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Elantris: Stormlight:

Night 6: Beware the Mistwraiths Nyah ducked inside an alleyway and behind some crates while breathing heavily. Not more than 2 seconds later, an angry Matilda, leading a fairly sizable group of villagers rushed past the mouth of the alley. As they passed, Nyah held her breath and then let it out in a rush after it seemed like she had truly given them the slip. I need to get out of here, she thought as she took stock of her surroundings. It had all started when Matilda had opened up that “Free Cat” bar. She should’ve known that anything Matilda did was touched with at least a little madness, so she shouldn’t have assumed that she knew what Matilda meant by “free cat,” but she’d been too hungry to care. She was still hungry! Besides, humans ate the weirdest things all the time! How was she supposed to know that they cat was supposed to be for companionship and not food? And beyond that, cat was pretty tasty. Unfortunately, doing so had blown her cover. Now that they had ratcheted up the fear and paranoia in the village to unseen of before levels, everyone was on edge and looking for the slightest sign of abnormality. Evidently, trying to eat a cat fit into that. Nyah’s stomach growled. She was starving! Her last meal had only been a couple days ago, when she’d been able to eat the flesh off of Sothe’s rotting carcass. That had been satisfying. It always seemed to taste just a little sweeter when you were partially the cause of death. Perhaps that’s why she felt as if she was always hungry anymore? She hadn’t been able to kill anything for a little over a day now. How disappointing. Or it could be these orphan’s bones. Maybe she had inherited this little girl’s hunger? She really hadn’t been much of a meal, what with as thin as she had been. More of an appetizer than anything. Nyah shook her head. She couldn’t get distracted right now. She needed to get someplace safe and switch out for some other bones. She could hunt and kill and eat afterwards. Problem was, she couldn’t think of anywhere that she had a full set of bones hidden around the village. She’d come to Ruin’s call straight away and hadn’t had any time to prepare. There was one full set of bones that she knew of. They were exceptionally clean too… *** Nyah walked down the street with her hands in her pockets. She kept her head down as well, so as to hopefully not be recognized. After weeks in that little orphan’s body, it felt strange to be so tall and far from the ground. With the sun setting in front of her, Nyah made her way out of the village. If she could make it out and to a village nearby, she could hopefully make it back with a new disguise before the Koloss arrived and still be of use to Ruin. Her stomach growled again. Perhaps it would be a few new disguises then. She almost made it out when she came across Matilda and her little group, still out hunting for the orphan. When they saw her, they jumped back, looking startled. “S-Sothe?” Carmicheal stammered questioningly. “But you’re dead!?!” Rust and Ruin! Nyah cursed. Just as with the orphan, seems I’ve inherited his luck too…. Day 5 has ended and Night 6 begins! You have 24 hours. Nyali was a Spiked Mistborn! PMs are still not open. Votes: Nyali (6)- Elenion, Manukos, Wyrmhero, Arinian, Magestar, Madagascar Wonko (3)- Joe in a Bush, I am Stick, Herowannabe, Hemalurgic Headshot (2)- Arraenae, Wilson Assassin in Burgundy (2)- Hemalurgic Headshot, Araris Jondesu (1)- Conquestor No Vote (14)- Elbereth, Wonko, Orlok, Sart, Gamma Fiend, Bugsy, Drake, Stink, Droughtbringer, Silverblade, Nyali, Jondesu, Seonid, Assassin in Burgundy Player List

