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Aranmir and Yuriel worked day after day with the Elven smiths, and even when Aranmir slept the clanging of metal upon metal filled his dreams. The forge smelled of sharp steel and hot coals, and its sweltering heat made him sweat despite the cold of oncoming winter outside. Aranmir was glad to have been elected and free of the Council; he would much rather be here, helping to remake his sword into its full glory. While the smiths reforged the blade, Yuriel worked on the hilt, retracing its intricate designs, restoring it to brightness after centuries of dirt and grime. Only days before the Fellowship was to set off, it was finally finished. Very bright was that sword when it was made whole again; the light of the sun shone redly in it, and the light of the moon shone cold, and its edge was hard and keen. The blade itself was straight and long, the metal smooth but worked in curling patterns of steel within steel. The hilt and the top of the blade were graven with swirling Elven markings which read: I am Andúril who was Narsil, the sword of Elendil. Let the thralls of Mordor flee from me. For Aranmir had renamed it Andúril which means Flame-of-the-West, and he thought it a fitting name. Kasimir is one of the Free People of Arda! Vote Count Kas (3): Burnt, Fifth, Wonko Striker (2): Bard, Straw Cycle 5 has begun. It will end in 47 hours. Player List

Chullracing was a dangerous sport. As Salas hung low in the sky, and Nalakor gripped his saddle, it was all he could do to stop himself from shaking. He had trained for this, practicing everyday since his brother’s accident. He needed to win this race, needed to use the emerald sphere reward to pay for Valtor’s treatment. He slipped his saddle over Dusty’s shell, before leading the animal over to the starting line. Both had been a gift from King’s Wit, who’d taken a liking to him after he had stolen his flute. He claimed to have stolen them from a top racer, but from what Nalakor could tell, the beast was nothing more than a work animal. That said, he’d formed a bond with Dusty. She had been his only friend since the accident, his only friend since the fire that ripped through Roion’s warcamp, taking his parents and leaving his brother comatose. Dusty had helped him through his grief, and taken him farther than he could have ever imagined. He was in the final for the Grand Warcamp Prix. The last race of the season before the weeping began. He was the only here because of sheer luck more than anything else, hanging on by the skin of his teeth. But, now? He needed to win. He rubbed Dusty’s eyestalks, slipping the animal a stonebud. Around him, the top racers from around the warcamp’s chulls were being carefully rubbed and oiled, as their drivers stood by, talking strategy with their coaches. On the next plateau over, the spectators sat, making bets, or watching just for enjoyment. Despite Chullracing being illegal, it was still one of the most popular forms of entertainment, and betting on, while heresy, only added to the fun. Nalakor hopped up onto Dusty, adjusting the saddle as he did so. He carefully began warming her up, walking her forward and backward, getting her used to both his presence, and the way he nudged with her feet. His lead system was homegrown he knew, nothing a true pro would use, but it may have been the only thing that could give him an edge. For while others were restricted to using one hand to steer, and only leaving one free, Dusty could use both to swing the long pole he lifted from a strap on Dusty’s side. The bat was the reason Chullracing was illegal. While one’s chull was doing the actual running of the race, it was the jockey’s job to take as many of his opponents down as possible. Needless to say, it was not a sport without mortalities, and when everyone was needed to fight in the war, needless harm was seen as a waste. The officials walked out from the spectator plateau, and onto track in proper. They carefully walked the length of the string that bordered the track, making sure it was both up to standards, 1000 paces long, and there was no foul play. As they did so, Nalakor turned to watch his neighboring racers, as they mounted their chulls. One was a young woman seemingly from the Reshi isles. He dropped his gaze and blushed when he realized her safehand wasn’t covered. On his other side was a tall and dark figure in a mask, some of the more prominent racers did such things to hide their identities. His chull was skinny and sharp, less like a chull, and more like the fin of a Skyeel. A whistle sounded, and the twenty-four racers lead their chulls to the starting line. An official walked down, checking to ensure that they were all in fact behind the line. The man, stepped back to the edge of the line, pulling out a simple whistle. He blew once, signalling the racers to ready. The audience drew to hush, eyes watching the main event of the evening. Nalakor felt himself tense in anticipation. In the distance, Salas was making its final descent, a small crescent hanging over the finish line. A long whistle sounded, cutting through the air like a shardblade. Nalakor kicked Dusty into motion, rocking as the chull began to move forward. Around him everyone was doing the same. A bat slammed into his back, knocking the breath out of him, and nearly knocking him from his saddle. He whirled with both his body and his back, and met the eyes of the Reshi woman, even as her pole met his own. He flipped it around trying to do one of the simple patterns he’d taught himself from his father’s spear training. She was too fast, blocking him at everymove, even as her other hand pushed her chull faster. Dusty let out a trumpet responding to his desperate attempts to simply run away from her, even as Nalakor took another hit from a different racer, the sound matching his own. The man was taken down quickly, but by then the woman had taken advantage of Nalakor’s distraction to land a punishing blow. He slipped, feeling himself begin to tumble from the saddle, his leg hanging over space, held on by his arm on Dusty, and his left. Storms it hurt. They were matching the leaders of the pack now, though whether Nalakor would even make it the next 5 paces was yet to be seen. He let out a prayer to the Almighty, begging for strength. The Reshi woman lifted her bat to finish him. And was taken out from behind, the masked figure capitalizing on her distraction. Nalakor wrenched himself up, his arm screaming from the pain, and looked around him. 500 paces to go, and he was. He was in the lead! It was only pure instinct that saved him. The masked figure’s bat was swinging towards his head, and only a flick of his bat saved from a near instant knock out. His arm rang with the blow, and he grunted. The masked figure bat whirled then came into strike again, and again, Nalakor barely blocked it, batting it away, this time using both of his hands. He still winced, but it seemed that both arms could take the impact. In his peripheral vision he could see, 400 paces. The masked man’s chull had caught up to Dusty, and it trumpeted, sounding like the grinding of metal. Dusty hissed in return. The bat came in again, then again and again. Nalakor’s arms were beginning to ache with the sheer stress of blocking the thrice cursed blows. 