Welcome to my liveblog of Rhythm of War! Index post here. Beware of spoilers.

Chapter 18 (Surgeon)
Title: I’m expecting more disappointment from Lirin this chapter. Maybe Kal will ask if he can go back to a healing role? I can imagine the response would not be encouraging.

Epigraph: The Fused have a “stormlight draining” fabrial that relies on a second unknown metal (i.e. not the aluminum alloy used for blocking blades). By the analogies we’ve seen so far to the metallic arts it seems most likely to be chromium (the metal for Leecher mistings).

Hm, Skar and Drehy accompanied Rock and his family back to the peaks? I wasn’t really expecting the honor guard (unless that was mentioned in the previous chapter and I’m just forgetting about it now--I really need to not leave so much time between reading sessions).

More mysterious hints about Urithiru’s construction. The closed off rooms suggest actively manipulable stone, to create doorways at need. Given that we have two orders of knights that could have directly performed that function, on top of whatever responsiveness might have been inherent in the tower itself when powered by the Sibling, that much seems to be obvious. But it makes me wonder how much of the rest of the layout was permanent. Did the whole thing reformat itself at need? Or even at the whims of the Sibling? 

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Places where strata wove to form patterns reminiscent of glyphs set into the wall

This definitely piques my interest. Was this communication? Magical symbology (i.e. to accomplish a purpose as might be done on Sel)? Or merely a side effect of some realmatic process similar to the cymatic layouts of the cities on Roshar?

I’m not surprised that Jasnah has already changed up the inheritance laws to do away with patrilineal descent, but on top of her resolution to do away with slavery this is a reminder that she is actively shaking up some major mainstays of Alethi culture.

Okay, this rat-in-a-boot story is hilarious. Full props to Syl for an excellent surprise. I want more of these little interactions!

That Kaladin is noticing the patterns in the rock strata tells me that they really have been here for a year. It’s quite a change from when Shallan was the only one who could navigate the hallways.

I’m rather enjoying the way Syl is talking to Kal’s parents. It’s a change in the dynamic from the intensely private relationship most radiants we’ve seen have with their spren, and it makes her feel more like an involved character when she can talk to more than one person.

Imagining Syl making her eyes extra large just to glare at Kaladin better is a beautiful image. Thank you, Brandon.
Hm. Looks like my prediction was dead wrong. Lirin is beyond thrilled to have Kaladin interested in surgery again. 

It will be good to see what Kaladin does with his time practicing medicine. I’m not at all sure what to expect. I’ll say again that the biggest disappointment of Words of Radiance was how fast Kaladin healed his shardblade-killed arm. At the time I really wanted to see him grapple with the prospect of being unable to wield a spear or a lancet, having both fighting and medicine taken from him. His relationship with medicine has always been important, but except for treating the wounded among the bridge crews, he hasn’t really done much on screen. I have high expectations for where this takes his character.