The other orders must be returning as well. We need to find those whom the spren have chosen. Quickly, for the Everstorm is upon us, and it is worse than we feared. Kaladin thought the words over and over again, hoping to drown out the guilt he felt with his sense of duty. Dalinar was right. Storm the man, but he was. As much as he wanted to... no, needed to go home, to make sure his parents were safe, he just couldn’t. He had accepted what he was and declared it to the world, which meant he had a great deal of new responsibilities to worry about beyond his own selfish concerns. “They’ll be alright,” Syl assured him, glowing softly as she paced the length of his shoulder, in a noticeably unassuring way. What did she have to be nervous about, anyway? It’s not like she had to make the tough choice of abandoning her family for the sake of the world. For the Everstorm is upon us, and it is worse than we feared. Storm Dalinar, and storm Shallan, too! The Oathgates are using too much Stormlight. She said as soon as Kaladin mentioned his plan to return home. Already we run low on infused spheres. Would you have us condemn all the warcamp refugees to weather a highstorm in the middle of the Shattered Plains, just so that you have a small chance of saving your parents? I get how hard it must be to accept, but we’re Radiants now; aren’t we? We’ve got to think for more than just ourselves. Easy for her to say, with her family safe and on their way. But still! Storm her for being right, too. Seeing Dalinar nod in agreement, he almost yelled right then. But suddenly Renarin was there, touching his arm gently. Not to reassure him like Syl was trying now, but to let him know if the situation were reversed, he would feel exactly the same. Kaladin would be too late, anyway. Deep down he knew that. He might own the winds, but he could not outrun the storm. A voice in the back of his head - not Syl, but something else, something foreign - told him that if he tried, he’d end up miles outside of Hearthstone, stranded on foot with no Stormlight to spare. By the time he reached home the streets would already be empty, some houses crushed to rubble, others cast aside, as if they hadn’t already stood for centuries against raging winds and torrential downpours. But this storm was different, of course. It belonged not to the Stormfather, but to who Syl called the One Who Hates. Kaladin had seen what the Everstorm was capable during his battle with the Assassin in White. An entire plateau got tossed in the air, had nearly splattered his foe before gravity could drag it back down to where it belonged. What resistance could a little town like his put up against a tempest like that? He was thinking too much. Always thinking too much. Where the Braize are they, anyway? It wasn’t like Bridge Four to be late. Perhaps they got lost? Kaladin supposed he couldn’t blame them. It’s not like they could fly like him - not yet, at least - and this tower-city-whatever was practically a maze. Still, the man was bothered. Ever since his time in that cell, it sickened him to be alone. Usually Syl was sufficient company, but whenever she was like this, she only worsened his mood. “What’s wrong with you?” he asked, finally. “Hm?” Syl responded, finally still now that she was drawn out of her thoughts. “Oh, nothing.” “Oh? So what, you’re lying to me now? I thought you were a spren of honor, not lies.” “I’ve said it once before, Kal-a-din, but I’m no cryptic! You asked what’s wrong with me, and the answer is nothing! But something is wrong, of that much, I am certain.” “What, then? Is it Him again?” “No… I don’t think this feeling is His doing. It doesn’t reek of His touch. Not directly, at least. But it might be just as terrible.” Great, Kaladin groaned internally. As if there weren’t enough obstacles in his way already. “Someone comes,” Syl said, suddenly turning into a ribbon of light and zipping towards the stairs that lay behind him. “Hello Skar!” she shouted, surprising the man as he rose from the steps below. “Woah!” Skar yelled, startled by Syl’s enthusiastic welcome. The man could see her ever since becoming Kaladin’s Squire, though he still wasn’t used to her presence. Once she calmed down and landed on his shoulder, however, he settled down. Over the other shoulder, Drehy poked his balding head, a wide grin parting his face. “Good morning, Syl. I trust your day is going well?” “Better now that you’re here, Lanky!” she said, becoming a ribbon of light once more to greet him as she did Skar. When she landed on his shoulder, though, a pang of jealousy resonated in Kaladin’s heart. But why? These were his friends. More than that, now, what with the Bond they shared. Why did it matter if Syl became friends with them too? She was friends with Rock, before, and Sigzil too, and he never envied the attention she gave them. And yet somehow this was different. No matter. Skar was walking up to him now, Drehy trailing from behind. Stepping together, they saluted him, not in the Alethi way, but with their hands before them, crossed at the wrists. The way he taught them. The Bridge Four way. These were Kaladin’s brothers. His Squires. The envy dissipated from him even before Syl left Drehy’s shoulder for his own. “At ease, men. What took you so long?” “News, sir,” Drehy responded before Skar could open his mouth. “Important news. But before you ask, may I suggest we save it for after the demonstration?” Kaladin probed the taller man’s eyes, then glanced at his companion, who nodded in agreement. “We have time. I’ll hear it now.” Despite the frigid air at this altitude, Kaladin noticed the two men were sweating. “Well,” Drehy dragged on, “if you really want to know-” “Sadeas is dead. Assassinated, it seems.” Kaladin’s face didn’t change, though in that moment, he thought it should have. He already knew, of course. Until now, he thought he was the only man who did know. Aside from Adolin, of course. The man who killed him, then out of desperation, confided not to his father, his brother or his lover, but to him. “Do they know who did it?” Drehy gulped inaudibly, but Skar simply shook his head. “Don’t worry, I had nothing to do it with it,” Kaladin said, and Drehy relaxed. “If I did, I’d have broken my Oaths. Syl would be dead and you two would be ordinary men once more,” he explained, leaving out the rest of what he wanted to say. As much as he hated keeping secrets, he made a vow of silence to the princeling. Kaladin just hoped Adolin took his advice in return. If Dalinar found out his own son had murdered a Highprince, as traitorous a Highprince he might be, from any other source… That was a storm not even Kaladin would dare face. In his periphery a light flashed. It was distant, but large; a giant column of luminescence that quickly faded, leaving a brief afterimage in its place. “Enough talk,” Kaladin told them, rolling his shoulders, as if he needed to stretch. “It’s nearly time. Are you two ready?” Skar and Drehy began to glow, then nodded eagerly. “Well then, let’s get this show over with, already.” Despite his nonchalance, even Kaladin was a little bit excited. Throughout his life, Lomot had seen many beautiful things. But looking at the shining tower that had just faded to life before him, they seemed nothing more than pallid glimmers in comparison. He arrived with a crowd. Around him, men, women and even a few children gasped and glared as the curtain of light fell to reveal the City in the Sky, as their guides liked to call it. Looking at Urithiru now, Lomot decided to call it by a different name. Something simpler, and more accurate. Perfection. Stepping closer, failing to notice the youth he had to shoulder to get by, Lomot took a deep breath. After such a long, arduous journey across those blasted plains, he had finally reached his promised destination. A place of dreams. A place of wonder. A place he knew in his heart, he was always meant to be. As he walked a gloryspren popped into existence, a golden sun among a sea of awespren. Like most spren he’d seen before, he ignored it. There were more important things to look at, after all. Eyes slowly climbing up the height of the tower, Lomot counted the number of ridges first, wondering if what they said was true. It took some time, but he smiled once he finished, glad that it was true. A hundred floors. Ten by ten. Perfection. Before he knew it, Lomot was nearing the end of a bridge, narrow unlike the fat disc on which he traveled. Behind him, a river of people tread in his wake, a few rushing past him, more eager to get close than to bask in the place’s majesty. Further back, some more still remained upon the magic platform, stunned by the sheer scope of what they saw. Closer now, he could make out the wide variety of plantlife that comprised the garden’s upon each of the ninety-nine balcony’s leading to the top. He could see the tiny figures of people walking those same gardens, many of which seemed to be tending to them. For a moment his eyes lingered there, appreciating its beauty, as he so often loved to do, but then a blast like thunder rang from the sky, and everyone cast their eyes upwards at once. Three men - glowing men - rocketed towards them from above. A few people shouted, scrambled to get out of the way, but Lomot was too amazed to move. Several feet ahead of them, the first of them crashed, a glyph of frost expanding behind him like a pair of wings. The man had landed in a crouch unscathed, long, dark hair billowing behind him, his uniform a crisp, Kholin blue. Wisps of shimmering steam trailed from his mouth, seemed to leak from the pores of his exposed skin. His head snapped up, glacial ices locking with Lomot’s an instant before he spun to meet his attackers. Something like mist coalesced in the man’s hands, taking the shape of a silvery spear, it’s tip bearing azure swirls that shined even in the daylight. They came upon him together, two luminescent comets with spears of their own. Their weapons didn’t glow like his, however. They looked like they were carved from wood and Soulcast into steel. His seemed to be made of the same material as a Shardblade. And yet when they collided with all the force of their descent, the two men’s spears did not break. A ripple of pressure burst from the impact, causing Lomot to stumble back, but not nearly as far as those two men were sent. They recovered midair, however, flipping and landing on their feet with unfathomable grace. What happened next, Lomot could barely process. The three men’s movements were so fast, so incredibly precise. In their hands, their weapons were a storm. Miniature tornadoes, caught in a never-ending dance. Despite being outnumbered, the man with the long hair held them back. In fact, he even seemed to be winning. While his opponents began to slow, his movements only became swifter, stronger. They tried to get around him, to divide his attention, but it was almost like their opponent had eyes on the back of his head. They couldn’t best him. They knew they couldn’t best him. And yet they still tried with every bit of power they had left. Were these the Knights Radiant? The men Lomot sought to join? As he watched their fight unfold, up until the very moment that it came to a stunning end, he not once doubted himself. Not once lost his resolve in coming here. The whole time, he only had one thought. Throughout his life, Lomot had seen many beautiful things. But looking at the shining knights that just battled gallantly before him, they seemed nothing more than pallid glimmers in comparison. YOU’RE A FOOL, DALINAR KHOLIN. The Stormfather’s voice was as loud as thunder, but as usual, only one man could hear it. If not for the youth bowing on the platform before him and the large procession of people watching from below, Dalinar might have responded to the god’s taunting just then. But alas, he had more important matters to attend to. “Speak the words,” he told the boy. “Life before death.” He began, a tint of fear coloring his voice. He knew the words, sure, but Dalinar could tell he didn’t believe them. At this rate, he was never going to find any Initiates - the term he had been using for those who were spiritually ready for a Bond, but lacked a spren to Bond with. “Strength before weakness,” the boy said, firmer now, though he could not hide the trembling of his hands. Idly, Dalinar wondered what brought this young man here today. The boy was thin in his fashionable - albeit dirty - garbs. His hands seemed tiny, frail. Barren of calluses and scars. Something told him that this child had never known true hardship until his journey to Urithiru; not the kind that created Knights, at least. YOU’RE WASTING YOUR TIME. Dalinar almost sighed. “Journey before destination,” the boy finished, then looked up, eyes pleading. Dalinar could see the desire there. So then it’s glory he seeks. Power, perhaps. Or maybe something more innocent. Maybe he just wants to be a hero. Either way, the Highprince - no, Bondsmith - knew what the result would be. Still, he held the diamond broam out in the palm of his hands. “Breath deep, and we’ll know if your heart is true.” The youth breathed. Nothing happened. “I’m sorry,” he whispered before the boy began his sulky descent. WHEN WILL YOU BE DONE WITH THIS FARCE? I HAVE IMPORTANT MATTERS TO DISCUSS WITH YOU. “I’ll be done when they’re done,” Dalinar said, nodding to those whom still remained down below. Already another climbed the steps to him. Another noble by the look of his clothes. He didn’t even move out of the way as the lad got near, the boy’s head too low to see him coming. Of course, why should a man of his stature move for a mere child? Bah! By the look of his gait, that man was almost as bad as Sadeas. Sadeas… he thought with sad regret. To Dalinar’s surprise, the noble stopped before reaching the boy, looking at him curiously, as if noticing him for the first time. He squat low so that he could look him in the eyes, then with a finger, tilted the boy’s chin up so he could look in his. Words passed between them, their conversation concise, but when they parted ways, the boy held his head a little bit higher. Could it be that Dalinar misjudged him? DON’T GET YOUR HOPES UP. When the blonde nobleman reached him, there was no hesitance in his bow. It wasn’t practiced, Dalinar could tell that much, but the man was confident. Taking a knee, the noble looked up at Dalinar, dark orange eyes peering unwaveringly into his. Something about them stood out, too. Was that eyeliner? And his cheeks... they were abnormally red, even for the cold, and dusted with glitter, his lips painted a deep shade of violet. Just who was this man? Darkeyed and dressed like a noble, his face accented with make up... Dalinar had never seen no one like him in his life. Nevertheless, he would allow him the same chance. "Speak the words," he told the man. “Life before death. Strength before weakness. Journey before destination.” After twelve failures, Dalinar finally met a man who spoke the words as if they were own. There was a rumbling in the distance, one that only the Bondsmith could here. The Stormfather, it seemed, wasn't very happy. But just to be sure, Dalinar held the diamond broam before him. “Breath deep, and-” The man breathed deep indeed, nostrils flaring, stormlight flowing from the sphere to him, alighting his eyes, his skin. He smiled, revealing two rows of teeth, sheathed in gold, streams of light leaking from the cracks between them. “What is your name, Initiate?” “Lomot. ‘Tis the only name I have that matters.” “Very well. Then turn, Lomot, so that I might declare you to the world.” As Dalinar commanded, Lomot obeyed. Above them, something flew by, a gust of wind following close behind. A moment later, a cloak drifted down, solid gold silk with the symbol of the Knights Radiant stitched on the back in black. Like thunder, Dalinar’s own voice boomed throughout Urithiru. “Before you stands Lomot. He has spoken the First Ideal, and light reveals that his heart is worthy of the Oath. Thus an Initiate is sworn to serve. For the good of Man, and for the good of Roshar.” As Dalinar tied the cape around the Initiate’s shoulders, he couldn’t help but grin. A fool, am I? It felt good proving a god wrong. Once finished with the knot, Dalinar grabbed Lomot’s shoulders and turned him so that he could look into his eyes once more. “That boy. What did you tell him?” The Initiate smiled. No, he beamed. “The boy? Why, I simply told him the truth.”

