Hare_Mettle

I'm of the opinion that Stormlight's time skip (I've heard rumors of 10-15 years, still not sure if the exact amount has been pinned down) serves two functions in terms of literary composition: Character development and plot development. The first is pretty obvious, even if I don't look forward to this. As I've re-read the series three times now, I've come to enjoy RoW slightly more than OB. The sole exception being the ~year long time skip. I understand it was needed to tell the story BS wanted to with Bridge 4, Windrunner squires, etc. But it just wasn't for me and I often wonder if the symmetry of 10 books to the world's significance with 10 strong-armed BS into leaving out some stuff or skipping time as he did so he would hit the 5 and 5 = 10 mark. Doesn't matter, it's just an artistic choice I wasn't a fan of. The second function of the time skip is much more interesting to me. Roshar has been around for millennia. Wars were fought that lasted centuries. Time means nothing for Spren or Shard Vessels. This is a series about long, cultural and 'scientific' evolutions that culminated in the True Desolation...then something will happen in KoWT. Whatever this plot point/event is will have sort of conclusion, but then will continue with the later half. So here's my question: What sort of event or resolution could be entertaining enough, satisfying enough, logical enough and meaningful enough to END one story, then have NEW problems or events come about in Books 6-10? To me, there are only so many avenues/options where any sort of time skip is feasible...let alone one that can be upended only 10-15 years later. The most obvious is a new oath pact formed, some of our old heralds (or not) and some new characters are sent to Braize and after 10-15 years one of them breaks. (If it goes this way, my prediction is Adolin is made a herald who chooses to wield Maya instead of an Honorblade, thus being the first Herald without powers - something the originals HAD but didn't NEED as their original purpose was to guide humans and help them, something Adolin is damn good at.) After this idea though, I'm lost. Which means this won't happen because it's too obvious. But WHAT could be conclusive enough to end Part 1, but then cause problems enough to continue a series Part 2, 15 years later? If Odium wins, I imagine he'd be ITCHING to get after it and cause some Cosmere chaos. I don't see how anything could happen in a Universe extending War within that time period that would cause a new storyline on ROSHAR to begin. Other planets fighting Odium and FuseDalinar might have problems, but I can't Roshar. They were beat, subdued, conquered and are Odium's grasp now. If Dalinar wins, Odium is trapped. So I guess this all comes back to Todium seeing a mistake in Hoid's contract and exposing it. (damn) I just went in a circle and ended up at the obvious answer being one we know, but don;'t understand yet (the Sanderson Special his empire has been built on). Well anyway, I'm still going to post this and see if anyone can use these parameters to maybe get MORE specific with theories about WHY the time jump exists in terms of its function and how that will be explained? Rock on, Gons.

Alder - Thanks for the information and clarification on some of this stuff. I'd say this is the most outlandish part of my theory...so I get what you're saying. I was trying to connect the 10 Epoch Kingdoms, 10ish races on Roshar, 10 True Siren, with the idea of how people look and why. Is it possible (improvising as I type here), since I got the timelines wrong, that Spren were starting to become sentient and sapient to the point that they were becoming human ALREADY. by the time humans came? And by forming the Oathpact, it made an agreement where the humans could get back there powers from Braize, and Soren could eventually become physical formed humans again, by saying the Fifth Ideal? I only harp on this idea of bringing Sprens into the physical realms permenantly as humans because it was brought to our attention in RoW...and my logic is that if Ishar is trying to do it now....it has either been done before in a different way on purpose, or by accident. I didn't get Spren becoming human physical forms from the 5th Ideal from anywhere...it's just a theory I see in foreshadowing or gut feeling prediction. I know what the defined expectations are of Spren as we HEAR it stated to us now by fallible IN WORLD characters who don't know anything. The Everstorm came and blew the wrong way UNTIL it did. So it was either done in the past like that and forgotten, or done by a new interesting way now. THIS is what I'm talking about with the fifth ideal and its mechanics. It just don't seem like BS to me, to introduce these 5 ideals so early...and have it progress with similar stakes at each juncture. Good points...still unique compared