VladJunior

A more interesting question might be, is there enough investiture attached to Moash's spear from Elhokar's blood to constitute a decent hemalurgic spike and who did Moash stab next? Did the spear tip break off? What happens if you stab Kaladin through the heart with a spike and then place it appropriately on someone else in a rather quick fashion? Would they become a Windrunner? Would part of Kaladin's bond with Syl be broken? I want to see more Hemalurgy enter the Stormlight Archive from travelling Scadrial characters, i.e. Ghostbloods. I know there is speculation that the knife Moash used on Jezrien was a spike that was made specifically to trap Rosharan investiture. Maybe the type of spike required varies per order?

Odium's army would be powerful, but consider other shards who have the ability to multiply their forces. Vasher, or the God King, could simply Awaken a mechanical army to take on surgebinders. Not all of the surgebinders will have shardblades. And even if they do, the robots could be coated in aluminum to make it more difficult to take down the mech soldiers with a blade. Scardial could launch a propaganda campaign using just Rioters to stir up their population or infiltrate Roshar. etc.

I know this has been mentioned before, but Dalinar's declaration that "I am Unity" seems like a jump to the fifth level of Bondsmith, just like Nale is a fifth level Skybreaker ("I am Law"). If Dalinar is Unity, then he can unite physical, cognitive and spiritual at will, but doing so will drain him. He may also be a Sliver at this point, as was mentioned earlier in this post. Given his Connection to Cultivation and Odium, and his control/power over the splinter of Honor, it does seem like Dalinar is being set up to claim vessel status. But it may not be as simple as the three shards in the Rosharan system. And I am not convinced that other shards aren't in play as well. What might be interesting is Hoid's role in all of this. He befriended Dalinar pretty early on. He goes around collecting investiture from each Shard. What will he do in his relationship with Dalinar.... trade information for investiture? "I'll give you the secret for how Adonalsium was shattered and how you can defeat Odium if you share with me the resulting power from your ascension?" Isn't Hoid's plan to collect power from all 16 shards in order to reform Adonalsium as its vessel or at least its Sliver/Splinter, or at least challenge the shards to restore the power to defeat the menace on Yolen and the problems facing the Cosmere at large? I could see Hoid manipulating Dalinar into helping him, and at the same time raising Dalinar to be a force to fight on Hoid's side in the coming Cosmere conflict.

Not sure if this has come up in the past, but the implications of spren/shards changing forms at the will of the Radiant, coupled with the fact that Shardblades can be thrown by their wielder, leads to rather interesting applications. Maybe Rock will found the first corps of Radiant Archers who have an unlimited supply of Shardarrows. It would be pretty cool to see a company of KR's on a wall shooting out Shardarrows and then re-summoning them once they slice throw the enemy souls only to re-fire them back into the oncoming hordes. They could even increase their arrowhead volume once launched, so that they have a higher chance of slicing through vulnerable parts of the soul. Plus there would be the added benefit that the archers wouldn't have to carry quivers. Their arrows are summoned. Other applications come to mind as well. Maybe throw a bunch of spren/shards into a catapult and fire them boulder style at the enemy, then reload/re-summon upon impact. And don't get me started on what happens once Wax and Wayne show up.... Shardbullets anyone?

All names in Horneater country are poems. Rock insists upon "can't remember his name in TWOK bridgeman, Dunny?" singing when he learns he can sing. Rock hums to himself when he cooks. His people built their society near the perpendicularity with either Honor or Cultivation (probably Honor, maybe both). I would not be surprised if they have a small attachment to the same Connection that the Parshendi have. Maybe not as strong. But some part of the sDNA is there. And why would the horneater mythology tell the story of a people in search of a place to belong (outcasts) who are rejected by the gods, unless they were offspring of Parshendi and humans or some such mixed breed? Great theory bdoble97. Don't know if there will be traitors who follow Odium, or if they are the people who will destroy the stormform (or fight it off the best), but we know they are unique compared to other Rosharans. Maybe we will learn more about Rock and his people in Book3.

Shallan discovered the First Ideal in her father's books. She lists a limited number of books but one of them (can't recall off the top of my head) is referenced that seems like it had to do with history of the Knights. She may have read the words and, in the absolute perspective of a child, agreed to them.