Hi All, I have been lurking on this site (and other cosmere sites) for a while (about 2 years), reading the WoBs, reading all of your excellent theories about the Cosmere, etc. I have finally made an account because I have a few things that I want to talk to people about, and no one that I know in the flesh is very into the heavy theorizing about the Cosmere (though I have many friends who enjoy Sanderson's works). I haven't seen any of these particular theories around, but if I have just missed them I would appreciate being pointed towards resources where I can read up on them. I will just jump right into it. Many of these are about Ishar (the herald of the order of the Bondsmiths), as I suspect he is going to become a major player. Theory 1: Ishar is in Shinovar There are a few things that lead me to suspect this. When I was reading up on how exactly a Bondsmith's oathbinding works (or rather, how we know little to nothing about how it works), I began to suspect that we have seen the effects of such a binding in first person chapters - Szeth. His compulsion to obey the holder of his Oathstone despite his extreme aversion to the acts that they command him to perform always seemed a little more than just the result of an extremely disciplined man. For example: That sudden lucidity on Szeth's behalf seems like a man who has been tampered with. He stopped swaying aimlessly, stopped fretting, and repeated back what sounds an awful lot like an oath, an ideal ("I will protect those who cannot protect themselves.", "I will protect even those I hate, so long as it is right.", etc). This is important when you read later in this post about my theory that the ideal's of the knights radiant were intended as a safeguard against who can form a Nahel bond, put in place by Ishar. So, it smacks of something that I already suspected Ishar had a hand in. I was thinking that perhaps there were bondsmiths in Shinovar who were imitating their herald, until I read the following quote from Szeth. This excerpt is from when he was responding to Taravangian about finding a surgebinder on the Shattered Plains: One of the seven. So, Taln's honorblade would be thought to be with him on Braize (or at least the cognitive realm parallel of Braize, but that is another random theory). Szeth obviously holds Jezrian's blade. That leaves eight remaining blades. The Shin should have eight blades left in their treasure-trove of honorblades, yet Szeth immediately discounts one as being able to "vanish". I think this is the blade that Ishar holds (note: it could also be Nale's, as he is obviously running around so you would think he has his honorblade. But, the other heralds are all active as well [they all appeared in some capacity in book 1, so I understand], just in a less active role. So, I don't think the situation with his blade would be special). I think that Ishar is responsible for the oath that makes Szeth "Truthless". Theory 2: Ishar created the Parshmen I believe that Ishar is responsible for Parshmen, having neutered the voidbringers by making a binding oath among their species that they will obey. I haven't thought this one out as fully, though. For instances, I haven't figured out how the oath would pass from parents to child, but to be fair we have no idea how Parshmen (or Listeners in general) reproduce. The answer to how an oath could be hereditary could lie in the answer to how Listeners breed. Anyway, it seems to be supported here in the chapter heading of Chapter 58 of WoR. So, this Melishi dude realized that he could use the "nature of the Heralds" to destroy the Voidbringers, i.e., have Ishar magic them into a servile race. We haven't had a POV chapter from a parshmen yet, so we can't see if their compulsion to obey is at all like Szeth or Nale (see later in this post), so I can't be certain. There is also the bit about how the Parshendi refer to the Parshmen as having lost their song. Not sure what to make of that, but it doesn't seem to support an Oathbinding. Theory 3: Ishar caused the Recreance We see that he was uneasy about letting men have access to Surges. I believe that he has something to do with the ideals that must be spoken (did he put his magic voodoo down on the spren themselves, preventing them from forming a full Nahel bond unless the words are spoken? That seems to be a bit of a stretch.). Either way, I think the ideals of the knights radiant are a direct consequence of Ishar's Bondsmith-like power. I also believe that at some point he decided that he did indeed need to destroy each and every one, and likely did something to compel all of the knights to break their oaths simultaneously. Perhaps he coded in some sort of doomsday button into the original oaths that he could trigger at any time. In Dalinar's vision, the radiants were being incredibly unresponsive after they abandoned their spren (stuck their shardblades in the ground). It was as if they were being compelled or controlled by an outside force. He did say he would destroy each and every one. I don't think a Herald is strong enough to just straight up destroy the entirety of the knights radiant directly. Theory 4: Ishar betrayed the other heralds. I actually have a lot of thoughts regarding this passage, but lets draw our attention to the last bit. One entertained great subterfuge at the expense of the other nine. First, I think that the 10 we are talking about are the heralds, not the orders, and the quote above refers to the Recreance. The reason I think that the herald who entertained great subterfuge was Ishar is that when we see Nale, he seems to exhibit the same kind of compulsive behavior as Szeth. He strongly believes that having Radiants around will kickstart another desolation (though how having people with Nahel bonds would make Taln finally crack on Braize isn't clear to me), and seems unable to change some of his views. He denies the everstorm while standing in it. I believe Ishar used some sort of oathbinding to compel him to seek out and eliminate anyone forming a Nahel bond. This could be Ishar's way of making sure humans do not regain their surges (apart from the few skybreakers that work directly with Nale). It is also possible that perhaps the excerpt refers to the situation we see in the prologue of way of kings. The other 9 heralds abandoned their arms and fled, but one entertained great subterfuge...perhaps the one is Taln. Brandon is constantly saying things like "the one you think is Taln" when we refer to the crazy dude who showed up at the end of WoK. It could just be that he is being coy and doesn't want to admit that this dude is a herald, but maybe it really isn't Taln. Maybe Taln never went back to Damnation. Maybe he has been playing the other 9 this whole time. I don't know, this one is particularly hairbrained. Theory 5: Adolin will become the champion of Odium. While I was re-listening to the books, I was trying to figure out if we already know the person who would become the champion of Odium. There were not any strong contenders. I had been thinking perhaps Szeth, but I now think other things are in store for him (I suspect he is going the anti-hero route). We know from WoB that Shallan's father was under the influence of Odium. I suspect his fits of rage were a result of this. So, I suspect that Odium's influence on men makes them experience great rage. Now, read this: That sounds very much like Adolin was experiencing the same kind of blind rage that we have seen from Shallan's father. Afterwards, when he comes to, he is shocked at what he has done and runs off in the night. It definitely sounds like he at least had some sort of episode, I suspect it was due to the influence of Odium. I don't think you need to be a bad man to feel his influence. The enemy's baleful influence demands vigilance. I assume the enemy is Odium, and this is saying that his influence is insidious, it can creep into you unless you are constantly vigilant. We have already seen another shard capable of such kind of influence (Ruin). Adolin has already begun expressing discomfort with the fact that Shallan was a radiant. He was supposed to be the powerful one in this relationship. He used to be one of the most important people in Roshar. Now the bridgeboy AND his fiancee are both the thing of legends? I think that will grate on him. He is likely just a tad angry about that. Which is enough for Odium to find a way in. I suspect when Oathbringer comes out, Adolin's jealousy of Kaladin and Shallan will become a bigger plot point, and eventually Odium will have enough influence to corrupt him completely. I know I am making a lot of assumptions here, off of not very much evidence, but I think that it would just make a great story. So far, we have seen Adolin and Kaladin's friendship grow. They are on the path to being total bros. We love Adolin and Kaladin's bromance. How poignant would a final battle to cap off the first 5 books be, if that battle was between Adolin and Kaladin? Two characters who have a difficult history, two characters who we love. It would be hard to root for one over the other. It just seems...likely. Kandra Detection Finally, I wanted to share some ideas for how to detect a Kandra if you suspect one is imitating someone. The first one is related to something I read on these forums a while back. They were suggesting that you could use a Duralumin enhanced soothing or rioting to try to make someone go absolutely bonkers, and see if they react. If they don't, they are likely a Kandra (or have inhuman discipline), since Kandra are not effected by emotional allomancy. However, another idea I have that that also involves duralumin depends on how duralumin actually works. What happens if you are burning iron or steel, and duralumin, at the same time? You can burn steel or iron and not push or pull, simply to observe the blue lines. The stronger you flare your steel, the clearer lines become (we saw this with Vin vs the lord ruler, when she flared her iron to incredible levels she started to be able to make out the lines of the lord ruler's bracers even though they pierced the skin). The Kandra's spikes do not make visible lines because they are both inside the body and heavily invested. However, if you can burn duralumin and steel at the same time WITHOUT pushing steel, it would just make it so you are flaring your metal with insane intensity. Perhaps that would be enough to see the lines associated with a Kandra's spikes? You would need to test it on a friendly Kandra first, to see if it worked, but if it did it seems like a pretty easy thing to do...In fact, maybe that is why Kandra can't go near inquisitors. They have super steel vision. Maybe they can see the spikes? The second detection method is more mundane, not requiring allomancy at all. Tensoon needed to place each hair on the wolfhound's body independently, because as we are told many times in passing throughout the books, Kandra cannot imitate hair. It seems you could just shave people's heads and see if it grows back. If it doesn't...Kandra. It obviously takes a while, but it would be a way to insure that members of your team have not been duplicated. Though perhaps the Kandra can imitate the follicle that grows the hair, even if they can't imitate hair. So it may not work. It would again require testing on a friendly Kandra, I suppose. Anyway, that is what I have been thinking about. If you read through all of this, thanks for your patience. I can be a bit longwinded. I'd appreciate any comments you all have on anything I put down here. I look forward to talking with you all!

