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AG4/AN1 - Day 9: Uniter Divided; Dividers Unite Not long ago... Nolan traced his hands over the inscription at the front of his book. “Life before death,” he murmured softly. “Strength before weakness, journey before destination...” His thoughts meandered into meanings and contexts, and for a few minutes he entirely failed to notice that the sphere he was holding to illuminate his work had gone dun. He stared at it. The highstorm hadn’t been so long ago that it should be dun already. “How...?” He pulled another sphere from his pocket, but it was dun, too. And all the others in his pocket. Um... This was in the book. Nolan knew what was happening, it just... couldn’t be. He went to check his pouch, which was hanging by the door. Still bright. Almost fearfully, he drew out a sphere and closed his eyes. What had the book said. Breathe. Nolan breathed, and he became alive. He laughed for hours and hours, later, interspersed with furious rereading. After all this time, he was a Knight Radiant! The very people he had been trying to study, and he could have firsthand experience with them. What’s it called when you’re the source of your own scholarship? he wondered idly. Is it a primary source or a.. zeroth... source? He had so many experiments to do. He heard cries from outside. Another kill discovered. Perhaps he could even use his power to help, to find these storming murderers and rid the village of them once and for all. Tonight... Nolan stood warily across from the murderers, who had chased him down and separated him from the group. He inhaled Stormlight, hoping it would help, somehow. I’m a scholar, not a soldier! he thought. How am I supposed to defeat trained, blooded warriors? Why did the Almighty ever put me into this? I just want to study... But it seemed that the Almighty had a different fate in mind for him. He had been made a Bondsmith, and told to unite. He had failed. Nolan closed his eyes for a brief moment, prayed, and charged. He wished his battle cry could have been something noble - “Life before death,” or “All praise the Almighty,” or even “Scholarship!” Instead, it was a sort of buzzing, wavery “AAAaaaAAAaargh!” Two weeks of studying Stormlight couldn’t do much against murderers with weapons and the training to use them. Nolan was chopped into at least five separate pieces before he touched a single one of them. The glow surrounding him winked out, and only darkness remained. Ivory Dragonfly was killed. They were a Village Bondsmith. Day 9 has begun. It will end in 42 hours, at 10pm GMT on the 9th February. Player List 1. Amethyst Scorpion 2. Azure Mouse 3. Amber Vulture - Villager 4. Charcoal Hyena - Cannoc - Villager 5. Chartreuse Penguin - Villager 6. Coral Swan - Elyle - Village Lightweaver 7. Cream Tuatara - Villager 8. Emerald Falcon - Aldrick - Villager 9. Fuschia Ostrich 10. Indigo Weasel - Village Elsecaller 11. Ivory Dragonfly - Nolan - Village Bondsmith 12. Magenta Albatross 13. Mauve Crocodile 14. Melon Dingo - Quentisan - Village Edgedancer 15. Mint Heron 16. Onyx Flamingo - Squawk - Village Lightweaver 17. Opal Lion - Villager 18. Oxblood Beagle - Jai - Village Willshaper 19. Pearl Chameleon 20. Plum Rhinoceros - Villager 21. Quartz Zebra 22. Saffron Iguana - Emalia - Village Lightweaver 23. Sage Kangaroo 24. Salmon Meerkat - Village Bondsmith 25. Sapphire Elephant 26. Scarlet Octopus - Village Edgedancer 27. Sunburst Toucan - Vanna 28. Taupe Gecko - Villager 29. Turquoise Gorilla - Village Dustbringer 30. Violet Axolotl - Villager

"You can't leave." stated the mob. Rose-Mary Tyler paused, looked at the crowd of soldiers, turned back around, and started walking faster. Mr. Klenien put his arm on her her shoulder. "I said, 'You can't leave'" She pushed him off, and broke into a run. "She's getting away!" shouted Mya. The crowd rushed after the quiet woman, blocking her escape. Rose tripped, falling into the dirt. "Why don't you say something? We're trying to find out who the traitors are, and you're just standing there! You're one of them, aren't you?" Rose was trying to say something, anything, to get out of this situation. Her tongue refused to work, so she tried ducking between one of the soldier's legs. Caccoo grabbed her before she could escape. It was all the town needed to convince them of Rose's guilt. Lenny couldn't watch. It was all too much for him. He had never been the brightest man around. How was he supposed to find Forgotten? It wasn't fair. It didn't make any sense. It was starting to rain now. It might wash away the blood, but the stains would remain. There was nothing left. There was only a variety of bribes. He looked at a particularly good bottle of wine. He could take it if he wanted too. It would be better if he was drunk. Sadly, he wouldn't even get that luxury. And as the rain turned into a storm, his blood mixed with the puddles. Vote Count: Budgie (5): Caesura, Devotary of Spontaneity, Orlok, Brightness Radiant, Elenion Elenion (2): Kynedath, Monster Metroid Devotary of Spontaneity (1): Steeldancer A Budgie was lynched. They were a Soldier. Living Legend was killed. He was a Soldier. Items Taken: Camp Supply: Player List: The cycle will end on Saturday, February 10th at 7PM Eastern Time.

Hello All, I come from a massive online history. I love Brandon Sanderson and it would seem that there is a forum for, the massive expanded universe. Do you do RP here?

Uhhhh . . . Sapphire Elephant.

Long time leader first theory post I have a theory about the origin of the unmade and the heralds. I think he unmade we're humans at one point "unmade" into powerful evil Spre when the midnight mother is defeated shallan get the impression she was trying to understand something she lost. In symmetry I believe the Heralds may have been Spren "Made" human which is why they are so dedicated to their ideals. Just a gut feeling

My favorite book in the series so far and maybe my favorite book ever read, answers so much, has the absolute best climax and is breath-takingly well paced despite its length. I've never felt such awe reading a book as I did during the I AM UNITY moment, I seriously considered it possible he'd turn bad. When Evi forgives him I legit teared up. How can I possibly wait for more?

