Cusicesh

(This post is with regards to The Stormlight Archives, but given the potential scope of the topic allowing for spoilers of other Cosmere works I've posted it here. I hope that is kosher with the moderation team.) In The Way of Kings, a letter from Wit to Frost is given in the epigraphs, drawing attention to the immense danger that Odium poses to the Cosmere at large. In it, Wit reveals that Odium led to the Splintering of two fellow Shards; Dominion and Devotion. It is clear that Wit fears the unravelling of the Oathpact, and the epigraphs in Oathbringer show that he has also written to various Shards in the hopes of gaining their support. Further, we learn in Rhythm of War that Odium's plan for Roshar is to train a civilisation to be perfectly adapted for warfare before marching them on the cosmere at large. Given that the epigraphs of four books in the series so far has been designated towards Wit consulting outside forces to assist in Roshar, and given that we are 4 books into a 10 book series where the main villain has declared their intention on attacking other worlds, I think it is a safe assumption to make that at some stage we will see an interaction in The Stormlight Archives between the main cast and other Shards, either A.) as Odium invades other worlds, or B.) as other Shards decide to take up Wit's call to action. This thread is to discuss the potential candidates and their likelihood to feature in The Stormlight Archives. Splintered Shards Of the sixteen Shards, there are four known to have been Splintered and rendered, for all intents and purposes, deceased: Honour, Devotion, Dominion and Ambition. Whilst splinters of these Shards are present in Stormlight, (the spren of Honour and the seons of Devotion,) these do not constitute full Shards and can be safely dismissed. There is a slight potential that Honour's Splintering was not as straight-forward as the destruction of these other Shards, as it is clear that the Shard put contingency plans in place before he deceased. So there is a very unlikely, but not zero percent, chance that Honour may reappear in the series at a later date. Rhythm of War Shards I am grouping these four together for simplicity; the four Shards that we were introduced to within Rhythm of War whose identities were previously unknown. Invention, Whimsy, Mercy and Valour. Harmony notes that he was unable to locate Invention following their initial contact, though whether this is due to Invention choosing to remain hidden or a practical reality of a Shard that is not bound to a singular planet travelling across the cosmere is unclear. It is my current interpretation that, as Shards are likely capable of communicating through the Spiritual Realm, Invention is choosing not to be contacted and can be discarded as an option. Harmony notes that Whimsy is unlikely to be of assistance, so can also be discounted. Valour is the most likely of these four, as Harmony says of her: "I do think that Valour is reasonable, and suggest you approach her again. It has been too long, in her estimation, since your last conversation." This is, outside of Harmony responding to Wit's letter in a helpful manner, the closest to an endorsement that Wit has received. I also note that Honour and Valour seem thematically very similar concepts, though clearly their Intents must be quite distinct for Brandon to choose to separate the two ideas. That being the case, the best manner in which to showcase the difference between the two would be to have Valour appear in a series that has so-far heavily focused on Honour. It is also an Intent that, judging by name alone, sounds most likely to want to intervene when it comes to Odium's machinations. Mercy is not to be discounted too quickly. Harmony notes, "Mercy worries me," and that, "Ambition, Mercy and Odium clashed - and Ambition was destroyed." There are many things that could be read into this, though the likeliest interpretation is that the actions of Mercy in some fashion aided the goals of Odium. This is not a Shard that Wit would want to approach, and I do not believe it as likely that Mercy will feature in The Stormlight Archives. However, there is the slight potential that Mercy could become aware of events transpiring on Roshar, and be inspired to take action of their own free will. Of the four RoW shards, I believe Mercy is the second most likely to be involved in SA, after Valour. Harmony Knocking off two Shards with one Vessel is Harmony, the combined powers of Ruin and Preservation. Harmony is the most receptive of all of the beings Wit has written to. Harmony recognises the risk of Odium and agrees with Wit that the other Shards should intervene before the problem escapes the Rosharan system. Harmony notes that he is searching for, "the ideal person to act on my behalf. [...] A sword, you might say," though whether such a champion is intended to represent Harmony's will outside of Scadrial or simply within it is unclear. The sense I get is that Harmony may send some limited assistance to Roshar, but will ultimately be more connected to Scadrial and will not 'step foot' on Roshar, especially as Harmony is concerned that other Shards are encroaching on his own world. There is definitely a great potential that Harmony represents the potential for all sixteen Shards to be reunited once again, and that this will be very threatening to Odium who may choose to target Harmony above all others should he escape the Rosharan system. There is also the fact that the leader of the Ghostbloods, Thaidakar, has a personal history with Harmony and is looking to transfer Investiture across the cosmere to various Shardworlds, and is shaping