300 paces. He let out a sob, the two chulls were neck and neck, even as their riders fought. He was squeezing with his legs as hard as possible, wishing there was someway to tell Dusty just to go a little bit faster, but nevertheless the two animals continued to match each other’s pace, seeming to almost to want their jockeys to fight, seeming to want Nalarok to lose. An especially powerful blow rattled his already numb hands, and then another knocked the bat from his hands. It tumbled to the ground and was lost. The race was lost. The audience screamed. Desperation filled Nalarok’s mind as he realized there was only seconds until it was over. Until his brother was dead. In that brief moment, he flashbacked to the night of the fire, when Voriav had saved him, leaping to push him out of the way of a doorway, and hurting himself in the process. And Nalakor knew what he had to do. He leaned right, towards the figure, then leapt directly at him. He seemed to hang in the air forever, time slowing down as he saw the masked figure’s shock. He slammed into the figure with all of his body weight. They never stood a chance. They slipped off of the back of their mount like a bag of lavis grain, dropping their bat to grab the side of the saddle, hanging on with only a hand. Nalakor himself began to lose balance, standing on a chull was nearly impossible when they were walking. Next him, Dusty still ran. Good faithful Dusty. He took a breath, then leapt back to his mount. A hand gripped his ankle pulling him down. The figure had pulled themselves enough to grab him as he leapt. He felt himself swing in the air, hand grasping for something, anything. They felt the saddle strap and clutched them tight. He lay, stretched across the abyss between the two chulls, the figure pulling at his ankle with all their might even as he held on with his. He kicked with his other leg, slamming the foot into the figure’s hand. It hand slipped, and it was enough. Nalakor pulled himself, exhausted. He looked up to check how close they were to the finish line. They crossed. First. The audience roared, and he sagged. He had done. He could save Voriav. He could see his brother again. Brightlord Nalakor smiled as his chosen chull barrelled across the line, earning him one of the largest returns he’d had in a while—all from a shadowed man who still did not identify himself. But his spheres were on the table in front of the finish line, so despite his weakened state Nalakor wasted no time in nodding to the arbiter and sweeping his winnings into his purse. “Sorry, friend, and thank you for playing the game,” he offered the shadowed figure, who had shown no reaction. He did mean it—he got little enough business, having to bribe officials into looking the other way when he did conduct it, and any participants were appreciated in such a violent and bloody sport as this. “Better luck another time.” The man’s lips were drawn in a thin line, dramatised by the light of the red sphere by which Nalakor was seeing, but he nodded and began collecting his things, heading away from the pens. Eyeing the retreating figure, Nalakor backed up himself, pretending to fumble with one of the chull’s straps as he waited for the visitor to fade into darkness. You didn’t survive as long as he did in this sort of business without some underlying mistrust, unfortunately, and the bruises he had would take long enough to heal without his accruing new ones. Nalakor sighed, moving the exhausted beasts back to their pens, to lie down with their other companions who were lowing quietly. Tending to the beasts, in the end, was remarkably simple—not much could be required by normally docile and tempered animals—but it was his only trade, so he kept to it with a vigour which infused even the changing of water and food for the pens with meaning akin to a sacred ritual, a way of giving the ordinary importance. His chulls were perhaps the best cared for in the kingdom, and he intended to keep it that way to keep bringing in the lighteyes who enjoyed such sport. Keeping it that way also involved another precaution. Over the door to the pen, a heavy razor blade, attached to a rope pulled taut, lurked. Hidden behind a design in the ceiling, and further concealed by virtue of nobody having ventured inside his pens except him, it was the perfect security measure—if the rope was placed across the doorway from the inside, an opening of the door would send that blade falling to cleave in two the one who opened it. He armed the trap, yawning already, and went to his mattress in the middle of the pen. He did not often sleep in here, but would tonight—with the spheres he had on hand. a trapped door looked increasingly appealing to guard against intruders, and he doubted he retained the strength to make it back to the warcamps after his drubbing from the masked man. He yawned contentedly, and was asleep in seconds. Nalakor stirred, started out of his sleep by a noise near the wall of the pen. A...hammering? It was lighter than that, he thought, but certainly he had heard the stone being worked at. Someone was trying to enter the pen through the wall! No doubt it was the masked figure, seeking to recover the spheres lost in the race. His body on fire, Nalakor managed to stand, feeling a vague dread as light filtered into the dark pens through a hole in the wall. Around him, chulls snorted, shifting in their sleep, but mostly too dumb to rouse themselves fully. Peering from the curtained corner he was in, Nalakor could see a man’s silhouette block off the light, and enter the building, sword out in the dark of the pens, looking for him. He bit back a scream. There would be only one way to evade him—getting out the door quietly enough and then shouting for help before he was murdered, to apprehend the intruder. He might lose his spheres, but he’d keep his life. Masked by the bleating of chulls, the beasts themselves, and the pitch darkness of the far side of the pens, Nalakor edged along the side of the pen, feeling frantically for the panels of the door. The intruder was now in his corner, searching in vain among his sheets, and Nalakor’s hand grasped the doorknob. A rush of delirium came upon him—he had escaped—and he threw open the door. The sweeping motion would be his last. Even as he opened his mouth to cry for help, Nalakor’s eyes bulged at the sound of a catch being released and a rope suddenly recoiling, losing its taut arrangement; after all his escape plan, he had forgotten to disarm his own trap. The heavy blade above the door fell like thunder, cutting off the last scream of its victim, and Nalakor was no more. There had been a lot of deaths taking place at night recently. That didn’t stop Kay from wandering outside on a whim on this third night since Sebarial was attacked. Precedent was no predictor of future occurrences, after all. The moons were dim, but light was not needed to carry the sound of bellowing chulls through the unight. Kay found herself walking towards the noise. Chulls were usually quiet at night, and so the increased volume was unusual. The cause of the chulls’ alarm was immediately apparent. A clustered mass of the giant crustaceans were entangled at the end of a flat expanse of stone marked off vertically with string on either side. The Almighty had selected one empty-saddled chull to trumpet aggressively and snap out at the other chulls, none of which were sure how to proceed. Confused, the herd, all of which still had riders, shuffled around awkwardly and bellowed questioningly. Furious, the riderless chull charged forwards at an impressive 2 meters per second. This time, the other chull were able to scuttle out of the way as the rogue chull in the direction of a nearby plateau. Kay turned to follow the chull’s trajectory and saw that the spectators did not look concerned at the animal’s behaviour. Kay’s jaw tightened as she saw some of them were exchanging spheres. Racing by itself could be an honourable way to invite the Almighty’s judgement. Attempting to predict the outcome of a race was blasphemy of the highest order. Even the other Devotaries could see that much. Angrily, Kay headed after the chull, easily overtaking the lumbering beast. Her journey to the plateau was interrupted when the enraged chull reached out one of her giant claws and grabbed Kay by the waist. Though surprised, Kay remained calm as the chull led her not to the heretics flaunting their disrespect for the Almighty but to a fresh corpse still bleeding on the ground. Undoubtedly the man, Kay recognised him as Brightlord Nalakor, had been murdered by someone who valued money over the Divine. With far greater care than she had been shown, the chull picked the dead man up with her other claw and began the journey back towards the camp. Kay made no attempt to resist what must be the Almighty’s design as the three of them returned to safety. Striker has been killed! He was a Noble Spy with a half-shard! Drake has posted, and so will not be killed. Rath has been replaced by Young Bard. Day 4 has begun! It will end in approximately 46 hours, on Thursday 21 November at 9 PM EST. Please upvote Snipexe for the thrilling account of Nalakor's last race. (Fifth speaking: Please upvote both Devotary and Snip for coping marvellously after I dropped the ball unexpectedly.) Player List:

