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Shardcast: The Missing Shardblades


Chaos
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This week on Shardcast, we are going to talk about a Stormlight MYSTERY! In the vision of the Recreance, Dalinar says there are more Shards there than known in the present day. That was just a subset of two orders, to say nothing of all the others. So where have all the Shardblades gone? Even the most conservative estimate would mean we are missing a lot. Well, we are here to speculate, and we go through all the possibilities, from sensible to insane. Are you smuggling a Shardblade, or are you just happy to see me?

We have Eric (Chaos), Ian (WeiryWriter), David (Windrunner), and Grace (thegatorgirl). Send your Who's That Cosmere Character to [email protected].

Also, if you're interested in helping out on the Coppermind this month, check out our August Objectives here: http://www.17thshard.com/news/features/august-coppermind-objectives-r418/?do=getLastComment

Lastly, if you are interested in the Call to Adventure Kickstarter, it *is* still up for a few more days: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/brotherwise/call-to-adventure-featuring-name-of-the-wind

 

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I was wondering when this was coming out. :D  

I needs my Shardcast fix, precious. I neeeeeds it.

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Each week I'm like "I hope they have another one, but what could it be about? They've covered so much." then I see the episode title and go "Oh yeaaaahhh". 

I agree with Ian that random people have some they aren't telling anyone about, like Liss, Some probably are buried under crem or underwater. I think there are too many missing for that to account for all of them though. Some group is probably hoarding a bunch of them.

I think that group would have to be a group that doesn't use them much at all or we would know about them by now. 

My best guess is either the Shin or Skybreakers. The Shin are peaceniks and we know they hoard Honorblades. The Skybreakers would have known about the Recreance at the time and may have snatched up as many dead shards as they could either out of practical or sentimental concerns. Bonded Skybreakers already have a blade and can't use the dead blades without hearing screaming, so they would just sit on them. 

If the Skybreakers are hoarding a bunch and Nale has gone over to the Singers then I would expect to see Fused running around with them in book 4.  

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Yeshaya

Posted (edited)

I wonder if the Stormfather would actually deliberately use storms to sweep the Blades into places where they wouldn't be found. He was of course outraged at men breaking their oaths, and probably wouldn't want these Honor-less humans using the corpses of his children for personal gain. We know he has some control over the highstorms, particularly when he used the Highstorm wind to guide Kaladin back to Urithiru, and of course when he summoned the Highstorm at the battle of Narak to clean up the corpses of the humans, as a perceived kindness. Could be a very similar intention there. 

I certainly think the Skybreakers are most well-positioned to have gotten them. They were already a very powerful and organized force at the time, after the rest of the Knights disbanded possibly the most powerful force on Roshar. I could see them making a sweep of Roshar during the post Recreance chaos and confiscating most of Blades (probably charging the owners with grand larceny and murder as well while they did). Any police force wouldn't want a huge number of weapons of mass destruction lying around, and Shardblades certainly qualify, even if they had no intention of actually using them.

 

Also I wonder if a Knight of a high enough level could sense dead blades. Of course Radiants hear the screams when they touch one, but I suppose by that logic a Radiant  of a high enough level could detect them somehow even without direct contact. That would certainly help groups like the Skybreakers collect them. That's a completely sourceless theory, just something off the top of my head.

 

Also I'd be disinclined to think that Iri has a massive hoard of Shardblades, because then they wouldn't be so upset when Evi left and took her Plate with her. I guess its possible they had tons of Blades but little Plate, but I got the impression this was a Benedict Arnold level of treason for her to leave with her Plate, not a "eh somebody left with their Shard, now we only have 999 left" event.

Edited by Yeshaya
Added third paragraph

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The Cultivation stuff, made me think of Charlie and Candy Mountain. Scene: Random John Doe has a blade, and wants to rule the world. 

"I really love this blade, but eventually I get tired..."

"Go to the Valley and get you some Old Magic."

...

"I can make you swing a sword and never tire!"

- "Yes! I want that!"

"I will take your bond."

- "Wait what? Ugh, creepy Eldritch horror stole my Shardblade."

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KiManiak

Posted (edited)

2 hours ago, Yeshaya said:

Also I wonder if a Knight of a high enough level could sense dead blades. Of course Radiants hear the screams when they touch one, but I suppose by that logic a Radiant  of a high enough level could detect them somehow even without direct contact.

