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Aftermath: Theosis The Age of Autonomy was not, as many past histories have suggested, an era of complete and total separation between the Shardworlds and their Shards. Worldhopping was forbidden, of course. Interplanetary trade was stifled. But the memory of the Shardic Wars was deeply ingrained in the Cosmere-aware populace of the Realms, and despite Autonomy's edicts, they built structures designed specifically so that such a thing could never happen again. Of these, the Conclave of Shards was the most potent deterrent to war. The representatives of the Shardic powers met there and negotiated all throughout the Age of Autonomy and up through the beginning stages of the Final Shardic War. Transcripts and recordings of their last meetings are instructive as to the efficacy of such institutions to maintain order in the absence of cultural supports. By all accounts, the Conclave worked exactly as it had been intended to. Even in the last weeks before the war became total, even after the meetings and representatives were publicly factionalized, the Conclave members met, attempting to negotiate their way out of a war that seemed increasingly inevitable. As late as a single day before the final breakdowns, Conclave negotiators had identified ways for the factions to reconcile, and to pursue their aims in without resorting to violence. Open conversations on the Conclave floor were devoted to trying to work out plans for mutual cooperation. However, reticence on the part of several factions to reveal their true aims, paranoia that other factions would take advantage of apparent weakness, and several key communications breakdowns in the final stages of the negotiations meant that those negotations had failed to come to a conclusive agreement by the time factions made their move. As far as can be reconstructed from the historical record, the faction that called itself the Stewards of Creation moved first, utilizing the power of Endowment to Return one of the fallen agitators who had been blamed for many of the increased tensions during the leadup to war, joining a suite of other Returned who - wittingly or unwittingly - provided intelligence to the Steward's central command. In response, GLaDOS abandoned their offers to cooperate for mutually beneficial ends, and accelerated their plans to indebt members of other factions to them by staging false attacks and saving their lives, thus acquiring leverage over influential individuals. Seeing their position grow more and more precarious as the faction alliances began to fray apart, the Hidden Garden abandoned their own aims, instead throwing their weight fully behind the eviscerated remnants of the Utility Company, who had been the subject of a number of unfortunate 'incidents' and had not yet recovered. Together, they made a ploy to hold dominion over a network of Shardworlds, controlling the newly reopened trade routes from Roshar, Silverlight, and Taldain. Those plans were foiled at the last moment by the inadvertent action of players trying to remain neutral in the growing struggle. The retaliation was swift and brutal, and only the intervention of the hidden Shard of Survival saved the worldhopper Toucan from a grisly fate. Abandoned and friendless, the Joe Cloud faction could only watch as their own goals grew increasingly distant, holding the stolen Shard of Odium tight and threatening to unleash its wrath on anyone who got in their way. The tragic result, of course, is well known. - - - - - - - - - - On a small island of stability in the far reaches of the Cognitive Realm, Sheon Idris sat alone. The wreckage of the last Shardic War had reached even here. As he watched, a stray bit of Odious investiture curled itself like a wisp of smoke. The crown that he had once worn lay on the ground in front of him, broken and twisted. The woman's voice behind him startled himself out of his reverie. He half-turned out of reflex, the hint of a smile on his face. It was gone just as quickly as it had come. She hadn't come for ages and ages. Khriss stood there, a scowl on her face, and a defeated slump to her posture. He hadn't heard the exact words she'd said. The look on her face told him everything he needed to know regardless. "It's over, then?" The look she gave him could have evaporated steel. "Odium and Dominion have shattered each other on Sel. There is nothing left. Not a single Shard remains intact." Her voice began to rise in anger. "Not a single Shardworld remains untouched, and only three of them can still support life unaided. Half a trillion souls are dead, and the wellsprings of all Investiture in the entire Cosmere are gone. Are you happy now?" The venom in her voice surprised him, a little. He looked back at her with mild bemusement. "Happy? Why should I be happy? Why should anyone be happy now?" She spat at him. "Look at you, sitting there. Still meddling and pulling strings, like some grotesque spider. Well, this is what you've brought us to. Even the factions you supported are all gone. The Stewards and GLaDOS control what's left. Maybe now you'll see that, if we had just left well enough alone, things might have stayed the way they were before you took it in your head to meddle with forces beyond the power of human reckoning!" She took a breath as if to say more, then cut off when she saw his face, and the haunted look in his eyes. "You're more right than you know, of course. Completely wrong, but more right than you know." "Once upon a time, long before you were born, there was...something more. Adonalsium, we called it. God, maybe. I don't remember why, anymore, but it was important that we killed him. We, Khrissala. I was there. By the end, I opposed the others, but it was my meddling that set them on their journey in the first place. It was my fault that the Shards came to be. You think my meddling caused these? You give me too much credit. The seeds of this were sown in the Shards themselves. But without my meddling, there would never have been Shards to war against each other." "You said something right, though. The Shards are power beyond human reckoning. They shape and mold their bearers until they are something that is no longer human. They are parasites that slowly invade a consciousness until they have subsumed it, and then they follow their nature as surely as any animal. While the Shards rule, these wars are inevitable. This destruction is written into the future of Shardic rule as clearly as words on a page." Khriss bit back a bitter laugh. "And that justifies you manipulating things, egging them on? I'm sure that's a comfort to the loved ones of half a *trillion* dead souls. I’m sure that the orphaned children and the widowed spouses and the childless parents will be so comforted to hear that your warmongering was just the acceleration of an inevitable event." “Do you think that I wanted this? I tried to stop all of this.” Sheon gestured out at the devastation. “Everything I’ve ever done was in the service of peace.” “Well you’ve done a piss-poor job of it!” “Do you think I don’t know that! Do you think I can’t see it! Do you think that a day goes by that I don’t wonder if I had done something else, that all of the pain and suffering could have been averted?” They were both practically shouting now. “Well if you had left well enough alone in the first place...” Sheon cut her off. “The wars were inevitable. The Shards brought out the worst in us, our drive for power, our lust for mastery over other beings. I...” He paused for a moment. “My actions made them worse. I tried to stop them, tried to build something that could contain them. I failed. Maybe nothing I did could have prevented them.” “Then you should have recognized that to start with, and left things alone.” “How could I? I created the problem. And I have the power to fix it, if given half a chance.” “What are you talking about? How could you possibly have fixed it?” When Sheon did not respond, she turned back to look at him, and then stopped in mingled surprise and horror. Beyond him, in the distance, but somehow also so close that she could reach out and touch it, Investiture was gathering, streaming from myriad places. Fragments of Dominion raced in front of her face so close that she could almost feel it touch her. Startled, she spun to follow the glowing trails of Investiture as they swirled past. Odium, Ruin, Preservation, Dominion. All of the shards and more, coming from every world and every corner of every realm, twisting and cavorting in complicated spirals that grew more and more intricate the longer they spun. And at the center...a figure, glowing so bright that even her eyes, used to the radiance of the Shards themselves, had to turn away from. "Is that...is that?" Sheon gave her a wan smile. "It is. It's taken long enough, but it is." Shivering a little, she turned from the spectacle. "And I suppose you think that this end justifies everything?" "Of course not. But it might just redeem everything." "What?" "With Adonalsium back, humanity has another chance. A fresh start, without all-powerful but fatally flawed Shards interfering with each other and with the worlds. All of us, together, with a God who might actually deserve the name. Not just a personified force of nature that we tried to imbue with human visions of what a God ought to be, but a God put back together out of all the broken pieces." As he spoke, he began to fade. Khriss began to stammer. "Where are you going? What are you doing?" "My work is done. My crime is atoned for. I killed God once. I’ve brought God back now. But you, Khriss? Yours is just beginning. Just maybe, this time humanity can do better. And just maybe, you can be the one to make it so." And then he was gone, the twisted crown clattering to the floor from where he had held it. A single word etched into it, in letters that burned like fire. Forgiven. - - - - - - - - - - AG5: One Final Blaze of Light is finished! The Stewards of Creation have met their win condition to have Returned from 5 unique factions! GLaDOS has met their win condition to prevent players from 5 unique factions from dying! The Utility Company has failed to meet their win condition of outnumbering all other factions on three separate worlds! ALL HAIL THE JOE CLOUD has failed to meet their win condition of having their living faction mates plus all players with the Shade role outnumber all other living players! The Hidden Garden has failed to meet their win condition of fusing 5 Shards together! Hoid failed to meet his win condition of getting any faction to collect all the Shards of Adonalsium! Khriss failed to meet her win condition of inviting a member of 5 unique factions into her doc, killing Hoid, and preventing any team from winning via the Adonalsium Reborn condition! Survival has met the win condition of surviving until the end of the game!