Hello folks! There's a small chance some of the oldtimers here might have run into me before on the old Time Waster's Guide website. I was known there variously as Brian, Atruen, and perhaps a few other, less savory things. Mainly I just wanted to give a shout out just in case St. Ehlers, Spriggan, or any of the other old Timewasters (including EUOL himself) happen to remember me. But since I'm here, I may as well stick around and get to know a few of you newer folks! Well met, y'all. Brian Lacy

I feel the middle ground is pretty vacant at the moment: most readers invested within this discussion are intend on proving how negative the Adolin/Shallan marriage is. I have yet to see readers put the same amount of effort to... prove the opposite, hence the middle ground seems very lonely these days. As an Adolin fan, I have been rooting for an Adolin centrist arc ever since WoR finished. The little arc surrounding Maya, towards the end of OB, was not enough. It however is interesting and is exactly the kind of arc which could pan out into something more meaty within book 4, shall the author wish it. Unfortunately, Brandon's intentions towards Adolin's character are near impossible to decipher: it always seemed to me he isn't agreeing with myself over what makes up for an interesting narrative for him. Thanks. I find it hard to post contradicting views because they are often met with strong opposition and little support. It isn't so much I wish for others to change their minds, but as I said above, there hasn't been a lot of readers coming forth to defend the Adolin/Shallan union. I have seen readers voice out their concerns on how Brandon has made the romance be one-sided. I have seen the posts where readers are complaining, within this thread, over the lack of thought process on Adolin's part, when it comes down to it. It has often been interpreted as him not really caring about Shallan: my thoughts are different. I believe we aren't getting more from Adolin because most of his viewpoints have another purpose. In other words, within Brandon's mind, the romance is written solely from the Shallan angle. Readers have noted, ever before the release of OB, how Brandon has not seen fit to write one date from Adolin's perspective apart from this very short snippet within WoR. OB didn't offer anything different as, still, all of the intimate Adolin/Shallan scenes were written within her perspective and not him. Hence it isn't surprising we aren't really reading it: it isn't in the book. Now why did Brandon thought it served the narrative better to make the romance arc be one-sided, I honestly cannot say. I am baffled this is how he planned it. As for how Adolin can go from breaking up to marriage: this works for me. Adolin is notorious for ruining his courtships. A WoB told us he did mostly out of not feeling he was good enough. OB certainly highlighted how unworthy Adolin thinks he is, how lesser compared to everyone else he feels he is: while he is able to appreciate his own talents, he keeps on thinking they are... not enough. Hence, upon seeing Shallan and Kaladin glow together, it wasn't long he started to believe Kaladin would make the better match. Even if he does love Shallan, he has no intentions to fight for her because, in his mind, he already lost. This is the one battle Adolin never won: the battle of worth. He can step into the arena, beat his foes, be a grand duelist, take command without even realizing he is doing it, but he could never make Dalinar proud, not until it was too late. My perspective is thus, when he breaks up with Shallan, he does not really want to break it up: he only does it because he sincerely believes Kaladin is the better man while thinking Shallan loves him more. He wants to do the right thing which is allowing Shallan to make her choice, removing the obligation to marry him, giving her the freedom to choose, without any ties. He however does love her, so when she chooses him, well, he's happy. I also took note how surprised he sounded upon hearing Shallan lists the things she loves about Adolin: he really never thought he was enough. He voices out his concerns later on, but Shallan insisted it didn't matter if he weren't a Radiant. Adolin's thought process remain, IMHO, consistent with themselves. He has fears, a given lack of self-confidence, perhaps some lack of self-esteem, but the narrative is never strong enough to push him over the edge. As such, with a bit of encouragement, he moves past it, refuses to be the king and marries Shallan. Where Brandon will go from there? Well, it could go down many very interesting paths or he could reinforced Adolin as the one stable character. I find the later would be a waste.

... or something else poetic™. Hey I'm Alex and I have read almost all of Oathbringer, after starting the Way of Kings only a month and a half ago or so. Decided to join the forums as I start to work through more of Branderson's works! How is everybody?

Hi all, just saw this video Mary Robinette Kowal posted on a subject from one of her writing workshops. Lots of really good advice for both writers and people critiquing (i.e. this group).

Welcome to the Shard! You might want to check out Arcanum, as Brandon has answered a LOT of our questions, and crushed many a theory. The Unmade are Splinters of Odium (Splinters being part of his power deliberately separated from him and shaped to do specific things). So they were not ever human. Heralds are humans who went to Honor and proposed the Oathpact to keep the Fused from terrorizing Roshar. The Stormfather drops a few nuggest of info in Oathbringer.

Well, probably because Dalinar's older brother was part of at least one (religious) secret society, and Wit thought Gavilar would have involved Dalinar. Of course, as we now know from Oathbringer, Dalinar was in no fit state to join any secret group after what happened at the Rift (being too busy making sure he was completely drunk for most of the time after that), which all probably happened before Gavilar started working with the Sons of Honor.

Okay, this is embarrassing. I just caught a dumb mistake in my calculations from yesterday. (I somehow doubled Roshar's radius when I graphed it out.) Correction: Now the example orbit is not quite as close: 2R at closest approach (rather than 0.5R). This means it rises in Shinovar just after setting in Alethkar. (So we've gained a buffer of one hour, not two, in our time zone considerations.) The increased distance also means that the change in apparent size, while still substantial, is less dramatic. Nothing is going to triple in size, though it can still come close for some locations. Approximately doubling in size won't be uncommon. The visibility times don't change drastically from what I posted before. Add half an hour for coastal observers, three quarters of an hour for central observers.

