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Hello all! I am making this for any windrunners out there, so we can talk about being the coolest order of knights radiant, and everything else. Speak again the ancient oaths: Life before Death Strength before Weakness Journey before Destination Windrunners rule!

Considering the deal that Dalinar has made, there is a chance that Dalinar might fall. And Jasnah being..... well Jasnah, would probably be one of the first folks to call a meeting to decide who would succeed Dalinar in case he falls. Odds are the next book could start with this meeting since it's an important decision to be made, and getting Dalinars opinion would be appropriate as well. Based on a bunch of Death Rattles it seems like Kaladin is the obvious candidate to succeed. Especially after the entire populace of Urithiru pretty much rallied behind Kaladin during his one-man physical resistance against the Fused Besides Kaladin, who else do you people think would be well suited to lead the Radiants and Urithiru?

Brief spoiler for Rhythm of War. Shallan suggests I think in part 2 that she could get herself physically into Shadesmar without using a perpendicularity like Jasnah did in WoR, but she couldn't get back without one, while elsecallers could get back with enough stormlight, or actually a variable amount of stormlight depending on where you are in Shadesmar. I had assumed that getting physically into Shadesmar involved the surge of transportation, and that lightweavers were only particularly good at seeing into Shadesmar to soulcast, though through Kaladin we've seen that other orders can see into Shadesmar. Is Shallan right that other orders, at least lightweavers, could get into Shadesmar physically? If so, does that mean transportation is not involved in getting into Shadesmar, but only in getting out? I think we need to see a little more what that surge does.

So as Im reading RoW, a thought came to my mind. What would the process of a Human/Singer bonding a spren look like in the Cognitive Realm? Is it even possible? Also, could a person "encounter" a spren in Shadesmar and bond it, while still there? Or do they both need to be in the Physical Realm? Would the Bond be initiated differently? Related to that would be the question of a KR swearing a higher ideal while in Shadesmar, which What are your thoughts?

Radiant Orders that people have so far put forward Adolin as a candidate for: Edgedancer, Stoneward, Willshaper, Dustbringer. He does fit within the worldview of several Orders, after the official Radiant quiz, Adolin is also fit for becoming an Elsecaller. Hey, Lightweaver's also available as an option. So, which Order do you think fits him the best?

So stormlight, as so helpfully proved by the injury-prone Windrunners, is able to heal people's body's, to the extent that the Lopen is regrowing his arm. However, stormlight is not able to cure the Heralds' madness(not sure what causes this, prob not best example). Across the Cosmere there are cases where madness or other mental illnesses happen in conjunction with magic(sorry if this is poorly worded, we just put down one of my dogs and I'm having a hard time thinking) Essentially, what I'm asking is a two part question. 1: is it possible for an individual with above average levels of Investiture(specif. Knight Radiant) to have a mental illness? I imagine this would somehow relate to Cognitive Realm and Spiritual Realm. 2: If it is possible for a KR to have a mental illness, such as amnesia, are they able to forget one, or any, of their oaths? If possible, what would the effects of this be?

This popped into my head a long time ago, I think because someone made a "how the Knights Radiant do X" thread, and I came up with some of these, but then I forgot about it until recently, when I thought it might be a fun idea. Here are xkcds that I associate with different orders of KR. Each order has at least one, but some are more of a stretch than others. Please suggest others that fit and critique my choices:

Hello, first post, be gentle with me We don't really know that the Nightwatcher is a Bondsmith spren. It's a good theory, seems widely accepted and quite probable. But so far as I know, no in-book quote or WoB confirms her as such. I think it's likely that she probably is one of the three Bondsmith spren, as a counterpart to the Stormfather. She already has a magic system (-ish?) associated with her, the Boon and Curse: granting a wish but with a curse attached alongside it. Couldn't someone also ask her for the boon of being granted Radiancy (is that the word?). Has anyone in Roshar's history? Could she grant other spren bonds, lower spren or spren of the other Orders? And assuming she is a Radiant spren, could someone ask to bond with her? Could it be how she herself is supposed to be bonded? Could the next Bondsmith have to trek to the Valley and ask for the boon of bonding her? What could be the Curse to accompany such a Boon? Would they need to speak the Ideals or would the Curse, sort of, supplant the words?