Obviously please do not Sign in or post with your Anon Accounts any more. I will be going through and deleting all the PM's and changing the passwords tomorrow. Everyone who posted RP, please say so, so that I can upvote the heck out of you. I will post World Docs tomorrow, after I consolidate them. The Hidden Gardens The Utility Company The Church of the Joe Cloud The Stewards of Creation Genetic Lifeform and Disc Operating System Khriss's Lab Hoid's Doc Amber Vulture: Young Bard Autonomy Amethyst Scorpion: Rathmaskal Azure Mouse: Lumgol Charcoal Hyena: Mr. Mafia Ambition Chartreuse Penguin: Steeldancer Coral Swan: Jondesu Endowment Cream Tuatara: Cadmium Compounder Emerald Falcon: Dalinar Kholin Fuchsia Ostrich: Mark IV Indigo Weasel: The Young Pyromancer Ivory Dragonfly: Devotary of Spontaneity Honour Magenta Albatross: randuir Mauve Crocodile: Alvron Melon Dingo: Snipexe Mint Heron: Sart Onyx Flamingo: I Think I Am Here Preservation Opal Lion: _Stick_ Odium Oxblood Beagle: Hemalurgic Headshot Pearl Chameleon: Elandera Plum Rhinoceros: xinoehp512 Ruin Quartz Zebra: Fifth Scholar Saffron Iguana: Furamirionmind Cultivation Sage Kangaroo: Bob Earl Jones Salmon Meerkat: Amanuensis Khriss Sapphire Elephant: Droughtbringer Devotion Scarlet Octopus: Araris Valerian Sunburst Toucan: Drake Marshall Survival Taupe Gecko: Magestar Turquoise Gorilla: Shqueeves Dominion Violet Axolotl: Mailliw73 Hoid Master Action Spreadsheet Dead Doc Other Doc Sel Roshar Scadrial Taldain