Me, and probably pretty much all the villagers right now:

I did expect that Elephant vote to stick longer than five minutes, yes

First off, welcome to the Shard and great first post! I'm going to take a shardblade to its premise, but it was still a very nice bit of thinking. As has been noted, it is (meta)physically impossible for a Shard to break an oath made with Intent (using Rayse's capitalization, not the sense of the driving mandate of a given Shard) for the reason that the Stormfather explains to Dalinar: Adonalsium's power permeates them and binds them to keep their oaths. It's even more impossible for Honor to betray an oath because that's diametrically opposed to the Intent of his Shard. Preservation can't destroy, Ruin can't create for creation's own sake, Honor can't betray. Now, I do agree completely that there's wiggle-room in the nature of the Intents and I have no doubt that it's going to be an ongoing factor, but not like this. Odium has murdered at least three other Shards and while he might argue that going after Devotion and Dominion was because they violated some unspecified agreement about staying apart, he can't use that excuse for targeting Ambition and per Word of Brandon she was first on his hit list. And one of the Shards he killed embodies the idea of love/compassion. So yeah, Odium does indeed appear to deserve his reputation even if we didn't have WoBs on the subject. Or in-universe characters holding similar opinions, chiefly Hoid, Frost and Khriss. Odium is deliberately keeping the whole 'I've picked you as my Champion' thing from Dalinar while subtly trying to manipulate him, so I'm perfectly happy to take anything he says in that exchange wiith a pinch of salt. The difference between Rayse and Ati vis a vis lying probably has something to do with the latter being 1) completely certain he was going to win, so it didn't matter and 2) thoroughly twisted by his Shard so he's not really capable of thinking beyond it. Though he is still capable of deception, see how he manipulates Vin and Spook for example. Rayse is noted by Brandon to be a very good match for Odium and he seems to have his original personality intact, so he's probably better at deceit in general. We also know that Harmony can lie. Oh, and on that note we do have some evidence from Oathbringer that Frost can be wrong. He thinks (per the WoR letter) that Rayse is now more a force than an individual, contrary to Hoid's assertion. OB seems to validate Hoid's take on it, that Rayse is indeed still in control. We don't have much reason to believe that Frost is wrong in his assessment of what Odium's Intent is however. Brandon's also said that he originally planned to call that Shard 'Hatred' for what that's worth. I suspect that wherever the name Odium came from in-universe, they were right on the money and Odium's whole spiel about how he's really the power of Passion is self-serving and more a side-effect of his power than the main focus of it.

I have proposed it on Discord already: What if Azure is actually Vivenna Returned? What if she died and Endowment Returned her and - uniquely - gave her back her memories and sent her hunting for Nightblood and Vasher?

My favorite out-of-context 17th Shard quote:

I just want to say that I loved "Sixth of the Dusk" and I want a full book in the Drominad system. Any one else feel this way?

Something I always find interesting is casting songs into fictional universes.. The Cosmere seems ripe for this, especially with Pink Floyd's songs. I think it would be interesting to compare them to the Cosmere, and so will start with High Hopes, specifically applying it to Ati. The premise of this Cast is this: High Hopes is a song concerning Loss, and Ati has been through two major Downfalls: His perversion away from a "kind and generous man," by the intent of Ruin, and his loss of his status as a Divine Being following his death. I am assuming that Vessels can go to whatever afterlife awaits Humans, and that his original personality has been restored by this. With his personality mostly restored, and his massive rank above Ordinary lost, he now pens a lament for what once was. Of course, much of the links between the song and Ati are very figurative and take a bit of work. What do you all think? Do you have any Songcastings, Floyd or not?

I believe that Ba-Ado-Mishram was in part responsible for the creation of the Parshmen, as they are known to modern Rosharans. Her description in *Hessi's Mythica* reads, “She is said to have been keen of mind, a highprincess among the enemy forces, their commander during some of the Desolations.” Then, looking back to the Epigraph of Ch. 80, a Knight Radiant records, “Ba-Ado-Mishram has somehow Connected with the parsh people, as Odium once did. She provides Voidlight and facilitates forms of power. Our strike team is going to imprison her.” My theory is that prior to Odium’s arrival on Roshar, Cultivation employed Ba-Ado-Mishram as a coordinator, or possibly originator of the Singer’s unique ability to transform by bonding Spren in their Gemhearts. Odium found their connection to Spren an easy in. As his Shardic Intent is of Hatred and passion, any person with a living invested splinter of emotional investiture bonded to their Gemheart is an easy target for him. Something about Odium’s banishment to Braize impairs this direct ability, but Odium plays the long game ALMOST as well as Cultivation. He corrupted Ba-Ado-Mishram, using her connection to the Parsh as a convenient middleman in his plans. Then we have the next Epigraph. “We are uncertain the effects this will have on the parsh. At the very least, it should deny them forms of power. Melishi is confident, but Naze-daughter-Kuzodo warns of unintended side effects.” I believe the Knights Radiant strike team were successful in their attempt. Ba-Ado-Mishram was imprisoned, and cut off from the Parsh. This left them without control, mindless, and so complete was her hold on them that they had not the wherewithal to return to their songs to find their people again. Unwittingly, the Knights Radiant created the perfect slave race. It is entirely within human nature (sadly) to see this resource and exploit it. Thus the Parshmen as they are known to modern humans on Roshar. They are described as “without songs” and behave as nearly mute subordinates merely content to do as they’re told. The moment this stuck was, oddly, unrelated to the Parsh. I was puzzling over something in Part 3 of Oathbringer. It was the description of the Palace Guards in Kholinar. They were described as “Human, but *wrong*”. One of them ran Shallan through without warning, expression, or reaction, in the middle of a sentence. Their actions were ordinary, but too much so. They had no emotion, no passion. They had given it to Odium. I believe there were not three but FOUR unmade in Kholinar that night. Ashertman, Heart of the Revel is obvious. As is Sja-anat, Keeper of secrets, seen in the mirror and later conversing with Shallan. Yelig-nar bonded with Aesudan and destroyed her. But among those three, each an Unmade with a clearly defined power-set, I see none who could cause this behavior amongst those in the palace. I see two possibilities: 1) They are now of Odium. This is most ambiguous, and sadly a bit likely, given Brandon’s penchant for giving us just a few pieces at a time. It is entirely likely that their behavior is simply that of Men who, like Moash, have succumbed to his siren call, “It is my fault, you need not bear this burden”. Thus their passion is lost to Odium and with it their will 2) Ba-Ado-Mishram is breaking her captivity somewhere in Kholinar (Her prison possibly involving the Windblades? That’d be fun) and turning the humans of Kholinar into slaves. The similarities in their behavior are just too stark for me to dismiss. I see humans acting as mindless slaves in an environment that should be driving them to madness, and I look for a reason. I think it’s Ba-Ado-Mishram. Now that it’s written, I’m less convinced of the Kholinar connection, but moreso on the Parshmen connection. Tell me what you think?