So I’m combining two sets of prompts for Inktober: the Cosmere one and the Assassins’ Creed one. For Day 1, Fly and Sisterhood, have Windrunner Maria Thorpe. Unfortunately, I don’t have access to my brown pen right now, so I couldn’t finish coloring her. I chose Maria because she was the first female Assassin we knew of (unless you played 2 first.) She was definitely the first we met, though she wasn’t an Assassin at the time! She’s also the only female Assassin I have that can fly... Hope you like her! (Anyone know how to turn the picture so it’s the right way?)

This post recapitulates a recent Discord debate on this topic. In honor of the late Justice Ginsburg, contrarian me dissents from the majority view. The issue concerns the meaning of the WoR Chapter 42 Epigraph: The debate asks these questions: What did Ishar do? Who did he do it to? How and when did the Oaths arise? COMPETING NARRATIVES Consensus Ishar “thrust organization” upon Surgebinders but did not impose the Oaths. Oaths inhere in each Order’s spren. Surgebinding required five Oaths even before Ishar. Within an Order each Knight and their spren agree on an Oath’s specific wording. “Perception is a big part of the Oaths.” Ishar’s “precepts and laws” were not magical but a set of mundane rules established for the Knights’ and each Order’s self-governance. Ishar threatened to kill any Surgebinder who wouldn’t accept his “precepts and laws.” Rebuttal Ishar’s Ashyn experience taught him how dangerous unchecked magical power can be. Recognizing Nahel bondable spren mimic Honorblades, Ishar insisted on an “organization” that mimicked the Oathpact. He created the Orders and imposed the First Oath, “Life Before Death...” (IMO, the Oathpact’s Oath). I think Ishar, perhaps with Shardic help, threatened to “destroy each and every one” to obtain their agreement: First the spren by forcibly breaking their bond while the Surgebinder lived, and then the former Surgebinder. Killing spren stops them bonding someone new. Killing former Surgebinders stops other like-minded spren from attempting to bond them. Honor wanted Dalinar to see the Nohadon vision for a reason. Alkavish’s revolt showed Nohadon “not all spren are as discerning as honorspren.” A single Oath’s grant of full power to humans didn’t stop the pre-Desolation carnage. With so few humans left, spren would have to wait many human generations before they could return to the Physical Realm. Nohadon may have been a Bondsmith. Perhaps with Shardic help and “Way of Kings” inspiration, Nohadon persuaded each spren Order to add four unique Oaths and permanently change the bond. Spren might willingly accept Nohadon’s solution to avoid another spren-wide catastrophe. Five Oaths incrementally ratchet up the Knight’s power as the Knight, through epiphany and self-scrutiny, attains each ideal. Oaths mark that ideal’s attainment. Incremental power growth minimizes the damage a traitorous Knight can do. ARGUMENTS Consensus What Did Ishar Do? Ishar did not impose Oaths. Oaths don’t create “organization.” Even within an Order each Knight and their spren agree on their own version of the Oath “though the concept is the same.” Malata proves Oaths don’t constrain Knight behavior. Malata and Spark agree she made proper Oaths and is deservedly Radiant. Yet she and Spark spy on Dalinar and the other Knights and actively sabotage their plans. To quote one Discord post, “the Oaths don't stop people from misusing their powers, so long as they can justify it and the spren agree.” If Oaths don’t “organize” Surgebinders, Ishar’s “precepts and laws” must involve some non-magical change. Consensus believes Ishar created the rules for the Knights Radiant and each Order’s self-governance. They cite the Knights’ execution of Kazilah as an example of those rules’ enforcement (WoR Chapter 51 Epigraph). Consensus also argues even a powerful Bondsmith like Ishar can’t change a magic system. They believe imposing Oaths changes Surgebinding. Shards themselves don’t actively create magic systems. Magic systems are the unplanned result of Shard Investiture in a planet. Except for Leras and Sazed, we don’t know any Shards that changed a magic system. How can a non-Shard make these changes? Who Did Ishar Do It To? Consensus reads the WoR Chapter 42 Epigraph (quoted at the top) to mean that Ishar organized and imposed