Actually, given a cycle of delay, it would have been possible to get every single faction to win, if everyone was willing to get the Joe Cloud the Adonalsium Reborn condition. It was almost possible to do so as of Day 8, without a delay, but Survival had ended up alone on Taldain, and therefore couldn't pass their Shard to anyone. The delay would have been required to get players into the correct constellation of world positions for shard passing. A mismatch between day actions and night actions would have posed an interesting challenge, but things cold have been set up such that a single player could be killed during the night turn, simultaneously leaving the Utility Company in dominion over 3 worlds and passing the last shard to Joe Cloud (assuming appropriate investments had been made). I...may have thought that out in a little too much detail. Regardless, well played to everyone. From a GMs perspective, this has been the most fun of all the Shard games I've run. I enjoyed watching the asymmetric win conditions, and really enjoyed watching the politicking going on between different factions. In retrospect, I don't know that i would have made many changes. Probably would be a good idea to check win conditions only at the end of the night, to avoid the severe complexity of trying to match day actions and night actions. Hoid's kerfluffle with the Shard stealing was likely the biggest problem point. Because so many of the win conditions relied completely on the actions provided by a single shard, the ability to steal shards was much more of a negative play experience than it might otherwise have been. I don't have any good ideas to balance that at the moment - maybe it's best to leave Hoid to his diplomatic devices. To the Stewards: if you hadn't already been set on Power over Death by the time we does the grand reshuffling, Joe and I would have edited Endowed and Oathbound - your commentary on that was on point. Finally, thank you so much to @A Joe in the Bush! This game would not have been possible without him. Seriously, by the end, he was doing the lion's share of the work. Give him all of the upvotes and kudos you can find. He still probably deserves more than that.

What, you're not posting the doc you created solely to troll me? Also, I know it's a shocker, but yes I was Penguin. And holy crap did that RP take a bit out of me. I actually had no idea how I was going to end it, I was just sort of playing through, trying to figure it out. It all came at once when I realized I'm going to be leaving this community for 2 years in just a few months, and I sort of wanted to end my character in a similar way. I have no idea how it actually turned out. But it's over now, so whoopee. As for gameplay, honestly my faction picked a terrible win condition. We had no chance of finishing it, we should have done the Odium one. Or the kill the kill roles one. Would have been much more doable. Or if Hoid had contacted US instead. Well, whatever. I'm happy I finished my RP, even if I didn't win. As for RP, I forsee the next few months will be different RP kind, especially with what I've been learning in my creative writing class. If, you know, I actually have time to do RP and all that. Seonid, we're going to miss you. (And I'm going to be driven insane that we never ran a shard game with all 16 shards). Um, Mailliw, sorry for getting a bit stabby stabby on you. I tend to get a bit stabby stabby when I get mad. Or am having too much fun. And I'll try not to hold grudges against literally everyone who lied to me. Right up until the next time I'm a SK

I finished my artwork! (You get it? The words are radiant...)

Except if it were the distance mechanic, which is based of of the speed of light, then the ten heartbeat limit should be beaten regularly, and as I said above, if it were a result of the perpendicularity it should have been consistent. Instead it was shown to happen at a time of need, as if it were a result of a choice and effort on Maya's part. And as seen with Syl and pattern, a shardblade can't be summoned in the Cognitive Realm, so that line of reason bears no weight. Dalinar is not experiencing the same thing. Contact with a person who has an active Nahel bond creates a sort of resonance that pushes a spren closer to life. This is why Relis heard his blade speak when Kaladin touched it in the dueling arena. Oathbringer was bonded to his soul, and because of that has connection to him that though his bond has been severed, is still there shallowly, his touch with a Nahel bond awakens those memories. Adolin has no such bond with a living spren to create that effect. As to why Adolin is the first, I think it precisely because he is the first person to meet their blade in the Cognitive. He has been forced to see the blade as more than just a weapon. Knowing the blade was once a spren, and meeting the still mobile entity that is your sword are two very different things. Frankly, I don't care if you or anyone else agrees. Off of everything that we have been shown throughout the Cosmere as a whole, I think this explanation is the most realmatically sound. It fits all of the points we know, not just those about spren and Shardblades. I am. Not stating it as fact. I have repeatedly said I think, I believe, and in my opinion. I am not invalidating anyone else's opinion, just disagreeing. If you choose to be defensive because I am confident, that is not my problem. I did read your previous posts, and guess they just don't add up to me. It feels too much like invalidating the relationship that has been built between Adolin and his blade and turning it into "a Bondsmith can fix it." As to the assertion that I'm reinterpreting the wetwear WoB to fit my theory... No. What I've said does not contradict it in any way, it just does not proscribe to the assumption that what was ripped out was Investiture. You take it to mean that I'm attempting to put others down and lift myself up. That isn't the case. I expect my theories to be questioned and prodded. I expect to do the same to others. I have been wrong many times, and will be again, but when we share theories we subject them to scrutiny. That is the entire point of theory discussion. Whether I convince anyone of my theory or not is irrelevant. And regardless of what you may think, I have had my mind changed to theories that I once disagreed with multiple times because of supporting evidence and well thought out argumentation. You may not enjoy the style with which I discuss things here, but I am by no means saying everyone else is wrong and I am right. Just that with the evidence we have, this is how I see it.

@The Young Pyromancer, I found it very humorous when you threatened to kill me, with the line "My name is indigo montoya, you killed my factionmate, prepare to die." Because I was the original Indigo Montoya from the Princess Bride game.

Fourth chose to join this trek because it was a great opportunity to leave the city, where illicit substances were everywhere, tempting him, even teasing him, calling for him to return. But Fourth knew that if he fell victim to the illicit substances again, he can never return. Unfortunately, these terris peaks were filled with herbs, herbs, which, with the right information or materials, can be put in a brew to create some very potent psychotheraputic hallucinogenic substances. There was no AA group among the members of this journey, but, with the new stress from the presence of possible traitors among the group, perhaps it was beneficial if Fourth were to form one. So Fourth wrote up some fliers, then put them up throughout camp for others to see. Tonight was the 4th, so Fourth left to clean out his tent so that he was able to host the meeting in a clean environment.

