands upon the Ruin stash. We know he was able to grab the power of Preservation to keep it in check before Vin drew in the mist, so taking up the extra bits of Ruin is quite plausible. And once he took up the power, he could suddenly whisper into the ears of all spiked individuals...so he figured he might as well overthrow the corrupted nobles. His last attempt to overthrow the Lord Ruler didn't quite go as planned, but here is another chance to do so. Basically, he's avoiding the great beyond until he takes a second stab at all of his goals from Final Empire!

I just stumbled across this info on the map development. I'm way behind so assume it's been available forever and widely distributed, but in case there's anyone else like me... http://brandonsanderson.com/books/elantris/elantris/elantris-map-progression/

I actually wonder if the chasm is located in about the right spot, but Lake Alonoe is in the wrong place. I know the mountain range continues south but the portion to the south of the chasm is in Duladel, not Arelon. It also looks like the range breaks there. There's definitely a problem with the chasm relative to the lake, but it seems like the geography would match the Aon Aon shown above if the lake were at the place labeled "Kondeon" on the map.

http://www.reddit.com/r/books/comments/2ytg2h/im_novelist_brandon_sanderson_ama/crwwydo?context=3 http://www.reddit.com/r/books/comments/2ytg2h/im_novelist_brandon_sanderson_ama/crwx0j2?context=3 http://www.reddit.com/r/books/comments/2ytg2h/im_novelist_brandon_sanderson_ama/crwx1s6?context=3 http://www.reddit.com/r/books/comments/2ytg2h/im_novelist_brandon_sanderson_ama/crwx4m9?context=3 http://www.reddit.com/r/books/comments/2ytg2h/im_novelist_brandon_sanderson_ama/crwxe4n?context=3

Given the recent WoB that all investiture appears identically in the spiritual realm (http://www.reddit.com/r/books/comments/2ytg2h/im_novelist_brandon_sanderson_ama/cpcxs56?context=3), it seems like the intent of the shard influences the local area's cognitive realm to determine how to access the magic, which is pretty cool.

Wow, that is a lot of audio! Thanks for being willing to transcribe it for those who couldn't attend in person. I know it'll take forever to get through 30 hours! And it has to be hard to motivate to do it, when you've already heard it once. So thanks! When you do start transcribing, please consider releasing pieces as you go rather than waiting until all 30 hours are complete. Thanks for all your efforts and for keeping us updated.

I also searched youtube a bit. Here's the Fireflight reading: I don't follow the Reckoners info that closely, so apologies if that's old news!

A Holy Relic! https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=632462813510805&set=a.275543499202740.64355.240775436012880&type=1&theater

I've been thinking about Hoid's conversation with guards just before the arrival and about Argent's comment from another thread: Two remarks. I am pretty sure he is alive. Every time - and I mean every time - Brandon has answered a question somehow related to the epilogue, he has used something along the lines of "someone who claims to be a Herald" instead of Taln's name. I still think that it is him we see materializing outside Kholinar, but I am slightly bothered by how Brandon never refers to him directly by name and/or title. (from here: http://www.17thshard.com/forum/topic/5588-the-last-herald/) Just before Taln breaks down the door, Hoid is talking at length about the critical nature of being the first to do something: Epilogue WoK, p. 1000 He says this and several other comparisons in the same vein literally right before Taln arrives. Then Hoid says that Taln arrived too late. (final line of WoK) Wouldn't it be interesting if someone else has preceded Taln in claiming to be a Herald? I wouldn't put it past Taravangian or the Ghostbloods.

I really like that in general and in-world. I'm not sure it fits in well enough with what we've heard directly from Mr. Sanderson. I can't find the exact quote right now, but he's said something like "there are 30 types of magic on Roshar by one count, or 10 by another." If the 10 types of magic are the fundamental forces/surges (which I think he's also said), then I'm not sure that human-made counts as magic, if that makes sense. Also, fabrials are "a part of" one set of 10. I wonder what else falls into that part? I suppose one could argue that other human+spren made technological things that we have yet to see, but that are distinct from fabrials? Anyway, thanks for the thought-provoking response.