his precepts and laws solely on the human Surgebinders and threatened only them with death. How and When Did the Oaths Arise? Consensus believes Oaths arise from the nature of each spren Order. They cite the diversity of Oaths among spren Orders as evidence. The variability of Oath wording within an Order further proves that Oaths arise from the spren themselves. Consensus believes Surgebinding required five Oaths even before Ishar. Rebuttal What Did Ishar Do? I believe Nahel bondable spren evolved as personifications of the Heralds’ Divine Attributes. They are attracted to humans who manifest the Primary Divine Attribute. Oaths mark the Knight’s progress to the Secondary Divine Attribute. At the Fifth Oath, the Knight and their spren merge Spiritual aspects and the Knight now personifies their spren’s Divine Attributes. I agree with Consensus that All Oaths arise from the nature of Nahel bondable spren. Spren grant power to anyone who fulfills their Oaths. Spark grants Malata power because she is Brave. He chose her from among other Brave people because she too wants to settle grudges. Malata will progress through her Oaths as she gains insight into the Dustbringer Divine Attributes of Brave and Obedient. Nothing about that process mandates who Malata should be Brave for or Obedient to. Shards don’t intentionally create magic systems. IMO, these points of agreement don’t compel Consensus’ conclusions. Oaths are natural to Nahel spren because they grow directly from the Divine Attributes the spren personifies. That doesn’t make Oaths a necessary part of the Nahel bond. Syl and Kaladin show Oaths are not necessary to form an incipient bond, at least for honorspren. She grants Kaladin power before he vows the First Oath at the Tower. Other Orders differ on when to grant power. Syl and Kaladin, IMO, prove Oaths regulate power but are not necessary to enter a bond and grant power. No wonder seeing human Surgebinders scared Ishar. Unregulated, unorganized full Radiants without any understanding of their powers or the deeper meaning of their ideals? Ishar rightly feared Rosharan Apocalypse. I believe Ishar organized the Orders and imposed the First Oath but not the others. Who Did Ishar Do It To? I believe Ishar threatened spren, not mortal Surgebinders. Spren initiate the Nahel bond. Killing mortals wouldn’t stop spren from trying to bond other mortals through whom to experience the Physical Realm. To end human Surgebinding altogether, Ishar needed to break each spren’s bond while their Surgebinder was still alive. He probably also killed the human Surgebinder after the bond breaks to stop them attracting another spren. Faced with eternal mindlessness and mortal death, spren and Surgebinder agreed to accept Ishar’s Oath. Consensus claims Ishar’s Oath changes Surgebinding. They believe only a Shard can change a magic system, and Ishar is no Shard despite his godly ambitions. IIRC, we have no evidence a powerful magic user like Ishar can’t change a magic system. Adding the First Oath as an Initiation condition seems slight compared to Sazed’s Spiritual changes to snapping. Bondsmiths Connect things. The first and (until Dalinar?) most powerful Bondsmith should have some say in the Nahel bonds’ terms. Spren capitulation shows they thought Ishar could break a Nahel bond. If Ishar’s own power was insufficient to the task, Honor could have given Ishar what he lacked. The Stormfather says Honor shared Ishar’s fears. Notum hints Tanavast’s death makes spren less trustworthy, as if Tanavast himself enforced spren compliance. How and When Did the Oaths Arise? I think Ishar imposed the generic First Oath when Surgebinders began to appear. IMO, the Order-specific Oaths followed Alkavish’s revolt. Like Ishar before him, Nohadon somehow secured spren agreement to change the terms of the Nahel bond. The spren themselves were likely appalled at the human losses. Too many spren lost the human bond that Connected them to the Physical Realm. With so few humans left, spren would have to wait many human generations before they could return to the Physical Realm. Spren might willingly accept Nohadon’s solution to avoid another spren-wide catastrophe. Nohadon’s Way of Kings outlines each Order’s ideals. Perhaps that and Shardic mediation inspired spren compliance. CONCLUSION There’s the debate. Now vote...

