[OB] Oathbringer Chapter 1-3

[Pattern]

2 hours ago, narkis said:

 I get the fact that the battle changed a lot and the stakes are now raised, but it's been a mere few days.

There is just no time for hesitation anymore. The Everstorm will hit land again very soon, so the transformation of parshmen in the western regions will start. Not knowing the scale of the Everstorm yet, it might take one or several passings over Roshar to start finish the transformations of the parshmen. The urgency of the situation leaves Dalinar really no time to restrict himself and wait for whimsical Elhokar to recuperate.

1 hour ago, maxal said:

I'd have some sympathy for him, but to say he can't?

Perhaps Renarin knows that he can't because of something we and nobody else know. And something is off with him being a Proto-Radiant? He somehow became suspicious for me during that scene and I am thrilled to read more.

3 hours ago, maxal said:

Adolin is getting duties other than scouting: managing the armies from all Highprinces. Alone time will have to wait.

I really don't see Adolin keeping his cleaning action (I won't call it murder, though it technically was) secret for much longer. I've got the impression that he is nearly bursting with guilt, already showing in his deteriorating mood and quick temper.

17 minutes ago, frozndevl said:

Exactly, the Thrill made him a sociopath, not some inherent flaw in his person. 

The Thrill made him a junkie in the first place. With all consequences. In WoK and WoR, the Thrill was not described as crass as in the flashback: "It was a fire that filled the pit within"..."Dalinar smiled. Then the smile became a toothy grin". That looks a lot like strong drug addiction.
We know from WoR that Dalinar has a lot of scars that should have diminished his agility significantly. Did the Thrill help him ignoring the wounds and help with the healing, like Stormlight would have done? Well, stormlight heals wounds without scars (as long as you don't think the scars a vital part of your identity), so there is a difference. There is a theory that Dalinar used small amounts of Stormlight before. Now I think he could have used voidlight, somehow drawn from Nergaoul while being under the Thrill.

Edited August 30, 2017 by Pattern

[ThurgreatMarshall]

14 hours ago, Andy92 said:

Read the first two chapters, will have to catch the third later today.

Any odds that Odium was able to "capture" Sadeas's Cognitive Shadow after death, and that's his champion? 

I have this weird feeling that it's Adolin. I'm not really sure why for Cosmere reasons, but as a plot device (especially if the Kaladin-Shallan-Adolin triangle becomes real), it would make for an obvious plot device.

[Calderis]

1 minute ago, Beltway2A said:

I have this weird feeling that it's Adolin. I'm not really sure why for Cosmere reasons, but as a plot device (especially if the Kaladin-Shallan-Adolin triangle becomes real), it would make for an obvious plot device.

Which is exactly why I hate the idea. 

[Guest]

Everyone, except Dalinar, seems to agree, that Sadeas death is not something to mourn about. I agree...

...but I don't think it solves any problems. The mention of Ialai actually fortified that idea for me. She will be out for blood. And she will continue whatever Torol started. I'm sure, that she will be convinced, that Dalinar ordered Sadeas to be killed and in turn will try to undermine his efforts of achieving unity and might even try to kill him, as we know, she does have assassins. In the end, nothing will have changed and Sadeas murder by the hands of Adolin was in vain.

I desperately hope, that Adolin doesn't begin to think, that everything can be solved with murders and assassinations, but I can see him beginning to plot to murder Ialai, just to finish, what he started. Or maybe he just snaps again. We don't know.

Ialai also might demand satisfaction and Dalinar will be forced to punish Adolin for the "greater good". But Adolin might understand, that since he also killed Sadeas for the "greater good", by keeping his father secure, who fights for the "greater good"... (Sorry for the snark, but the more I think about it, the more I am shaking my head, about how damnation stupid Adolin was in killing Sadeas. I know why he did it and I understand it and I agree about saying good riddance to Sadeas, but I still can't get over the stupidity of it. It just complicated many, many things for some short-term satisfaction.)

Regarding Odium's champion: I don't think, that it is Adolin. The "familiarity in his eyes" is probably a red herring, because Dalinar's visions are things Honor recorded before his death.

[Arondell]

6 hours ago, WhiteLeeopard said:

Good point. But it could just be related to loyalty, that he doesn't know the men below enough to trust them immediately. Of course with Alethkar, its probably a related to social rank. Also makes it interesting how bridge 4 are obviously in their own little category now that they are squires . Dalinar addressed them differently than I suspect he would have just the previous week, and no-one even questioned their presence there.