Day 6: Free Cats-sh After that strange business with the somehow not-Sothe-but-actually-Nyah, some of the villagers seemed to be warming up to Matilda. They had even gotten her a new (ish) blanket to help keep off the cold night air and a few new kitties to keep her company. Oh, how I lovesh my catsh! Matilda thought as she hugged a half empty bottle of alcohol to her chest. They’sh the onesh that truly keep me warm at night! So Matilda was in a very rare good mood when she came across the sign. It was set up next to an entrance to an alley nestled between the Letter Sixteen and a woodworking shop. While she never remembered ever seeing a sign there before, there were a lot of things that Matilda tended to miss. Still, her curiosity won out over her self preservation and she approached the sign. The words swirled around on the board (or was that her swaying around?), making it difficult to read. It didn’t help that spelling wasn’t one of Matilda’s strong suits either. But she concentrated and sounded it out until she finally got it. “F-Ffffffrrrrr. Fffrrreeeehhh, Fffffrrreeeeeee. Free! Ka. Kkkaaatttsss. Free Kkkaaaattsss-essss. Free Catsh!*” Matilda smiled triumphantly when she realized she had read the sign (*It actually said, “Free Cats-sh,” as if the person who wrote it was trying to mimic Matilda’s slurred way of speaking, but it was close enough). It took her another minute or two to realize what the sign was actually implying. “Oh, Whiskey-ersh! Shomebody ish giving away free catsh!” She exclaimed as she held the bottle in her hands out in front of her, as if she were holding a cat at arm’s length. “That meansh that we can get you shome brothersh and shishtersh!” And so she gleefully stepped into the alley. It took her eyes a second to adjust to the dark, but Matilda just kept stumbling along. When she had gotten almost halfway down the alley, her nightvision kicked in and she saw the most glorious sight. There in front of her, all lined up and stretching the entire width of the alley, were dozens of bottles of alcohol. Matilda gasped, “Look, Whiskey-ersh! Everyone’sh here! And they’re happy to shee ush! We’ll have a grand ol’ time, everybody playing togethersh!” There was a scratch and fwoosh from somewhere behind her. Then another in front of her. And then the alley was bathed in light, as twin walls of flame covered both the entrance and the exit to the alley, trapping Matilda in the middle. As the flames drew closer and closer, Matilda finally realized what this must be: a trap! The villagers hadn’t really been warming up to her. They were softening her up for their clever ruse! Now, just as villages in the past had tried, they were going to try to burn her as a witch. They had even gotten her to walk right into her own demise, with the lure of more cats. The catsh! Matilda cried. They were willing to shacrifishe aktual catsh to trap me! Well, not if Matilda could help it. She might not survive, but she wasn’t about to see her precious cats burn. Matilda ran to the bottles of alcohol arranged in the alley. She picked up one of the bottles and threw it as hard as she could, trying to get it over the flames. “Be free, my kittiesh! Eshcape!-” she lobbed another bottle. “-Live full livesh! Be happy without me!” In Matilda’s mind, each “Kitten” sailed free and clear of the flames, landing on their little paws and scampering off into the night. In reality, the bottles smashed against the wooden walls of the Letter Sixteen and the woodworking shop and into the flames themselves; causing the fires to grow even larger. Until, eventually, they engulfed her…. Night 6 is over and Day 6 begins! You have 48 hours. Matilda was attacked! She was a Village Thug. Have fun! Player List