So, I just noticed that there is a link to the Spanish Brandon Sanderson site, with a forums similar to this one. (Though less populated, but that is to be expected.) My computer was nice enough to automatically translate the site, which it seemed to do decently well. Then I found the topic about Knight Radiant Order Quiz results. With a poll. This is what got translated: So... I'm not sure if the order names are just hard to translate, or if it's just my computer being dumb. I'm guessing the second, but either way this gave me a pretty good chuckle at technology.

Hello again. What I am putting forth today is a theory, albeit a simple one. Let's begin with some background knowledge. Unsealed Metalminds, often referred to as Medallions, are a type of metalmind that is able to be used by anyone, even someone without innate Feruchemical powers. In Era 2, we see them used to store weight, warmth, memories, and famously as the fabled Bands of Mourning. The common medallions that we see can use two, occasionally three attributes in a single device. In Oathbringer, we see Hoid bond a Cryptic in order to become a Lightweaver. This is a revelation by itself, but it also has deeper implications: we know that worldhopping is difficult for Radiants because the Nahel bond attaches them very strongly to Roshar via their spren. This is similar to the pull Kelsier feels when trying to leave the Scadrial subastral in Mistborn: Secret History. However, in Mistborn Era 2, we see Hoid on Scadrial, even though we know that Era 2 takes place after the events of Stormlight 5 (therefore after the time that Hoid has bonded his spren). How can that be? I have a simple theory to explain, along with alternative explanations. The Theory in Question: I propose that Hoid is using a medallion that stores either Connection, Identity, or both to specifically store his Connection to Roshar. This severs the tie binding him to the planet and allows him to travel off-world. There are specifics that may differ - perhaps he has to travel to the Cognitive Realm in order for his spren to use the medallion (can a being made of Investiture even use a feruchemical device?), but the concept stays the same. Now, there are two alternatives that I see as being possible: 1. Hoid is using a method unknown to us at this point to preserve his Nahel bond and still travel off-world. This doesn't seem worthy to talk about right now because, of course, how do we talk about something we are not aware of? But if anyone has alternative theories as to how Hoid gets off world, I certainly welcome them in this thread. 2. Hoid breaks his Nahel bond in order to travel to Scadrial. I mean . . . It seems obvious to me that this isn't the case. It is, I suppose, plausible that Hoid bonds a spren in Oathbringer, keeps it for the few years until he needs to travel to Scadrial (end of SA 5? in the time-skip? During SA 6?) and then breaks the bond, presumably killing the spren or making them a Deadeye. I do not believe this to be very likely. Some people have proposed that a Radiant might be able to simply "leave" their spren on Roshar, sacrificing their powers in order to travel further than the Rosharan system. I do not think that this is likely or possible. You may be thinking, Hey, this theory sounds too simple. And you'd be right; it is very simplistic. The reason I believe it to be true is that the mechanics are fairly complicated. The method requires someone to either; A. already be a worldhopper from Scadrial (or from somewhere with access to Southern Scadrial technology, e.g. Silverlight) who then successfully bonds spren, a process I deem to be uncommon OR B. a Knight Radiant with knowledge and access to off-world technology. This second option will quickly become more common as the SA series progresses, but currently it is still quite uncommon. In other words, even though this process is simple once you have the requisite technology (and aptitude to bond a spren), these things are so uncommon at our place in the timeline as to be unfeasible for the average Rosharan or Scadrian. Therefore, I think it is a perfectly reasonable explanation for how Hoid does what he does during the events of Mistborn Era 2. Please feel free to poke holes in this theory in the comments, try as I might I always seem to forget some crucial point. Life is a learning experience however, and I appreciate the opportunity to learn from my mistakes! Thanks for reading!

In light of some new info from Chapter 11, I’d like to put forth.. not a theory, just something I noticed. We have some vague hinting of the three orders that will largely break from the other Knights Radiant: The Skybreakers: Or at least all those who follow Nale, of course. We will continue to see a few outliers such as Szeth, perhaps they will be led by him? In a recent WoB, Brandon said... I think that this would suggest that even without Nale's direct influence, newer Skybreakers might be inclined to side against humanity, and therefore against the other Orders. The Dustbringers: not a whole lot of evidence here, but from what Spark says, the Ashspren don’t seem to like humans. Malata of course also works for the Diagram, whose goals are opposed to those of the KR in most cases. However I believe it is important to remember that Malata was a Dustbringer first, then joined the Diagram, not the other way around. She was already predisposed to their ideals (as predicted by the Diagram, even): The Willshapers: Just the hint from this chapter... So, in summary of the little information we have, it appears that the Ashspren, Reachers, and Highspren all seem to be opposed to humanity and the KR orders. Could this be related to the Honorspren stopping bonding of new Knights? At this point, it seems like only the Cultivationspren are really enthusiastic about forming new bonds (and that is really only from the attitude of a spren merchant in the cognitive realm). This doesn't look good for the new Orders. Something will have to change soon.

