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I can see why Brandon was so excited about the epilogue on this one. Wit's free-style rap was pretty epic.

Beware, Wax & Wayne (particularly Bands of Mourning) spoilers below. As I reread the passage where Rysn interacts with the mural/Dawnshard, I couldn't shake the sense that we'd read about something similar before. Near the beginning of Bands of Mourning, we learn that a kandra named ReLuur had been searching for the mythical bands and returned to Elendel with a number of pictures documenting his search. Among the images were the following: A mural depicting a room with a central dais. On the dais is a pedestal, and set upon the pedestal was a pair of bracers made of delicate, curling metal, shaped in spirals (a depiction of what they thought were the Bands of Mourning) A picture of a large metal plate set into a wall and inscribed with a strange script. Neither Wax nor any of the kandra present recognize the script Another shot of the strange language A picture of a statue that resembled the Lord Ruler, bearing a long spear Another shot of the mural, more detailed, which depicted bracers with many different metals twining together Another image, of a different mural, depicting a man standing atop a peak, hands raised above him and a glowing spear hovering there, just beyond his touch. A corpse slumped at his feet. The face of the man in the mosaic had eyes upturned and lips parted as if in awe at what he held. He wore the bracers on his arms. We learn toward the end of the book that the pictures were taken at the Sovereign's Temple. Wax sees the same murals and the statue. (There's no mention in the later scene of whether the metal plate is also present, but it seems a fairly safe assumption). What's more we learn some new information about the pedestal in the temple - specifically that it features, prominently, the colors red and gold. The temple also features a number of booby traps and decoys. We learn that the real Bands of Mourning are not the bracers but a spearhead hidden in the statute's spear. And it is at least heavily implied that the mural depicting a person is likely Kelsier, and not the Lord Ruler. So if you're playing Dawnshard connections bingo we've got: fancy murals located in hard-to-reach places featuring the colors red and gold; protected by decoys and booby traps; featuring strange languages not recognized by our main characters; hidden powerful magic objects; and murals that are associated with characters who have heard commands in their minds (CHANGE for Rysn, and SURVIVE for Kelsier) Could be nothing. But it's Brandon so it could also be something. Is this perhaps evidence that our old pal Kel has maybe been involved with a Dawnshard at some point as well? Lastly, not sure how this fits in, if at all, but there was another prominent shout-out to the red/gold color scheme back in Alloy of Law. Here's the scene in the epilogue when Miles is executed: Anyway, just wanted to put this out there because it seems like a significant number of similarities.

The scene where Moash accidentally proposed to Venli due to his unfamiliarity with singer customs was pretty funny, I wonder if anything's going to come of that or if it's just going to be a minor recurring gag.

So, the last preview chapter is out and the Tuesdays of anxiously refreshing at 9am 'til Tor posted have ended. The past few months reading the chapters and coming here to enjoy the great insinghtness of my fellow Sharders and scream of excitement in the only place where people would get it have been amazing. Brandon's incredible work made its way into my life quite recently and almost instantly I joined the Shard. Coming here to read detailed theories, outright speculation and simple reactions of emotion have been the best way for me to deal with the stress of the pandemic and finishing my college year online. In that note I can't keep myself from shouting Thanks to Brandon, his Dragonsteel team, everybody on Tor, Lindsey and Alice for those detailed Read-Along Discussions, to the Admins here for making sure we don't miss any of the new info and have great threads; and finally to everyone who has been active on this Forum for just being great. In one weeks time RoW will be out and I'm expecting a huge explotion here(never been around for a book premiere), so we have plenty to look forward to. Even so ( and though I can't wait to get my hands on the book ASAP) I am going to miss the weekly releases. Virtual hugs for everyone. If you also loved coming here on Tuesdays leave a Shout and share the love.

Sigzil is mentioned, along with Kaladin and Teft, as having said the traditional "I legit hate this person" form of the Third Oath, and I wonder who exactly aroused his ire. "Storm it, I gave them the Voidbringer Attack Evacuation Forms, not a single one of them is in formation, they're not even fully packed-- serve them right if I just left them there for the Fused... *sigh* No, I must rescue even those who didn't bother to read Section 32(b)..." *icy glyphs* THESE WORDS ARE ACCEPTED.

Hey @More Cynical Than Funny, you've been reminded twice now to not double post. This is an official mod reminder that we'd prefer you to edit your post if it's only been a short time since you last posted. Thank you! A quote from a spambot: (paraphrased from their About Me) "I, acutely, must not tolerate this activity." - mods killing spam "I, acutely, must not tolerate this activity." - The Lord Ruler watching skaa rebel "I, acutely, must not tolerate this activity." - Sadeas seeing Bridge Four run sideways "I, acutely, must not tolerate this activity." - people when Kaladin challenges Amaram "There are far too many opinions in this sphere." - Elhokar talking to most anyone "This is an important miscommunication." - Preservation when Ruin changes metal "This is now the moment to up the ante." - Radiants swearing their next oath "This is now the moment to up the ante." - Jasnah, constantly "The popularity of this whosis makes it easy to locate this thingamajig." - Hoid, probably These quotes are just so good.