Other people really need to start posting in the Acropolis more often... Well. I’ve been long enough. I’ve described plenty of other voices, other archetypes. So what am I? It’s obvious, isn’t it? I’m Light and Shadow, at once. I’m the Twilight, the ever-present moment between sunset and full night when light and shadows blend and mingle together in joyous unity. I’m the dim morning mists before the sun rises to her full glory, the spark lighting a candle in the darkening gloom, the clear voice of a child. I am the balance, the mediator, the harmony between order and chaos. Not uncompromising black or white, but neutral, listening grey. And I’m a silver mirror, reflecting back the best of what I see, revealing what is and what could be. I exist in the instant when the first star appears in the evening, and when the last shadow of night vanishes into sunrise, clad in my mother’s light and my father’s shadows, like both and unlike either. I am more than the sum of my parts: I am not Light or Shadow, instead uniting them in a sublime fusion of torment and encouragement and splendor. Thus I’m not blinded by either, but see clearly from within that twilight, weaving together each tiny piece into a coherent, harmonious song of wonder. I am a creator of worlds, bringer of hope and despair, singer of stories. For that is who I am, more than anything else: I am the Storyteller.

"Aute i lome! Aure entuluva!" - The Silmarillion, Of the Fifth Battle Translated, it means "Night is passing! Day shall come again!" That alone is a hopeful, helpful thing. But it was also two parts of a battlecry. These people weren't saying this to each other and patting each other on the back. They were fighting to make it true. Finally, the last bit 'Aure entuluva!' was the cry of Hurin as the battle turned to defeat, as tragedy surrounded him and he stood alone facing the troll-guards of the Balrog Gothmog - he stood alone, knowing he would die but buying time for his allies to escape, and each time he slew one of his enemies he cried out in the midst of despair; "Day shall come again!"

..... for a second there I thought you typed 'I am one with the flu'. Get well soon! in the meantime; "I am one with the flu, the flu is one with me. I am one with the flu, the flu is one with me...."

Hey everyone!! I'm relatively new to Sanderson and his novels. Almost exactly a year ago I had friends and coworkers telling me I needed to read WoK and so I did! I've read WoR, Elantris, the Mistborn Trilogy, and am about to start Warbreaker. I'm excited to be apart of the community and I know I have a lot of questions about all of the Cosmere.

Just checked my ACT score from the ACT test I took back in December. I got a 32

I'm a Stormwarden now! Watch as I...predict highstorms, with the power of MATH!

INITIATES Amanuensis as Lomot A Joe in the Bush as Jonly Assassin in Burgundy as Araon Darkblade Jondesu as Kintas randuir as Ranatar Hemalurgic_Headshot as Sareth-son-Erneth TheSilverDragon as Rea Ecthelion III as Fifth Nameless Arinian as Arionium JUQ as Hess Quiver as Veriq Shqueeves as Leif Doc12 as Hithon Magestar as Balthazar Arraenae as Ralaani TheMightyLopen as Shinon Drake Marshall as Teresh AliasSheep as Ashetvl The lazy anarchist as Lyna Telavalet Alvron as Naihar DroughtBringer as Petrik Darkness Ascendant as The Phantom Stranger & Hashiv Elbereth as Tintallë CONTENTS Prologue: The First Ideal Chapter One: A Radiant Night Chapter Two: Desperate For Answers Chapter Three: As Big As A Greatshell Chapter Four: Voidbringers Chapter Five: A Moment of Respite Chapter Six: Not Again Chapter Seven: The Battle of Rysharock Chapter Eight: The Everstorm Returns Chapter Nine: Unmade Chapter Ten: Aftermath QUESTIONS When does the game begin, and when does turn over happen? For now the game is planned to begin on February 1st at 2200 EST, and new Chapters will begin every three days following it's start date, at the exact same time. Note that the previous Chapter will be closed 2 hours prior to the new Chapter's posting. If necessary, I am willing to move the start date forward, but not back, in order to nurture maximum participation of players interested. Update: Sign ups have been extended an extra 3 days, and may need to be extended again, depending on numbers. Update Deux: A change in turn over time has been decided upon to further convenience the GMs, which consequently will extend the sign ups by ten hours. The new countdown timer can be seen below. COUNTDOWN

Hi all, I'm a huge fan of Brandon's work, and I've been reading the Mistborn books, so I thought I'd make a bit of fan-art. Enjoy