So I was using the Knight Radiant quiz to double check my guesses on various AC characters Knightly Orders. Most were fairly typical, but then I got this: So now I’m wondering if the Lightweaver/Windrunner combination would actually be possible. (This was Shay Cormac’s quiz, btw.)

Truthwatchers and Lightweavers share the Surge of Illumination. In Oathbringer, Renarin had been having trouble using the Surge of Illumination to craft illusions like Shallan does. While Shallan is a standard Lightweaver, Renarin is not a standard Truthwatcher as his spren is Corrupted, that makes comparisons difficult. We do, however, have another example of potential usage of Illumination by Renarin. In the Battle of Thaylen City, Renarin uses light to banish a Thunderclast. I don't think this is specific to Renarin's unique condition as, like Glys, Ym's spren too told their Radiant that they could make things go away with light when Nale attacked him in WoR. We do know that the Surges have a Spiritual component to them. Shallan using Connection to those she draws for her Lightweaving. Renarin glimpsing into a person's Spiritual and applying it on the Physical body. Both Illumination and Progression have a Spiritual element within them. Perhaps Truthwatchers are more proficient in Spiritual manifestation of their Surges, like the Bondsmiths. We do know that the Surges don't always manifest in the same manner among the Orders that share them. Perhaps this is how the Surge of Illumination manifests in Truthwatchers. Maybe they don't craft illusions. Truthwatchers are more about truth than lies, which are under the purview of the Lightweavers. Alternatively, the banishing light could also be a combination of the Surges of Illumination and Progression, their Resonance perhaps, a cleansing light (might as well go full throttle on that paladin theme)

So, we all know that Knights Radiant Orders can create Squires which allow others to access Surgebinding while not having a Nahel bond themselves. My question is: is it possible to become a Knights Radiant of one Order and then become a Squire of a different Order? Like, if Kaladin was still a Windrunner and went and tried to become a Lightweaver Squire, would he be able to?

Hi! I'm new to the Shard and asking this question because I find resonance One of the most fascinating investiture related Phenomena in the Cosmere. I feel like we're still know very little about how resonance works wether it's on the Knight Radiants from Roshar, the twinborns from Scadrial or other mix of investiture that exist on the Cosmere, so I ask you to share what you have deduced regarting this subject from reading the books, from Words of Brandon or feel free to speculate about it. So far I think that the Windrunners resonance allows them to have more squires than any other order and that Shallan's memories somehow relate to lightweaver resonance, but this strickes me as sort of random and I see no conection between this powers and the combination of surges that generated them. Maybe there isn't but Brandon usually puts so much sought to this kind oficina things that I wonder if there isn't more to it. What do you think? Also I'm not very clear if Waxillium's steel bubble is exclusive to him as a crasher or if other coinshots could do it. I think when it comes to twinborns we kwow even less about there resonances. Would love to hear your opinions on the matter.