@Yeshaya: I think there's evidence to support that as it seems that Jasnah does just that in the battle of Thaylenah in OB:

Quote

Below, Jasnah strode away from the marvel she'd created, then knelt beside some rubble and cocked her head, listening to something.  She pressed her hand against the rubble, and it vanished into smoke, revealing a corpse beneath - and a brilliant Shardblade beside it.  (OathBringer, Chapter 120)

Since Jasnah (presumably) can manifest Shardplate, she's likely a 4th level Elsecaller (at least) and could be more sensitive to hearing the dead Shardblades then our other Radiants.  

Edited by KiManiak

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41 minutes ago, KiManiak said:

@Yeshaya: I think there's evidence to support that as it seems that Jasnah does just that in the battle of Thaylenah in OB:

Since Jasnah (presumably) can manifest Shardplate, she's likely a 4th level Elsecaller (at least) and could be more sensitive to hearing the dead Shardblades then our other Radiants.  

I completely forgot about that, thanks! So then I'd be much more inclined to think the Skybreakers would be the group best suited to accumulate some Shards.

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Mason Wheeler

Posted (edited)

All the talk of the dead spren, mentioning the word "deadeye" over and over, made my mind go off in interesting directions.

 

"The Knights Radiant?" Lukaren asked.

"An ancient order," Master Khonobi said in a solemn tone.  "They once kept peace throughout the Cosmere, wielding mighty Shardblades and the power of the Investiture."

"The Investiture?  What's that?"

"A force that permeates all things, and binds the Cosmere together."

Lukaren blinked, slowly digesting this new information.  "And you say my father was one of these... Knights Radiant?"

"Anekal was one of the greatest of their number," Master Khonobi nodded, "until he was destroyed by the evil Darth Sader, a fallen Radiant who was seduced by the Voidish side of the Investiture, to become what is known as a Deadeye Knight..."

Edited by Mason Wheeler

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On ‎8‎/‎10‎/‎2018 at 8:02 AM, Child of Hodor said:

Each week I'm like "I hope they have another one, but what could it be about? They've covered so much." then I see the episode title and go "Oh yeaaaahhh". 

this earned you an upvote. because I agree.

Edited by Stormblessed Dolphin

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I'm not sure about the idea of the Fused hoarding Shards to use, mainly because we just haven't actually seen any of them using a Shardblade. Shardplate is probably off the table in regards to the Fused anyway, since it blocks the use of surges and they shouldn't be worrying too much about protection, seeing as how they can't die. But somehow, at the battle of Thaylen City, a critically important moment in Odium's plan, not a single fused is mentioned or shown to have a shardblade. Neither are there any shown at Kholinar or the raid on Urithiru. So while Odium almost certainly has a collection, the Fused don't seem to be using them.

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Hi crew. First time posting, long time fan. 

I had an idea listening to this weeks cast. What if the "sailors lost on an infinite sea" were a group of the original Ashin humans? Could it be that two or more groups were part of the exodus from that planet? My favorite idea now is that they destroyed their planet with advanced Invested tech (aka "fabrials") and had to flee on interplanetary vessels, some getting lost along the way. Space is well described as an "infinite sea".

Or could it be that somehow they got lost while traveling though the cognitive realm? 

Please let me know what you think, this is my new favorite cosmere theory, as it could set up some amazing tech battles post book 5. Magitech!! Yaaay!!

Edited by Hylianlikely
Typos

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Considering there are WoBs which tell us that the original Ashyinites travelled via Shadesmar/Super Oathgate, it is unlikely that there are more of them hanging around space. I do like the idea of the infinite sea being interplanetary space, but I don't think we can link that to Ashyn just yet.

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Thank you Slimy_slider, I forgot about that WoB. It is of note that he said the way he sees it now (it' not cannon yet) they didn' come through Shadesmar, but through "something like an Oathgate". So you're right, most likely not space. I still like the idea though. Maybe they are lost somewhere 'in between'. I can' wait to learn more!

The fact remains that they did have some advanced tech (flying cities!). So I'm still rooting for magitech battles. Any one else wanna see Hoid piloting an invested mech, or is that just me? XD

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On 8/10/2018 at 0:38 PM, Mason Wheeler said:

All the talk of the dead spren, mentioning the word "deadeye" over and over, made my mind go off in interesting directions.

 

"The Knights Radiant?" Lukaren asked.