Of all the players in the game, why pick Matilda? It was obvious that she was a Thug, and there were more threatening targets out there (read: Arin). Fear of lurchers? Arin, who did you scan? *drunk after partying* Role-play? Whaddya mean role-play? I don't need any role-play to look good! Edited in later: Since it seems like no one else did the analysis that I recommended, I survived the night, and phase 2 of my Prom-posal is complete, I'll do the analysis myself. D1 Votes (before manip): Ecthelion (4)- Straw, Dalinar, Madagascar, HH (Soothed by Ecth) Dalinar (4)- Elenion, Arraenae, Ecthelion, Doc (Rioted. Nyali?) HH (2)- Seonid, Gamma Fiend Elbereth (1)- Drake Marshall Wonko (1)- Jondesu Lopen (1)- Araris Stink (1)- Stink Gamma Fiend (1)- Kipper I am Stick (1)- Wilson A Joe in the Bush (1)- Sart Elenion (1)- Elbereth Droughtbringer (1)- I am Stick Orlok (1)- Wyrmhero Nyali (1)- Arinian Sart (1)- Conquestor D4 Votes (before manip): Arraenae (10)- Assassin in Burgundy, Wyrmhero, Nyali, Herowannabe, Silverblade, Magestar, Doc12, Wilson, Joe in a Bush, Stick (Soothed by Len) Nyali (8)- Elenion, Jondesu, Arinian, Arraenae, Madagascar, Seonid, Sart, Elbereth Hemalurgic Headshot (1)- Manukos Jondesu (1)- Conquestor Manukos (1)- Hemalurgic Headshot Madagascar (1)- Gamma Fiend Also, has anyone else noticed that the elim kills are clearly going down the player list? I saw it before, but I thought it was a coincidence. Now, the evidence is weighted against it being just a coincidence. In addition, for reference, Arin so far has scanned Rae (Thug), Bugsy (Roleless), Matilda (Thug), Lopen (Lurcher), and Wonko (Thug) Looking at this information, here's my trusts/distrusts. 1 is good; 10 is bad. Assassin In Burgundy: Voted on Rae D4, but pretty quiet other than that. 6/10 Elenion: 1/10. Seonid: No good read. 5/10 A Joe in the Bush: Voted on Rae D4. 6/10 Jondesu: Thug with lost extra life. Voted on Nyali D4. 4/10 Manukos: Seems unwilling to participate in any large bandwagons. 5/10 I_Am_Stick: Voted on Rae D4. 6/10 Wyrmhero: Voted on Rae D4. 6/10 Herowannabe: Voted on Rae D4. 6/10 Arinian: Claimed Seeker; all claimed info has checked out so far. Trust him. 2/10 Conquestor: 5/10 Silverblade5: Less active; voted on Rae D4. 6/10 Magestar: Voted on Rae D4. 6/10 Arraenae: Scanned by Arin; Thug with lost extra life. 2/10 Hemalurgic_Headshot: Helped in the Ecth lynch. 6.5/10 Araris Valerian: Voted on Lopen D1, but that was D1 and Lopen was being a bit suspicious. 5/10 Droughtbringer: 5/10 Stink: You never know anything with Stink. 5/10 Drake Marshall: Suspected El D1. Next on the kill list if the elims are killing by the player list. 4.5/10 due to good gut read. Bugsy6912: Scanned as good and roleless by Arin. 2/10 Gamma Fiend: Negative gut read, but little else. 5.5/10 Little Wilson: There's the whole WGG? thing to consider. Voted on Rae D4. 5/10 due to conflicting gut reads on some posts. Sart: Voted on Nyali D4. 4/10 Orlok Tsubodai: Inactive. 5/10 Wonko the Sane: Scanned as good Thug by Arin. 2/10 Elbereth: No read. 5/10 Trusts: Arin, Rae, Bugsy, Wonko Tentative trusts: Jon, Drake, Sart Neutral: Seonid, Manukos, Conq, Araris, Drought, STINK, Wilson, Orlok, El Tentative distrusts: Assassin, Joe. Stick, Wyrm, Hero, SB, Mage, Gamma Distrusts: HH And finally, I put my vote on HH for helping in the Ecth lynch D1, and the elims chose to attempt a tie with Ecth instead of HH when they saved Dalinar. Who knew Cassius could be such a windbag? Maybe that well-muscled diaphragm of his had something to do with it.

Nicki burst into the shop, eager to test out what new metals she could burn. Rin might not like it, but he couldn’t control what Nicki did with the metals if she paid. And if he tried to stop her… well. He had no chance of overpowering her. Nicki almost gagged at the smell. The sickly-sweet odor of a corpse filled the room, wafting up Nicki’s nostrils. How was Rin able to stand this? Had he completely forgotten how to ventilate his shop? She turned around. A shelf full of metal vials greeted her, ready to be consumed. Finally! Nicki charged towards it, ready to try them all. Her foot hit something. She flared pewter and threw her arms out to soften her landing. She rolled to absorb the impact -- right onto something rock-like. Nicki grunted. She looked down and Rin's dead body. A bloody hole marred his forehead, and his eyes stared accusingly at Nicki. She scrambled to her feet. By the Lord Ruler, what -- how -- how was Rin dead? He’d been alive when he’d told everybody about Pikker’s body! Rin might have been a betrayer, but he had been a helpful one. In the beginning, he’d given Nicki pewter and food. He’d helped wash Pikker’s body. And now Rin was dead. For the second time that week, Nicki staggered out of Rin’s metal shop to vomit outside.

"Two recruits, huh? Well then." The Assassin in a stylish burgundy tuxedo sauntered over to his wardrobe in the corner. "This should fit you well," he said to the Spiked sniper, and handed him a set of smaragdine robes. "Rise, Assassin in Smaragdine, and take your place among our ranks." He turned to the next recruit, and withdrew a set of clear robes. He frowned. "Isn't this a little...salacious?" The recruit smiled, and his flesh turned translucent. The Burgundy Assassin shook his head, muttering "them kids with their newfangled devices," and handed him the robe. "Welcome," he said. "Follow the oaths. Defend against the newcomers. And don't eat the cookies."

I'm participated in 2 elims lynches for both I pushed hardly enough hmm... It doesn't clears me? Okay point about making them suspicious right but you sounds like that I'm still can be elim. Usualy I'm not post my suspiciouns in night turns but right now it's not gonna change elims ideas about killing me soo... I'm looked through all cycles and I want to say... that I don't know what to say. I think I can say that I suspecting Wilson and Joe(in the bush). Wilson for her neutral position in lynching Dalinar and Nyali, also maybe for tone of her posts.(her tone looked too aggressive, disappointed. Rampaging in elim doc, breaking bones of her teammates etc.. don't know, there always probability that my read is wrong and I'm just idiot ). Joe mostly gut read too. Maybe I can say more but there too many players on whom I don't get read due to their playstyle(absolutely dont getting read on: Magestar, Stick. So I suspecting both of you all time ). But whom I want to see dead is Stink. Cause he useless and annoying(no, he is just not participating in game but I've seen him many times on site) . On big part I wrote that to say whom probably I will scan, I don't think that elims can smoke every person from my list. Also I have couple persons in my mind but not sure about them soo... yeah I'm useless. Better I will do some RP. Crimson clouds slowly float to the sunset, sometimes evening sun hid behind them only soon to look out of them, throw last sight on world that slowly fall in twilights. I walked along the main street, just like in first day when I arrived here, I carefully examined people, buildings, alleys. Сasual bystander might have thought that I was just enjoying a stroll on a fine day. Yes day was fine, but strain felt even in the air, like before approaching storm. Another saboteur is dead... one more step to end of work, dangerous step. Here left just couple steps to my inn but I heard... that annoying sound, that sound that can not be forgotten. He stayed near burned shop and whistled familiar melody. Thin and tall, as always in all white(without the slightest speck of dirt on his clothes in world where ash fall from the sky) with long duel sword that hanged from his belt, with his long blonde hair, in bright day they looked almost white, his skin was pale too. On the background of the burned building, he looked like absolutely white spot, and attracted attention of anyone who passed near. I approached him, slowly and carefuly, he always was unpredictable person... one day he can save your life on other stab you with dagger and forget about that in hour or even faster. "Aran, it's you?" I called him. He raised eyes from something in his hand. "Oh of course it's me. Or you waited someone else" He took a few steps aside, just in time because at the same moment from burned beam fall small pile of ash(just in the same place where he stayed second ago). "But what are you doing here and now" "Oh I just can't visit my little brother. Ask him how his life hmm... his death." His lips stretched in indulgent smile, usual for him. "Don't try to make fool from me. You always have reason for what you doing, and don't try to drag me in one of your mad games." "Me? Mad games? Are you sure that you talking about me? But nevermind I here just to warn you about..." He paused in mid-sentence, his smile widened. Obviously he expected the question. "About what?" "As I said... About life and death." He paused dramatically and spread his arms in sides. " About Charon." After his last sentence wave of cold passed over my skin. "If that all about you want to talk don't waste my time" I'm turned to go, but his hand firmly dug into my shoulder. "Better you listen to me." Smile vanished from his face and eyes blazed with cold fire. "You want answer why I'm here. Soon you will die, very soon. So better listen what I'm say, leave that town and that work. I can cancel your deal and you not gonna have any debts to anyone." "You know that I can't break that deal. I promised her to end work and I will do that." He shrugged. "I hope you know what you doing. But don't forget about Rules of First Deal." "I remember them... Don't break your deals, don't break your word. Death, mind payment for life." I said under my breath. "So that's your choice. Good luck in your work. Ohh... and almost forgot." He threw somethin I reflexively caught it. "It is better not to visit Charon without gift" Aran said. This is something that I caught was nothing more than a coin. There was a lot of scratches on it, and it was all in dirt. But I knew that such gift is worth a lot. "Thank you" I said. But when I looked up Aran already disappeared... as always. Two hours later I sat in inn's bar, half-unsheathed sword lay on chair next to me. But today that was other sword, lighter and longer also it was from aluminium. You can't be prepared for everything but atleast you can try. Innkeeper, short tubby guy almost bald and with incredibly ridiculous black mustaches, stood behind the bar counter and nervously from time to time looked at the sword. Only reason why he still hasn't run away was that I paid well and I haven't killed nobody... yet. "What you will order Mr. Arin?" He asked. I smiled and put big purse on the table. "You know today I arrenged meeting with my friends, in your inn. I hope you not against it. And I advise you to go home earlier today." His little hands quickly grabbed the purse."Of course, no problem inn is yours for this night." I looked in the window."Probably you already should go home." "Oh of course, of course..." He turned to the door. "And almost forgot. If we will be loud too much, do not worry, me and my friends just like to dance." He turned, nodded and quickly disappeared behind the door. I hope that that ain't my last dance. I know that here many mistakes and maybe I missusing some words... but who cares.