I think it might also be related to training/experience.  Doing the jobs they seem to be doing requires a fair amount of both those factors.  For instance I don't think Kaladin could do the job well simply because he has no experience with coordinating the actions of an entire army.  Though he would probably learn quickly.  Combine that with some of the social rank issues and the pool of people that can be put in that position is pretty small.  Dalinar probably can find others to do it but they just are not with the army.

[+eveorjoy]

*Okay, I can't read all of the pages here. So if I repeat something already discussed, sorry.

My thoughts.

*Yay. It is finally here.

*So Dalinar starts the book, well it is his book that makes sense,

*Oh Dalinar can get an up close look at the visions. Awesome.

*I think Honor assumed there would be a champion for Odium regardless if the humans could come up with a champion of their own in time. Therefore Odium's champion would still be in his nightmare. And Honor was thinking about Odium choosing a champion, so seeing him in the vision makes sense. I doubt that is it anyone in particular because Honor said this vision was a guess not the actual future and he did not see anyone from Dalinar's time. That was too long after he died.

*And we come to the discovery of Sadeas's body. That was quick.

*Chapter 1 was too short. 

*I think Adolin's scene was a later addition. If you look at Brandon's visual outline he never intended to have a tertiary character POV in part one. Only the main characters were in part one. Brandon said after info from readers he added some scenes to clarify things. Adolin's scene only does three things. One, worldbuilding. Two, reminds us Adolin killed Sadeas. And three, shows us his state of mind. I think Brandon originally wanted to keep Adolin at a distance from the reader for a bit, but then maybe his beta readers forgot who killed Sadeas. It is possible. I doubt all of Brandon's beta readers had read WoR obsessively over the past few years. I do think it is more important that the reader knows Adolin is the killer than to keep us in suspense of Adolin's state of mind. And even what we got wasn't that in depth. Adolin seems to still be in shock and he has not processed his actions yet. Of course, this is just a guess. It's a good scene and I am glad we got some of Adolin's POV.

Quote

“Well!” said Palona, hands on hips as she regarded Sadeas’s corpse. “I guess that’s one problem solved!”

*I love Palona. I think she is speaking for many readers as well as in world characters. Still, I am glad Dalinar did not agree. It shows how much he has changed and the fact that he will use any resource he can get to help the world. Is it good that Sadeas is dead? Hmm. I don't know and most likely never will. Though, I think Brandon had done all he could with him, so in that sense it is good he is gone.

Quote

The men of Bridge Four had not bonded their own spren, and—though they had started manifesting powers—had lost their abilities when Kaladin had flown to Alethkar to warn his family of the Everstorm.

*Wait a minute. I wonder if anyone has addressed this and if you have an explanation I will be pleased. Okay, so Bridge Four gets their powers from Kaladin being near them. Well, If I remember correctly the Lopen regrew his arm on the Shattered Plains, while Kaladin was in Urithiru. Now it is pretty clear the Shatter Plains are nowhere near Urithiru. In fact, some guess Urithiru could be closer to Alethkar than it is to the shattered plains. Of course that is just a guess, but still, if range affects Bridge Four's ability to use stormlight, how did Lopen arrive with two arms in Urithiru while Kaladin had been at Urithiru the whole time? And why are the members of Bridge Four powerless now when Kaladin's away when this was not the case in the last book? What am I missing here?

*In connection with that, which of the squires will get a spren first? Lopen as a full radiant would be awesome.

*I read in some posts, before I gave up, that some were questioning Dalinar appointing Highprinces. Well, here are some reasons I think he wasn't intentionally usurping Elhokar. First, Elhokar is injured and might not be able to appoint anyone right now. Yet they need people to take these posts and someone must make assignments. Kaladin took command of Lighteyes this way in TWoKs because somebody needed to at the Tower. Kaladin was not usurping Dalinar or Adolin's authority, he brought order to chaos. Dalinar may be merely doing the same here and will defer back to Elhokar when he is better. Second, they are at war and Dalinar is Highprince of War. He might assume he has the authority to assign other Highprinces to tasks in times of war. Maybe not, but I can see why he would think that. Finally, does Elhokar have authority in Urithiru or does the current Bondsmith have the right of leadership in the city of the Radiance? Dalinar as head of the Knights Radiant may have the authority to assign anyone to do anything in that city and just uses the structure of Alethkar with Highprinces because that is what is familiar. Regardless, in the situation they are in they need Dalinar in command right now. After they save the world, Dalinar can step down and let Elhokar rule whatever is left of his kingdom.