I get the impression that most people theorize that the Heralds come from off-world (not Roshar), and that they are mainly Returned or from another shard world that Honor recruited for the express purpose of keeping Odium from interfering with Honor and Cultivation's attempt to place humanity on Roshar. I have read theories on several different worlds of origin. That is why they are "immortal" because they have a significant amount of investiture already and are provided additional means to prolong their lives through the cloud of investiture that circles Roshar (stormlight). It is probable that Odium also provides them with a trickle of investiture to sustain them while on Braize. When they "die," they go back to Braize to be tortured by Odium until one of them breaks and a desolation begins. They wouldn't be able to withstand years (not to mention millennia) of torture if they didn't have the ability to heal via investiture of some kind.

Thanks for all of the positive feedback. I let my daughter read the comments. She told me she wanted to do some more foretelling with light and shadow but didn't work it in. Like maybe the bed is in perpetual sunlight or lamplight, and then the shadows creep in at the end to surround the throne. I think it works as it is. She got the idea after reading the Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis. She said that the Ice Queen reminded her of Sleeping Beauty.

My twelve year old daughter came up with a short story using sleeping beauty as the background idea, but all twisted: A young lady, looking no older than sixteen, lies in state on a bed of soft cushions, encased in a chamber of glass. Her bed rests in the middle of the throne room where all who come before the King and Queen must pass to gaze on her inert form. She is perfect. She is flawless. She is beautiful. She has been asleep for eons, millennia. Nobody remembers how she was laid so peacefully in the glass chamber or by whom. The writing on the outside curtain of stainless steel and on the etching in the glass is in an ancient language, unspoken and unknown. The stories told in the kingdom range from wild rumor to passably plausible. She is an angel from heaven. She is a princess whose heart was broken by a mean prince. She is a victim of a witch's deep magic. No, it was an evil fairy. No, it was her parents who were jealous and couldn't stand that she was so beautiful. She can be rescued. She can be awaken. But nobody really knows how. For thousands of years the people of Grimmundy have peered at her perfect shape, her perfect hair, her peaceful face, and wondered: Who is this Sleeping Beauty? The prince of Grimmundy thinks he knows the answer. He has discovered a tale of love and deceit. Where this young lady was to marry a handsome prince, just like him. But before they could be betrothed, an evil fairy, who was jealous of her love and who wanted to marry the prince herself, came and cast a spell on her. On her sixteenth birthday, she pricked her hand on the needle of a spinning wheel, and fell into a deep, deathlike sleep. But she can be rescued. She can be awaken. The young prince, only just sixteen himself, conspires to break the glass and awaken the sleeping lady whose name he knows not, but whose beauty has captured his heart. One night, while the rest of the kingdom sleeps, the young prince makes his way to the throne room in the heart of Aurora Castle. In his trembling hands he holds a torch and a knife. Nobody has been able to scratch the glass or dent the steel. It sits as unblemished as its occupant while the prince shuffles close in the midnight hour. He takes his time. No rush. He stares at her face, at her smile and wonders, "what does she dream of?" Setting the torch on the floor, prince holds the knife above his palm. Strange shadows begin to play on the columns of the room. But the prince doesn't notice. He is focused on the prize. He knows this will work. It is what the story requires: sacrifice and love. He can offer both. Without hesitation he pulls the knife across his left hand, drawing a thin line of blood. He squeezes his hand shut tight and holds it over the glass just above her chest that still rises and falls in that slow, hypnotic way. Blood is required, the story goes. Only one willing to spill his own blood for her can destroy the glass barrier. One drop reaches the glass and he sees a sizzle. Two drops. Three. And the glass shatters. Not onto the princess. The glass simply parts in pieces around the container. The prince is cut. He is bleeding now from many more shallow cuts from the exploding glass. But he does not notice. His gaze is transfixed on the beautiful sleeping lady. This is it. The moment of proof. Is the story real. It must be. The glass broke. And now, the kiss of one who loves her. The prince bends down and kisses the sleeping lady softly on the lips. He pours all of his love, passion and hope into the kiss. It is a sweet kiss. Softly done and steadfastly made. The prince opens his eyes to see the lady staring at him. It worked! The lady rises, causing the prince to step back. "I saved you, my lady. With the kiss of true love you awake! Please let me help you down." The lady stares open mouthed, as if in awe, at the prince and then her eyes scan the room. The prince can see intelligence in those eyes. She is taking in the sights and sounds, the aromas and the feelings in the room. Her hands caress the soft pillows of her mattress and then the fabric of her dress. Slowly, her hands rise to her head and her hair. Her mouth turns from awe to... annoyance? With surprising speed and grace, Sleeping Beauty slides off of her bed of over a thousand years and stands before the bleeding prince. Her savior. The man who woke her from the sleep of death. She looks him up and down and notices his smile, his good looks, his desire for her,... and his knife. Without hesitation, she grabs the knife from his hands and stabs him in the gut. In perfect Grimmundy, without a hint of an accent, she tells him, "Thank you for waking me. Your services are no longer needed." She jerks the knife out as the prince slumps to the marble floor. She steps over his writhing body and walks towards the two thrones at the head of the room. The prince manages to look up at her and gasp, "Why? I saved you." Sleeping Beauty does not turn to look at him until she sits on the throne... the King's throne. "Who are you?" The prince asks, not believing the cold, hateful gleam in her beautiful eyes. He knows now that she is a killer. She is not good, but evil. And she sits on the throne of the kingdom as though she is familiar with it. Now the prince knows, but it is too late. Blood is required, because nobody would ever bleed for her. A kiss is required, because who would love and kiss the devil. "What have I done?" he thinks as his life grows dim. "Who am I? I am the bringer of death, the true fear. I am Aurora, daughter of Eve. And I thank you for waking me. My kingdom is at hand."