"An ancient order," Master Khonobi said in a solemn tone.  "They once kept peace throughout the Cosmere, wielding mighty Shardblades and the power of the Investiture."

"The Investiture?  What's that?"

"A force that permeates all things, and binds the Cosmere together."

Lukaren blinked, slowly digesting this new information.  "And you say my father was one of these... Knights Radiant?"

"Anekal was one of the greatest of their number," Master Khonobi nodded, "until he was destroyed by the evil Darth Sader, a fallen Radiant who was seduced by the Voidish side of the Investiture, to become what is known as a Deadeye Knight..."

this earns you my upvote, and my eternal respect

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We can’t forget that Ico kept his deadeye father locked in a room in the cargo hold of his ship so he wouldn’t wander off “in search of the human carrying his corpse.”  I guess that means at least one blade wouldn’t be able to materialize. And Ico’s ship burned. I wonder how many other deadeye spren are locked away in Shadesmar.

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Deadeyes don't have to be in the same place as the blade in the physical realm to manifest. So whoever has Ico's father, they can still use the blade. Just like how moving the beads around in Shadesmar doesn't change the position of the physical object, the cognitive reflections prefer to remain close but it isn't essential.

 

As to how may deadeyes there are, probably a lot. But like they said in the podcast, most are probably either locked away or just wandering around somewhere under the bead oceans.

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I don't know why, but the prophesy about the sailors coming reminded me of Miles Hundred Lives last words, "You are fools! One day, the men of gold and red, bearers of the final metal, will come to you. And you will be ruled by them." It sure would be interesting if Roshar and Scadrial share a common foe. Trell perhaps?

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I figured the Shin and the Skybreakers have probably a huge hoard by now and I agree that the Stormfather and other spren, like Ico, probably have hidden or have been taking care of these dead spren/Shardblades. I am sure that many Shards have been lost through time and I'm sure people like Liss have Shardblades that they have acquired through inheritance or they found it through fortune or luck. I can't imagine the Fused wasting time trying to find these Shards, very few of them can function or talk, at least the ones we've come in contact with. Lady Leshwi is the only "sane" one, we are told. That's a pretty big job to find them all. I think what will be more interesting than speculating where the Shards are, is when someone figures out how to revive these dead spren and consequently the Blades. I have a theory that Adolin will be the one to inadvertently figure this out. Clearly Maya is broken, but she manifested sooner than 10 heartbeats for Adolin in Thaylen City. What if humans/Parsh don't just have to be broken, but the spren could be? So Adolin maybe could heal Maya with his "wholeness", maybe by saying the oaths? That might be too simple, but has anyone in Roshar who posseses a dead Shardblade ever tried that? That would be the first thing I would try. Once someone figures out that there will be so many more Radiants and it will be awesome!! Once again guys awesome podcast!! You guys are still the only podcast I can manage to listen to and retain what was said and enjoy it obviously! Thanks guys!

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Immagine this. Zahel/Vasher has the missing blades. He has them all. He has bonded them all, and is waiting for the right moment to bring them into play. He figures out how to awaken using storm light. He goes to the capitals of world and goes to the tombs of the soulcast heroes and kings of old and awakens stone soldiers and gives them each a shardblade (or two). He keeps them hidden and amasses his army which he decides to call Kalak's Phantoms, mostly because he can't think of a better name. There's a pitched battle where there are dozens, no, hundreds of thunderclasts and the Radiants are about to be overwhelmed and Kalak's Phantoms swarm out of no where to make short work of the thunderclasts. End scene. 

Edited by Army of Sheep
Correction

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@Army of Sheep Here Here!! It would be sweet if that were the case. But we will see Vasher and Nightblood cross paths again which will be just as sweet as your proposed scenario! ( I hope so anyways!):rolleyes:

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14 hours ago, Army of Sheep said:

Immagine this. Zahel/Vasher has the missing blades. He has them all. He has bonded them all, and is waiting for the right moment to bring them into play. He figures out how to awaken using storm light. He goes to the capitals of world and goes to the time of the soulcast heroes and kings of old and awakens stone soldiers and gives them each a shardblade (or two). He keeps them hidden and amasses his army which he decides to call Kalak's Phantoms, mostly because he can't think of a better name. There's a pitched battle where there are dozens, no, hundreds of thunderclasts and the Radiants are about to be overwhelmed and Kalak's Phantoms swarm out of no where to make short work of the thunderclasts. End scene. 

Kalak's phantoms is my new favorite crossover

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