All right, let’s do this. Your cat is granted immortality. All of your above conditions have been met. Your cat stays by your side for your entire life. And then for your entire children’s’ lives. And their children’s’ lives. And their children’s’ children’s’ lives. (Now children just looks like a made-up word to me). This cat becomes a sort of urban legend — it was an ordinary cat, it just wouldn’t die. Eventually, people get curious. They want to do experiments, figure out the source of its immortality. Others fight back. Say it’s unethical, that no animal, no creature, should be experimented on like that. This cat becomes the subject of media attention. Memes abound about the cat. It becomes something bigger than itself. No longer just a cat, but a symbol. Of the unknown, of the mysterious things in our world that we cannot explain. By this point, the cat has been alive for centuries. It can barely remember its original owner. It can’t feel pain, but... it doesn’t know what happiness is either. It doesn’t know how long it can keep going, simply existing. Wandering through time like a ghost. Eventually, trillions of trillions of years later, the world ends. How, you ask? That’s a secret. But the cat is there. The cat drifts in space, watching as the Earth is reduced to dust, wondering what will happen next. Over thousands, millions of years, the car floats around in space. It watches a new planet form, and somehow gets pulled back into it. It watches as mountains rise, forests grow. As rivers carve their paths down hillsides and across valleys. As other animals come to populate this new planet, they sense there is something different about the cat. They treat it with reverence, understanding that the cat is wiser and more experienced than they will ever be. And so the cat is fated to walk forevermore, to the ends of the universe and back. When you look into its eyes, you can see entire universes inside of them. Those old, immortal eyes. What have they seen? What wonders of the past has this cat experienced? What knowledge does it have, that is lost to the world? Only the cat knows, and only the cat will ever know. Your bane? Oh, it was that you can never put shoes on the right way ever again. You always have to put the left shoe on your right foot, and the right shoe on your left foot. No exceptions. I wish for some pancakes.

This isn't just today, I mean it's 12:30 am for me so that would be strange, but just in life I don't feel happy. The Shard and Discord are the only things that really bring me happiness. I love you all, and think you're amazing, but I honestly don't know if I'll survive this year. If I make it to eighteen I'll be shocked. I don't feel like my friends care about me very much, except for like two or three exceptions, and my family clearly doesn't. Honestly the shard and discord are the closest thing I have to a loving family, and even here I don't seem to be very popular. Whenever I post anything it doesn't get as many upvotes, participants or replies than someone else who posts the exact same thing like five minutes later. It just makes me feel empty. I'm going to therapy... well today actually, but still. I seem to have serious depression, very bad self worth, and cannot make it through a school day without self harm, and nobody seems to notice. The stabbing of myself with a pencil is not a cry for help, but when the teacher leans over me to look at what I've done and it's being rammed into my arm you'd think they'd notice. Anyways, thanks for readying. To those who don't recognize me, it's Darth Woodrack, I changed early.

A recent WoB from last month has got me thinking: We know pretty well what Physical DNA is. (Because it's like real DNA.) We're getting a sense of Spiritual DNA: things like Identity, Investiture, and Connection. (As so helpfully listed out by Brandon in the WoB in question.) But he also explicitly calls out this concept of Mental DNA as one of the fundamental principles of Realmatics. As far as I'm aware, this is the first we've seen explicitly of this topic, and I'm trying to figure out where we may have seen it in play, and where we may see it going forward. Feruchemy seems somewhat related in how your physical body will sometimes change. Specifically F.Pewter, where you will gain or lose muscle mass; it's not like A.Pewter, where you just get stronger. That's a manipulation of your Physical DNA. I wonder if mental manipulation works the same way - Feruchemy will be directly manipulating your own Mental DNA to make you more determined, for example, whereas A.Brass and A.Zinc manipulate your Cognitive aspect, so to speak. Stormlight, and the various neuroatypical characters, may be another place this plays out. We know that cracks in the Spiritual aspect are what allow you to become Invested; I wonder if those are areas of Mental DNA affecting the Spiritual DNA. The listeners on Roshar might be another candidate for mental DNA in action. We had Eshonai's POV while she was in Stormform. She actually thought differently. I wonder if the bond with a spren warps their mental DNA the same way it does their physical DNA? Which explains why some forms are more intelligent than others, as well as why some forms are inherently 'evil' emotionally. Where else might we have seen Mental DNA in action throughout the cosmere? (This is not a rhetorical question; I need some help broadening my mental horizons and trying to get my head around this topic. What other magic systems or realmatic phenomena may rely upon it?)

SA 4 rough draft : 79% !!!!!!!!!!!