*Shallan didn't even get a speaking part. Brandon wants to make it clear this is Dalinar's show.

Quote

 He took Renarin by the shoulder. “I trust you. The Almighty and the spren have granted you powers to defend and protect this people. Use them. Master them, then report back to me what you can do. I think we’re all curious to find out.”

*Something is up with Renarin's powers. Maybe I'm reading too much into this but I am seeing a red flag in this statement.

*The flashback I read before. No new thoughts except we got the flashbacks quickly in the narrative this time. I hope this means it is a long sequence. 

Quote

He was done living for the day. It would be weeks, maybe months, before he got another opportunity.

*That's kinda how I feel when I finish a new Stormlight book for the first time. 

[narkis]

4 hours ago, Jaconis said:

Ever since he made himself Highprince of War, he has pretty much been king, and everyone, including the other highprinces, have acted that way

He's been king of Alethkar, certainly, but I still think his current goal of uniting the entirety of Roshar represents a profound shift. The reason I find this goal weird is because it doesn't seem to corroborate with history, as evidenced by Dalinar's own visions. IIRC, when Dalinar meets a KR in one of his visions and asks her which kingdom she fights for, she makes it clear that the KR are autonomous and fight for all kingdoms. So it seems that in the past, Desolations didn't unite Roshar. So why would Dalinar now conclude that this is what he must do? 

[Storyspren]

Renarin's future predicting powers are specifically called a thing of the voidbringers. Even gambling is mentioned as sort of voidbringery by Shallon in her more prudish first book phase. 

He'd have rather found out he was hallucinating, I believe, than that he really has powers he sees as voidish/evil. 

I'd think less of him if he went immediately into full on training mode without questioning at all what his powers said about him.

 

[ParadoxicalZen]

Rereading the blackthorn chapter again made me think of something; The Thrill seems to be an alteration/alternate take of the Rhythms so I wonder if its a very limited way for humans to attune to them...as I remember either in WoK or WoR, that two types of Thrill were mentioned; one of battle and another of something else

[Pattern]

54 minutes ago, narkis said:

So it seems that in the past, Desolations didn't unite Roshar. So why would Dalinar now conclude that this is what he must do? 

The unification of Roshar does not mean that Dalinar wants to become emperor of Roshar or somehing like it. The Silver Kingdoms also collaborated and were coordinated with the help of the Knights Radiant. They all had access to Urithiru via Oathgate. Rebuilding these institutions and infrastructure, and bringing the different kingdoms together to intervene quickly at hotspots in the desolation would also count as unification, I guess.

I am really looking forward to Taravangian's reaction to Dalinars greater unification attempt, since Taravangian has the same goal, but quite different means and Taravangian also wants to lead all of Roshar himself. Szeth as his assassin is gone now, though, so Mr. T has to improvise again.

1 minute ago, ParadoxicalZen said:

The Thrill seems to be an alteration/alternate take of the Rhythms

The Thrill is, as far as we know, caused by the Unmade Nergaoul, while the Rhythms are not Roshar specific but beat through from the Spiritual Realm. So the Thrill is one of Odium's means to influence humankind. What better strategy than to make your enemies take care of themselves...

Edited August 30, 2017 by Pattern

[Toaster Retribution]

1 hour ago, narkis said:

So it seems that in the past, Desolations didn't unite Roshar. So why would Dalinar now conclude that this is what he must do? 

Because the visions told him to unite them.

[ParadoxicalZen]

17 minutes ago, Pattern said:

The Thrill is, as far as we know, caused by the Unmade Nergaoul, while the Rhythms are not Roshar specific but beat through from the Spiritual Realm. So the Thrill is one of Odium's means to influence humankind. What better strategy than to make your enemies take care of themselves...

That I know, but it seems to me like Nergaoul hijacked/created its own spin them; after all, The Unmade were presumably the Parshendi gods to begin with so 

[kari-no-sugata]

18 hours ago, signspace13 said:

 Nothing from Kaladin or Shallan yet, though Shallan's presence in these scenes shows that the revelation at the end of WoR wasn't completely crippling for her, and we have the reading chapter of Kaladin that I am very much looking forward to the end of.