I have been reading some discussions about stormwardens, and I wanted to make a new thread so we could discuss what it is they actually do. We know that they are basically the mathematicians of Roshar. In the olden days here on earth, a common pursuit among mathematicians was mathematically modeling the heavens - figuring out planets orbits and the like. The stormwardens were founded to predict highstorms. Where do these two things connect? As I assume many of you here did, I grew up reading a lot of fantasy. Among my favorite stories were Anne McCaffrey's dragonriders of Pern novels. In these books, an important theme is that there was a "red star" (another planet in the system) that, when getting close enough to the planet, rained a spore-like lifeform on the planet that upon reaching the more life-friendly climate of Pern, transformed into a devastating thread-like substance that devoured all organic matter. There was always a couple hundred years between the occurences of these attacks, as they only happened when the two planets were close together (and the red star had a highly eliptical orbit that took it through the system Oort cloud, and as a result wasn't in the inner system very often). Why am I talking about this? Well, originally, before I learned more about desolations, I had assigned them a possible astronomical significance. They happened like clockwork, on a kind of cycle, with hundreds of years between. This reminded me the plight of the people of Pern - their menace also happened on a cyclical basis, with hundreds of years in between. However, in the modern day on Roshar, there hasn't been a desolation in ages. This ALSO reminded me of Pern, since the Pern books take place in a time where there hasn't been a threadfall in a very, very long time. The people have basically forgotten about it. This is because of the way the orbits worked, the red star hadn't passed close to the planet in its last couple trips through the inner system. I thought that perhaps the desolations worked the same way, and the reason there hadn't been one for a while was that the planets hadn't "aligned correctly". When I learned that Odium was trapped (supposedly on Braize), this made me believe this theory even more strongly. He could only exert his influence when Braize's orbit aligned with Roshar's. I now know that this is likely not the case. However, Brandon has said that the gas giants in the system have an effect on Roshar. What if the effect has to do with the highstorms? The highstorms seem to happen on a cyclical, yet complex, basis. The stormwardens have been trying to predict them. The complex system of when highstorms happen could easily be the result of the complex (to an uninformed observer) orbital mechanics that would come about from the relative positions of 10 different gas giants and Roshar, all of which are orbiting with a different period. The orbits would be complex, but predictable. The stormwardens, in their efforts to predict the coming of the highstorms, may have unwittingly been developing the mathematics of orbital mechanics. Basically, I am thinking that there is some sort of tidal system that the other planets exert. The actual tides caused by gravitation would be miniscule, but if the planets are invested in some way (which makes sense if they are actually part of the cage keeping Odium in the system), perhaps there is an investiture based analogue of tides that trigger the highstorms on Roshar. I would welcome any comments on this idea, as well as what you all think the Stormwardens are doing when they are creating their model to predict highstorms.

Mateform is the form optimized for breeding, but some other forms like slaveform (parshmen) can breed as well. Alethi breed the parshmen.

It's like Dalianar is dropped in a video game. People are NPCs with dialogue options, but Honor is too big of an asset for Dalinar to download, so he's just a cutscene.

Stonesculptors: Cohesion and Ilumination. They're known as amazing sculptors because Cohesion lets them shape stone with their bare hands, and they can use Illumination to create 3D concept art which they can later fill in. They sell their work to pay for Knights Radiant expenses. I think you may've just stumbled upon how Skybreakers work

Um. You guys do realize that Arinian hadn't scanned Nyali, right? I don't think he's Spiked either, but using the lynching of an eliminator he didn't even scan as reasons for clearing him makes all three of you more suspicious to me. It feels more like you're trying to ingratiate yourself to him in hopes that he won't scan you.

Might I suggest you post these to the gallery? Because these are really good? Might I also ask for your bank details, because I think I'm gonna bill you for the therapy I need now. All of the creepy.

Hello all! This is my first post, and I am on mobile, so please excuse any errors I make. Anyway, my friend and I are huge Sanderson fans, and we loved talking about the different magic systems and the best way to use them. We agreed that feruchemy is best for every day life, but being able to compound with allomancy would be absolutely amazing. We were bouncing ideas off of eachother of which metal would be the best to compound. Which got me thinking. What if Sanderson wrote a character that was mistborn naturally, but also a ferring? Or a full feruchemist and also a misting? What would be the most interesting combination of a mistborn and ferring in your opinions? Or full feruchemist and misting? How do think the best way to use these combinations would be? Personally, I would be terrified if a mistborn with gold feruchemy was angry at me. Or able to compound mental speed. Gives me chills... Also, I have no idea if this topic has been discussed previously in another thread, so please forgive me for that.

I saw two of these beautiful birds on my uni's campus this morning: Cedar Waxwings, named for the brightly tipped wings and tails that look like they've been dipped in old-fashioned letter-sealing wax. I like to call them "berry bandits" because of their love of berries (should be obvious from the photo XD) and because of their black eyemasks.

I'm a Ferring! I think I liked Stormwarden more... it was much more dramatic. Stormwarden. Now it's just... Ferring.

Realmatic puns!