"It took hours to decide, but Restares is right - this is what must be done. For the good of Alethkar." This heavily implies that Restares was convincing Amaram to do it. Why would he even speak of Restares opinions if they just discussed how to get away with the act. And furthermore, the quote is in the context of Amaram telling Kaladin why he couldn´t just ask for the Shards. That implies that Amaram maybe wanted to ask, but Restares told him not to. We have to read into things when discussing Amaram, since he doesn´t have too much screen-time. But I believe that the way the quote is phrased and the context it is in, defenitely makes it look like Restares was convincing Amaram to commit the crime. Yes, he has to be seen as the one who rightfully claimed the Blade. Both for his egos sake and for helping Alethkar. I am not arguing against that Amaram is driven by ego. I' m arguing that he is driven by more than one thing, as is the case with most humans. He is complex character, not a one-dimensional bad guy. Amaram looks guilty because he knows that part of him is driven by greed, and that it is partially about himself. But not completely. If that was the case, this exchange would be very out of place: Amaram looked Kaladin in the eys. "I am sorry for what I did to you and yours. Sometimes, good men must die so that greater goals might be accomplished." Kaladin felt a gathering chill, a numbness that spread from his heart outward. He... honestly believes that he did the right thing. Amaram honestly believes that his actions were justified. He doesn´t like them, because he has a moral compass, but he does believe that it was for a good cause. And Kaladin believes him. As for sparing Kaladin, that is a risk. He could just has well have done it out of guilt. He couldn´t bear to murder the man who saved his life. It looks more as a way to convince himself that he isn´t all bad, makes his sins easier to forget. Read Amarams POV at the end of WoR. It shows his drive for the greater good. Some quotes for you: I do not exult in this success. Lives will be lost. It has ever been our burden as the Sons of Honor. To return the Heralds, to return the dominance of the Church, we had to put the world into a crisis. The crisis we now have, a terrible one. The Heralds will return. How can they not, with the problems we now face? But many will die. So very many. Nalan send that it is worth the loss. This is Amarams letter to Restares, and speaks of his worries and guilt at the death of millions. He also makes it clear that he cares about the greater goal, and that he hopes that the return of the Heralds will be worth the loss of human lives. It was happening. It was really happening. The Sons of Honor had, at long last, achieved their goal. Gavilar would be proud. Amaram seems to be very excited about the imminent return of the Heralds. And he also thinks of how Gavilar would feel in regards to their success. Do note, he does not think of any of his own achievements or sacrifices here. Just about the success of the Sons of Honor as a whole. A narcissist would probably try to claim glory somewhere here, but he doesn´t. In fact, Amaram does not seem particularly narcissistic at all in this sequence. He does not speak to Taln about himself either, but instead talks about how Taln is, and what is awaiting Taln. Amaram had, somewhat foolishly, expected all Heralds to look Alethi. He admits to being a fool in certain aspects. Again, not really a sign of narcissism. The Desolation... Talenelat whispered. "Yes. It comes. And with it, your return to glory." Bolded by me. Again, Amaram focuses on Taln, not himself. Because to him, Taln is a holy being. Heart thumping in his chest, he looked back toward Talenelat, worried for the Heralds safety. After Amaram is attacked by Iyatil, he worries for Talns safety, and takes a moment to let his guard down and check on him. Granted, you could argue that this is just because he wants to deliver Taln and gain glory, but his earlier words and thoughts speaks of him as a man dedicated to the greater cause, and Taln is very much part of that cause. Yes we do. We see that Odium has taken away Amarams pain. Here: "I hurt once", Amaram said. "Did you know that? After I was forced to kill your squad, I... hurt. Until I realized. It wasn´t my fault. The color of his glowing eyes intensified to a simmering crimson. "None of this is my fault." This is what Odium does to people. He takes their pain, makes them feel like they don´t have to be held responsible for their own actions. He tries to do this exact thing to Dalinar, and fails: "Don' t blame yourself" Odium said as Dalinar winced. "I made you kill her, Dalinar. I caused all of this." This is what Odium does. He takes away pain, and convinces people it wasn´t their fault. He tricks and deceives them. Amarams claims at Thaylen Fields are more extreme than he has been earlier. This is Odiums effect. Odium enhances his bad traits by encouraging him to make up excuses for his actions. It is at this point, under the influence of Odium, that Amaram has turned into a full-blown narcissist, whereas he only has narcissistic streaks earlier. This is also why he is the foil to Dalinar. They have both done terrible things. They are both haunted by them. One gives in to Odium, the other doesn´t. It is a main point of the narrative in OB. In that way, Amaram is a foil to Jasnah. However, he serves a bigger narrative purpose by being Dalinars foil, not Jasnahs. He directly works as a mirror to the main character arc in OB, and shows what would happen if Dalinar had gone down the simple route, instead of the difficult one. Dalinar was about to prove that Amaram was guilty of murder, theft, lies and miscrediting his own victim. An arrest could have happened at any time. And Amaram would be a fool to strike down Dalinar then and there. They were standing in the middle of Dalinars bodyguards, and his army, with his loyal son, the dueling champion, and a bunch of other loyal shardbearers nearby. Had Amaram gone for it, he wouldn' t have left alive. And he is not that stupid. The Blade was there to ensure that he could get away, nothing more. First off, Jasnah says it herself: Amaram genuinely thinks he is Alethkars hope and salvation. Genuinely. Second, he loses his temper here, and is shamed in front of dozens of people. He has an overinflated ego, and is used to be able to command respect with his Blade. I doubt he would actually try to kill Jasnah here. We can also note that we don´t know the timeline of when Odium started hanging out with him. This could be before or after, but if it is the latter case, he was influenced by him here. I personally think he switched sides in Thaylen City, but there is no evidence for that. Considering one a fool isn´t the same as consider them stupid. Gandalf considers Pippin to be foolish at times, but never stupid. Amaram is a great general, and is trusted by both Gavilar and Restares. You don´t get that high up in a secret organization if you are stupid. The fact that Gavilar liked him also speaks for his intelligence. Gavilar was intelligent, no question about it. Amaram does things he thinks is right (killing Kaladins men, which is an action Kaladin states that he himself believes was right) and still feels bad about it, because he killed and betrayed innocents. And he felt bad before Kaladin revealed it to Dalinar. The tomato argument is not representative of how Amaram acts or thinks. As for the narcisism, I have already shown why I don´t think Amaram has the personality disorder. He defenitively has narcisistic traits, but not the entire disorder. He is in fact suffering from inner feelings of shame as stated above. He is also not at all times talking about his own greatness. In fact, he speaks of Dalinar as a role model and praises him, not himself. He speaks of glory for Taln, not himself. He is a great general, but he never goes into long rants about his military accomplishments. He is also very aware of the fact that Jasnah rejects him, and asks her why. He does not blame Dalinar for causing their friendship to break. Furthermore, Wikipedia states that the disorder brings lack of emphaty, which doesn't fit with Amaram. Agreed. But I think they also show his care about the greater good, and genuine horror at the crimes he commits. Yes, he does the things Jasnah accuses him of. But she hates him, and therefore, is not a great character witness. She is right about that he does bad things, but her overall assessment might miss out on the better parts, simply because of her bias.