I kind of like to imagine it went something like this. "So, Eshnak, Inflictor of All Agonies. Your monthly status report, please?" "Ah, yes. Um. So, my Lord. Ah. The Herald Taln has continued to withstand my... Techniques." "Still." "Yes." "Tell me, Eshnak, what is the number of this status report?" "..." "Put down the deck of cards and answer the question. NOW." "Er, this is report #39821." "At ten months per year, it's been... Oh... Nearly FOUR THOUSAND YEARS?" "Yes, my Lord Odium." "You realize this is the ONLY JOB you have to do here. To break this ONE Herald, so that we may return." "Yes, my Lord, but he is the one who's never broken! There were folders on all the other nine that --" "ONE JOB." "...Yes, my Lord." "You're not being creative enough. Have you called a staff meeting? Had a whip round for fresh approaches?" "My Lord? Staff? I am the only one left." "You are torturing Taln... By yourself?" "All the other Agonizers have gone insane." "All eighty of them?" "Yes, my Lord Odium." "They spent four thousand years torturing him... And they went insane?" "They... Couldn't take the way he would just lie there and take it all. It ate at their souls." "And how are you holding up, then?" "..." "You've just been playing solitaire in that torture chamber for the past few hundred years, haven't you?" "Er... Yes, my Lord." "Perhaps your failure can be used. Have you given him a deck of cards as well?" "Um... No, my Lord?" "Release him. Let him play solitaire as well. But give him.. A DECK OF FIFTY-ONE CARDS!"

At first I was on board when the Fused starting building their own version of Urithiru. It really seemed to add to the theme of a parallel arms race. But Brandon really lost me when he named it Urithitwo. That part was just silly.

The best part was probably when Sigzil and the other Windrunners went to confront Taravangian after they found out about his dealings with Odium. Sigzil: In the name of the allied coalition of Roshar, you're under arrest, king Taravangian. Taravangian: Are you threatening me, Radiant Sigzil? Sigzil: The coalition will decide your fate. Taravangian: I am the coalition. Sigzil: Not yet. Taravangian: It's treason then.

I'd like to think that Dalinar and Ishar meet, and Ishar is surprisingly sane. "Good work you've done here," he says to Dalinar, "but a little sloppy. See, as a Bondsmith you need to bind people in a hierarchy underneath you. Compare to what I've done," he continues, vaguely gesturing at the country that worships him as God-king. "See what you can accomplish if you put your mind to it. If you're going to be a Bondsmith without Honor, at least do it properly."

People were pretty suspicious that Tria had been able to shrug off the poison so easily, so they decided to give her more poison, a tasteless kind this time, to see if that did anything to her. When they saw her walking around the ship later, completely unharmed, they knew that something was amiss. Finally, they tried simply stabbing her, to see if that would put her down. Unfortunately, the wound simply closed seconds later. Mist was voted out, but survived! Vote Count: Vapor (1): Araris Valerian, Whysper Condensation (1): Vapor Mist (2): TJ Shade The Windrunner Supreme (1): The Windrunner Supreme GM Notes: -The night will end on November 12th, at 5:00 PM EST. -Don't forget to get your actions in! -PMs are open! Remember to include me and Matrim. Player List:

It interfered with the Windrunner's ability to lash the other Radiant, yes, but the Windrunner himself was wearing his full plate. The other Radiant's plate provides protection against lashings, but the Windrunner's wearing plate does not interfere with the Windrunner's ability to apply lashings. My point is that a Windrunner's Plate is highly unlikely to interfere with the Winderunner's agility and ability to apply lashings. i.e. Khaladin in Plate would likely be more agile/deadly, not less so.

Kal sad. Dalinar Mad? Odium bad.

“You’ve got to use your awesomeness” The strange little Reshi girl standing on the crate in front of Venli said. Venli blinked slowly, attuning confusion. “My- awesomeness? Pardon but what is ‘awesomeness’, young one?” The girl- Lift, as she had called herself- slapped her palm to her head in frustration. “Storms woman, I don’t know why I try with you.” She placed her hands on her hips and tapped her foot frustratedly, scrunching her face as if in deep thought. ”Awesomeness,” the girl finally said “is like the feeling you get when you steal a nice warm Horneater soup- and then eat it. All of it. Shells and all. It makes you feel all fuzzy and excited inside, like a storm- only, not in your stomach but everywhere. In your whole body.” Venli perked up. It sounds as if she’s describing Stormlight. Could it be? ”And” Venli said cautiously, “How does one- obtain this awesomeness, wise one?” A crack resounded as the young girl smacked Venli’s head with a wooden spoon. Venli stumbled away, cursing and massaging the spot the girl had struck her with the cooking implement. What in Damnation was wrong with this strange vagrant of a child? ”Were you even listening!?!?” Lift yelled, gesticulating wildly. “It’s like I said- you’ve got to eat the soup! Storms, you’re almost as bad as the creepy bald guy- the only difference is he had the talking sword to help him out.” Lift gave a long, melodramatic sigh before plopping herself down on the edge of the crate. “Here, let’s start from the beginning...” ————————————————————— Storms... now I really really want this...