I’ve been contemplating the different magic systems on Roshar. We know there are 10 main surges with three ways to access each, and that there is surgebinding, voidbinding, and something else including fabrials. http://www.17thshard.com/forum/topic/2383-qa-with-brandon-sanderson/?p=42206 Most of what I’ve read around here indicates a belief that surgebinding is of Honor and voidbinding of Odium, leaving fabrials for Cultivation (disclaimer: I apologize in advance if I’m wrong as I’m pretty new around here). I wonder if this is we’re oversimplifying it. 1) Wyndle is almost certainly heavily in Cultivation’s camp. And And (all quotes from Lift interlude) That’s enough evidence for me to believe that he considers Cultivation his mother. 2) Each order of Knight Radiant bonds to a single type of spren. 3) All spren divide into emotion (Honor) or natural (Cultivation), and both Shards are considered gods, depending on where one is within Roshar. WoR ch. 3. 4) The symbol of the Knights Radiant (and the mapping of surges/surgebindings) is the double eye. So thus far, we have proto-KRs using connection to ideals from both Cultivation and Honor to achieve their awesomeness. Given the in-world connection between eyes and souls, it seems like the double eye chart shows the combination of two beings being responsible for surgebinding, specifically both Honor and Cultivation. Since both Shards are worshiped as gods, I wonder if the term “Almighty” can apply to either, and if the “Heralds of the Almighty” could possibly be Heralds for a combined team of Honor+Cultivation. But where does that leave us for the other magic systems? Would each system use a combination of two Shards? Syl says Honorspren bind things. WoK Ch. 67 Would that imply that Voidbinding is of Honor/Odium, since it is both "binding" and "Voidish = Odium?" (seems unlikely). With three Shards, there are six possible pairings, so I see no reason to preferentially pick three of them. Maybe since Odium is less invested on Roshar than the others, he only has one system (Voidbinding, presumably). Perhaps the fabrials, etc. branch is another Honor/Cultivation incarnation (e.g. binding a spren into a gemstone to cultivate the surges in a mechanical fashion?) and Voidbinding is straight up Odious?

I wonder why there are 10 domes. 10 temples, one for each Herald? 10 halls, one for each order of Knights Radiant? Obviously 10 is an important number on Roshar, so it could be any number of reason...

Perhaps this is why the Emuli worship Jezrien as a god. (Ch. 55 of WoK)

Thanks for the warm welcomes! I'm not sure if it's just because I read it first so I'm preferentially Invested in it, but The Way of Kings remains my favorite of his works. I have some thoughts about Cultivation that sprang up as a result of the latest signing reports, but I need to read a few more of the existing threads and interviews to get my thoughts together. I'm also slowly working my way through the Steelhunt and am happy to have found the Bradonothology as a result. Maybe working through that will be my next Sanderson "book" since there is certainly enough content in there to keep me busy for awhile. I must say that the general forums are daunting for a latecomer. It feels like I've got a lot of research to do before I could possibly add anything that hasn't already been said! On the flip side, it's a treat to sit in on all the past conversations by reading through the forums.

After browsing thru a few online "best fantasy" lists, I grabbed a half dozen books from a variety of authors. The Way of Kings was far and away the best of the bunch. I searched online for more information about the book and the author and found myself here. The first of 10 books?!! At first I was disappointed that there weren't more books already available with those characters, but I've come to terms with taking part as the books unfold. I am also delighted that there is a full cosmere of related(ish) content. I wanted to read interviews and get more information about this whole cosmere idea, but doing so was like a minefield of spoilers for unread books. I've since read the Mistborn trilogy, Elantris, Warbreaker, and Alloy of Law. Once I get my hands on the Emperor's Soul, I think I'll be safe. :-) I find it quite incredible that each of Sanderson's books is completely enjoyable on its own, but also a window into an interrelated world. I don't know how he manages that!