Well, Shallan being in an entire scene without saying anything or having any obvious reaction is perhaps an indication that all is not well in Shallan-land

However, we already knew at the end of WoR that she wasn't crippled. Her final POV scene was on the first night in Urithiru but in the final scene from Dalinar's POV there's this (Chapter 89, "The Four"):

Quote

Ten short pillars ringed this room, with another at the center. “Well?” Kaladin asked, turning away from an inspection of one of them. Shallan rounded another; she looked far less ragged than she had when they’d first come to the city. Though their days here in Urithiru had been frantic, some good nights’ sleep had served them all quite well.

 

[vhaloth]

Hi guys, just a random thought, this is purely theoretical but I think it's something..

What if Dalinar saw at the vision was not just 'Odium's champion' and the 'Unmade' but the Heralds their selves? Think about it...

1. If I remember correctly the vision was supposed to be Honor's version of worst possible outcome. (Correct me on this if I'm wrong) What if Honor's worst nightmare would be the total corruption of his Heralds turned as Odium's other than True Desolation itself?

2. Stormfather didn't actually saw the last part, meaning he is dependent on Dalinar's description, I agree on the first one that would be 'Odium' the golden, terrible light, though I am not sure about the 'Heat' part, this could be important. Then he said 'Nine Shadows', maybe, just maybe SF misinterpreted this knowing that there are 9 Unmade coincidentally thinking it was them but it could also point to the other 9 Heralds that turned their backs on their Oaths. (This one's important)

3. Since the Herald's are not honourable any more (Oath breaking) they could be already being lead by Odium and they didn't even know it. 

4. "He saw something terribly familiar in them." What comes to mind about who would be Big O's Champion is someone Dalinar already met, sons, friends, enemies. If memory serves right I think Dalinar and Taln already met (Correct me on this). If not, it's not familiarity of the eyes but the emotion within the eye is what he's seeing, like looking at a madman or something, Taln quite fall under this one too. 

5. It is also possible it would be Taln because Honor does know what his Heralds look like right?

 

I may be just over thinking this though. 

[dgenio8]

11 hours ago, Jaconis said:

Do we know if this is before, after, or during the events of Edgedancer? I assume they are sort of happening concurrently based on the above statement. The main thing I'm confused about though is how in the world did the monarch of Azir see "that a strange storm had appeared in the east"? (I'm assuming that this isn't referring to the storm they see at the end Edgedancer, because that was coming from the west). Looking at the map, Azir is literally on the other side of the planet from the Shattered Plains. Are we to believe that the Everstorm was visible from that far away? If so, why in the world wasn't everyone freaking the bleep out that this new, massive (red!) storm was being created?

Something seems off to me, though I could be missing something. Anyone else see see what it is?

I'm having the same issue here. There is also a quote about the Everstorm hitting Shinovar and then circle the globe... Isn't this the other way around? And how can they see a strange storm appeared in the east, been hit by it and not believe Dalinar?!

Correct me if I'm wrong, but normal storms go from East to West, while the Everstorm goes from West to East. Given the map it should had move to the ocean shortly after the end of WoR and if it doesn't dissipate it sould hit Shinovar and then the rest of the continent....

[flying_shadow]

I think that parts of this book are before Edgedancer, but most of it is after.

[Link123]

We will see a Lopen flashback/pov chapter in Oathbringer. I asked Brandon Sanderson if we would have more of (THE) Lopen in the book and he told me he has his own chapter during a signing in Leipzig last March. 

 

It may be that he is not a squire but a full KR.

 

So excited for November. 

[WhiteLeeopard]

33 minutes ago, dgenio8 said:

I'm having the same issue here. There is also a quote about the Everstorm hitting Shinovar and then circle the globe... Isn't this the other way around? And how can they see a strange storm appeared in the east, been hit by it and not believe Dalinar?!

Correct me if I'm wrong, but normal storms go from East to West, while the Everstorm goes from West to East. Given the map it should had move to the ocean shortly after the end of WoR and if it doesn't dissipate it sould hit Shinovar and then the rest of the continent....

At this point I suspect no-one has been hit by the Everstorm, other than the Alethi in the battle with the Voidbringers at the end of WoR. When some nations acknowledge there was a strange storm they likely mean in the Shattered Planes. But they don't believe it will return. They'll probably be hit in a few days, first Shinovar, then the rest.

34 minutes ago, Kalinovsky said:

I think that parts of this book are before Edgedancer, but most of it is after.

Edgedancer happens simultaneusly during Part One of Oathbringer. In fact I wouldnt be surprised if the first ED chapter happened at the exact same time as the first OB chapter.

4 minutes ago, Link123 said:

It may be that he is not a squire but a full KR.

Lopen is a squire. Confirmed through WoB.