Oh. Oh no. Eating with a shardfork really didn’t go well. On the other hand, great tool for assassination. RIP.

This old WoB would seem to say so: Side note, I can't believe he literally said what the Dawnshard is ("the concept of change"), in response to someone mentioning "the things you find [in Akinah]", and yet it was phrased so that it wasn't obvious that he just blatantly said it.... wow.

No. You can't lash someone else when they are in plate. The Windrunner's own armor worked fine as it was keyed correctly to their identity.

As an engineer in the energy industry, my reaction was the complete opposite. The fabrial wind turbines had me smiling from ear to ear. But to each their own of course

Underpaid workers plan revolt against poor working conditions. Possible dementia strikes member of ruling class? Young artist has a shocking secret.

A hairy man gets in trouble for not taking a magic toothpick. A woman worries about a bracelet. An old man has a bad dream.

I love how we're spontaneously creating a unified crazy alternative-universe version of Rhythm of War.

And what about that Kelsier interlude? Y’know, the one where he punched Odium? Pure gold.

Here are the translated images: The Atrium: The Fourth Bridge: The Arnist Method:

OK so tidbits I picked up so far. Sleepless The Sleepless are few in number and seem to age and reproduce slowly. Their reproduction method apparently happens when one swarm splits off another grouping. This particular group of sleepless numbers only 24. It is unclear how many more there are on Roshar but no more are known. They have spied on and are worried about our radiants. Also apparenty the one Lift met is something of a maverick. We don't really know why but apparently they think Dalinar making the right choices is more dangerous then playing into the enemy's plans(I no idea why). Hoid warned the horneaters two generations ago that they could not fight the sleepless. Fabrails Huio is a genius and he invented the aluminum method that the Azish take credit for. It seems that it works by making it so that only some motions matter circular motion = back and forth as only lateral movement matters. I am really interested for Rysn to star Prof Xing around on a floating chair. Dawnshard Aimia's undersea caverns contain a DAWNSHARD that the sleepless are guarding. There are apparently four and they were used to shatter adonalsium. Sharders speculate that each made four of the four shads. Rysn has the one that makes things improve, change, grow and possibly learn(Endowment, Ruin, Cultivation, Wisdom?). According to Cord it came through Cultivation's perpendicularity. Hoid was effected by (another?) Dawnshard that turned him vegan under principles similar to savantism. Horneaters The Horneaters are awesome. More importantly the Horneaters have a sacred duty to control access to the perpendicularity which explains a little about RoW Perhaps the Horneaters were given sanctuary in exchange for this duty? I also wonder how old they are as a people. Did a group of singers do this ahead of time? Maybe they interbred with the humans specifically so that they could stick around? They apparently have a whole group of people who work in diplomacy/worship of the spren. Rock's enhanced strength comes from Mandras or luckspren. We still don't know what kind of spren they are but they apparently guard wealth so maybe prosperityspren? The Lopen Lopen and Huio leveled up! We got Lopen's third ideal. An interesting twist about self knowledge. Larkin Ancient Guardians, Larkin or Lanceryn as they originally were called were tasked perhaps even created to guard the dawnshard. They bond a particular kind of luckspen only found on Aimia. Eight soulcasters were found on Aimia. They were offerings to the larkin. It is unclear why they would want any. The sleepless managed to interbreed with the Larkin and took over their task of gaurding. Apparently Chiri-Chiri will in fact grow big enough to ride(can't wait). They are also a sapient species. I wonder what other abilities they might have? The Reshi The Reshi King Rysn met seems to have transitioned as of becoming a Dustbringer! The Reshi greatshells can communicate intelligent and important information? They also come to agreements about how to act? They have a "government" and uphold ideologies and causes? What else have we learned?