to the others...so I think there will be a problem with either Sprens or Starlight usage in the traditional sense. Yeah, no. I'm not following this. For me it looks like you draw random connections with nothing or for something we know already. Shallan has DID - Dissociative Identity Disorder (Multiple Personality Disorder). She literally becomes someone else with the help of Lightweaving. That's what Vathah was talking about. This is the part I'm most passionate about. And I didn't quote all the passages I am connecting to this idea. And if you're not seeing the connection, Alder, it's just that you're reading the metaphor as if it's commenting on her DID. I'm reading these metaphors as commenting on her having once been a Spren. We know and HAVE known Shallan has DID, her Unseen Court knows about...there would be no reason for her to speak more literally to her team about the personas she has created. Heck, some of them even ask her if it works for her. And they ARENT talking about looking or appearing as someone else...they are talking about TURNING into someone else...which again, is NOT DID. You don't turn into someone else. If you're hung up on the DID part, and think it would be cheap for BS to take that aspect and agency of a great character and make it 'supernatural'. But this isn't the point I'm arguing. You'd be thinking about this all wrong. I'm saying once this transformation happened and Shallan was perceived so FULLY, or magically, or whatever...she is NOW a LITERAL human with human problems and conditions, etc. So she WAS a spren, BECAME a human, and then has DID to cope with what she sort of remembers... I'll try to find some more foreshadowing, allusions, evidence (in my pov) to support this. Another I know from the top of my head is in the FIRST Syl chapter we ever get, she talks about how Spren have TWO separate minds that they can't always control. One wants to go play and learn and ask questions...the other wants to hold oaths and be serious and help Kaladin. This sounds like an allusion to Radiant and Shallan to me. Thanks for the advice everyone and Ardent, you're a good person for challenging me on this. Thanks

Big theory about Unmade, Roshar Races, Spren and Shallan. Please, my weakest aspect of fandom is the knowledge released in WOBs. Help me and show me why I’m wrong. General Theory / Ideas: Based on the convolution and details regarding the surgebinding chart that Brandon has mentioned, plus the thematic relevance of numbers 9/10 on Roshar in regard to how Odium’s forces align with the others. And finally, culminating in a human/spren theory that informs my SHALLAN theory. Enjoy and let’s poke some holes. Part 1: Odium Unmakes True Spren · The First Desolation begins and the Oathpact is made to help humanity. · True Spren start forming bonds to make Knights Radiant · Seeing how effective this was for human forces, Odium takes action. The same way creating a Nahel Bond makes Spren more physical and human like, Unmaking them does the opposite…even distorting these Spren cultural/personal inclinations. · Now because this is happening on Roshar, there are natural effects and laws of the world that separates the new Unmade into categories (this relates back to the Surgebinding chart alluded to before. o There are a couple ways to divide the Unmade into categories (physical, cognitive, spiritual realms, etc.) But for this I made a 3X3 organizer with Odium, Cultivation and Honor on one side and Intelligent, Middling and Unintelligent on the top. Nine positions for nine Unmades. o Starting at the TOP position with Honor/Windrunners, then counting three for each group: Honor = Windrunners, Skybreakers, Dustbringers. Cultivation = Edgedancers, Lightweavers, Elsecallers. Odium = Lightspren, Peakspren, Mistspren. o Also, within each of these three groups, there should be ONE intelligent Unmade, ONE middling Unmade and one unintelligent Unmade. · Odium Unmade the 9 TRUE SPREN to create these Unmade: o Honorspren = Odium pulled an Honorspren into the physical world and they became Ba-ado Mishram. BAM was a leader for their side much like Windrunners. Also, people think BAM gave the singers forms to help Odiums forces, but if you look at it like BAM wanted to do it in spite of Odium…BAM kind of broke its oaths. This is the Intelligent Unmade for the first three positions. o Highspren = Odium pulled a Highspren into the physical world and they became Chemoarish. This Unmade has little known about them. I predict they will be a middling Unmade (not too smart or too primal). Skybreakers DO have the Surge of Division, so maybe Dustmother incorrectly became associated with the Dustbringers when in reality, it was connected to the Skybreakers. No idea how Highspren’s sense of law factors into Chemoarish yet. o Ashspren = Odium pulled a Ashspren into the physical realm and it became