Eh, you're exaggerating - the Venture Doc was split in three for exactly that reason. A lot of that doc was general chit-chat, as well, because this was the pre-Discord days. I honestly doubt we'll get a doc that long again (though I'll be happy to be proven wrong.) And, oh well - we came so close at the end there. We got two planets - if we'd organised a little better, and had Toucan move to any planet except Roshar or Silverlight, we'd have gotten our third (which we actually asked Toucan, via Iguana (massive thankyou to @Furamirionind, who was enormously helpful in that final cycle) to move to Silverlight, but changed the plan that Silverlight would be the third planet instead of Sel, and it didn't get passed down the pipeline fast enough.) Way to rub it in, Seonid. (That was a fantastic writeup. The meeting between Khriss and Sheon was really moving.) Thanks so much to Seonid and Joe - I had a ton of fun with the game, even if I screwed up with the rules even more than I normally do. I also apologise to Seonid for the probably close to two-dozen or so clarifications I asked for across the final cycle in my doc and PM, trying to find a way we could win.

I'm saying that with it being based on the speed of light, any difference in time frame on the world of Roshar would be minute enough to not be noticeable. As far as my consistency comment that was in regards to the 7 heartbeats during the perpendicularity, in which case all three times Adolin summoned his blade should have been at the 7 heartbeats, not just the last. I apologize for the confusion, I made an argument about how the perpendicularity was not to blame for this, and I understood your responses as saying it was a part of it. It's not quite that explicit, but here you go. Radiants hear the spren, and as Relis shows, anyone bonded to the blade when they touch it will as well. The difference is that the Radiant is not bonding the spren of that blade. The spren needs a bond to revive, in my opinion. A resonant effect with a similar type of Connection does not grant them that Connection no matter how long it's present. They need a bond of their own, which is what Adolin is providing. It's not one or the other, it's both. The level of respect and reverence with which he treats his blade before Shadesmar were seemingly unique. Then he sees her in Shadesmar, overcomes his initial reaction to her, and still treats her as not only a tool, but a friend. Yes, it is remarkably remote chances, which is exactly why it hasn't happened before, and why it's viewed as an impossibility in world.

So, we've been in the middle of a couple of snow storms where I live. Like, no school snow storms. And I just went outside and helped my neighbor mutilate--I mean build a snowman worthy of Dr. Funtimes. Complete with sprinkles, food coloring, and snow-bodily harm!

When you do quizlet live in Spanish class and you call yourself “(name) el superviviente de hathsin”

I hope no one thinks less of me Lim'ricks will be the death of me He said with a sigh Kiss my chances goodbye All I can say now is eff me.

Hmmm, doesn't Brandon know that foreshadowing is of Odium...

I agree with a lot of what you say will be happening, but I have a different reason for why I think it is called Rhythm of War. I think it is in reference to the flashbacks we are going to get of Eshonai, that will then show us the traditions and oral history of the listeners to find out what led to the war between the humans and dawnsingers to begin with. The rhythm of war that called them to arms to defend their homeland against the human invaders, and how they came to ally with odium. That may be too much to reveal so soon in stormlight, so I could be totally wrong, but it was the first thought that came to me.

Oathbringer Spoilers

No, of course not. I was evil that time, and it's not that I don't lie anymore, I just do it much less. I only really kept lying about Hoid this game out of principle. I wanted to see what I could do to get out of it, but you scanned me. I forgot how hard it is to talk your way out of a lynch in a faction game. I much prefer doing that as a real eliminator. Hoid definitely had a lot of abilities and late game would've been the most powerful player by far. If I had survived the lynch where I died, I'd have had Feruchemy, Awakening, and Sand Mastery, letting me survive for a while, especially when I moved to Scadrial and compounded my Feruchemy. The stealing shards was interesting for a mechanic and I think it was good, but combined with the ability to awaken and see which shards were on my planet might've been too much. All of my non-shardworld abilities being restricted to day turns handicapped it well enough though, I think. If I had held onto a Shard and had 2 actions, it might've been different. **** Maw stared at the lights emanating from the various souls throughout the Cosmere. One in particular stood out to him. Khrissalla. Her light was different from most, Invested by Endowment. The storm-cursed Shard had chosen to Return his enemy instead of him. Maw had played many roles throughout the years. Cephandrius, Dust, Wit. The man they called Hoid now was someone–something–so different from what they thought. He'd held Odium(twice now) and Survival and had "died" more than a couple times. He was more than a worldhopper, he was a legend on most, a god on others. The fools that called themselves Stewards had ruined everything, lacking a broader view. Adonalsium would return. Maw would see to it one of these days. Luckily for them, he was a forgiving legend. The storm in his heart raged on, but he held it at bay, the intent of Survival still strong on his mind. He knew how to make it back to the Physical Realm. He'd only allowed himself to have his body killed because he'd planned for Endowment to use her power to restore him, but she'd turned on him. Maw didn't need the power of a Divine Breath, but it would've been a nice tool to add to his kit. He traveled away from the gathered crowds on the various worlds and headed for the partially reformed Yolen. Home. One of them, at least. Here he'd wait. Here he'd plan. Here he'd reforge his god.

Wow, it's strange for me to see this thread two and a half years after I left this forum to see characters like Backtrack still being discussed.