A theory about Formless based on psychology. Dissociative Identity Disorder (formerly called multiple personality syndrome) is a reaction to trauma that is intended to keep difficult memories at bay by becoming a different person. It's often theorized that this disorder affects Shallan and combines with her powers to form Veil, Radiant, and most recently Formless. Most of those with DID don't have more than three or four separate personalities. Shallan only has one more Ideal. Therefore, I think it's safe to assume, both from the Radiant Ideals perspective and from the psychology perspective that Formless is the last new personality. Because of the way DID begins, the interesting thing about those who suffer from DID is that no matter how many personalities they have, from two to twenty, there is usually a dominant personality and ALWAYS a child personality. We already have the dominant-Shallan-but we don't have the child personality from when the disorder first started (because DID almost always starts in children) Brandon Sanderson does his research, and I think he'll try to make Shallan's disorder as real as possible by making Formless the child personality. Also, what else could be the purpose of Formless? There's been a lot of debate about what usefulness Formless is supposed to have to Shallan; and really, there can't be anything useful about another personality, except that she needs to confront the child she was to move forward. And that's why I think Formless is a childhood Shallan.

So, Brandon has said that for this book Rysn's Interlude is from a different viewpoint, is very different and won't spoil the novel but it would be better to have read it. Relevant WoBs on the matter spoilered for leanght: https://wob.coppermind.net/events/430/#e13976 https://wob.coppermind.net/events/438/#e14257 With this information I believe that we will have a Chiri-Chiri Interlude. There's no direct evidence for this but I think it makes sense. We know it won't be from Rysn's PoV, but it will still feel like Rysn's Interlude and not some other charachter related to her( like Vstim or someone from her ship) Also we learn in Dawnshard that larkins/lanceryns were the ancient guardians. This makes me think that Chiri-Chiri is much more sentient that what I initially suppoused or even Rysn thinks. It would be Brandon's MO to surprise us with her PoV. Tl;dr Get ready to get inside the mind of a larkin I would really like this theory to come true( Chiri-Chiri fan over here), but if someone else has another idea for the PoV on Rysn's RoW Interlude I would love to hear it.

I think that Odium is a dawnshard. We have these WoBs: Valhalla Ruin and Odium, they both talked about their passion, and it was italicized both times. Would any other Shards talk about passion in that same italicized way? Brandon Sanderson Yes they would. Valhalla Would any of them not talk about it that way? Brandon Sanderson Yes. Excellent, good questions. Idaho Falls signing (July 21, 2018) Billy Todd, Moderator So, does he genuinely believe in characterizing himself as Passion? Brandon Sanderson Yes. Part of him does. Billy Todd, Moderator Has he always ever been Odium since the Shattering? Brandon Sanderson Yes. JordanCon 2018 (April 21, 2018) I think that this is because passion or be passionate is one of the Commands for the Dawnshards, so part of him is that, Passion. Brandon also said: MoriWillow You once told us that one of the Dawnshards was different from the others. As of the events of this novella, is that still true? Brandon Sanderson Yes. Dawnshard Annotations Reddit Q&A (Nov. 9, 2020) I think that the one Dawnshard that is different is the one that Odium is. I think he's both a Shard and a Dawnshard. We know that Odium has more power than he should, and that he's referred to himself as Passion. We also know that Odium has a record of winning what would seem to be even fights, relatively unscathed. We know he has had help as well, but Brandon also said that he's capable enough on his own that, given the current situation, he could conceivably overcome Sazed (who has approximately twice the raw power). Relevant WOBs: Khyrindor Odium seems to have a bad track record when it comes to killing Shards. He was wounded versus Ambition, and he's trapped on Roshar. Yet, he's credited in killing Devotion and Dominion. My question is: was Autonomy significantly involved and would Odium have been able to do it on his own and still be okay to-- Brandon Sanderson RAFO. It is dangerous to attack a Shard with one Shard. Let's say that. And a wise Shard would try to avoid that confrontation unless there are specific reasons they think they would have an advantage. Skyward Seattle signing (Nov. 10, 2018) Questioner Does Odium actually present a real threat to Harmony, because he-- *interrupted* Brandon Sanderson So Harmony is vastly more powerful than Odium. Questioner Yeah. Brandon Sanderson Elend was vastly more powerful than Vin. Who would win in a fight? Questioner Vin. Brandon Sanderson Okay, there's your answer. White Sand vol.1 release party (June 28, 2016) A few last big pieces of evidence: The foreshadowing: The Broken One reigns. I think the Broken One is Odium's Dawnshard, that is functioning differently. The fact that Dalinar felt a warm golden in light in (OB I Think?) and expects it to be the God Beyond before turning around to see Odium. This could be reminiscent of the "warm golden light" that Rysn also felt when she saw the Dawnshard in the cave. We know Honor was ranting about the Dawnshards, emphasis s. He talked about how they had been corrupted or something of the like (someone please link the relevant quote I don't have my books right now because I'm moving). Odium having, and corrupting, a Dawnshard certainly seems like the type of thing to fit into this categorization of Honor's. We know that Hoid has personal beef with Odium, considering that there are a max of four Dawnshards at a time, it seems like the kind of thing where knowledgeable Dawnshards would be aware of each other, and also seems like the kind of thing that could exacerbate personal beef. We know that we've seen a Dawnshard, somewhat, before Dawnshard. Punzi (paraphrased) Have we seen a Dawnshard in any Cosmere book? Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased) Yes and no. *hands RAFO card* DragonCon 2019 (Aug. 30, 2019) Questioner The Dawnshards. Have we seen any evidence of them on Roshar yet? Brandon Sanderson Technically, yes. Questioner Is there a the relationship between them and say, like, the perfect gems like the King's Drop? Brandon Sanderson I'll RAFO that. Good question. FanX 2018 (Sept. 8, 2018) I think these are because Odium is a dawnshard, or a corrupted version of one, and we haven't seen him use his Dawnshard yet either. But that's my theory, I'd love to hear other's thoughts on my theory, things you think prove my theory right or wrong or things I might've missed!:)