Re-shephir. Re-shephir is the Unintelligent Unmade for these three. Dustbringers are interested in breaking things apart to see them. As a result, Re-shephir was altered and now observes how things work rather than breaking them. This doesn’t count if humans kill, because she doesn’t see this as breaking, but imitating. o Cultivationspren = Odium pulled a Cultivationspren into the physical realm and it became Sja-anat. Sja-anat is the Intelligent Unmade for the next three spots on the Surgebinding chart. Cultivation spren are defined as fearful and trepidatious. Sja-anat became a daring Unmade who was brave enough to take secrets, pruning and planting secrets into the world to manipulate it as she tries to forge her own way in the world. o Cryptics = Odium pulled a Cryptic spren into the physical realm and it became Moelach. Moelach is the middle intelligence spren for these three on the chart. This is because he can observe and speak through dying people. Cryptics enjoy truths and lies, so Moelach gravitated towards future sight and relaying it as a FACT even if it wasn’t…thus confusing humanity. Also, Moelach is in the Cultivation region of the Surgebinding Chart, and Cultivation is deemed the most gifted at foresight. o Inkspren = Odium pulled an Inkspren into the physical world and it became Nergaoul. Inkspren are logical but when they were Unmade, they beame the Thrill…an illogical force of nature and the Unintelligent Unmade for this section of the Chart. (Also a little connection, but Inkspren can’t disappear in the physical realm, and The Thrill can’t disappear in the Cognitive realm.) o Lightspren = Odium pulled a Lightspren into the physical realm and it became Dai-gonarthis. (First, rhythms and sounds seem to be more natural to Roshar, thus Light investure may be more of Odium or humans, hence his section of the Chart and his most intelligent Unmade is Dai-gonarthis.) Lightspren seem to have the strongest connection to singers…they can go in gem hearts, hear rhythms and understand them, know how to subdue Voidspren. We don’t know much about Dai-gonarthis, but if it was the Unmade that scoured Aimia, Odium may be behind this to get at the Dawnshards or something else. The one note in COPPERMIND I saw is that Dai-gonarthis is classified as a mid-level Unmade, but I NEVER see that mentioned anywhere in text. And the reference COPPERMIND has doesn’t seem to imply that either in my opinion. o Peakspren = Odium pulled a Peakspren into the physical realm and it became Yelignar. We don’t know much about Peakspren other than they are described as Individualistic. This was corrupted when it became Unmade because now it can’t exist without another person to bond and use. Since Yelignar can communicate once inside someone, it is the Middle intelligence Spren for this section of the Chart. o Mistspren = Odium pulled a Mistspren into the physical realm and it became Ashertmarn. Ashertarn is a mindless Unmade focused on extreme emotion and passion because it is from Odium’s part of the Chart. Mistspren are open to enlightenment and truth, and as such were corrupted into being an Unmade who seeks no truth, only carnal pleasure. These ideas leave no room or explanation for BONDSMITHS. There is always something funky going on with them, and this is about Odium’s balance to the 9 surges of Roshar. Part 2: Ba-ado-Mishram’s Powerful Effects · The next part of this theory relies on one major tenant: we have NO idea the extent of BAM’s powers or the ramifications of what they did before their capture. · So following the timeline, Knights Radiant and Heralds are fighting and succeeding in Desolations until Odium pulls these Spren into the physical world, Unmakes them and now the Unmade are making it more difficult for humanity to catch up, Heralds break faster and humanity can’t recover. · The Heralds Abandon their oathpact. · One thing to note here, which will become important later, is that based on most visions we get from the past through Dalinar’s eyes, the peoples of Roshar at this point do not look as varied in their races and physical appearances as later in Rosharan history. · Ba-ado-mishram does SOMETHING that we know gives Listeners forms. o But what’s more important…is what happened to Spren. · Spren who were of the fourth ideal or lower became Deadeyes. · Spren of the FIFTH ideal were ripped from the cognitive realm and became humans. · Despite this, most orders of the Knights Radiant wanted to imprison or destroy BAM. · Fearing this would never allow the problem to fixed, Windrunners and Stonewards…two groups dedicated to protection and winning battles that seem unwinnable, they gave up their powers so as to protect their Spren from this happening again…since they wouldn’t be killing BAM. · Once the False Desolation was over and the Knights Radiant disbanded, a more modern version of society