If we look at the entire Radiant cast, we have a horde of deeply broken, sometimes barely functional individuals, trying to reforge themselves through the Nahel Bond. They are often reluctant, thinking they are not up to the task, they take two steps backwards for each step forward. Their progress, even if relatively fast, seems slow on a narrative point of view. Then we have Lopen. Lopen who wanted to be a Radiant from Day One. Lopen who's been trying to surgebinde ever since he learned it was a possibility. Lopen who did everything he could to become a Radiant. His behavior is the complete opposite to the other characters, especially Teft he is, I believe, made to mirror. During the small time lapse, we had Teft who refused to progress, who asked himself all the questions he could, who took to Radianhood in a rather backward way and then we had Lopen who never once expressed doubts or anything other feelings than eagerness towards the prospect of moving up. When his spren finally agrees to bond him, their speech made it sound as if he has been trying to convince her for a while. Hence, I do think Lopen's character exists for the purpose of showing us an alternative progression path for Radiants, one where the individual compensate not being broken by being extraordinarily open-minded, eager and willing to forge himself into a Radiant. Either way, having Lopen swore his oath after Teft makes sense on a narrative perspective because it offers greater contrast with Teft. Lopen is the character which confirms the rule stating: "There are other ways to become a Radiant than being broken.". While I understand the reluctance some readers have towards Adolin/Shallan having a child, I personally find it a more plausible outcome than the opposite. I fear we are thinking too heavily with our 21st century mind frames and not enough from Alethkar's mind frame. In other words, while our society promotes the idea people have to wait until the conditions are perfect, until they are absolutely irrevocably sure they are ready before having a child, it isn't so within many other cultures nor was it so just a century ago. Hence, the idea Adolin/Shallan, in a world where contraceptives, as far as we are aware, aren't what they are today (which means ineffective, dry nets probably being made of animals intestines: these cannot be false-proof just as the good old modern rubber thing-y absolutely isn't either) will somehow have enough control not to have a child based on the idea they will both share our modern day ideas wanting them "not to be ready for it" does not seem to fit within the narrative. Therefore, unless Adolin/Shallan decides, from a common agreement, they would not have sex, the probability of Shallan not getting pregnant is very small. Medias make a big deal out of infertility which made some people believe it is hard to get pregnant, it takes time, but truth is, for most people, it doesn't really. Unprotected frequent sex will get most young women pregnant within a 6 months time frame. If women such as Navani and Evi had only two children, it may be because they spent to much time away from their husbands: in other words, they weren't having sex very often. I also find the idea Shallan is unable to have a child because she is too messed up is too modern for Roshar. Whether or not to have a child, for a married couple, is a very recent questioning: my own parents didn't have much of those questions. Back in their days, you got married, you had children, period. You didn't ponder as to whether or not you are advanced enough in your personal growth to have them. If you didn't want children, you didn't get married. Hence promoting the idea Shallan will have the reflective capacities and the insights of 21st century teenagers is really... asking for a different context all together. She is likely to just get pregnant without having had the time to really think about it. As a result, I find it incredibly probable Shallan will have a child within the near future, perhaps not within the one year gap, but soon enough. As for what it would mean for the narrative, I think it does not need to be a major story arc. Gavilar has existed since WoK and wasn't mentioned until OB. Of course, I would not expect a child from Adolin/Shallan to go as unnoticed as little Gavilar, but reality is high born children tend to be raised by nurses. Dalinar chastises Evi, in OB, when she brought the kids to the warcamps as opposed to leaving them in the nearest town with nannies. Adolin speaks of his nanny to whom he asked how babies were made. Thus, the existence of a child will not prevent neither Shallan nor Adolin from being active characters: the baby will just be given to the care of nannies whenever their parents are not available. It isn't so unlike modern day women who worked despite having children: if children doesn't prevent us from having jobs, how can they prevent Shallan from having a life? She has WAY more free-time than I personally do: she has no commute time, she has no dead-lines, she isn't working on projects which demands her to deliver "stuff" in a timely manner, she doesn't have to deal with snow storms. So what if her child is being cared for by a nanny for 2-3 hours a day when she has a meeting or when there is the occasional battle? It is a much better deal than most of us are getting nowadays. A baby isn't the end of a life: it doesn't prevent women from accomplishing work nor does it have to over-power the narrative. It is just part of life and the minute Brandon decided to marry Shallan to Adolin, he must have thought of children because they are more or less inevitable, unless both characters are infertile. When a brother was introduced within the flashbacks, I expected him to die, at some point because neither Adolin nor Renarin mentioned another uncle. I never guessed he would still be alive, but exiled far-away. Of course, I wondered about this, just as I wondered about what pushed Evi/Toh to run away from Rira and to seek solace into Alethkar. I mean, there were other closer countries where their Plate would have secure them an easy quiet life. Why go through the trouble of reaching Alethkar, then seeking the protecting of the worst warlords they could find? Who were they so scared of they though only the Kholins was brutish enough to protect them? Why would Evi give herself to Dalinar, a blood-thirsty cold man? What made her desperate enough to think the union was profitable? She wasn't forced, she agreed to it, but it seems to me everything Toh/Evi did happened because the alternative was far worst than the Kholins... I can't say if more will be answered within the next book or not. You make a valid point in stating Toh choosing Herdaz may not be random. Dalinar muses in OB how the Plate belongs to Evi and not to Toh: he finds it odd a Plate would be own by a woman and not his brother. This does give credence to the theory wanting Toh not to really be her brother, but a care-keeper of sorts. Little 4 years old Adolin speaks of it as HIS Plate, so we can perhaps assume it was transferred to him on the day of his birth. Based on OB, they planned to use the Plate as bargaining money to force the Kholins to protect them from whomever they are running away from. Dalinar also tells Evi she was seeking a warlord to protect her.... Now the question is, from who? I don't find Toh selfish: Evi agreed to the match. It seems they were both keen on it because they saw it as the best way to protect themselves. They knew the match wasn't terrific, but it seems to me they saw no other options. Why is what I am wondering. I hope Rira will come back before Renarin's book which won't happen until 20 or 30 years from now. It seems a long time to leave a narrative open.