“Wait, another Radiant showed up?” Cassie asked, but Nym had already headed off to bed. With a sigh, Cassie bid Leona good night - tacking on another compliment of the cake at the end - and started up the stairs. They could deal with a new kid in the morning. Maybe she could look for them while everyone else was at school, after she got off work. Reaching for her door, she was reminded of how she’d reached for James’s only last night, and wrenched the knob a bit too hard. She shut it quietly behind her, then surveyed her room. Jamie would’ve found her own place to sleep by now, so she was alone in it. Everything was clean and tidy, nothing that really stood out. Nothing adventurous. Cassie closed her eyes for a long moment, then opened them again. She needed sleep. She changed quickly into pajamas, then switched off the light and slipped into bed, wrapping a blanket around herself. Then she lay there, trying to sleep, but unable to. Her adrenaline had worn off, but something just didn’t feel right, and she couldn’t rest. It came to her. With a slow sigh, she got back up, padded across the room, and turned on a little lamp. It wasn’t exactly spherical, and the glow wasn’t the same, but it was better. She returned to her bed, stared at the light for a minute, then closed her eyes and drifted miserably away with the help of a lamp that could never be as good as her spren.

And you don't know it was Restares convincing Amaram to kill them. The exact quote just says this: "It took hours to decide, but Restares is right - this is what must be done. For the good of Alethkar" For all you know, the hours of deliberation was not whether or not to take the shardblade from Kaladin, or even the how (killing them) but the how without being caught. If we are to take things at its pure brass tacks, you are reading into things just as much as I am. But to me there is plenty pointing to Restares using Amaram's ego "You see, the men must believe that I killed him." "It will serve Alethkar best if I bear the Shards." "It's not about Alethkar! It's about you! Amaram looked guilty suddenly, as if he knew what Kaladin had said was true" "I can't worry about the lives of a few darkeyed spearmen when thousands of people may be saved by my decision" "You are being discharged as a deserter and branded as a slave. But you are spared death by my mercy" He has to be seen as the one that won the blade. He has to be the one that has the blade cause only he can best serve Alethkar. Kaladin said its not about Alethkar, its about Amaram, and Amaram knows its true. His decisions are what will save thousands, when in reality it will kill thousands mored. Kaladin gets to live because of his mercy, ignoring the fact that Kaladin would not have needed such mercy to begin with if Amaram didn't betray him. Again, ego. I just showed above a scene where Amaram felt guilty. Why? Because Kaladin called him out on his ego. That it is about Amaram, not about saving/serving Alethkar Really? Because I do not recall a single scene where he says he is doing it because he believes in Vorinism, and that he is saving souls. He says he is doing it for the greater good, but he never does specify what that greater good is. All he states is through bringing about a Desolation, the Heralds must return, and then the church will return to dominance. No mention of people living better. Being better. Souls being saved. Just he has to do it, so he can be seen as the guy leading the return of the church. Otherwise I would appreciate some page references so I can use them when I do the thread covering Amaram in depth. Please show me where he states these things. We do not see that. We see him speak with Kaladin about how honorable it is for him to take up the parsh cause. How he made Kaladin. How without him, Kaladin would not be the man he is today. That what he did to Kaladin was a gift. That Kaladin should thank him. That he made a deal with Odium for greatness, and Odium held up his end of the bargain He grinned "Odium promised me something grand, and that promise has been kept. With honor" "Give in, and convince the city to surrender. That is for the best. No more need die today. Let me be merciful" (again about him. him showing "mercy", covering the fact there wouldn't have to be mercy again, if it wasn't for his actions to begin with) "I left you alive. I spared you." Again ego. You are only alive because I took pity on you. You should thank me. Be greatful to me. Ego "I made you, Kaladin! I gave you that granite will, that warrior's poise. This, the person you've become, was my gift!" (again, look at me, everything you are is because of me) "Your men died in the name of battle, so that the strongest man would have the weapon." Again self deluding ego. If Amaram was the strongest man to have the weapon, he would have won it. But Kaladin won it, which means Kaladin was the strongest man. By Alethi law, Kaladin can bequeath it to whoever Kaladin wishes. It wasn't Amaram's choice. It wasn't his decision, and he was not the strongest man to earn it. "Everything I've done, I've done for Alethkar. I'm a patriot!" (by bringing about a desolation which would result in untold lost lives. By killing innocent dark eyes. By attempting to steal a shardblade from Dalinar and then trying to draw a shardblade on an unarmed Dalinar. By trying to get Kaladin arrested, or executed, and regretting having not killed Kaladin back then. Yeah, that totally sounds like doing things for Alethkar. Again, I disagree. I think Amaram is a foil to Jasnah. Amaram outwardly is the wonderful paragon of all Alethi values, while Jasnah is the dirty evil heretic. The reality is Amaram is bringing about the end of the world and has done horrible things to innocent people, while Jasnah is trying to save the world, and has saved innocent people. That is incorrect. First of all Dalinar says you cannot arrest a shardbearer. You either let them go or execute them. Second Amaram said on multiple occasions that he would stand trial so he had no fear of being arrested. Third, here is the scene: "I believe an apology is due" (requesting an apology is what started it) "Surely you don't believe these allegations, Dalinar!" "A few weeks ago I received two special visitors in camp. One was a trusted servant who had come from Kholinar in secret, bringing a precious cargo. The other was that cargo: a madman who had arrived at the gates of Kholinar carring a Shardblade" Amaram paled and stepped back, hand going to his side (so Dalinar showing he figured Amaram out was enough for Amaram to begin summoning his blade) I see no attempt to arrest Amaram when Amaram begins to summon his blade. Dalinar stated that Amaram needed to apologize to Kaladin, and that he believed Kaladin. That was enough for Amaram to begin summoning his blade Because he continually got in her face, and when she refused to do what he said, he forced her more. She defended herself verbally, and he went to pull a shardblade on her. The only reason he stopped was because he knew Jasnah could win, and everyone was watching. It is that scene she comments to herself about his ego "His eyes flicked up to meet hers; then he spun and stalked from the room, shoulders hunched as if trying to shrug away the eyes - and the snickers - of the scholars" "He will be trouble, Jasnah thought Even more than he has been. Amaram genuinely thought he was Alethkar's only hope and salvation, and had a keep desire to prove it. Left alone, he'd rip the armies apart to justify his inflated opinion of himself." And this was proven with Kaladin, the Shattered Plains, and Thaylenah. Each time sacrificing or wanting to sacrifice lives, for his own ego and glory. But I will quote them again below Dalinar on two occasions seems to disagree: "Of course" Amaram added, more softly "And I do see the tactical importance of knowing the enemy fortifications" You fool "The Thaylens are not our enemies" "First Sebarial, then Aladar? Your trust seems to come cheaply today, Dalinar" "Would you have me turn them away? "Think how spectacular this victory would be if we did it on our own." "I hope we're above such vainglory, old friend" Speaking of fools.... So twice Dalinar thinks of Amaram as a fool. Because those things impinge on his ego. Like I said, if he thought throwing tomatoes at an evil person's house would get him lauded, he would. Not because the person is evil, but because it is seen as good to do. If the person is revealed to be good, and Amaram is then seen as bad for doing it, Amaram would ruminate, and feel guilty. Not because he feels bad for hurting a good person, but for taking an action that damaged his image and thereby his ego. Below is a description of Narcissistic Personality Disorder. Sounds like it hits every level with Amaram to me. Narcissistic Personality Disorder deals with love of an inflated self-image. They are extremely resistant to changing their behavior, even when it's causing them problems. Their tendency is to turn the blame on to others. They are extremely sensitive and react badly to even the slightest criticism, disagreements, or perceived slights, which they view as person attacks. Narcissists believe they are unique or "special" and can only be understood by other special people. Narcissists also believe that they're better than everyone else, and expect recognition as such - even when they've done nothing to earn it. They will often exaggerate or outright lie about their achievements and talents. When they talk about work or relationships, all you'll hear is how much they contribute, how great they are, and how lucky the people in their lives are to have them. Since reality doesn't support their grandiose view of themselves, narcissists live in a fantasy world propped up by distortion, self-deception, and magical thinking. They spin self-glorifying fantasies of unlimited success, power, brilliance, attractiveness, and ideal love that make them feel special and in control. These fantasies protect them from feelings of inner emptiness and shame, so facts and opinions that contradict them are ignored or rationalized away. Anything that threatens to burst the fantasy bubble is met with extreme defensiveness and even rage. I think the scenes we see in the novels support Amaram's egotism. Navani and Ialai have a beef now. Should we disregard everything Navani says about Ialai especially when it is validated via Ialai's actions? Amaram does exactly what Jasnah said three times in the book. Kaladin, the Shattered Plains, and Thaylenah. I've quoted them above, and Dalinar calls Amaram a fool for it. We have WoB that the Sons of Honor are the least knowledgeable and most wrong of all the secret societies. We have WoB confirming they are trying to bring about the desolations in order to get the heralds to return. We have from Amaram's own mouth on multiple occasions that that is their goal. As I said above, his focus is not on religion, nor Alethkar, it is being seen as the hero/savior. Classic narcissistic personality disorder