began to take place as Roshar drifted away from the Epoch Kingdoms and the Desolations. · The fifth ideal spren who became humans, spread across Roshar, mating with humans and creating the diverse races we now see on Roshar. o I’ve tried matching Spren descriptions with Racial descriptions on Roshar, allowing for some tweaking, but there are some interesting connections and theories…there are 9 True Spren and anywhere between 8-11 races on Roshar depending on how you break it down or look at it…also which history or historian you believe. (Including Sanderson here) · As a result of all this, any Spren who understood how Nahel bonding worked or what was going on in the physical realm either a.) became humans trapped in the physical realm, or B.) became a Deadeye who can’t communicate. This means the old, reluctant spren who stayed in the cognitive realm and didn’t want to bond became the only survivors (why Syl was special?). This gives them a biased and illogical recollection of these events. Part 3: So What’s this Mean? · So far this theory really focuses on World Building and history that puts certain things more into categories and profiles, rather than using it as a basis for a theory going forward. · Everything on my theory going forward hinges on what we DON’T KNOW about Ba-ado-mishram. · My prediction is that when BAM is released and does the thing that it does…along with the aid of an UNCHECKED Bondsmith (Ishar), she will transport the ENTIRE spren population into the physical realm…or rather combine them together…thus eliminating the Nahel bond as we know it in terms of using STORMLIGHT. · One theory I saw online that helped spark this idea was the fact that the 5 POV characters in the back half are characters with SPECIAL circumstances that will allow them powers WITHOUT a typical Nahel Bond. o Jasnah will use ADVANCED fabrial technology to perform her abilities. o Lift uses food to power her abilities. o Taln uses his Honorblade o Ash uses her Honorblade (but about this time in the series I see the connection being fixed in time for Ash to join ANOTHER Order, thus proving it can be done again) o Renarin uses Voidlight to access abilities. Part 4: One Last Tin-Foil Connection to SHALLAN/SPREN NOTE – I’m not going to refer to Veil, Radiant and Shallan in this part because the specific actions taken my each don’t affect this theory really. ALL Shallan’s refer to whatever Shallan is speaking at a particular part. · As I’m doing my re-read, the one major theory I’ve had for a few years now ALWAYS pops back into my head as more evidence appears. I’ve written about it before on here but have ALWAYS been refuted because of one specific WOB: o Shallan’s parents are really Shallan’s parents. · This is relevant because I’m almost POSITIVE we have seen someone on page who is or was a SPREN…only they don’t know it because they were pulled into the physical realm similar to Ishar has done and BAM has done if you believe this theory. · I think when Brandon mentions Shallan’s history in WOBs, he answers sometimes as in world interpretations. If Shallan’s parents THOUGHT or BELIEVED in her enough, or took the proper actions to BRING her into the physical realm, maybe they truly DO think of themselves as parents. · I don’t want to repost my ideas and evidence about Shallan being a spren become human…but some new ideas connecting this to her RoW journey popped up as I read. o This all comes specifically from chapter 26 in RoW (A Little Espionage) o Shallan starts the chapter not great, comes out and does OK, but by the end something really freaks her out bad and she retreats again. o When we first see Shallan, she is drawing and Cryptics are standing around her observing her. The same way someone sent on a spy quest is debriefed for intelligence by their commanding officers, they seem to be acquiring the knowledge of what Shallan has come to understand about people and humans. o Next, Shallan begins investigating Ishnah who got into something she didn’t understand or realize the extent of and is now over her head. § SHALLAN transforming into the Physical realm and not knowing it and being over her head. o Next Shallan goes to Beryl who says: “That I could walk away if I wanted to. Nothing was keeping me there. § Nothing is keeping Spren from doing this if they know how. SHALLAN is proof of this. o Next, Beryl says: the almighty’s greatest blessing to humans, the ability to change. Sometimes all we need is a seed. § SHALLAN changes from Spren to human (not sure about the seed) o Next, Vathah says: Figure if I learn to Lightweave well enough, Maybe I’ll turn into someone else…” § SHALLAN is a Lightweaver and she changed from Spren to human. o The NEXT LINE After that quote, Shallan thinks: That stabbed her straight through. § It’s because she sort of remembers this… o Finally, when Vathah says it again that