I haven't read this all - too many posts. But OMG this made me happy. All the Renarin stuff (especially him and Dalinar), Teft, and Elhokar. Just... But seriously, seeing how some of these moments develop into bigger things - especially Bridge Four's relationships - will be awesomely amazing.

Yeah, he seems mostly if not exclusively interested in spren manifesting in the Physical. His quest for intoxication/alespren for example only makes sense in the physical where there's alcohol to drink; everything drinkable in the Cognitive would have to come from the Physical anyways. If it's of interest to him he might eventually hop over to the other side and see what all the spren look like in the Cognitive but it doesn't seem to be a pressing concern for him at present. And given all the new cataloguing he can do of how spren change when Sja-anat corrupts them, he's got lots more potential research fodder to keep him in the Physical for the time being.

Yay! @WitSpren and @Nashan’Elin and @Silverblade5, if you still live at the map locations, we're pretty near each other. BTW, I'm from Aurora, CO.

I'm busy, but not too busy to chip in a vote. Sapphire Elephant Edit: oh cool, if we lose it looks like I get to raise my lynched village percentage even higher than it is currently. Nice.

I see everyone asking why she's hunting zahel. I'm not so sure she is. I think the "criminal" she is hunting for is Nightblood or Wit. Otherwise she would have asked more questions about Kal and Adolins practicing zahels kata. She talks a little on "burdens"that she sat down as she touches her hilt. I think she's literally referring to setting down Nightblood.

I am not necessarily on board with the "Passion pushers" either, but have no Fear The discussion concerning this concept is no reason for Anger. I agree with you in principle. Sanderson has made it quite clear that Odium is the shard of Hate. However, Much like Rayse asks Dalinar to give him his pain, it is claer that the removal of pain also does not provoke hate in others. In addition, Odium's everstorm provides voidlight, which as Moash felt, is filled with "Passion": i.e. Suffering. ..........aaaaaaaaaaand you just got Yoda'd /sarc

Did you really expect anything else? Chameleon

Hello, and Welcome to the Shard! Have an upvote for friendly relations, and a well thought out first post. In the Way of Kings, the letter to and from Frost contained a section that stated that Rayse had " ... the Power of God's own hatred, without the context the other Intents gives it." (very close to that quote). Of all persons who would have knowledge of how the splintering of Adonalsium happened, I think Frost and Hoid are very believable sources. How is this passion? Frost could be mistaken about the Intent, because the personal context of the individuals who did the shattering determined how it broke. That could possibly mean that the Intent looked like Hatred to the other shards, and in reality might include more. But it seems to me that they would recognize passion in themselves, and thus be better judges than we of Rayse's remaining Intent. However, I don't have a reason to disbelieve Odium either, except for his desire to conquer the ones he was talking to. Maybe deceit is not needed when you are a Shard. Ruin didn't seem to hide his purposes. I think we need more information on Odium's end goal on Roshar to decide if we want to believe him or not.

If we believe Mraize, then this Skybreaker was the lover of her mother. Was it because he was a Skybreaker, did this just happen or was she unaware of his status? Was he tricking her mother to get into the family or was she part of the order? And really - even if a lover would tell me as a mother to kill my only daughter because of a Desolation when everyone thought it over - what kind of mother would be like "oh, ok I just kill her..."? Is it possible that she tried to hinder him to kill Shallan and the child was misinterpreting the situation? Yes, Nale is also a problem. His organisation is rather strict and all the reasons above are logic conclusions. Perhaps all of this had had nothing to do with Skybreaker and Radiant, but with a daughter catching her mother with a lover. Edit: Can't quiet remember - what happened with the lover? Did Lin kill him, was he wounded, was he able to heal himself?