Today I would like to share a little idea that has been bouncing around in my head for a few weeks, regarding the nature of the Truthwatcher Radiant surges. Let's get this out of the way first: Renarin is one of the only Truthwatchers we have seen use their powers on screen, however as he has bonded a corrupted spren, it is not exactly clear which power (or lack of power) is due to him being Truthwatcher, or due to the influence of Sja-Anat. My main point here being that Renarin seems unable to use the surge of Illumination at all, but to me that does not indicate that Truthwatchers in general are unable use Illumination. Radiant Surges As we all know, the Radiant Orders share a single surge with the neighboring orders, with each order having a unique combination of two. Surges work largely the same between orders, with some examples being: Bondsmiths and Windrunners: can use Adhesion to stick things together Windrunners and Skybreakers: can use Gravitation to fly (read: fall) Truthwatchers and Edgedancers: can use Progression to heal others Elsecallers and Lightweavers: can use Transformation to Soulcast Elsecallers and Willshapers: can use Transportation to enter the Cognitive Realm at will Etc, etc. There are a few more but I wont list them all here. I think that the existing correlations between orders strongly implies that a regular Truthwatcher will be able to create illusions. We also see that each Order has a sort of synergy with their specific surges. Some examples of that include: Lightweavers using Transformation to add a physical weight & presence to their illusions Elsecallers being able to Soulcast without physically touching an object Additionally, we have seen some Radiants use a surge in a way that is different than how another order uses it. Case in point: Dalinar using Spiritual Adhesion. Now, it is entirely possible that Windrunners also have access to this application of the surge, but if so we have not seen that on screen yet. Similarly, this could be a result of Dalinar being a somewhat.. special version of a Bondsmith. However my point here is that in certain cases, surges can work differently for the different Radiant Orders, and I believe Truthwatchers are able to use "Spiritual Illumination" in a way that Lightweavers might not be able to. How it applies to Truthwatchers Lightweavers are known to uplift the spirits of those around them, and Shallan in particular is able to see a sort of "spiritual ideal" that a person is capable of becoming. I think this is due to Lightweavers being able to use a Spiritual aspect of Transformation to gain insight to how a person might grow and change. This has always given Lightweavers a more positive bias in my mind - but what about the opposite? We see in Oathbringer that Shallan is capable of creating horrifying illusions, but I think that application of Lightweaving makes much more sense coming from a Truthwatcher. I think Truthwatchers seem to be able to "see" through people in a way, for example a Truthwatcher may be able to tell when someone is lying . . .Or perhaps in the same way that a Lightweaver is able to see what a person dreams of becoming, a Truthwatcher would be able to see what a person fears. Using illusions not to distract, but as a source of fear & chaos on the battlefield. Any readers of a certain as-of-yet-unreleased book might know what I am talking about here. The idea that started this train of thought for me was basically this: Lightweavers lift the spirits of others, but what if there was a Horror Lightweaver? Someone who could create the illusion of being surrounded by terrors - and perhaps specifically the horrors you yourself fear the most. The more I thought about it, the more it made sense to me that this fits the Truthwatchers more than the Lightweavers. Either would be capable of it, surely, but one is better than the other. Thanks for reading! Let me know if this is plausible at all or if I am completely off my rocker. See you in the comments.

I've been thinking about the effects of aluminum (for my alleyverse Character) and I was wondering; If a Knight Radiant or someone bonded to a dead shardblade was also an aluminum gnat/mistborn, and they flared Aluminum, what would happen? I believe that if Aluminum is flared enough, It cleanses the spiritweb. Spren attach themselves to the Radiants spirited when they bond, and deadeyes act similarly. So, would the allomancer Shardbearer/Radiant lose their bond?