he would like to be someone new…Shallan replies with this! “YOU CAN DO IT WITHOUT LIGHTWEAVING” § Because she knows she has done it…become someone new. A human from a spren. o At the end of the chapter, Veil specifically says that something Shallan thought in the last few pages was about to stir the truth and her memories… § But SHALLAN ties herself in a knot and shuts down. TL:DR: · Surgebinding Chart gives clues to how Odium took the 9 TRUE SPREN and Unmade them; using this as justification to attempt it, Ba-ado-mishram attempts this as well and screws up the world by bringing over bonded Spren and killing bonded Spren when she connected to Listeners. This led to different Races on Roshar and gives evidence to my theory that Shallan is really a Spren turned human and doesn’t know it. PS – I have another big piece I’m working on that says Szeth was also a Spren, maybe Nale’s, before he was brought into the physical realm as well. (fifth book based on Szeth would be the place to present this.) Let me know what you think.

My Shallan Theory Timeline with Explanations: (Real Shallan – as yet unseen but mentoned) Formless = chronologically first Shallan with no Spren - No Spren chose her - Her parents loved her Someone or some force convinced Shallan she needed a Spren - Mystery so far that we will find out from Formless - Maybe connection to Nale and the Skybreakers? She creates Forgotten Shallan (Think how we don’t know much about Shallan before she kills her mom – and then how different her family thinks she acts afterwards) Forgotten Shallan can now make bonds because of her new identity. Forgotten Shallan says 1st Ideal off Page = Bonds Testament Forgotten Shallan says Second Ideal (1st Truth) off page = Sword for Lightweavers and limited abilities in Soulcasting and Lightweaving Forgotten Shallan breaks the oath with Testament the night she kills her mom. Now Book Shallan is created and has memory problems. Book Shallan can now make bonds again because of her new identity. Because Book Shallan can’t recall Testament or her past oaths, she bonds Pattern by saying the 1st Ideal off page. Book Shallan: “I’m Terrified” - Second Ideal (1st Truth) to Pattern, giving her Blade and limited Soulcasting and Lightweaving abilities. Book Shallan breaks her oaths to Pattern not by just lying to Jasnah, but also by then coming completely clean to her afterwards and showing remorse for an honorable lie? Book Shallan now becomes the version of herself that will invent and develop Veil. This new personality says the First Ideal again off page, fixing the oaths with Testament who pretends to be Pattern (good lies!) and Shallan accepts it because of her denial and mental condition. Veil Shallan can pretend she is new and rebond Testament. Veil Shallan says: “I killed my father” the first Truth which brings Testament back through her 2nd Ideal and gives her Blade again which she uses to open the Gates and kill Tyn and use in the Chasms. Veil Shallan says second Truth: “I killed my mother” to rebonded Testament to reach her 3rd Ideal at the end of Words of Radiance. Veil Shallan does something that breaks her bond to Testament in the time between the end of WoR and the creation of Radiant. (Coming clean to Adolin?) Once Oathbringer begins, Radiant Shallan has said her 1st, 2nd and 3rd Ideals off page, allowing her the abilites with Blade and Surgebindng that she gets from rebonding Pattern again. This also accounts for her having Shardplate people think she has at the end of Oathbringer in the battle. With no new personalities and no new oath breaking, Shallan, Veil and Radiant, now all somewhat content with life and abilities…begin to remember Formless because they fear losing everything. So chronologically, Radiant Shallan was the last new personality and Testament was the last of her two Cryptics to ‘take the bullet’ for her so to speak. This means that Testament would be a deadeye in Shadesmar when they see it. And then when Radiant Shallan with Pattern says the last line: “ "I killed her," Shallan whispered. "I killed my spren. My wonderful, beautiful, kindly spren. I broke my oaths, and I killed her." She is really saying TWO Truths which puts her Rebond with Pattern up to the 5th Ideal by the end of WoR…one ahead of Kaladin. - Two Truths? Maybe…but which ones? - “I killed my Spren” if you can consider a deadeye a Spren. - “I killed her” could be someone we don’t know about yet - “I broke my oaths” seems like it could be its own, shameful Truth. NOTE: To really buy into this theory, you need to accept that BS is going to do something narratively funky with Shallan because of her conditions. This means a lot of things are happening off page…something he started to foreshadow in WoR with the locked box and all that. Let me know what you think. There might be a Veil/Radiant/Book Shallan typo here or there.