Just have to say first off @NotBurtReynolds, I really like the formulation of your OP, I just had some minor disagreements with some of the points, but overall you did an awesome job summarizing the theory, and your post was incredibly well put together. I think this really is a matter of a fundamental incapacity for a being with a Finite mind to contain the near infinitude of the Galactic mind. It would be like a common garter snake trying to swallow a whole world, it's a matter of an innate limit on what is possible. But like I said in the post, I still think that the Vessel that manages to Unify Adonalsium is going to be the central lesson that Adonalsium learns from his division and recombination, precisely because a singular individual was able to reforge the Unitary whole of the Galactic mind. Here are some additional bits about the predictive quality of this theory that I forgot to add to the recreated post: Synthesis of religious principles seems to be related to ability to unite shards (the following example is a continuation of this). Sazed was a Terris Worldsinger, he had studied different and conflicting religions from across the Cosmere, this combined with his loss of his love Tindwyl led to a crisis of faith. But his knowledge of conflicting aspects of different religious systems combined with his overriding sense of duty along with his active willful choice to Believe again were all instrumental in him having the capacity to Unite the opposing forces of Preservation and Ruin and create a new Unified shard Harmony. Dalinar, who had personally been touched by the influence of 3 shards, also had a religious journey that allowed him to see the importance of Duty, Unity and trying to do better. I don't think Unity without the underlying goal of trying to do better would have allowed him to have his lowercase "a" ascension, I think this is possibly one of the best proofs of the theory. There was another possible path toward Unification that Odium and the Diagramatists tried to drive Dalinar towards, the path of blood and conquest. But instead, with the help of the Way of Kings and most tellingly of all, with the guiding moral love of Evi and the forgiveness (or grace) that Evi gave him when he was at his lowest, he was able to Unite through a principle of "after falling down, standing up each time a better man". This is powerful stuff, and I think that it hints at this being a greater Cosmere directive than the personal story of one man (no matter how pivotal he is in the unfolding drama on Roshar). Evi believed in the one, she worked constantly to try and make Dalinar a more noble, moral man, and in the end she gave him (not Cultivation) the one thing that he desired, forgiveness. This has to me the touch of the true Divine to it, and I think that One of the Irial is a principle of compassionate love that tries to correct by example, not coercion. This I think is the true path to Unity for the shattered fragments of Gods mind. Totally agree with this. It's rare to find a place where people are matched in intelligence only by their kindness. I haven't been on the 17th shard that long, but this is truly a special place.

Certainly if Shallan (or whoever) manages to maneuver him into that situation, Mraize has already lost. That's not where the actual contest is.

So I was thinking about the mechanics of the painting Kaladin sees and I wonder if part of how i works, in addition to being painted by an invested person, is that the paint is made with Tears of Edgli. Also, loving the podcast.

When you reach the end of Hero of Ages and need a drink:

This is how I feel giving rep in this thread:

AG4/AN1 - Day 6: To Be Determined Writeup Forthcoming. Edgedancer Message: The First Ideal Death before Life. Thrill overcoming Understanding. Butcher. Understanding overcomes Thrill. Life before Death. ~ Weakness before Strength. Powerless serve Powerful. Tyrant. Powerful serve Powerless. Strength before Weakness. ~ Destination before Journey. End justifies Means. Evil. Means justifies End. Journey before Destination. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Day 14 Coming storms ever rage, heralding divine fury. Divine heralds raging, Everstorm comes - 14 days. Plum Rhinoceros has died! They were a Villager. Day 6 has begun. It will end in 45.5 hours, at 10pm GMT on the 30th January. Player List Amethyst Scorpion Azure Mouse Amber Vulture Charcoal Hyena - Cannoc - Villager Chartreuse Penguin - Villager Coral Swan - Elyle - Village Lightweaver Cream Tuatara - Villager Emerald Falcon - Aldrick Fuschia Ostrich Indigo Weasel - Elsecaller Ivory Dragonfly - Nolan Magenta Albatross Mauve Crocodile Melon Dingo - Quentisan - Village Edgedancer Mint Heron Onyx Flamingo - Squawk Opal Lion - Villager Oxblood Beagle - Jai - Village Willshaper Pearl Chameleon Plum Rhinoceros - Villager Quartz Zebra Saffron Iguana - Emalia - Village Lightweaver Sage Kangaroo Salmon Meerkat - Village Bondsmith Sapphire Elephant Scarlet Octopus - Village Edgedancer Sunburst Toucan - Vanna Taupe Gecko - Villager Turquoise Gorilla - Village Dustbringer Violet Axolotl PMs are no longer open.

Skyshifters Spren: Blinkspren Surges: Gravitation/Transportation Gemstone: Azurite Attributes: Impulsive, optimistic The Skyshifters have a mobility unparalleled by any, even the Windrunners and the Elsecallers. Being able to change the pull of gravity at will as well as being able to teleport from one place to another, they are masters of combat, appearing everywhere their enemies do not want them to be, and as if that were not enough, you might just get tossed into the air, only to find the Skyshifter ready and waiting. The Skyshifter resonance grants them a natural ability to reorient themselves, granting them even more of an advantage in battle, as they will always know immediately how to Lash and how they are currently Lashed - even if they just shifted from one place to another by Elsecalling. Skyshifters are known for taking action without thinking about the consequences, which can make them a headache for other orders, but their optimistic nature tends to make up for much of that. First Oath: Life before death, strength before weakness, journey before destination. Second Oath: I will help those who are in need. Third Oath: I will stand for what is right, even if doing so puts me at risk. Fourth Oath: I will consider any advice, even if it comes from someone I disagree with completely. Fifth Oath: I am ready. The first Skyshifters: The Lopen, Adolin, and if he ends up on Roshar, Kelsier.