[Jaconis]

25 minutes ago, WhiteLeeopard said:

At this point I suspect no-one has been hit by the Everstorm, other than the Alethi in the battle with the Voidbringers at the end of WoR. When some nations acknowledge there was a strange storm they likely mean in the Shattered Planes. But they don't believe it will return. They'll probably be hit in a few days, first Shinovar, then the rest.

If that's true, then my original question still stands: how did people on the other side of the planet see this storm? Is it because it's that big? If so, why in the world wouldn't they believe it's a new Highstorm-esque thing?

[Bcknight2]

23 minutes ago, Jaconis said:

If that's true, then my original question still stands: how did people on the other side of the planet see this storm? Is it because it's that big? If so, why in the world wouldn't they believe it's a new Highstorm-esque thing?

I think you guys are forgetting that the stormfather created an anomalous Highstorm, at the end of WoR, during the weeping. That's the storm they're referring to, a high storm that hit, when one should not have been possible. And they are refusing to accept that Highstorm as evidence to corroborate the rest of Dalinar's story regarding the everstorm.

 

Edit: while I definitely think it's the created high storm that they're referring to, I just re-read that section and the wording is terrible.

Edited August 30, 2017 by Bcknight2

[WhiteLeeopard]

14 minutes ago, Jaconis said:

If that's true, then my original question still stands: how did people on the other side of the planet see this storm? Is it because it's that big? If so, why in the world wouldn't they believe it's a new Highstorm-esque thing?

They may have had reliable spies among the Alethi . Although now that I think about it, spionage doesn't seem too developed in Roshar. Thats a big deficit. 

[FiveLate]

On 8/29/2017 at 3:54 PM, Calderis said:

That wouldn't work. Squires gain access to their power through their bond to the Radiant. He would have to be a squire to both in order to gain power from another Radiant.

Edit: @KiManiak and the fastest way to get word back to the war camps that the people should come to Urithiru would have been to have Kaladin go back through the oath gate and fly across the plains. 

Squires get their power through their bond to the Radiant.  

The Radiant gets his/her power through their bond through their spren.  

Therefore squires get their power through the Radiants spren.  

These suggests 2 possible reasons why Lopen could heal at the time.

1. Syl was close enough for him to draw on the ability.

Or more likely

2.   The Lopen was upholding one of the Ideals that Kaladin had sworn.  Specifically, the Lopen was standing in for Kaladin in protecting Elkohar.    By upholding this ideal in Kaladin s place, the Lopen himself was closer to a Radiant state.  If you look at all the times the squires demonstrate powers, they are always defending on of the Windrunners Ideals.

 

 

On 8/29/2017 at 3:56 PM, Toaster Retribution said:

@FollowYourMuse You are right, the quote is wierd. The most logical explanation is that Adolin for some reason doesn't count Kholin, Aladar, Sebarial or Roion people since a lot of those arrived before anyone else. In this case, it would mean that Sadeas, Hatham, Ruthar and Bethab were the four others, since Thanadal and Vamah stayed behind. Or Adolin counts in Kholin amd the others, and in that case, Sadeas and Hatham just sent out small scout forces.

Kholinar, Aladar, Sebarial, and Roion all took terrible losses in the battle against the Stormforms.  Dalinar himself says he lost all of his battle lords expect one who was wounded.  The troops had to be equally devastated.  Only functioning war camps may be listed.

 

Edited September 1, 2017 by FiveLate

[soyperson]

Renarin...

I love him...

 

ALSO,

Holy Storming Odium Champion

Who do y'all think it is???

Since it said that Dalinar thought it looked familiar, I think it's:

Spoiler

either Adolin, Eshonai, Dalinar himself, Gavilar, or Sadeas

 

Edited August 30, 2017 by bleeder

[Stormfury]

HOLY STORMING RUSTING SHARDS! God damnation, these chapters are freaking amazing. Thank you Brandon for releasing them early so that we can talk about how much we don't know about anything in the Cosmere haha.

Some quick thoughts about the Prologue/Chapters:

Prologue:

I guess the working theory now is that Gavilar meets with Amaran and Taravangian when Eshonai accidentally drops by. This kinda makes sense primarily due to Amaran's actions in the previous books. Its going to be interesting to see how Amaran goes forward after the whole Dalinar/Amaran/Kaladin fiasco.