Not a lot to say on this - but spent some time looking for this theory and didn't see one anywhere. Has no one proposed the theory of Liss being Azure? Both characters are described similarly, both have unique swords, both are only seen around Kholinar. Hold knows her and helps her. Am I missing an obvious thing here that disproves this?

I have been doing some research and haven't found any theorizing on this topic yet; but, apologies if that's untrue. I loved the inclusion of Kaladin's Shardplate having the ability to leave him and go protect someone else. This made me think that each order's 4th ideal Living Shardplate may bring with it a unique ability. Here's what I'm imagining after a short brainstorm session: Windrunners: Protection = lesser spren leaving them to go protect others. Skybreakers: Justice = living plate allows them to recognize lies and contradictions to laws. Dustbringers: Self Mastery = this idea is based off Sanderson's description of the order from his website that explains they gain more destructive power as they progress because of how dangerous it is. This make me believe that they can only use their destructive abilities while in Shardplate. The living Shardplate allows them to destroy with great power, but maybe they also become susceptible to the destruction while in the suit. That way, they must be more careful with their abilities so they don't hurt themselves as well. This would require great self-mastery. Edgedancers: I am torn on this one. While Edgedancers are mostly associated with the idea of Remembrance, they are regarded and we see them as healers in the story. I believe their armor can fly off them similar to Windrunners, and heal someone they encase, not just protect them. This would leave the Edgedancer vulnerable as they try to save those who were forgotten and left to die. Truthwaters: Truth = while in armor, Truthwaters can read people's minds to gain the truth - as well as hear the voices and memories of the dead. This is a certain way to gain truth. Lightweavers: Self actualization = Once a Lightweaver knows themselves well enough, in their armor they can instantly appear as anything - does not require stormlight or a weaving. Shallan could imagine being invisible, and she would be. She would imagine herself as a rock and she would be. Elsecallers: Progress = the ability to progress from one world to another with ease. While in armor, Elsecallers exist in both the physical and cognitive realms simultaneously. They can see spren and humans/singers alike, converse with them, and commit fully to either at a mere thought without using stormlight. Willshapers: Freedom = Similar to Venli, Willshapers work towards freedom by communicating between beings. In fourth ideal plate, a Willshaper can converse with all of Roshar and any living creature. They have the ability to listen and negotiate or counsel with all beings. Stoneward: Teamwork = Stonewards have a living Shardplate that can mimic mimic their fighting styles. This allows the plate to remove itself from the Stonewards, then go fight somewhere else to help until the Stoneware can make it there themself. Bondsmith: Unite = Once inside a 4th ideal living plate armor, Bondsmiths can speak to and hear every knight who is in armor. He can also patch them into each other so communication is better. Some of these are iffy but I like the idea of each living armor plate doing something vastly different according the order.

