Ceradis

Part of it probably has to do with Intent; in the case of dead Blades I would assume that it's mostly due to the Intent the old Radiants had when summoning and abandoning them. For Radiant Spren there Knight's Intent determines which parts cut and which don't. Edit: didn't see your comment til after I posted this but i agree trav, seems to make the most sense as Intent plays a huge role in how Radiant spren take physical form as metal objects.

So at first I was thinking these would be aluminum/duralumin for the ones that block shardblades and conduct Light. However, while the Rosharans seemed somewhat ignorant of aluminum up until OB, in the early chapters of RoW Navani talks about using aluminum in the fabrials of her flying ship so they’re clearly aware of it by now. This makes me think that they would have recognized aluminum weapons if that’s what the fused were using. Any thoughts on what they might be? Edit: for clarity, I’m referring to the metals in the epigraphs of ch 17 and 18

Just something to add about Kaladin’s specific affinity to the wind. This strange ability seems to be growing stronger as he progresses. In Oathbringer, Kal is actually able to (somewhat) control the wind; he creates a pocket of calm wind in the highstorm when trying to help people get to safety before flying back to Urithiru. He also senses that he can do something similar when flying the team that’s meant to unlock the oathgate to Kholinar. Not sure if this is something specific to him individually or to the windrunners in general though.

I agree that they were originally just a normal race of people; in all likelihood they existed on Roshar before Odium came to the system. Maybe the quote from Jasnah's notes is discussing the first desolation that occurred where they suddenly became aggressive and violent. In that case it is still possible that they didn't inhabit Roshar during the time between desolations. I will admit this is probably a little bit of a stretch, but it does seem consistent with what we know.

Point to you, I'll definitely have to think about that more; however, on the flip side I-4 of WoR says: "The listeners had made a decision centuries ago, a decision that set them back to primitive levels." I think we can accurately say that this decision was to take on dullform or slaveform to free themselves of their gods and that it occurred at the end of the Aharietiam. That makes it sound like the transition only occurred once.

This is a theory I've been thinking about in regards to the desolation that we're about to see in the upcoming SA books and how it differs from the previous desolations that have occurred on Roshar in the past. At the end of WoR, Hoid and Jasnah have a conversation about the desolation and the everstorm. Hoid mentions that the everstorm is going to transform the parshmen into voidbringers, to which Jasnah replied that it didn't happen that way in the past. So I'm trying to speculate as to why that is. We, sort of, know that desolations occurred when the Heralds broke under the torture they were forced to endure in damnation and returned to Roshar. Here are the WoB where this is discussed: AhoyMatey Is a Desolation caused when a Herald breaks under torture? Brandon Sanderson This person is asking the right kinds of questions. and: Question What caused a Desolation to end? Was it just the defeat of Odium's forces? Because the Desolations start when the Heralds break under torture. Brandon Sanderson Because the Heralds can no longer be in existence. There is a certain period of time that they can be there, and after that, if they're there, they will start a new one. So the Heralds do need to leave for a Desolation to end. So something about the Heralds leaving "damnation" also allowed the voidbringers to come to Roshar (I won't open the can of worms of why or how but this seems pretty reasonable). So now that Taln has been broken and returned to Roshar, the Final Desolation has arrived. However, getting back to my point, it's different this time. My theory is that it's different this time because the parshmen are already inhabitants of Roshar. I think that in the past the voidbringers arrived on Roshar during the desolation, then were driven out by the Heralds and Knights Radiant. At the end of the supposed last desolation, the parshmen were subjugated rather then driven out of Roshar. So rather than the oathpact physically holding back the voidbringers, it had been preventing voidspren, as splinters of Odium, from crossing from the Cognitive realm into physical Roshar. When Taln broke and returned to Roshar, this block was removed, which I think is why the Stormfather tells Eshonai that he can't stop her transformation. So the Everstorm brings with it the voidspren and will transform parshmen where as previously the desolations occurred when the voidbringers themselves returned to Roshar. Sidenote: some question I would like to ask Brandon is whether parshmen or listeners inhabited Roshar between desolations and if Eshonai would have been able to bond to the stormspren before Taln arrived on Roshar.

I think this was also confirmed in a WoB, but I'm having trouble finding it right now

So you could possibly spike a Spren to gain surgebinding abilities but if you spiked the person with the Nahel bond the spren could just break the bond afterwards? That seems to kinda make sense

The essay in Arcanum Unbounded about Scadrial mentions that in all likelihood Hemalurgy is the form of Investiture on the planet that can likely have the most impact on the greater cosmere. This is obviously because Hemalurgy can be performed by anyone, but it made me start wondering whether it could steal abilities from non-Scadrian magic system. It seems to me that it should for abilities that are genetic in nature (despite that many major magic systems aren't).

I apologize as I know this is slightly unrelated but do you happen to have a link to this WoB. Would be interested in reading it if you can find it.

I read a WoB about how Vasher can stay alive much more easily on Roshar, presumably because he uses stormlight as a substitute for Breath, and I started wondering if Breath is something that only people on Nalthis are born. That seems to make sense considering that there aren't awakeners all over the different shardworlds; however, aside from the AonDor the forms of investiture we've seen aren't location dependent. Does this mean that awakening is location dependent in that you can only, for the most part, acquire Breath from people who are natives of Nalthis?

I don't necessarily agree that Szeth is the most honorable. I think that is commendable, after a fashion, that he has chosen to follow rules and laws placed upon him by others, but I don't think that makes him honorable. He followed those codes despite the fact that they were dishonorable; so Szeth appreciates justice above all else. However, I think that is distinct from honor. Syl says to Kaladin in WoR that what matters to someone that is honorable is doing whats right.

Oh yeah we totally can! You can separate isotopes what I meant is that there isn't an isotope that is considered more "pure" than another.

Thanks! gotta boomark it this time

Yeah that makes sense. Doesn't it kind of just become a matter of who cuts off the other persons head first then?