AG4/AN1 - Day 4: Scheduled Death Hello again, it’s me. The random voice from the sky? Yes, that one. Anyway, got an awful amount of things to report to you. Isn’t that such a pain? I’ve asked too many questions in the past two sentences. And now I’ve said two and too a lot and you know when you say a word a fair bit and it just starts to sound a bit funny and maybe a bit too funny oh we’ve done it again. Okay, back to the deaths. I’m starting to sound a bit like an over-enthusiastic gran, you know what I mean? Always ready to report about Janice over in the next 2 villages slipping on some butter she left out the fridge or something. First on the report concerns the death of a certain Taupe Gecko, who was caught doing very innocent things in very innocent places. There have been questions about if the innocent things were in fact innocent, but no-one has tried to claim that painting pretty pictures is the very definition of evil. But what about the place? Well that was at Narg’s broken down shed, so no-one can really complain about that either. Anyway, I won’t go into much detail as there’s a fair bit more to cover. Secondly, we have reports about reports about reports that Oxblood Beagle has been reportedly found somewhat not alive. Due to the nature of way too many reports, I actually can’t tell you anything. It’s a real shame too, cause they’ve been talking so much that I kinda feel like I’m letting them down. But at the same time I kinda don’t wanna talk to maybe try and be a bit ironic about the situation. It’s a real problem, one that doesn’t really come up much in my line of work, that work being to ramble in an empty document and hope that a few people like it enough to send me some yellow stuff on a website. But yeah, do I talk or not? Well even if I don’t, I should at least tell you that all of our many reports do say that there was an awful lot of flames and stuff around Beagle, and I don’t think they were that much of a pyromaniac. Finally, and yes getting to a third report is truly an honour to remember, Turquoise Gorilla is dead. And sorry to whoever this person is, because I am also getting a bit tired of rambling, so we’ll skip straight to the juicy bits. They were also seemingly a pyromaniac, seeing as there were also a fair few signs of flames around the body. Otherwise, guess there isn’t much to say. Watch out for that Narg fellow, you know? Jai lay in the alleyway, thoughtful, as he looked up at the stars and the moon, Nomon. He wondered what lay among those stars. Were there other people? Other creatures? Who knew what could be hiding in that night sky. He heard a noise from the mouth of the alleyway, and went rigid. They were walking towards him. Jai panicked. Was it the Boys? He took a glance, and saw a knife. Jai threw off the blanket, and ran for the other side of the alley. But there was another person waiting for him there too. In a complete panic, he saw a spren, like a glowing ball, drift down. He gasped, and his spheres- still in his pants- went dun. His skin became alight. And then, POP. A flash of light, and Jai was in a different alley, by the bakery. He gaped. What had he just done? Had that been... a surge?! Jai whooped in relief of having gotten away, and walked out of the alleyway, right into another knife. Sadly, Jai had used all his infused spheres in transporting, and his body was left in front of the alley. All credit goes to Oxblood Beagle for his death scene. Taupe Gecko has died! They were a Villager. Oxblood Beagle has died! They were a Village Willshaper. Turquoise Gorilla has died! They were a Village Dustbringer. Day Four has begun. It will end in 48 hours time, at 10pm GMT on the 24th January. Player List 1. Amethyst Scorpion 2. Azure Mouse 3. Amber Vulture 4. Charcoal Hyena - Cannoc - Villager 5. Chartreuse Penguin 6. Coral Swan - Elyle - Village Lightweaver 7. Cream Tuatara - Villager 8. Emerald Falcon - Aldrick 9. Fuschia Ostrich 10. Indigo Weasel 11. Ivory Dragonfly - Nolan 12. Magenta Albatross 13. Mauve Crocodile 14. Melon Dingo - Quentisan - Village Edgedancer 15. Mint Heron 16. Onyx Flamingo - Squawk 17. Opal Lion - Villager 18. Oxblood Beagle - Jai - [color=green]Village Willshaper[/color] 19. Pearl Chameleon 20. Plum Rhinoceros 21. Quartz Zebra 22. Saffron Iguana - Emalia - Village Lightweaver 23. Sage Kangaroo 24. Salmon Meerkat 25. Sapphire Elephant 26. Scarlet Octopus - Village Edgedancer 27. Sunburst Toucan - Vanna 28. Taupe Gecko - [color=green]Villager[/color] 29. Turquoise Gorilla - Village Dustbringer 30. Violet Axolotl

AG4/AN1 - Night 1: Dingo Bingo Sherrah stood before the fire, smiling at the children and the parents who had come with them. Dangerous times, she supposed, meant they couldn’t run about on their own as usual. “Two deaths, today, and so a deadly story to accompany them,” she said solemnly. “Once upon a time,” she began, “a very, very long time ago, there was a tiny village, much like our very own, and it was terrified.” The flames darkened, showing images of screaming villagers and a man hanging from a gallows-tree. “Each night, one of their number died, and each day, they chose another of their number to blame. But the deaths continued.” Blood and death and darkness, consuming the fire completely. “Sometimes they were right, and had found a murderer. But there were many murderers, and the innocents dwindled by the day.” Then, stillness. An empty, deserted town, with a few survivors staring dully around them. “In that particular village, they managed. They survived, or a few of them did, and the murderers died. But at the cost of so many lives…” The vision shifted to see the blood spattering the ground. “I do not ask that you stop this course,” Sherrah said, “for I know no other ways to stop this cycle of murder. But please, please, take care. This has happened before, and it does not always turn out so well.” The picture faded. “I pray to Honor Almighty that there be a village standing when this ends.” Melon Dingo was lynched. They were a Village Edgedancer. Vote Count Melon Dingo (6): Salmon Meerkat, Oxblood Beagle, Ivory Dragonfly, Pearl Chameleon, Emerald Falcon, Mauve Crocodile Amethyst Scorpion (3): Cream Tuatara, Charcoal Hyena, Magenta Albatross Chartreuse Penguin (2): Amethyst Scorpion, Saffron Iguana Azure Mouse (1): Melon Dingo Coral Swan (1): Quartz Zebra, Taupe Gecko Indigo Weasel (1): Fuchsia Ostrich Salmon Meerkat (1): Sunburst Toucan Violet Axolotl (1): Coral Swan Night 1 will last for 24 hours, until Tuesday 16 January at 10pm GMT. Player List 1. Amethyst Scorpion 2. Azure Mouse - Hermux Tantamoq 3. Amber Vulture 4. Charcoal Hyena 5. Chartreuse Penguin 6. Coral Swan - Elyle 7. Cream Tuatara 8. Emerald Falcon - Aldrick 9. Fuschia Ostrich 10. Indigo Weasel 11. Ivory Dragonfly - Nolan 12. Magenta Albatross 13. Mauve Crocodile 14. Melon Dingo - Quentisan 15. Mint Heron 16. Onyx Flamingo - Squawk 17. Opal Lion 18. Oxblood Beagle - Jai 19. Pearl Chameleon 20. Plum Rhinoceros 21. Quartz Zebra 22. Saffron Iguana - Emalia 23. Sage Kangaroo 24. Salmon Meerkat 25. Sapphire Elephant 26. Scarlet Octopus 27. Sunburst Toucan - Vanna 28. Taupe Gecko 29. Turquoise Gorilla 30. Violet Axolotl If a character name is not included, please PM myself and Stink in your GM PM so that it can be added. Anonymous Account Rules