Gg everyone! I’m glad I was able to Weasel my way to victory I still don’t get why I was lynched later on. I guess faction reasons? I am sad that the favor I had with hidden garden never came into play, as I died. The fact that hidden garden got targeted so much in the middle completely ruined the alliance. If Odium was recovered, we would have won on the spot, using the favor to call in an Odium attack on someone and getting two protects right there. The redirect that made me protect myself slowed us down by a cycle as well. And the fact that toucan had an extra life. At least I have successfully defended my title!

Taking advantage of this cold weather and grilling some burgers and sausages. I ll take standing over this grill in 40’s any day over doing it in the 90’s...

Should I be concerned?

When you glance at a poster and read "happy" as hemalurgy...

Hi everybody, as discussed here is the thread for the summaries of our ongoing rp threads. I clustered the threads a bit, to make it easier to orientate yourself. I wrote a short summary of each thread. If you think about moving a character there and want to have more detailed information, I recommend to read through the OP and simply ask for a summary from those that rp there already. Location: This thread represents a location, for example a city, or a bar. Plots take place in and around the location. Plot/ Character related: This thread represents a certain plot line, it's location may change as the plot continues. Locations Art's Haven A store which sells fabrials and stamps as well as art. City of Oasis The city belongs to the Ghostbloods and is led by them. Their council meets there, and most of their members can live there, should they decide to do so. Einladung Hospital A hospital in Alleycity. Everybody is able to be treated there in case of an injury. It is led by Mira an NPC everybody can control, should no healer PC be available. Additionally @xinoehp512 character Kera is usually at the hospital and able to help. Fortress Eternal The fortress belongs to the Diagramists and serves as their headquarters. They meet here to plan, or to accept new members. Newcago Court The court of Queen Elsa Steelheart and those following her. Odd Job Tavern A Tavern where you can look for jobs, or post them at a board. The Alleyharbor The harbor of Alleycity. Ships to the other side of the world and to/ from other various places leave/ arrive here. The Forge The Forge is owned by Laonin ( @Karnatheon). Laonin's goal is to rebuilt Alleycity and give those without a home, a place to live. It is used as a base by him, and those who decided to help him improve Alleycity. Trident manufacturing Owned by Dwig ( @Dr. Dapper) it's a company without any guild affiliation selling e.g. vehicles and weaponry. Plot/ Character related #Tent - MY CHARACTER IS GETTING MARRIED Marriage of Tena and Anthony. Alley purification Base for operation of the Bureau of Villanry. The Bureau are the villains of era three and in charge to create/ write the main plot. Bloodflame Gang Headquater of the Bloodflame Gang, a group of mercenaries. The gang is led by Bellatrix (@Ark1002). The North Sea This thread was called "The Other Side of the World" during era 2. It's set on the other side of the Alleyverse. The plot and the quests evolve around exploring, and stopping dark forces from taking over the islands and the creatures that live on them. The Hunt for the Jackal The thread evolves about hunting the criminal called Jackal. The Tournament of Light A Tournament hosted by the Diagramists. Everybody can take part, sign ups are open right now. House scenes Scenes involving two (or more) characters, which are usually not open to any other characters, as they are directly about the characters and their relationship with each other.