Intro The Heralds, as we all know, were once normal men & women who were offered the chance to become something greater by Honor. They were granted the Honorblades, allowing them each the use of two Surges, along with other abilities. Upon death, the Heralds are returned to Braize to endure torture until one of their number breaks, which initiates another Desolation. We know that during the first few Desolations, many hundreds or thousands of years would have passed between the last time the Heralds returned to Roshar. Often, the Heralds would have to progress society rapidly in order to get them prepared for the coming war. This alone would have most likely been enough to convince many of the Herald's divine nature, however I suspect others would need a more direct demonstration. The Heralds have two distinct advantages when it comes to feats of unnatural power: First, the Heralds were directly powered by Honor. This means that they did not need to rely on stormlight stored in gems, and also implies that they would be able to use a greater amount of stormlight at once than a regular Radiant. Second, the Heralds occasionally swapped Honorblades. Additionally, it is possible to wield more than one Honorblade at once. My proposition is that this mixing of Surges greatly influenced the deification of the Heralds, due to the miraculous feats they could achieve, beyond that of a normal Surgebinder or even a Knight Radiant. Allow me to present some examples. The Surge of Transportation Jasnah, an Elsecaller, uses her Surge of Transportation to Soulcast from a distance, without physically touching the object she is changing. I believe this application of Transportation would apply to any of the Surges that usually require touch, such as Cohesion, Adhesion, or Regrowth . . . This is actually an incorrect assumption, please disregard along with the following example. But my ultimate point about mixing Surges still stands, damnation it! Transportation & Progression Regrowth is a powerful application of the Surge of Progression that allows healing and even resuscitation, but is limited to the user physically touching the recipient. However, let us imagine that the Herald Vedel (Progression & Abrasion) borrowed her Honorblade to the Herald Battar (Transformation & Transportation), allowing the latter to use both Honorblades at once. This, along with presumably unlimited Stormlight provided by Honor, would allow Battar to heal many people remotely. She could perhaps heal an entire army at once this way. Adhesion & Abrasion Adhesion, a Surge that sticks things together, and Abrasion, a Surge that can be used to ignite and degrade matter, including humans. Perhaps a Herald wielding these two Surges could stick many enemy's feet to the ground at once, locking them in place, and then use Division to set the ground alight. There are many different applications of these mismatched Surges, and I believe that these incredible feats of power (along with the Herald's normal prodigious use of the Honorblades) greatly contributed to their staying power in the minds of the people of Roshar. I would love to hear your ideas on the different ways the Surges could be combined in non-organic ways (that is, combinations that do not currently exist in the Radiant Orders). As always, thank you for reading, and I hope that you had to google apotheosis, a fun new word I learned today while researching this topic

Here’s something I’ve been considering since reading the Stormlight Archive for the first time, and I’ve been thinking about it even more since rereading it. I’d like to hear everyone’s thoughts on this. As my screen name says, I’m blind. I’ve been wondering how the mechanics of a blind Knight Radiant would work (healing by stormlight is an unacceptable answer in this case). Here are my thoughts on the plausibility of a blind person being a member of each of the orders, and why. I would appreciate additional input or insights anyone has to offer on this. This is a topic I haven’t seen discussed in the Cosmere community at all, so I want to be the one to start bringing it into the light. Here is my list of all ten orders of Knights Radiant, how plausible I think it would be for a blind person to belong to each of them, and my reasoning behind my decisions. Order of Windrunners (surges of adhesion and gravitation): I actually think this could be quite plausible if the radiant was progressed enough in their oaths. I think this because of how attuned Kaladin is to the winds at different points in the books. There are times when he seems to be able to anticipate what is about to happen around him through feeling the winds. This could be a huge asset to a blind Windrunner. This, combined with a possible clever application of lashings to sense when the blind Windrunner is getting too close to obstacles around them, makes me think that it would be quite possible for someone like me to belong to this order. Order of Skybreakers (surges of gravitation and division): I think this is somewhat less plausible than a blind Windrunner. Since Skybreakers only have access to basic lashings. A blind person of this order would still be able to use a similar method of taking advantage of lashings to sense their environment. I don’t think a Skybreaker would have the same relationship with the winds that a Windrunner would though, so that would be a definite disadvantage. I don’t know enough about the surge of division to say much about how that would come into play for a blind person belonging to this order, but it could be an interesting factor. Order of Dustbringers (surges of division and abrasion): I think this one is pretty implausible. I can’t think of a way that a blind Dustbringer would be able to use the surge of abrasion to get a feel for their environment. I guess they could just use the surge of division to destroy any obstacles in their path, but that sounds extremely dangerous and unwieldy. Order of Edgedancers (surges of abrasion and progression): Like the Dustbringers, I think this is also pretty implausible. There are similar issues with me being unable to think of a way in which a blind Edgedancer could use the surge of abrasion to their advantage. They could always use stormlight to heal themselves after crashing into things, but again, that sounds impractical. Order of Truthwatchers (surges of progression and illumination): I think this may be slightly more plausible than either the Dustbringers or Edgedancers. Assuming that Truthwatchers can use illumination to weave sound, a blind person belonging to this order would definitely be able to use that to their advantage, probably in ways most people would find unexpected. They could also use the surge of progression to great effect, similar to the two other Truthwatchers we’ve met so far in the books. Order of Lightweavers (surges of illumination and transformation): I think this would be about as plausible as the Truthwatchers. A blind Lightweaver would be able to use the surge of illumination similar to what I mentioned before, and they could use transformation very effectively. They’d probably be limited to using transformation only when they could get their hands on whatever they’re trying to transform, but if I understand correctly, that wouldn’t be much more limiting than what most Solecasters have to do in order to transform things. Order of Elsecallers (surges of transformation and transportation): I’m honestly unsure about this one, since we still know relatively little about what Elsecallers can actually do. A blind Elsecaller would definitely be able to use transformation similarly to how I explained earlier, but I don’t know how easy or difficult it would be for them to use transportation. I guess they could do it, as long as they had someone to guide them on the Shadesmar side. Order of Willshapers (surges of transportation and cohesion): I know almost nothing about this order, so I’m very unsure of how plausible it would be for a blind person to become a Willshaper. I already explained how they could possibly use the surge of transportation, but I have no idea what the surge of cohesion does, or how a blind person could use it to their advantage. Order of Stonewards (surges of cohesion and tension): I know even less about this order than I do about the Willshapers, so I can’t guess how plausible or not it would be for a blind person to become a Stoneward. Order of Bondsmiths (surges of tension and adhesion): This one is very interesting to consider. I think it could be quite plausible under the right circumstances. I don’t know enough about the surge of tension to guess how it could benefit or hinder a blind Bondsmith, but I do know that they could use adhesion, especially spiritual adhesion, to great advantage. The one Bondsmith we know so far only uses spiritual adhesion to be able to speak other languages and boost the abilities of other Radiants, but I’d be willing to bet that a blind person of this order could find creative applications of this surge to assist them with different things. Again, I don’t know enough about the surge of tension to guess how a blind Bondsmith could use it. This was quite interesting to consider. As things stand with my current understanding of the Knights Radiant and their powers, this is my current ranking of how plausible I think it would be for a blind person to belong to each order: 1. Windrunners 2. Bondsmiths 3. Skybreakers 4. Lightweavers 5. Truthwatchers 6. Elsecallers 7. Edgedancers 8. Dustbringers 9. Willshapers 10. Stonewards Those last two are at the very bottom mostly because I know so little about either of them. I love the Stormlight books a lot, and this is one way in which I try to insert myself into the story in a more meaningful way. This ranking is not set in stone, and is very likely to change with input and as we continue learning more about each order of Knights Radiant. Please let me know if I overlooked something in my considerations, or if there’s more information about the surges I know so little about.