up to be a long-term threat within the Stormlight Archive. Given all of these factors put together, I put it at a high probability that Harmony becomes involved in some fashion with the events of Stormlight Archive. Autonomy Autonomy is not one to risk themselves - but they are one to involve themselves in the matters of others. Autonomy - or an Avatar of Autonomy at least - was dismissive of Wit's letter and even praised the initiative of Odium. That said, Autonomy notes that, "Perhaps if you had approached the correct one of us with your plea, it would have found favourable audience." This leads open the possibility that there is an Avatar of Autonomy that would be willing to listen to Wit's overtures. Further, Autonomy says, "If you wish more, seek these waters in person and overcome the tests we have created. Only in this will you earn our respect." So once more leaving the doors open for a change of view. Further, (or perhaps however,) Brandon was asked at Jordancon 2018 whether the Ghostbloods were affiliated with Autonomy and responded: ""Affiliated with" is very wiggle-room-ish. And so I'll go ahead and give you a RAFO on that one, even though I can totally wiggle on this one. I'm just gonna say "RAFO"; I'm gonna do the ultimate wiggle. There have been dealings." Given the coy nature of Brandon, I would not put it past him that the implication here is that an Avatar of Autonomy is in some fashion working alongside the Ghostbloods or have similar aims. Though that would suggest that Autonomy will be involved with SA due to a relationship with the Ghostbloods, given the Ghostbloods are acting as a third-party in this conflict on Roshar it may be that Autonomy will similar keep a distance from the conflict. I think there is a moderate chance that an Avatar of Autonomy appears in The Stormlight Archive, but that Autonomy herself will not make an active contribution to the plot. Endowment Endowment is the first Shard that Wit gains a response from and it is not a positive one. Endowment shows little concern for the Splintering of any of the Shards, noting that the Shards were meant to stay apart from one another. However, there is a slight glimmer of hope as Endowment's letter ends: "If Rayse becomes an issue, he will be dealt with. And so will you." This leaves open the possibility that Endowment may be encouraged to become involved in the conflicts, should Odium escape the confines of the Oathpact. Harmony writes in his letter that, "Endowment at least responded to my overtures," which again is suggestive that Endowment has the potential to be reasoned with. There is also a large crossover between Nalthis, the Shardworld that Endowment inhabits, and Roshar, in terms of characters. Nightblood, Vasher and Vivenna are all currently on Roshar, three of the main characters of Warbreaker. Brandon has noted that Nightblood's creation was based off of Shardblades, and that Warbreaker's intended sequel might not go ahead. There is every potential that this sequel is being folded in with The Stormlight Archive, as Vivenna is established as looking for Vasher whilst Nightblood has been used to slay Rayse and is in the hands of Szeth. With the amount of crossover between the characters, I find it compelling that Endowment may become involved in Stormlight Archives later on, purely from a meta standpoint. The Missing Two Naturally we do not know what these are, but I think it is safe to say that neither will make an appearance in the Stormlight Archives. The putting forward of the RoW Shards, to me, suggested that Brandon had decided names for these Shards and knew that they were unlikely to get their own dedicated novels as he prioritises what books he will be writing over the next few decades and so was happy to drop them in. That two of these names have been held back makes me feel that Brandon still intends for these to be important to some future novel, and for that to be the case it seems likely to me that they will not have a strong overlap with the Stormlight Archives. Cultivation Naturally, Cultivation is on Roshar. Cultivation will appear. Has appeared already. I simply finish on Cultivation to note this - we have been told Odium is dangerous to the cosmere at large, but we have not yet been shown it. We have not had revealed to us the full destructive potential of a Shard of hatred. And Cultivation is currently mentoring Taravangian in understanding the scope of his powers - and to her own detriment, I believe. I think, from a narrative standpoint, it makes sense that Odium will succeed in Splintering Cultivation, which will lead to the rolling in of wider cosmere-aware individuals. I suspect this will happen within the next two books, and with Odium being the sole Shard left on Roshar will leave the door open for new Shards to take the focus in these stories. Conclusion My first conclusion: I need a copy editor. Apologies for the long ramble. My second conclusion: I feel that it is essentially guaranteed that we will get more Harmony in some form in SA, but that in terms of "on screen" appearances of intimate Shard interactions and not simply sending the occasional mistborn helper, that the Shard of Valour is the most likely to become central to the Stormlight Archives. I also suspect that Endowment may also end up being deeply involved, though for rather complex reasons. Outside of that, my sense is that the other Shards will not be participants in the greater war for the Rosharan system - and the expanded war on the greater cosmere that Odium will no doubt unleash in the back five of these books. Thank you for your patience in reading this and I would be grateful to hear your thoughts.