Ok, so got a whole lot to type in hopefully a concise manner. Wish me luck! That is great that you do not think it could be anything else. That does not mean that it can't be anything else. Alternative lines of thought differ from your own. That does not mean intrinsically yours is the the only valid theory. To put this another way. Your theory is not like the theory of gravity or evolution. Those have been tested over and over by repeatable tests and conclusions. The information we have right now does not provide that. We have a small amount of data points that can be interpreted in a myriad of ways that result in a myriad of theories. Just because those reasons do not jive with you, does not mean their reasons are any less valid or hold up any less. Now I will jump around a little bit because the main point I would like to make is rather long and does involve your points at various times so it will not be a 1 to 1 response. So I will first cover the short responses 2) The relevance is it was brought forward that Adolin would bond Maya as an edgedancer because he has edgedancer traits. My point is he could also be categorized into other orders, that does not automatically mean he will bond or even revive spren from those orders. Basically one supposition does not naturally lead to the other is my point. It does not preclude it, but it does not intrinsically validate it. Which comes up a lot in your theory, but I will get to that below 3) The manner Syl was restored was with her original knight. WoB says that without the original knight it is very difficult. He has made it clear that the process, whatever it may be, is harder if you are not the original knight that swore the oaths. Adolin is not the original knight. Syl being restored by Kaladin does not preclude Adolin from doing the same, but it also does not intrinsically prove it can happen. Again, that is a supposition you are making and painting as a fact. As to the connection comment being "ridiculously" high bar, I will respond further down 4) So you are so sure only your own theory holds water, yet you admit you do not actually understand what my theory is? On top of not understanding my theory, you then assume that it would mean Adolin and Maya's development would be pointless which is most certainly a personal opinion, and no where near fact whatsoever. I will respond to this further below as well. So, now we get to what I feel is the crux of my post. I think it is not beneficial to this thread to state ones own theory in a manner that precludes any other possibilities, and presents ones own theory as either fact, the only valid theory, or the only one with the most weight(upheld). I think this is not beneficial when the information we have is far from conclusive to support any of the theories presented in this thread. Everyone has very valid theories that work for them. Some agree with each other, some disagree. But the fact of the matter is, we just do not have enough information to say "well this theory is the best one to work from". What we have is reasons that jive the most with some people, and they thereby feel it fits best for them, but that does not make it fact. As an illustration (and not an attack), I will demonstrate why I feel your theory does not hold water to me (and this is after I have already read your theory multiple times). 1. Maya is summoned in under the normal 10 heartbeats. Maya communicates her name to Adolin. Maya runs out to stop the Fused who is attacking Adolin in the cognitive realm. All of this is fact. All of this everyone acknowledges happened. 2. Because of the above three instances, no other dead shardblade does this, so in order for these three things to occur, Maya must be healing. This is a supposition. A hypothesis. One you use to back up and self validate the rest of your theory. Now why does this not hold weight for me? Because each instance could be explained by a different mechanic. Do I think those mechanics are the reason for those occurrences? No. I think there are different reasons for them, but the fact that they are valid when concerning your theory is enough for me to feel your theory does not hold up, so I do not prescribe to it. I will notate these by letters as subcategories in an effort to try and keep this organized. A. Maya summoned in under the normal 10 heartbeats. We have a WoB that the further away you are from the spren in the cognitive realm, the longer it takes to summon it via heartbeats. The example given was going off planet, since a dead spren could not follow in that case, and the distance would result in a few heartbeat difference. To me if a heartbeat difference could be seen when you are further away from a spren, then theoretically a heartbeat difference could be seen if you are closer to the spren. The realms were brought together when Adolin summoned Maya in 7 heartbeats, so theoretically they were closer then. Also when Adolin was first in the cognitive realm, he goes to summon his shardblade. Maya immediately looks at him, raises her hand, and begins to scream. He is the closest to her he could possibly be, and when he goes to summon her, she responds immediately. Does that mean she healed a whole bunch then? The heartbeats are down to 0. So if reducing the heartbeats to summon a shardblade means she is healing, then why did she go to needing 0 heartbeats then, but go back to needing more when he came out into the physical realm? You do not think that response works. Fine, I respect that, but it still is a valid point, and one that can exist without Maya healing. B. Maya communicates her name to Adolin. Dalinar hears oathbringer whimper instead of scream. The stormfather says it is because oathbringer remembers the oaths Dalinar made and broke so it hates him less. One could reply well Dalinar hears it because he is a radiant. But the supposition says Maya communicating with Adolin shows healing because it is a sign of improvement. That improvement is the product of the bond between Adolin and Maya. Oathbringer is showing these signs by not screaming as much. Yet it is not bonded to Dalinar anymore. If anything the bond was broken, and then bonded to Sadeas. If the bond is necessary in order to heal and improve a spren, then why didn't Oathbringers "improvement" retard when Dalinar severed the bond? If living the oaths while bonded to the dead spren blade is crucial to reviving it, then why didn't Sadeas bonding Oathbringer make Oathbringer worse? If your reply is that the healing cannot be reversed, then we go back to the point a made a few pages back. Then why over the thousands of years since the Recreance and the significant number of generations, couldn't multiple shardbearers live the oaths enough each time, to heal a shard blade bit by bit by bit till it came back? Why is only Adolin the very first? Especially when we see Dalinar experience the same thing? C. Maya stops the fused from attacking Adolin. We have never seen any other shardbearer travel to the cognitive realm, be put into danger, and see how the spren associated with his or her shardblade reacts. One data point does not a trend make. 3. Now that we established Maya has to be healing (which we didn't actually), then by extension there must (there doesn't have to be) a reason that is healing her. Perpendicularities cannot heal investiture. But there is that problematic WoB about the dataport being torn out. Not a plug removed. Ripped out, chunky and all. Well investiture cannot come from no where, and the bond cannot create investiture, so by extension there must (there doesn't have to be) a reason to validate that Maya is healing, because Maya has to be healing because she was summoned in less than 7 heartbeats, spoke her name, and defended Adolin. So we must be interpreting that WoB incorrectly, or misunderstanding the process. Let me now think of a process, that is in line with our understanding of the cosmere, that will then validate the supposition that Maya is healing, so then that Maya healing can then support my supposition that she had anything torn out to begin with. Its cyclical. Now you put a lot of work in your theory and you have a great understanding of realmatic theory to support it. But that does not change you draw all of this on a supposition that Maya is healing. A supposition not everyone agrees on. A supposition other people have derived other theories from by interpreting it differently. And the big part? Those theories are just as valid. Now as an aside. If you please will go back and re-read my prior posts, I answer all your questions already about my theory. I do not see the point of repeating it all here because I assumed you took the time to fully read my posts and understand them. If then say you disagree, then me repeating it all accomplishes nothing except me taking up more space and me repeating myself. However for the sake of brevity I will give the TLDR version below: 1. Adolin living the oaths, and talking to Maya strengthens/insulated his Connection (capital C) of the faux bond to Maya 2. The bond is crucial because it provides the scaffolding for the infusion of investiture. The strength of the Connection is crucial because it will need to maintain during the massive infusion of investiture 3. The inclusion of a Bondsmith is crucial because it is written in their entire power set about bringing things together, soul, mind, and body. This is validated by Dalinar's actions and by the Stormfather's own words. 4. This experience would cause Dalinar and Adolin to work closely together for an extended period of time on an extremely personal and emotional endeavor to Adolin. To me I think that takes nothing away from Adolin and if anything adds a ton of growth and depth. But that is just my own theory that I think holds up most to me. All our theories can co-exist and we can all prefer our own theories and discuss them without making others feel like they are wrong and I am right. That is why I feel some people on this thread take issue with the way you and CrazyRioter present your theory. it is not fact, and it is not the only valid one out there. You think it is because the reasons work best for you.

Being forced to repeatedly interact with the person who murdered your father (and who is lauded as a hero by most people) seems like the kind of thing that's impossible for people who haven't experienced it to really understand.