Alright, so I just finished reading Arcanum Unbound. If you haven't read it, this is me warning you now that this a theory that might have spoilers. Let's talk about the Rosharan system. There are ten gas giants, one for each essence. Khriss describes them as: This seems really weird to me. A persons cognitive representation is a manifestation of how an object is perceived in the mind. If this is the case, the planets should have huge cognitive identities- the heralds are essentially demigods. People use the names and personifications of the heralds all the time. Why do the planets that share their essences name and color, which should act as a focus point for their cognitive identity, not show on the cognitive plane? They are a huge part of peoples beliefs, whether or not you believe in the heralds- that planet in the sky are named after the ten essences, and this doesn't reflect in Shadesmar? It seems blatant to me that they are placed by Order- all uniform distance from each other, all the same size. I do not think they would be there for no reason. I propose this: Between Desolations, the heralds go to a place called damnation. The tranquiline halls have always been described as being above. From the description of torture we see before the breaking of the oathpact, is it possible that the searing is similar to what one might experience being on a gas giant? (assuming that either super healing keeps them alive, or that they're there only spiritually) Through some means, I believe that each herald is sent to their individual planets which are the damnation- which is a necessary component to keeping Odium bound within the Rosharan system (whether this is through some form of magic, or if the complex alignment of the planets keeps the asteroid field around the inner system to physically keep Odium trapped). When the oathpact was broken, this mechanism placed by Honor was also broken- which is why they lost their identity on the cognitive realm. I would go even further to say that these ten planets are the legendary Dawnshards. Scholars have found no records of the dawnshards because they are physically not on the planet. They were looking for swords when they should have been looking for the dawn in the sky. Without the Heralds supporting the Dawnshards in damnation, Honor feels Odium will break free because the cage is not being maintained. When used in the reference to the poem of Ista "Taking the Dawnshard, known to bind any creature voidish or mortal, he crawled up the steps crafted for Heralds, ten strides tall apiece, toward the grand temple above." The steps crafted by the Heralds are the ten planets, the "grand temple" is the tranquiline halls, the dawnshard is the piece of honor that manifests on the planets which has since passed out (like how shardblades died on the recreance) which is why Khriss doesn't see them in Shadesmar. Sorry if this writing is a little rushed, but I am curious to see if people have considered this as a possibility.

Ah, that glorious feeling when you've lent WoK to a friend and they know just what questions to ask to get you to slip up and spoil things, but you're just like: I am spoiling so much for you, but I can't stop myself because these books are amazing.

The Truth shall be made known unto all, bound and free, male and female. For the Truth is all, and with it brings salvation. Join the Truth, and all will be well. I have joined. Seek the Truth.

Ranatar sign-up and intro RP.docx If someone would be so kind as to quote the contents of the word document for easy display, I'd appreciate it.txt

Posting here for traffic; I wrote more writing!

Ooh. You have very much piqued my interest and intrigue! (Looking back at my rather shoddy history in this forum, I am much more interested in the role play side of things, so,. You have hit right up my alley.) I'm actually working for the next couple of days, but I'll bounce some character concepts around and try and get something up within the dedline, if'n ya'all don't mind me joining.

Hemalurgy is about adding to the spiritweb, not rewriting it. You are incapable of directly changing what exists originally; you can only add to it. Hemalurgy also doesn't create a connection to Ruin. What it is actually doing is creating weak points in the spiritweb that Ruin can infiltrate to control the hemalurgic construct, but anyone with the right power can use those flaws, as we've seen.

Hemalurgy is all about rewriting the spirit web. Atium can steal any aspect from the spirit web and splice it onto someone else. So there is clearly a connection... and using Hemalurgy does impart a stronger connection to Ruin; we've seen that. It would make sense to me that a blank Atium spike should do this to an even greater extent as the effect would be caused directly by Ruin's investiture (as opposed to merely being the passive power source for the spirit web splice.) Provided we are correct that such a spike would have an effect that is.

1. I'm of the opinion that Szeth had no magic compulsion to be Truthless. This is based on what Nale says at the end of WoR which implies very strongly that Szeth stayed on the path of his own will and that the opportunity to stop existed at any time. Regarding the missing Honorblades, my take on that conversation was that Taravangian was lying so Szeth wouldn't think Kaladin was a KR. In any case, we know that Nale has retrieved his Honorblade so it could've been half-truths. I'll discuss the other theories later.

I presume feruchemy and hemalurgy render the metals chemically inert.

On the OP: It's worth pointing out that the purpose of a prison isn't to keep everyone from leaving. It's to keep unauthorised people from leaving. If Braize is a prison for more than just Odium, it's always possible that Hoid knew how to pass as a "guard," so to speak. As long as you don't need to get information from a prisoner who's uncooperative, that's a perfectly reasonable way to infiltrate a prison. That said, Hoid implies it would be very risky for him to attract Odium's attention. That might imply that anything Hoid did on Braize happened before Odium was invested there, or it might mean he was very careful not to get caught. edit: It could even mean that what Hoid got up to on Braize is the very reason it would be dangerous for him to attract Odium's attention, as he might face the consequences for his past actions there... On Braize having a perpendicularity: I think we should assume any world at least one Shard is invested in has a perpendicularity by default given what Brandon has implied about them in annotations and Khriss' paragraphs. The quote is very straightforward with little room for nuance or confusion. Unless Brandon clarifies otherwise I'd say it's reasonable to take that as confirmation that Hoid can at least work chromium Feruchemy. You're of course welcome to your own headcanon if you disagree, but I don't really think there's any reason to think Brandon wouldn't just say "something similar to Feruchemy" if that's what he actually meant.

Thank you mate for your support.

Jonly is signing up as the second initiate! Is 600 words too many? =P

I'll keep it there until I write RP and signup info into this post. Then I'll delete it. Part one: Gladium rose to his feet with the holy cloak of the order of the Knights Radiant fluttering on his back and raised his fist to the sky as he watched as the other knights rise with gold and black capes fluttering in the wind and armored feet clanking on the stones of this city. He wondered what sins they had committed, he had caused no crimes except for the slaying of those who would not bow and serve the righteous. But that was a discussion for a place other than here, in this holy city where the gods watched over the just and blessed those who served them. He turned and laid eyes upon the high Knights, those who had won glory through the virtue of their actions. Kaladin. Shallan. Dalinar. All names holy to him. And now he joined their ranks. Truly, this was a day for glory. Part two: Once he had climbed to his chambers Gladium lay on his bed and dreamed... Of blood and dust and ashes. In his dreams Gladium rode his horse in shardplate as red as blood and swung a shardblade that glowed like the ashes after a fire. He swung his blade and footmen fell dead at his feet as they fled the dread light of his blade. Gladium rotated quickly, swinging out of his saddle and cutting through a line of infantry. At the end of his dream he stood alone in a wasteland and walked, his boots making a endless trail across the ash. awoke and walked slowly across his balcony, noticing the lack of sound in the courtyards below and the lack of his armor in its rightful place. He thought of how he could bring justice to this forgotten land, surely there was no way but the path of bloodshed and death. Suddenly, Gladium stopped, raised his head slowly to view the rising sun and thought,"Justice comes with the dawn. So I shall come."

What was Shallan in when she couldn't make fire?

I'm glad that you don't put much stock in this theory, because Brandon has straight up told us no. I agree with you, Odium's forces existed before the Radiants became a thing. That doesn't mean that it's completely off the hook, but odds seem against it. I always took "...the devils on the front line" to be a reference to Aimians, but who knows.

It was a joke. I was tongue in cheek implying that Hoid caused the Reod.

Waita second could the pancake not have been make for the cognitive realm. As it was described as it is thought to be made for that. If he is in the cognitive realm or at least able to visit... He could be surviving off of pancakes alone!

"The last blade of Erungal was given to the keeper of the wood"

Now you ruined the comedic standarts we tried to preserve. Given that this topic was returned the popularity of puns seems to be waxing after it Waned, just make sure it can keep its color.