I'm basing that on Arclo's line in his little speech to Lift: I.E., he uses hordelings to store memories, and implies that his mental capacity is finite but can be increased by making new Hordelings. Surely it stands to reason that if he lost the specialized hordelings he's referring to, he'd lose the mental capacity that they granted him. Which leads me to suspect that 'how many hordelings need to die to end the Sleepless as an entity' is more of a philosophical question than a mechanical one. It's a question that quickly gets into Ship of Theseus stuff. I'm sure that if you asked Arclo, he'd say something along of 'how many humans needs to be killed in order for a city to die'?

There's an even clearer sign that Aimians fought in the Desolations in the flashbacks.

The death of the OA emissary has always bothered me. Dusk and Vathi figure out that the machine is a trap, that they were meant to find it. Which means the emmisary's death wasn't an accident, either. The Ones Above must have somehow arranged for him to die. But how would that work? 1. The emmisary knew he was going to die. Which would raise the huge question of what about their mission he found worth choking himself for. I'm having a hard time imagining someone martyr himself for other people's profits. 2. My phone is a complete chull that keeps deleting the detailed paragraphs I've been laboriously tapping out, forcing me to sum things up abruptly instead of making eloquent arguments. 3. The Ones Above are a bunch of cold bastards who killed off a redshirt because they figured it would be easier to get away with one murder than wholesale violation of the Prime Directive. 4. Phone = storming rusting colorless deathant chull that tries to evade responsibility by autocorrecting to "chill" . 5. The emissary faked his death. Abruptly summed-up version: faking the dead when there's a bunch of people who will be desperately trying to revive you is difficult*. It's also risky because you have to survive whatever the local burial customs might be. Also they might try to cover up their theft by dumping your body overboard and swearing you fell or something. I mean, sure, they have sufficiently advanced magic for space travel, they can probably rig up something. But we know that kandra definitely are good at playing corpse. And it's widely thought that the OA are from Scadrial- which, coincidence coincidence, is where kandra are from. I'm going to cut myself off here before the Chull Phone strikes again, but what do you think? *I mean, I'm assuming. A bunch of godlike Space Dudes with the power to do Patji-knows-what if they're pissed send you an emissary, you'd probably be doing your best to send the guy back in one piece.

79%!!!!!!!!!! yay!!! so close to completion!

Please do! I am excited.

Well guess who just signed up for WorldCon 2020 membership for New Zealand?? (it's me...the answer is I did.)

Jasnah Kholin was deadly afraid of toasters. One day, when she was in a magical land populated by plastic forks, she came across a giant toaster. Jasnah screamed, which she would never admit to later, and ran away. Alas, she tripped on one of the plastic forks, and broke him in half. Jasnah, who it might be mentioned was six years old, was traumatized. She ran away from the magical land of plastic forks to a gentler time where there were no plastics, or toasters. I apologize for the spoilers, as I believe this will be apart the flashbacks in the next volume of the Stormlight Archive.

I choose to believe Mraize was wearing these pink chicken slippers at the time. Honestly, this is the funniest thing I've read all day, I can't believe I didn't notice this. Of course, Mraize has slippers for all occasions. Hunting slippers, sleeping slippers, sneaky slippers. Slippers he wears under other shoes because who can't resist their fluffiness? The list goes on.

Got lots of work done on a school project, made lots of progress in a difficult video game, and get told by a radio host on the air that I'm one of his favorite callers. Today's been a good day.