Thanks. I mean, I said "I mean" a lot, ended quite a few sentances with "I think", and towards the end of the game, I stopped putting any care into masking my identity, but thanks. : ) I also secretly signed up AND constantly complained about how little time I would have if I was to join the AG... So that probably helped a lot/was most of it. (Speaking of which, I really didn't have the time to be on as much as I was) I just finished reading the faction docs (skimmed for the Stewards), and I want to apologize to the Stewards for betraying the members in your faction (though it was all in the name of trying to get UC to win with you), and to Hail Joe, to which I still feel only mild sympathy towards, however I (and my faction) were pretty hard on you guys. We were pushing for your deaths from the moment we learned you had Odium (basically the moment Ax/Maill died). @Magestar I wouldn't say I was pushing for a UC win out of spite to the other factions. I would have worked for a GlaDOS win if I had contact with them too. I just felt bad for Shattering Autonomy so early in the game (especially as it was my suggestion), and I always intended on fusing it back together. I also thought that UC only had 3 players for most of the game, which is a serious detriment. Just reading the Hoid doc now, and I feel like a meme of some kind must be made (I am no expert on these matters though). I just keep seeing these texts next to each other, "I’m part of the Seventeenth Shard. We’re hunting Hoid, so why would you think I was him?" + "Do you have any leads on finding Hoid, out of curiosity?" + "For that matter, any news on Khriss?" + "Haha nope. I’m hoping that we’re the only secrets in the game" I don't know why, but I found this exchange very funny. : ) Also, was I supposed to contact Dominion about shattering Odium? I tried but apparently Ostrich was a Steward. I thought at the time that was transmitted back to Hail Joe through Onyx's group PM with me. But I must admit, it was around this stage in the game where my mind just started to break down. Also, I think the factions with more than 2 Shards *cough*Hail Joe*Cough* underestimate the power of having 3 actions per cycle instead of 2. Losing Odium prevented us from roleblocking and the extra action, Odium's use for us wasn't just in killing/Shattering. (In fact, if you read our faction doc, almost every time we discuss killing the conversation is something like: Player 1: We should probably kill someone tonight Player 2: Any idea who? Player 3: Probably Gecko because they seem like they are part of a powerful important unstoppable faction. (of Lizards : P ) Player 1: Yeah... But alternatively I can Truthwatch and worldhop the next day or invest in FotS or... Players 2+3: Good idea. )

Nowhere close. It’s about half the length of the longest SE doc, which is LG23’s “Venture,” an unholy blemish on the processing power of my phone. Oh, and by the way, Fura, that was an excellent job obscuring your identity. You played wonderfully this game, and I’m sorry about the bad luck that your faction consistently held. Hey, don’t you start on this. I, at the very least, tried to be fully truthful at a certain point, and as you can see several pages of the doc are dedicated to turning our lies into glorious truth. Yes, I’d like to repeat this apology to both of you. I feel especially guilty, as I killed Aman and voted against Maill (though I will say, Maill, that at the time I added my vote to your lynch, I was gripped with utter indecision, and felt awful about it). This mental idea of a dangerous Hoid was kind of stuck in my mind, and it likely influenced my views on you too much. Joe, Seonid, thank you for running this. Despite everything I said in-thread, which was deceptive and theoretical in the extreme, our win condition was a delicate balance (as you can see by reading our doc), and wasn’t boring, but a complete blast, and I’m glad you balanced the complicated mess these games can be so finely. I’d also like to thank my team, who were great to work with (especially Devotary, who helped me fill up a lot of empty doc space), all of our Returned (who we were trying to select by second-chance methods when possible), and Penguin, my only PM contact, and who was a lot of fun to talk to. I also couldn’t resist reforming our old alliance in AG4.

@hoiditthroughthegrapevine Personally, I don't think that it being a Listener song would break with the theme at all. Even if it wasn't a physical book until this point. The Listeners only developed writing after meeting the Humans. They were a people with an oral history. The songs were their books.

I've been busy and it seems I missed a lot. So quick rundown. 1) perpendicularities are undirected investiture that can be used, but lacks capital I Intent. They do not heal. Mayas growth, unless there is some evidence to show otherwise which I am unaware, cannot be attributed to the Perpendicularity. 2) the Temperament of the Person should absolutely have an effect both on drawing a spren, and holding to those oaths. How do you think they maintain the necessary oaths in the first place? A Windrunner and a Skybreaker would have severe issues keeping the oaths of the opposing order. And on this note, as I've said in prior discussions (and arguments) Adolin and Lift are very similar in many ways. Much in the same way that Venli and Eshonai are far more similar Tha. They first appear. I believe he fits the order well. 3) the WoB that mentions the reviving a spren needing the original Radiant says that they would believe it require the original. We also have others that say that in world they believe it's impossible. We've seen plenty of cases in world where what is believed in world is nowhere near truth. 4) Until a proposal is given that fits what we have seen better, both narratively and realmatically, I'll hold to Maya's growth being a result of the bond. I've seen plenty of people say they don't like the idea, but I've yet to see a alternative proposal that holds up to the things we know.

Vasher renamed Nightblood after seeing what he could do at the Battle of Twilight Falls. As for a Divine Breath, probably not.

These memes are just too fun Stormlight Spoilers

Okay, so I can explain Adolin's character development (however slight it might be), but I have my own ideas as to what is going to happen with the SKA love triangle. OB spoilers below. I know it's past the spoiler period, but I still don't want to ruin anything for anyone. Okay, so after all that, I should probably make a meme.