"Oh, look who knows so much, eh! Turns out your friend, here, is only mostly dead. There's a big difference between mostly dead, and all dead. With all dead, there's only one thing you can do." "What's that?" "Go through his pockets and look for loose change."

Wouldn't the Elantrian's have used a perpendicularity located in the ocean? That part of the cognitive realm with the fortress seemed like it may have been located on a perpendicularity. Or was it just someplace to hide while on the planet? We don't know much about the oceans on Scadrial. Maybe they are special.

I haven't seen anyone post or explain this, but does anyone else think that there is a contradiction between the end of Firefight and the end of Calamity? If Prof fears failure and the use of his powers is the manifestation of responsibility,... and you have to face your fear while saving someone, then why did Prof not face his fears when disarming the Obliteration-made bomb in Babilar? Wouldn't that have qualified? What am I missing? Was it that Prof didn't think he was saving anyone? How could that be, as it was the whole conflict part of the plot in Firefight... Regalia used Obliteration to force Prof to use his powers. Was it that Prof knew he wouldn't fail if he used his powers? Someone didn't let him think he would fail? Seems like an explanation is warranted.

I haven't read the novella, but it seems pretty obvious to me that the One-eyed man is Kelsier. The Lord Ruler stabbed him with a hemalurgic spear (one that went through TLR's heart and then into Kelsier's heart). So Kelsier had some hemalurgic transfer on the day he "died." It seems like he would have been an agent of Ruin from that point and Ruin could have had him spiked in the eye by Marsh or someone else, or maybe he did that on his own accord. The scars, stature, and confident way the figure is presented, not to mention he claims to be TLR/Soveriegn, and he has some knowledge of how to make magic tech, sounds like it can only be Kelsier, who held both magical powers after being spiked by TLR, and had an enormous amount of preservation transfer from TLR to him via the hemalurgic spike. Still doesn't account for the kandra "stealing" his bones, but hey, kandra have been known to lie.

Can Steris store fortune? She seems to wax poetic about how the cosmere is against her. I wonder if she can store fortune (either consciously or unconsciously) when she has big events that she plans for. Of course, that would mean she has a lot of good fortune stored up that she could use to help find the Bands of Mourning or the spike. We know she isn't an allomancer, but does she have other abilities?

Argent, I guess my comment was more of a question about whether we think TLR stored any investiture over time or all at once towards the end of while he held the power of the Well. We know that he knew more about feruchemy and allomancy than he let others know. Perhaps he was storing investiture over the 1000 years as well, thinking perhaps that he could gain an edge once he took up the power of the Well again. Also, once he was deflated, wouldn't it make sense to start storing investiture to "restore" his sense of power? He was a megolomaniac after all. And who couldn't use a powerful dose of investiture all at once, or over the course of a long battle?