Another thing that really stood out was how oblivious Gavilar was to the fact that Parshendi don't want their gods to return, and he is actually convinced that they would be happy about that (he actually tells Eshonai, and asks her to tell her elders anticipating that they would approve). Venli being with the elder is a big big revelation. Venli, in my opinion, is more than what the eye can see, and will (or probably already had) a huge part to play.

Chapters:

Right off the bat I want to say that the final thing Dalinar gets to see in the vision (that Stormfather is not able to) might not be something from Honor. It could be an external influence that is injected into the vision (without Stormfather's knowledge, though I don't know how) by someone/something. I don't know if this is the case, but it kinda makes sense if someone/something (I'm not saying Odium here because we don't know all the players yet) has reason to make Dalinar see it and make assumptions that are wrong (Similar to what Ruin does, but then again, Brandon doesn't really repeat this plots. So lets just wait and see what this whole thing with red/gold colors and the recognition of the eyes is).

Also did we ever get to know how the Unmade were born/created? This has always bugged me. Honor broke after being killed and stormfather is probably the biggest sliver of him. But how did Odium get to have 9 (finally the number is conformed) entities?

Also I completely disagree with the theories that Adolin/Renarin/Kaladin/Moash/Amaran/Dalinar/Eshonai will be the champion of Odium because of some recognition of the eyes. First of all it doesn't fit the story well, and as someone already pointed out Honor created this vision, and it is not a part of the future nor is it the past. So assuming Honor added the last part of the vision himself, Dalinar recognizing something in the eye has to do more with the sensation he feels and not someone he actually knows. (One counter argument to my point is that the Kholin family is a direct descendant of Sunmaker, and Sunmaker might have something to do with Odium's champion. But I even this is stretching our tin foil hats to the extreme).

And its freaking amazing now Dalinar becomes the leader we always wanted to see. I've been kinda frustrated with him in the previous book because he would always tip toe around Elhokar. One of my favorite scenes is when he tells Elhokar that he is dating Navani, and leaves the king speechless. Dalinar finally realizes the threat to the world of the living and is taking the reins. I'm glad this book started off strong in this sense and I'm hoping we see a lot of bad chull rust from him as we go on.

I feel like everyone here has already discussed Adolin to a great extent, and there really isn't much other than the fact that he is try to ignore what he did and is not dealing with it yet. Too early to tell how this will progress, but will definitely be interesting to see. Also Teft, you should be the next Wit (once Hoid takes on more responsibility on Roshar). That comment about Sadeas falling on the knife literally had be in fits. Also Shallan and Renarin training sessions are going to be fun to read.

Lastly 'The Thrill'. God damnation, never realized how intoxicating it could be. I mean, we all realized that its addictive and when you feel it you get enthralled by it, but I never thought it would be to that extreme. I mean Dalinar literally acts like he cares nothing more than to feel the blood on his blade and relish in the fact that he is massacaring people without a thought of why. The why part really bothered me. If just one Unmade has this kind of effect on a whole nation, what do the others do? We really need more info from Brandon about this.

Sorry for the rant guys. I've been dying with anticipation for this book for years now and it (at least a tiny bit of it) is here. Also 3 chapters a week is too slow for me. I'm rereading Mistborn Era 1 again now (Currently on Well of Ascension). So if anyone wants to discuss random stuff from that, feel free to shoot me a message or start a new thread. I would really want to waste all your time by making you read my long and not-so-well thought out ideas.

Until next time

Stormfury

Edited August 30, 2017 by Stormfury
Spellings

[Bcknight2]

Another thing... a lot of people seem to be freaking out about how Odium's champion must be someone Dalinar knows because of this paragraph:

Quote

Dalinar stared deep into those eyes, and felt a chill wash through him. Though the destruction raged around him, vaporizing rocks, those eyes frightened him more. He saw something terribly familiar in them. This was a danger far beyond even the storms. This was the enemyʼs champion. And he was coming.

This doesn't read, to me, like him recognizing a person, it seems more like him recognizing an emotion/feeling or something else...

Spoilers for the flashback chapters in Unfettered 2:

Spoiler

What this really reminded me of is the fourth flashback chapter in unfettered when Dalinar recognizes the Thrill in his opponent's eyes:

Quote

Dalinar grunted, meeting his enemy’s gaze. In those eyes, he saw something. Excitement, energy. A familiar bloodlust. Kalanor felt the Thrill too, of course.

I think this makes way more sense, Dalinar recognizes the Thrill in Odium's champion. Perhaps he's finally realizing that the Thrill is OF Odium and that all of Alethkar has been driven/influenced heavily by the enemy.