Credit to @beantheboy12 who found this image, and saw Vasher.

The Nightwatcher's............ curses?

Okay folks, it's release day! I am back with some new memes for y'all. Spoilered for size. We want to know! Oh, I'm sure we've all done this to some effect at some point: Climax of Oathbringer; the graphic novel edition: I love Allik Neverfar, don't you? This is what all the cool kids are saying these days: Those sneaky Shardbearer bozos: I didn't make this one, but this is basically what would have happened if Odium took up the Shards he had killed: I didn't make this either, but here's your daily dose of Danklinar: Ooh, one more I didn't make but found interesting based on recent events: Back to ones I made... This frustrates me to no end: As does this little secret Brandon's keeping from us: But I know that I must simply... I will never cease to reiterate this: I'm sure our admins and mods have a lot of fun with people like this: Here's something to watch out for in Mistborn rereads : Ugh, this is exhausting. Why do I keep doing these? P.S. *snicker* Hey guys... I just posted 17 memes here. *dabs*

How can a shardbalde possibly be useless when it allows you to get in and out of all places not made of aluminium and lets you open all and any containers ditto? Not to mention that it's use as a tool is only limited by one's imagination. I have already wondered if perfect gemstones were produced by artisan-Radiants with the aid of shard gem-cutters. And it wouldn't surprise me if Hoid rocks a shard-flute when occasion demands it, from now on. Etc. And also, Hoid must be terribly lonely and a Cryptic could be a confidant and a companion to him, one who'd never leave or get old and die.

So I first preface this with I know the "lesser spren make shardplate" is a highly contested theory. So I realize that basing part of my theory on the premise that lesser spren making shardplate being true means it is not conclusive as there are well laid out arguments both for and against it. I was just having a back and forth on another thread when @insert_anagram_here brought up a quote, and it got me thinking. So for the sake of working out this theory, I will act as if lesser spren making shardplate is true, even though we do not know this for sure. So here we go "Of the Unmade, Sja-anat was most feared by the Radiants. They spoke extensively of her ability to corrupt spren, though only "lesser" spren - whatever that means." (Hessi's Mythica) So @insert_anagram_here brought up a really good point. If at that time Sja-anat could theoretically only possess "lesser" spren, then why would Radiants be especially fearful of her? I think part of the reason (not the whole, I have a feeling there is more) is that lesser spren make up shardplate (statement made in this fashion for sake of theory, not veracity, please see above explanation). Think of it like this, you are a radiant about to go into battle with high powered enemies or you are outnumbered. You call your shardplate to give you extra protection and the strength to fight off such overwhelming foes except.....nothing happens. Instead of you see corrupted versions of your lesser spren armor hanging around. Panicking you try to summon it again, only for again nothing to happen. You desperately try to fight off your foes with just your healing and surges, but it is not enough without the aid of your armor, and you fall. Or, you form your armor, but some of it is corrupted spren, that begin corrupting the rest of the spren, causing your armor to freeze up, or drain all your stormlight, or any other hazard that could come from being encased by something actively working against you. So that is a broad summation of a rough theory as to why Sja-anat could be so fearsome with her corrupted lesser spren (in addition to using them as spies). What do you all think?

It's nice to see everyone has posted at least once. Now that I've read all the AG5 docs currently available, I have more time to spend on this game. With only thirteen players and a good chance of two kills per cycle in addition to any lynches, this game isn't going to last very long unless we kill the Deepness/any doctors do a good job of preventing kills. As such, we should probably avoid the stagnation of an intentional no-lynch, though we might not be able to get a no-lynch even if we tried with two potential vote manipulation roles out there. @shanerockes, is it actually your intention to kill those whose RP names don't start with 'd'?

A pop-up add for 4th wall clean up crews appeared in the air of the Longest Thread-Verse.

I had been considering it. It really came down to whether we had the possibility of winning. And... we nearly did. It's also worth noting that if I had suicided, I might have extended the game by another turn, but I'd also have probably put my own factions goals out of reach (we really needed as many players as possible to pull it off), so I was viewing it as an action of last resort.

Now that shqueeves has a post, I feel that it is best to remove my vote from him Shqueeves. Since my vote was just a poke vote. But now, there are literally no votes, with less than twelve hours left in the cycle. I'll try to place another vote, but there are usually no fair reviews(rea*s) of other players for cycle 1, so give me a minute

Reading Khriss-and-Nazh conversations is very amusing, considering that it's really just Aman talking to himself xD "I’m[REDACTED]... As for me, I’m [REDACTED]" Ha xD And I'm pleased you appreciate the cuteness of opal lion

Well, hopefully now that the AG is over, this game will pick up, since players won't have to switch between accounts so much. Anyway, Since no one else has begun the lynch yet, I suppose I'll go through to poke vote someone who has no post yet. Shqueeves - {*elinquent without a name} @Shqueeves Snipexe - *r. Snip. @Snipexe All that was necessary was to flip a coin! So even though there's not many posts, nearly everyone has posted so far, so I guess that's Positive!

@hoiditthroughthegrapevine done. Testing:

Legend has it the mods did that so they could steal the cool sword he had won. No one would believe the word of a man with a Chasmfiend Corpse brand. But Voidus didn't give up. He worked hard and got a promotion! He now works to protect the mods and their website. In about three years we'll get to learn more about Voidus' adventures, but the focus of that book will mostly be on firstRainbowRose (whom everyone is going to ship with Voidus for no other reason than they're both main characters.)