I'm just getting back to the Shard after a couple months hiatus so I'm currently unsteady on my feet so this is probably going to be nonsensical post but first - yes, @kenod I'm probably going to update this quiz but first I'm going to have to get my copy of Oathbringer first (because literature in my country sucks and they can never ship the books I want in time so I'm probably going to end up with a copy in May kmn) @Curiousity's Splinter thank you for the earnest opinion. In terms of balancing the scales I'm pretty sure I have the bases covered but yes I'll admit that the questions may be skewed to certain KR orders (or more likely it is extremely difficult to find a sharder who checks the more warrior-esque orders because everybody in the shard is a scholar or an intellectual in some manner or the other XD)

AG4/AN1 - Day 1: Sunrise Sherrah watched the sunrise, bloodred through the smoke of the fires. The fires encircled the mountain, now, and there had been no Windrunners to the mountain for nearly a year. “Once upon a time, a village called Rennan stood on a mountain,” she said softly to herself. “The world had fallen, and yet that one light remained, surrounded by the growing darkness.” Cries came from nearby. “Murder! The blacksmith’s been murdered!” Sherrah bit at her lip. Not a good sign. “And even within the town itself, darkness began to stir...” Thank you for subscribing to Roshar Reporting! Expect to see daily reports soon, however I am currently busy hiring a new editor thanks to some unexpected money. I have heard some rumours about some interesting activity, so it'll be great content. But for now, see you in the next edition of Roshar Reporting. Anniversary Game 4 has begun. Your main accounts should now have received the username and password for your anonymous accounts, which will contain your role and alignment information. As a reminder, whilst you are allowed to claim to be a player, you may not prove that you are who you claim to be, whether through information only you could know, or any other device you think of. Day 1 will last for 48 hours, until Monday 15 January at 10pm GMT. Player List: 1. Amethyst Scorpion 2. Azure Mouse 3. Amber Vulture 4. Charcoal Hyena 5. Chartreuse Penguin 6. Coral Swan 7. Cream Tuatara 8. Emerald Falcon 9. Fuschia Ostrich 10. Indigo Weasel 11. Ivory Dragonfly 12. Magenta Albatross 13. Mauve Crocodile 14. Melon Dingo 15. Mint Heron 16. Onyx Flamingo 17. Opal Lion 18. Oxblood Beagle 19. Pearl Chameleon 20. Plum Rhinoceros 21. Quartz Zebra 22. Saffron Iguana 23. Sage Kangaroo 24. Salmon Meerkat 25. Sapphire Elephant 26. Scarlet Octopus 27. Sunburst Toucan 28. Taupe Gecko 29. Turquoise Gorilla 30. Violet Axolotl Rules:

SETTING: A moonlit terrace in the tower city of Urithiru. Shallan, and Pattern are looking at a series of sketches laid out on the floor, drawings of Adolin in Sharplate and Kaladin with his brooding, passionate eyes. Shallan turns to Pattern and begins to sing SHALLAN, Singing: Part of Our World (Sung to the tune of Part of Your world from the Little Mermaid) Maybe your right. Maybe there is something the matter with us. I just don't see how loving more that one of these wonderful men could be bad Look at these hunks, Aren't they sweet? Wouldn't you think our collection's complete? Wouldn't you think we're the girl The girl who has enough men? Look at his hair all speckled with gold But how many storms can the bridge boy's eyes hold? Looking around here you think, Sure, we've got two tough men Shallan drools as Adolin flexes Veil's heart races when Kaladin broods Which does Radiant want? She's unisexist, So who cares? No big deal We love dudes We wanna be where our heart throbs are, Shallan wants to sketch, wants to sketch 'em fencin' Jokin' around with those - what you call 'em? Oh - puns! Veil likes to saunter out drunk to a bar Stab some big men to get them jumping, fencing Staring at all of the men's - what's the word again? Buns We both want to talk, want to have fun With separate men all day in the sun Bridge boy and he - wish they could be Part of Our World. I might try to finish this one up later, but I've got to get back to work, sheesh, not enough hours in the day.

Journey before Destination everyone

Rad, and of Course Lift would be Gavroche and would sing "Look Down, I Stole your Lunch". Kaladin is totally Jean Valjean, but hard to believe, maybe even more brooding.

Summary of part 1 Kaladin's still mopy, so no change there... Kaladin punches Roshone in the face, YES!!!!! I don't think we'll have a problem with mating as long as Pattern's around Amaram's a highprince, NOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!! Shallan's has an identity crisis and subsequently defeats an ancient evil who turns out to be a maliciously curious spren, and on top of all that, she continues to create different personalities for herself Dalinar's reputation as the Blackthorn comes back to bite him Dalinar really needs a steak knife, so that assassination attempt was right on time Dalinar is married by the God of Storms, then starts remembering his previous wife's name, how mysterious and unfortunate Voidbringers like to play cards and pick flowers, how cute And finally, Jasnah's back, so that's good

Mraize definitely has an Aviar. @Argent said so.

Maybe not a slogan, but still very 17th shard.