I keep intending to write a hello thread, but I'm really a lurker at heart. So about me: Grad student / Teaching Assistant - M.S. Geographic Information Science - thesis work is on applications of Neural Network classification and super resolution image processing, looking at impact of agriculture and wildfire on ground bird populations in the sagebrush steppe of ID / MT / WY. Did my undergrad in Geology, so I know something about rocks and earth processes (Not a ton though, I decided to specialize in the maps and computers side of Earth sciences). First Brandon Sanderson book was Mistborn 1. Wanted to read it before The Gathering Storm so I'd know what to expect. Like many of you I was hooked. Big reader growing up, got busy with school so read maybe 1-2 books a year for several years. This year I got a kindle, and with the lockdown I've had more free time to read. Did my complete Cosmere reread from May-August. Just finished Dawnshard this weekend. Favorite Cosmere series - Stormlight, followed closely by Mistborn Era 2. Favorite non-Cosmere series - this is a tougher question so I'm going to write it out as more of a discussion. The Wheel of Time is kind of foundational to my reading, but just due to massive amount of rereads of the series over the years it was coming out, I don't know if I could read it again, so maybe its not my favorite anymore? I know book 3 is never coming out, but The Kingkiller Chronicles I've read twice, still feel like I could read again. This year I read The Kings of the Wyld and I loved it. It bought me back to weekends playing D&D with my friends, some of the absurd things we got up to. The Expanse novels I read mostly (First 4) before this year at the slow rate, and I think the TV adaptation has been phenomenal. I hope that the WoT show is as good. Plus the last of the 9 book series comes out next year. What am I here for? Mostly to continue lurking. With the release of Dawnshard and Rhythm of War I'll probably be browsing discussion threads, maybe commenting a bit. Felt like I should put something in the introduce yourself section as a reference and a courtesy before commenting. So hello to all! Ask me about cool rocks or fossils you found and I'll try to tell you something interesting about them.

So... Middle School sucks. Even at a good school it sucks. I don't know about y'all, but gym is my least favorite subject. You have to show how good you are at sports, (I'm terrible) and the gym clothes are awful, and you seem to be combined with all the best kids in the class. Not just that, but there's also the dreaded locker room. You have to change in front of all the popular kids, and I feel like they're watching me for any mistakes, any imperfections in your body and you feel like everyone's staring at you. Long story short, Gym is... not fun. So I was already having a pretty bad day, having to do a bunch of public stuff. Not my thing. I went in, grabbed my gym clothes, and went to go change. There were a bunch of girls laughing and looking 'my way,' and ugh. I finished changing as soon as I could, and then proceeded to lose all of my team's games. I went to go change back and there were more laughing this time. I ended up changing in the bathroom stall. Not really funny or unbelievable, just me having a bad day.

I haven't seen this posted elsewhere so I hope I'm not breaking any rules by doing so. The sample chapters of RoW are up on IBooks and while obviously textually we get nothing new we do get three very cool new illustrations we haven't seen before. The first is from Shallan's Sketchbook and is called The Atrium. The second is from Navani's Notebook and is called The Fourth Bridge. The third is also from Navani's Notebook and is called The Arnist Method. These are at least to me really cool visualisations but I'm sure to those with the time and the willingness to do so the latter two will also be an opportunity to translate some more of the Alethi woman's speech - would be particularly awesome to know what the notes to the third say I imagine.

I have to agree there, and maybe this is directly related to the mysterious writer that Navani 'spoke' with through the well placed gemstone on her way back to Urithiru, and what they were saying?

Aww shucks, thanks! So you're not in bed, and these are not your feet (they're pretty ugly really) but here ya go: You're toes (not your toes) are finally free to wiggle all they want!

When, for your song parody for choir, you decide to write it for Shallan. I plan to post it when I finish.