I just dont think this makes sense from what we know of Amaram. We know he cares. That is also made very clear in the books. He had to be talked into stealing the Blade. And when he did it, he did it for the greater good, which I think even Kaladin recognizes when he and Dalinar confront Amaram in WoR. And he is haunted by his crimes, and states his pain at the death of people in his letters to Restares, who he shouldn’t have to feig honor for. You are certainly right about that Amaram is in part motivated by selfishness and a wish for glory. But he is also motivated by genuinely wanting to bring Vorinism back to a people who is slowly losing it, and helping his country. There is evidence for both of these sides of him in the books, and I think both are correct. Amarams story is the story of a man who wants to be what he can’t become, because of his inability to beat his personal weakness, which is why he is a great foil to Dalinar. They are both men who have selfish drives, and heroic drives. The difference is that Dalinar ultimately fiund the strenght to be the hero. Amaram did not. He did not choose Odium for the glory. He chose Odium because he was unable to do what Dalinar did and accept his mistakes, and take the next step. Odium spent OB talking about taking peoples pain. Dalinar turned him down, but Amaram didn’t because he couldn’t live with the guilt. Finally, using Jasnah to evaluate Amaram feels like using Kelsier to evaluate a nobleman. She is obviously biased, which affects her objectivity.

Cognitive...Anomaly.... *Adds about fifty questions to Starsight Signing list*

They risked getting bruises, so they got in their banana-mobiles and peeled out of there.

One small win for shardkind.

Vivica took down the name of the radio station, then looked back to Sierra. She seemed impatient, her voice tight and edged with a slight irritation. "Good things come to those who wait," she told the young woman. "Try to just take this experience as it comes. What do those Radiants always say, Grey? It's something catchy, something you could put on a poster. What is it... 'Chilling before baking'? No, that's not it. Measure before spiking? Walking...before arriving?" She shrugged. "Anyway, just sit back. Enjoy it. You've no idea how lucky you are. Why, anyone could have found you in that Alley. You could have ended up with some crazy person! But instead you're here with us." @Snipexe @Shard of Thought

Well, that is how Leras described it, and several WOB's seem to support that interpretation. There's some feedback, sure, like how your Cognitive Aspect can alter/impact your Spiritual Ideal state (ie. with healing), but in most instances it seems like the Spiritual Realm is dictating the Cosmere Reality.

The wobs that say the parshendi were not originally of cultivation or odium, and never of honor make me think cultivation altered them to act as an investiture sink for Odium; he shows up and parshendi "soak" up his investiture, trapping him so that he can't run away without leaving part of himself behind.

So, there was this WoB: (spoilered for length) That states that the way Autonomy's Avatars work has to do with the fact that she is a Shard of Adonalsium. All the Shards were once one as Adonalsium, meaning that all the Shardworlds that he created have Intents of all the Shards combined that their Shardholders haven't accessed due to their mind's limitations. This is the difference between a Splinter and an Avatar. A Splinter is a shaved off portion of the Shard, whereas an Avatar is Investiture from Adonalsium that has the same Intent as the Shard My theory is that: couldn't someone take up enough of a mixture of different Intents to create a new Shard? Brandon does consider Harmony to be a single Shard and said that if Harmony died, he'd leave behind the Shard of Harmony, not Shards of Preservation and Ruin and it would take effort to separate them again. He has also said that Harmony could be separated into two different Shards. Furthermore, he has said that if the original Vessels were different there could have been different Shards, as well as that if the number of Shards was due to the number of original Vessels. The WoBs: Would someone be able to have the same Intent as a pre-existing Shard? I don't think so as the Investiture should be keyed to the original Shareholder but what if the new Shareholder interprets the Intent differently?

I believe this will be a major plot point in the future. We know that the Shardblades could take any shape, so how do we know they are not Shardslipper?

Yes i think that is the case.. Preservation and ruin are more concentrated on Scadrial but a little bit of their investiture is everywhere.. The longer a shard invests more on a single location, the more difficult it is for them to leave the system, because their investiture permeates that system. Loose investiture around other non-shard world does associate with one or the other shard. The only thing is most shards are letting those investitures be. In fact, that is how some think that ambition is creating her avatars. She is finding ambient investiture keyed to her and creating avatars out of them.. i think..

I think i remember that too but we are not clear about the location of the heart and therefore, the natives could miss the heartbeat not knowing where to look.. Besides, beneath the Chitin plate attached to the chest, the heartbeat may not be so easily traceable..

The only thing we have is fairly general. It implies that they aren't tied to any queen or brain style bug, but gives no idea of the total magnitude of them or what amount of parts is to little. It's one piece of a long WoB on the various means of immortality in the Cosmere, so here's a link to the whole, with the total relevant section quoted. https://wob.coppermind.net/events/182/#e3885 Which... In. Y mind anyways means that if the "bodies" that we see the Sleepless make are enough of the hive to kill them, then making them at all is pretty stupid. It is an even broader term then most. Seems to apply to what we would consider "bugs" and small crustaceans. Which definitely implies they could look different and blend in on other worlds.

Well... Just because the hoardlings died doesn't necessarily mean that the Sleepless actually did.

The Bands were made by Kelsier, not by Vin or the Lord Ruler. Kelsier then went and put them up north for unknown reasons. Wax makes the mistaken assumption that the Sovereign was The Lord Ruler and wasn't contradicted at the time. But the facts match up to Kelsier, not the Lord Ruler. The spike in his eye is stapling his Cognitive Shadow to the body he's using. We don't know the exact mechanics of it, or how Kelsier figured it out/managed to get it to work, but that's the basic idea. Both of Marsh's eyes are spiked, Kelsier just has one spike. So they're not mirroring each other.