So I have a suspicion about the identity of the elusive spren of the Radiant order of Truthwatchers. In Edgedancer (about a page into chapter six), Lift’s Cultivationspren, Wyndle, mentions a type of spren known as Keenspren. Context: Lift was talking with a young street urchin, using all kinds of very strange words in odd ways. After the urchin leaves, Wyndle says: “Mistress, that was the strangest conversation I’ve ever heard, and I once grew an entire garden for some keenspren.” Truthwatcher’s spren are described as looking like “light reflected onto a surface through a crystal.” And Glys, Renarin’s corrupted spren, looks like a crystalline snowflake growing up from Renarin’s back. Many of the examples of corrupted spren we’ve seen were still recognizable as the type of spren they were. Keen means sharp, either in mind or as an edge, like a blade. I think this correlates well with what we’ve heard of the spren’s appearance in addition to the traditional personality attributed to the order of Truthwatchers. I would love to hear other suspicions about the Truthwatcherspren. This is a bit of a pet peeve of mine, so please share your thoughts on my theory!

So I was looking back through the scene where Shallan and gang is hunting the Midnight Essence and they come across that room covered in art, and I noticed something. Shallan says there are murals that depict 10 kinds of spren and guesses they're for each Order. There's just one small issue. There's 12 Radiant spren. The Bondsmiths have 3 unique spren. The passage in question with the relevant portion bolded. So what do y'all think? Is there a representation of just one of the Bondsmith spren? Is it an abstract representstion of the idea of a Bondsmith spren? Is this a writing error and there was supposed to be 9, with the glowing cloud, tree woman, and figure in front of a circle intended to be the Bondsmith spren? Perhaps the Bondsmiths were supposed to be unrepresented? I'm currently thinking either the second or third option, unsure though.