[In my life there are 2 things I lose all self control with: pizza and books. Was going to make a comic, but too lazy. So I write instead. Enjoy? I'm sure some of you who read digitally relate! Also I mention Dawnshard in passing, but there's no content discussion and thus no spoilers.] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Monday, Nov 16th 11:59 pm All is quiet, all is dark. You sleep is comfort. Tuesday, Nov 17th 12:00am A delicate *chirp* breaks the silence. Across the room, a screen lights up briefly. You know what it says. You break out in a cold sweat.....then, with a deep breath, close your eyes. As the screen fades and darkness scuttles backs around, there's a moment of calm....but only a moment. "Read me," the dark whispers in your ear. You ignore it. It laughs at you. "READ ME." You roll out of bed and glare at your device. "I have to be at work in a few hours. I need sleep." "Just a few chapters. A few....minutes." Your laugh is edged with hysteria. "Like that EVER works." "You could just read the Epilogue." "What? NO that's a terrible idea!" "You don't need alllllll that sleep. You can spare a few hours." "Uh, ok, NO. I might have been tempted... EXCEPT for your little friend here!" You point accusingly at an innocent novella. "Hello!" Dawnshard says cheerfully. "Would you like to destroy some brains today?" "Remember that wreck of a night? Binge reading till 2 am? Gibbering in lore? Trying to post on the Shard? I think I wrote things in my sleep. And I was a mess the next morning." "Yesssss.....but what FUN it was." "No no no no no, I am too old for this. I actually like sleeping now. Sleep is amazing." "Hmmm....There's always another secret.....I will give you truths. And I know some juicy ones." "D-d-don't you dare throw quotes at me!" Quotes and images begin to assault you from all sides with increasing speed, drowning out your logic. Journey before destination. I am a stick. Why is there a wall? I'm broken. The sky and the winds are mine. I will rise a better man. Tight butt. Axelicious bloke. Bridgemen aren't suppose to survive. For glory lit, and life alive. Tuesday, Nov 17th 12:01am You whimper slightly, staring at the device across the darkened room. Your hand trembles. ...What will the morning bring?

My friend did an art project on Shallan about four years ago and she had to explain parts of the plot to the class. She explained the differences between lighteyes and darkeyes and then this caused a bunch of middle schoolers to start fighting because of their eye colors. The kids with blue eyes were calling everyone else "peasants" and then the kids with dark eyes were getting defensive and getting into arguments. Good times.

Not sure if you saw but Brandon just confirmed on Reddit who it is

Ok, but you can’t lie, Rlain’s dance battle for the fate of the Listeners was pretty great. I was not expecting him to start breakdancing in the middle of the highstorm, that’s for sure. Looking back though, the foreshadowing was all there. Brandon got us again!

The Arnist method and that illustration of the Flamespren struggling to escape is very uncomfortable.

My guess: One Dawnshard is contained inside a certain "robot spren" that likes to destroy evil and the other three are not.