@Weltall You are (quite correctly) proving that my arguments don't constitute a proof - which they weren't meant to in the first place. We can't prove anything about Vax, we simply don't have enough information. As @Pagerunner pointed out, this is a hypothesis. A very speculative one. It is falsifiable - it can finally turn out to be correct or be proven wrong by a single quote or WoB. It provides some new potential explanation for Ati's reaction and a new potential anagram. Someone may use parts of this theory to create a better one in the future. That's all this is and I never claimed it to be more The way I see it, there are two ways to look at the Vax clues Brandon gave us: A. They have no deeper meaning, they're there just to make us discuss them ('the man calling himself Taln' scenario) B. There are some hints hidden in plain sight here (Mistborn scenario) We've seen Brandon doing both in the past, so we can't tell for sure which is correct. As you can see, I'm clearly in camp B here As for the other issues: Magic systems: We know of one place that has a magic system, but no Shard (Ashyn). Hoid still has access to Yolen Lightweaving even though there may be no Shard on Yolen (RAFO for now). There seems to be place for things beyond 'Shard invests on a planet' scenario Vax and Taldain: Khriss mentions several magic systems (Scadrial, Nalthis, Vax and Taldain), but only two of them in one sentence. That might be a clue (camp B above) that she sees some similarities between them, on Initiation level or some other Kii: We know of one example (Aether of Night) where Brandon ditched/cannibalized everything but a magic system. I assume the same can happen to a planet name It's easy to be Connected enough to a Shard to Ascend: Absolutely true, but you have to be more Connected than other potential candidates, which could be many Ati's memory: If we assume that Ati fully remembers his time as Ruin, then (A) he knows Kelsier is not Vax and (B) he knows Scadrial is not Vax. His confused "Vax?" comment makes no sense whatsoever. Notice that Ati is confused, but Vin is not - that's why I believe his mind being warped by Ruin's Intent messed with his memory and he can't remember events after a certain stage

So the pairings are definitely arbitrary and part of that has to do with story purposes and things that are going on in-world at the time the magic system is being used in the novels. There is a reason for it... but it's not a natural one. Thats about all I'm willing to say on the subject as it's not something I've fully explored myself in the outlining but I appreciate that you've pointed it out because now I need to include someone in my story being curious about this, both as a foreshadowing element and a way of pointing out to the reader that they arn't wrong in wondering why it is that way. (as for the metal-crystal connection, well... holy rust I hadn't even considered that... I'll need to work in a fix for that. Thanks!!) It's interesting you bring that up, as originally the Phasing property for metal and water were reversed in my system for that very reason. Originally, Friction was the property they were acting upon... but for storytelling reasons I created a new "physical property" in my universe known as phasing in order to switch the effects and make it easier for infusers to be involved in the creation of blades with increased phasing. Thanks for the input and I'm definitely considering putting more in world explanations and/or reasons for these inconsistencies into my novel, if not altering the mechanics of the magic system to fix any issues. Probably a little bit of both. These points are a huge help!! I'm not sure I would have caught on to certain things you've mentioned myself so thanks again!! Over time, yes. however it is a fairly slow process. The world does have a black market for items of that variety and most individuals who trade on that market are either very powerful, or are themselves an infuser or a shifter. Most of the items in trade are actually made in small illegal shops run by a shifter and infuser working together because it is extremely rare that a person is both (in fact in the time of the first book there are only 3 living people who have both powers, and 2 of them are the MC and the MC's mentor) ...on top of that, even shifters and 'fusers are very rare and are hunted by the government, who enslave them in order to have a constant supply of specially infused weaponry, a constant source of raw materials, and other special items. I haven't exactly worked this out yet... but it's basically spatially based, not based on density or mass in-particular. A 4-foot brick of air becomes a 4-foot brick of stone, or metal, or whatever.... so it doesn't displace anything. I know that's weird from a technical standpoint, but i plan on working out exactly why it is that way (honestly it might be based on the magic's origins, but I'll have an explanation for it once I dive deeper into the origins of the magic and why it exists, etc... It has to do with an off planet influence from a long time ago. Yes!! It's awesome you picked up on that. not many people do! Thanks!! I'll add you to the list!! (I've totally thought about how that might effect infusing in regards to stones having crystals imbedded within. I haven't decided 100% yet but I think it will either A-ignore the crystals as they aren't being infused intentionally, or B-make the crystals more visible as it makes the stone heavier. Intention is a really important piece of how the magic is used but I'm not sure how far it goes once the energy is actually being utilized so I've definitely got to consider it some more!!

I do! I like the idea of that. Could you have it be a side effect? Like you are really angry for a couple days after they use red?

I might have broke it:

New chapter!

New chapter!

This stuff is not to scale. It might not be much farther out then mars or vesta both of which can be seen. It also may have elliptical orbits that bring it into position occasionally. Maybe their inhabitants are not sapient, went extinct or are under a giant coppercloud. It is also possible that this is information Brandon does not want us to have at the moment. That cognitive anomaly needs its own page. I am on it! Got this here it is!

"That's the Ember paradox," SoT muttered. "You're written by your Author. Their leniency depends upon how much Sentience you have. But if you are written for a purpose, are you really chosing how to act?" She shook her head, sighing. "It doesn't matter." "All my older sisters are warriors," SoT explained. "Star is handy with a sword and a master duelist, Astral is an extremely creative fighter, Tamika is a master of physical combat, Thought is a Shard, and Ember is about as overpowered as you can get. But me? I'm not a hero or a villain. I'm the youngest. I'm not a good Narrator. But because of my family line, everyone expects things from me. Things that I... I'm not capable of. I get anxious around people. Around noise. And this place is so loud, so dissonant. I hate it here." SoT's tears started up again. "I hate it..." TVG looked down, realizing something she had chosen to ignore during the last 100 pages or so: She had broken her own rule of interference. And... maybe that had caused more problems than she had tried to fix. She closed her eyes. Maybe it was time to step back again.

Butte died a painful and agonizing and arduous and excruciating and grievous death. He also screamed a lot. Like...a lot.

it's been a few years since my last reread, but I seem to remember the point was that they look too young. the young aes sedai that captured rand may have been 25 and may have actually looked 25. nynaeve, if I recall correctly, is somewhere around 26, but she looks much younger. egwene is less than 20, and probably looks her age. it would have beeen perfectly plausible to believe that they were newly raised aes sedai who looked younger than their actual ages because some people actually do. heck, i knew a girl who was 24 and could have reasonably passed for 16. but setalle knows about runaway novices joining the kin, she took the simpler solution.

“The plot continues, I see,” Jaywalk muttered. “Bozo! Cause some insanity!” ”But boss...my hot tub...” ”I don’t care. We’re all out of wine anyway.” He tossed a bottle over his shoulder, which shattered on the rabbit’s head. Bozo pulled himself out of the hot tub. “Fine. I’ll go get ready.”

"The Titanic!" one higher pitched voice of the dead squealed excitedly, a half-second out of sync with the others. "Oops! Sorry, can we do that again? I wasn't ready!"

Xinoehp laughed derisively. "You could try."

I'z joined. And I may be biased, but I think you should totally make me an admin.