Brandon has made it apparent that on Roshar, people think about objects long enough, those objects become sentient versions of how people view them. This is an idea introduced very early in the series. After another reread and applying Brandon's propensity to reverse expectations and change the seemingly finite rules we come to believe - I think it is possible for a Spren to perceive itself as a human to such a degree, that it manifests itself as a human. Essentially, Shallan IS Testament. First - Testament is an odd name for a Cryptic because the two primary definitions are: 1. a person's will, especially the part relating to personal property. "father's will and testament" 2. something that serves as a sign or evidence of a specified fact, event, or quality. Those do not seem like qualities related to Lightweavers or Cryptics. Instead, Testament wanted to prove they could do what humans do but in reverse. Testament willed itself to become a person: Shallan. Second - I believe Pattern when he said he was the Blade that helped kill Shallan's mother. If that is believed, I don't think Shallan ever uses a 'Testament Blade' because she cannot because she is Testament. Third - As Testament (a different Shallan we haven't seen yet, her true identity) kills her mom, this breaks the bond with Pattern. However, Testament's body in Shadesmar goes Deadeye and Shallan develops DID. Patter is for some reason, not turned into a Deadeye. Fourth - Shallan now, in a perverse use of her Deadeye existence between two realms, becomes different people. This is the physical realm counter affect to what happens to a Deadeye Spren in Shadesmar. I believe Brandon describes her changing in and out of personas similar to how some Spren like Syl (early Syl) become easily distracted and flit from one personality to another. 2 ADDITIONS: 1.) Ishar's experiments with bringing Spren into the physical world is his attempt at this idea. He doesn't realize that it was an actual choice Testament made to become real, not someone bringing Shallan from Shadesmar into the physical realm. 2.) The Girl Who Looked Up - There's no need to get into it too much because within this theory, TGWLU fits. The girl leaves her world of darkness and no or little color and goes into another world, and brings back trouble. Shallan is the girl, but it was a Spren. The wall is the barrier between realms. There are some other subtle hints that work well with this theory not only in her reciting of it in Urithiru, but by Wit in the Capital.

I'm assuming the final arc of the Cosmere story prime will be seen in the Stormlight series. I should've stated Kelsier will be bad? We hardly know enough to make the call now, and from what I've read seen from BS, he seems intrigued by making Kelsier a villain.

Going off BS's insertion of a 'hidden' ending somewhere in the first two books of Stormlight, I started a re-read with this as my focus. Once I finished WoK and WoR, I considered many selections, really tried to make a few fit, and ultimately settled on this from Dalinar's first chapter in WoK (12). Before I delve into this, I must state that I think BS's idea of a 'hidden ending' - in the case of Sazed's in Mistborn - is stretching it. Especially in the genre of high fantasy where terms like "bear the future of the world on his arms" are prolific both in prose and world building. So yes, my interpretation of this scene may seem like I'm grasping at vague symbolism. That's ok. After we find out what Sanderson's elusive hint that he planted to foreshadow the series' ending, I believe it will be a passage we never saw coming. (Myself included - but I like this one, so stay with me.) THEORY: WoK Selection Summary: Dalinar and Elhokar race up a rock formation in the shattered plains. Even though he is winning, Dalinar lets Elhokar win because he knows it will have a positive effect on his personality. Elhokar helps Dalinar up, and together they stand as equals atop the rock formation. Dalinar thinks he has seen this place before - and Sadeas arrives shortly after. Dalinar represents Dalinar. Elhokar represents Kelsier. Dalinar and Kelsier - polar opposites. Dalinar: a bad man turned good. Kelsier: a good man turned bad. By the end of the Cosmere, Dalinar and Kelsier will have both ascended. Not only ascended, but they will have combined ALL the shards into two obvious ideals - good and bad (or a thesaurused version of those basic words). As the Cosmere story comes to a finale - Good Shard Dalinar and Bad Shard Kelsier will be racing to an important location in the Cosmere (ideas: Spiritual Realm, Yolen's original location, ???) As they approach this location, Dalinar - realizing if either of them win outright, will doom existence - hangs back and lets Kelsier arrives first. Dalinar convinces God Kelsier to save the world and keep Good and Bad alive. Kelsier allows him to join him at whatever location they were racing towards...and together they share a view of their saved universe. Dalinar recognizes it as a place he's seen before. And even Sadeas riding up is meant to be Hoid, arriving late to witness the event he helped set up and manipulate (Sadeas is described as not a FULL shard bearer - he had plate, not sword: or in terms of Hoid...God like abilities that protect him like PLATE but not creative and destructive God powers like a SWORD.) That's it...and yes. It is quite thin.