Well, looks like I’m not getting any sleep tonight. After a mostly forgettable, low-stakes mild adventure/mystery story, the lore got turned up to 1000%. This seems like a good thread to dump my thoughts in. The mural. It’s obviously referencing the Shattering, what with the sixteen pieces; I think it’s also referencing the four Dawnshards here, too. But these existed before the Shattering of Adonalsium (or else they couldn’t be used to Shatter), so I’m guessing the Commands guided the sixteen Intents, four apiece. This Command feels an awful lot like Cultivation and Endowment, making things change and make things better. (And even Ruin, to a degree.) And Adonalsium had some emotions ascribed to him, as well: “Resignation? Confidence? Understanding?” And lastly, I’m not sure that the gold color is entirely for decoration. We’re learning from fabrial science that metals interact with Investiture in quite a few ways we didn’t anticipate; I wonder if the mural wouldn’t have contained the Dawnshard if it had a different metal. (The “red foil” outlines are somewhat suspicious, as well, for the places we’ve seen red Investiture.) Exactly what Dawnshards are and how they work is a bit of a mystery. We know from Brandon’s annotation that Hoid was a Dawnshard; I assume this is in reference to the “first gem” and how it became worthless for his wearing it. His Dawnshard was contained in a topaz, and then Hoid absorbed it. There are an awful lot of similarities to Breath and Awakening. It’s called a “Command,” Rysn has improved perception of color and pitch at the end of the novella. But while she absorbs it, we see sensations of light and warmth… almost like the mystery light Dalinar has seen a few times. The pieces are there, but I'm not quite sure how to put them together. There are some outstanding mysteries about the larkin and the mandras. It’s one thing if they were leading Chiri-Chiri to start a bond… but why did they guide Cord and Rysn? And then the big old skulls that Rysn thought moved to look at her; I’m thinking that there’s something actually moving in there. Rysn thinks that the Dawnshard has no agency of its own (borne out by the heads moved after Rysn took up the Dawnshard), so it must be whatever was guiding the mandras, whatever let out the big roar right before Chiri-Chiri returned. Mama Larkin, or whoever it is. The Dawnshard refers to Chiri-Chiri as a “Guardian of Ancient Sins.” That implies, to me, that the larkin are, an intelligent race who were tasked with this mission as soon as the Dawnshards needed guarding. The Sleepless say they guard it because they have seen the “end of worlds,” (like what was mentioned in the Oathbringer interlude), so are the “Ancient Sins” the Shattering? Or perhaps the destruction of Ashyn and other planets like it (including, potentially, the Sleepless home world)? So when were the Dawnshards put under guard? After the Shattering? After the destruction of Ashyn? After some point during the Desolations? It must have been prior to the Recreance, but that's a very long amount of time. We’ve only found one Dawnshard; where are the other three? In Way of Kings, Honor references “Dawnshards,” plural, so presumably more of them were on Roshar, if not all of them. What is Honor about to suggest that can’t be done without Dawnshards? Splintering a Shard, I’d guess; he was suggesting they kill Odium. Which, in turn, makes me wonder if Odium has a Dawnshard, and has been using it to Splinter. But the Dawnshards were also used to destroy the Tranquiline Halls (by performing a great feat of magic, as suggested by the novella), so how did they get to Ashyn? Or perhaps the Dawnshards a cosmere-wide “plot point,” and Honor was suggesting that the Radiants track one down, himself oblivious to the fact that one was right under his nose on his very own planet? Who are the enemies who could make full use of a Dawnshard? Are they Shards? Are they powerful magic users? I assume you only need to be a magic user, which is why they won’t let Rysn bond a spren. That's what happened on Ashyn; somebody with a Dawnshard went too far and caused some problems. It also makes me wonder about the “one of them will destroy us” line from the Way of Kings back cover, and maybe the enemies they’re worried about are the Radiants themselves. Neither person in on the secret (Rysn, Cord) are Radiants, after all. If Dalinar looks for a Dawnshard to fight Odium, things could go wrong and destroy Roshar. Lastly, the greatest applications of Surgebinding. If Rysn’s Dawnshard is associated with growth, what we could call Cultivation’s Dawnshard, I’ll go out on a limb and suggest that Ishar used Honor’s Dawnshard to create the Radiants. An extremely powerful Surgebinding to set up the Oaths and the bonds and the Surge associations and all that. He may also have used it to bind the Oathpact. I go a little further and suggest he still has it, although now he doesn’t have Surgebinding to make use of it. Hmm, one more odd line towards the end of the book. Cord knows stories of this Dawnshard coming through the perpendicularity. That implies that the Dawnshards were being moved around separately through the Cosmere. Who brought this one to Roshar? When? And for what purpose (if there is any beyond just hiding it)? Lots to think about. A pleasant surprise, to be sure; I wasn’t expecting this much of a bomb in this story.

While on the topic of chromosomes, why HS Bio is important:

The idea that the 16 Shards can be categorized in groups of 4 (a la Mistborn metals) is not a new one, and I think Dawnshard is going to further support that theory. The mural that seems to depict The Shattering of Adonalsium and imbues Rysn with her Command is described as having 16 "mostly symmetrical pieces" grouped into fours. So let's make groups of 4! I'm sure there's going to be tons of different theories on how the Shards are organized. Even when trying to find commonalities between all the Shards, there's bound to be people who see different patterns than others. Let's start with what we know, or at least what we think we know... About the Dawnshards in general: The Dawnshards are "the four primal Commands that created all things" The Dawnshards were used to undo Adonalsium itself Both a Command and Intent are required to use "the most powerful forms of Surgebinding [Magic]" that ordinarily "transcends traditional mortal understanding." These are demands "on a level no person could ever manage alone" -- a single person would not be able to handle wielding this combined power. So the Dawnshards predate the Shattering of Adonalsium and thus cannot have been created by the Shattering. They were used to create all things -- the power of creation, potentially wielded by Adoalsium, who is a deity. The people (Dragon, Human, mortal or immortal, but otherwise just people, not deities) who Shattered Adonalsium would have been incapable of using a Command on their own, even with the proper Intent. -- Could they have been required to work in groups of four? I think perhaps four people with similar Intents likely were needed to use each Command, and then the four Commands must have been used together to kill God. Four groups of four, with each person having a specific Intent that somewhat related to the Command they were helping to wield. And what do we know about the Commands specifically: Rysn's Command seems to have a theme, which is Change. "Accept it. Know it. CHANGE." "It was then that she grasped, in the smallest way, the nature of the Command inside her. The will of a god to remake things, to demand they be better. The power to change." Rysn seems to be able to appreciate colors and tastes much more clearly after being imbued with the Command, which is similar to the effects of investiture created by Endowment (Breaths, Nalthis) "Storms. Was it her, or did this tea taste extra good? She inspected it, then glanced at the sunlight pouring through the porthole. Was it . . . brighter than usual? Why did the colors in her room look so exceptionally vivid all of a sudden?" Rysn also appreciates the musicality in Drlwan's voice -- is this another effect similar to that of a Heightening? Or is Rysn potentially hearing the Rhythms of Roshar? "Strange, how she saw the contrast of shadows much more starkly now. And . . . why did Drlwan’s voice sound more musical?" The Command agrees(?) with Rysn's decision to let Cord keep her Shardplate out of tradition. Because it's the honorable thing to do? Because it's a gift that Rysn has endowed to Cord? Tradition, doing something because it has been done before, actually seems to be somewhat in opposition to the theme of "Change," so I feel this is important to explore. "'Cord discovered it,' Rysn said. 'It’s traditional to let the one who first claims a Shard keep it.' The Command pulsed with warmth as she said that." So based on this information, I feel pretty sure that we can at least begin to categorize the Shards. Everything that follows here is just my best guess at a grouping. CHANGE -- "The will of a god to remake things, to demand they be better. The power to change." Endowment -- Must be, based on the changes Rysn is experiencing. Even though I personally feel like it's a stretch to put this here. Advancement? The addition of things, or gaining of new things, to improve or grow? Cultivation -- Growth, personal improvement, etc. Could be the source of Rysn beginning to hear the Rhythms. Definitely belongs in this category. Ruin -- Entropy, decay, mortality. Definitely belongs in this category. ? SURVIVE -- The will of a god to create enduring life, that extends itself into infinity even beyond it's own death. The power to survive. Preservation -- Stability, safety, unchanging. Definitely belongs in this category, and really the basis for why I think "SURVIVE" or "LIVE" must be a command -- because Kelsier certainly hears the Command to SURVIVE in Mistborn, and it is not coming from Leras. Autonomy -- Self-reliance, individualism, independence. The ability to survive while depending on only yourself. Definitely belongs in this category. The unknown shard "who just wants to hide and survive." -- Obviously belongs in this category even though we don't know what the true intent is. ? UNITE -- The will of a god to bind things, to conncet people with eachother and with the land and life around them. The power to unite. Honor -- Oaths, connecting people to eachother, binding them to their words and traditions. Obviously belongs in this category, and the basis for why I think "UNITE" or "CONNECT" must be a command -- because Dalinar certainly hears the Command to UNITE all throughout SA, and it is not the Stormfather, nor is it Tanavast. Dominion -- Connecting people to the land, and to eachother with political power and territory. This one may be a stretch, but it's my best guess. I think it probably belongs in this category. ? ? CARE -- The will of a god to create meaning and purpose, to demand that life exists for a reason. The power to care. Odium -- Pasion, love, hatred, emotion, motivation (though "Motivation" would be a great Shard name on its own). Definitely belongs in this category. Devotion -- Purpose, worship, crusades/quests. This one is also a stretch; honestly I have the hardest time with the Selish Shards because their Intents are confusing to me. But I believe this one belongs here. You devote yourself to a mission or a purpose in life, whatever that may be.. Ambition -- Personal goals, enthusiasm, striving to achieve. If devotion belongs here then Ambition certainly does as well. ? If Wisdom is the Shard that just wants to "hide and survive" then it belongs under the SURVIVE Command. But if Wisdom is a completely different shard, then I would want to probably put it under the CHANGE command, because knowledge changes you. Actually... now that I think about it, I think there may be two Shards here. "Wisdom" is a thing that you have whereas "Knowledge" is something that you gain with time and experience and experimentation. I wouldn't be surprised to discover that "Wisdom" is the shard that wants to survive and hide, and keep its secrets, and just study the world as it is without affecting the outcome, and that there is another shard along the lines of "Knowledge" or "Discovery" that is about change through experiences. Anyway, just had to write down my own thoughts. I'm really interested to see how other people categorize the shards. And I'm also interested in thoughts on my categorizations and would love for people to poke holes in it or improve it or change it around so it fits better. What do you guys think?

Another week, another book to read In this long-awaited story Brandon surely knows the way But when he's asked he will not say One week more

No I am the HI all elims should report to me immediately send me a complete list of all the elims because we are all friends.

Here’s mine from Dawnshard, so beware of spoilers. Original: Translated:

From what I've understood of how the Realms work, the object itself, when fully manifested in the Cognitive, would be the bead of it, so to speak. As a general rule, the beads you see in Shadesmar are simply a representation of the Cognitive aspect of the object, and when an object is drawn into the Cognitive Realm fully, this representation is no longer needed and instead the Cognitive aspect would simply be the object itself at that point

Or maybe they use a different calender on the peaks perhaps. One that's a century or so behind vorin calenders

This is my last week commenting here for several days. English is not my native language and I'm not a fast reader. I don't think I can finish the whole novel in less than 3 weeks I'm really loving part 1 so far, and the plot looks fantastic so far. All things are align for this to become my favorite book, or at least my favorite along with Words of Radiance