Tower

I don’t really think it’s that hot of a take. It’s not really a foil thing either, it’s more a tragedy between two “brothers” if you will. It just would end so much more interesting to have some lingering questions about Moash, like was it the right choice to not save him, was he actually redeemed, etc. We all know Sando likes to play with tropes and this would be a much bigger surprise than just about any other outcome. Not to mention a questionable redemption is just more dramatic, people will argue (in and out of the book) about what redemption means, if it was earned, and those answers will be based on perception - it’s a lot of narrative fodder for an author.

Moash is getting a redemption. I’m not sure how this will play out, but it is going to end with Kaladin having to choose between saving Moash or saving someone (or more likely, everyone else). Moash will have earned his redemption, but he will still die because Kaladin can’t honorably save him over everyone (or someone) else. I don’t have any specific clues pointing to this except for Moash and Kaladin’s arc doesn’t really have any other stakes being Moash can now kill spren going into SLA5, so it has to be an emotional climax and SLA5 is set up to be about consequences for just about every character. I don’t really think the “save yourself, I’ll hold them back” or the “you are too far gone to be saved” endings would fit well to drive home a story about consequences since they would be a little too bland following 100,000+ more words of story development. It seems more fitting to end with Kaladin having conflicting choices of honor: the honor in saving a friend vs the honor in saving the world. Anyways, that’s just me shooting from the hip. I just can’t shake the feeling that the book is going to have endings for the Sanderlanche that pit characters in conflict with their choices and it is more emotionally compelling that Moash will be redeemed, but not saved.

I'm not arguing that killing Sadeas was morally wrong, or even necessarily needs to be interpreted that was. It is his frame of mind that is what I'm zeroing in on, he lost control. The theory is more that Adolin is very susceptible to being manipulated due to his hotheadedness and his current motivations (restoring Maya and the strain on his relationship with Dalinar) and he will lose control again. The way I see it going is more Adolin starts getting some clues that releasing Ba-Ado-Mishram is the key to restoring Maya and Dalinar is stopping him from acting on that information. There's already a rift in that relationship and it could reach a fever pitch because I don't see a way Adolin would be swayed out of restoring Maya and getting in his way really setting him off. Think of it more of Adolin feeling as if he is the one being betrayed when he ultimately makes the decision.

It makes sense narratively too. We’ve seen Adolin angry to the point where he is described as “irrevocably angry” and we haven’t really seen the fallout from Adolin killing Sadeas or Adolin learning about how Dalinar killed Evi. There are some WoBs that say these points are going to be addressed. Those hanging threads can also be catalyzed with my points about Ba-Ado-Mishram. Adolin gets fed some information that leads him to believe that releasing her will restore Maya, being hotheaded he goes after BAMs release and is ultimately put to a point where Dalinar is the one standing in his way. They already have a strained relationship, it just needs to hit a point to get Adolin to be “irrevocably angry” again and I wouldn’t think Taravodium is incapable of that level of craftiness.

It's not really supposed to be a mystery about the spike, but the real question is the body. Is it his or someone or something else. We probably aren't going to get a whole lot of that in The Lost Metal, it's more likely to be era 3 or 4 before our friend is really in the spotlight again.

It's an interesting thought, but the way Syl reacted to just Odium's name doesn't make this seem likely.

Here is how I think the contest will play out: Dalinar will beat Odium’s champion, as in he will incapacitate them to the point where they could not possibly kill him. Dalinar will then refuse to kill the champion saying that it is clear that he won so killing isn’t necessary. Odium will say that Dalinar must kill the champion in order to win the contest and if he refuses he is breaking the terms that were set. Dalinar accepts that he is breaking the terms fulfilling the “choice of honor is life” death rattle. I do not like the Gavinor champion theory, I would rather see him in the back 5 as a main. But this theory kind of informed the one I posted: who could be a champion that Dalinar would refuse to kill? Adolin stuck out because there are little hints that support it, along with how it would effect other characters. Adolin being the champion for Odium has the greatest narrative impact in my opinion.

I doubt Adolin could, he’s still the highprince of the Kholins and he just doesn’t come across as being the type of person that would leave the True Desolation entirely. I’m not saying Wit is leaving permanently, or Shallan for that matter, but he is in Mistborn Era 2 which is *conveniently* right in between SA5 and 6. Also, Era 3 is going to be written between SA5 and 6, so any potential worldhopping would still have to happen in 5.

We will see, but we know a showdown between her and Mraize is bound to happen in SA5. We also know that certain worldhopper (who isn’t a Thaidakar fan) is going off world after SA5, and that worldhopper has a history with Shallan and a close relationship her mentor (who is also at war with the Ghostbloods). So all I’m saying is this: the pieces are there, and one piece would stop her unless my prediction is accurate.

The last we saw of Shallan, she declared war on the Ghostbloods. It isn’t much of a stretch to think picking a fight with an interplanetary organization will lead to them fighting that organization on more than one planet.

That death rattle is one that I’m co-opting for my theory, but I interpret it as being about Adolin from Dalinar’s prospective. Adolin is the only character so far that we’ve seen at an age where they would be breastfeeding (apart from Oroden) during Dalinar’s flashback in Oathbringer. “Holding a knife to a suckling child’s throat” fits really well with Dalinar beating Adolin in the contest of champions but refusing to kill him because it is his son, there’s always going to be part of him that sees him as that baby.

My theory is that Dalinar will beat, but ultimately refuse to kill Adolin. Taravangian, being clever enough to exploit the minutia of that phrase, would say Dalinar is not fulfilling the terms. My assumption is that the possibilities Taravangian saw that Rayse didn't was crafting a way to get Dalinar to break the terms of the agreement.

Yes they do. "The final terms are these: A contest of champions to the death" and unless I'm mistaken Dalinar plans to be his own champion. Meaning he would have to kill Odium's champion.

It might be unconfirmed, but clues still point to it heavily, RoW ch 115 really sets it up. Taravangian doesn't control the agreement, but the agreement is a contest of champions to the death, it's the first sentence of the final terms. There is specific mention that if Dalinar breaks the terms of the deal, Odium is released.

Shallan is going to be a worldhopper, heavily alluded to with her arc in RoW. The terms of the contest are a fight to the death. Dalinar refusing to kill Adolin after beating him would technically break the terms, and we've already seen that Taravangian will exploit technicalities in the rules he's bound to.

I’m leaning on Adolin being pushed primarily because once it’s on his radar that BAM’s imprisonment is part of what caused Maya to become a deadeye, he’s going to pursue it out of a desire to bring Maya back. That motivation would be extremely easy for Odium to manipulate.

Ok I am kind of shooting from the hip but these are my Contest of Champions predictions (again spoilers in case I’m right and ruin SA5): 1. Adolin will be Odium’s champion. Reread the scene of him killing Sadeas and tell me he can’t be swayed to Odium with the right push, quickly. Plus, Shallan is going to be a worldhopper and that moves forward a lot easier without her husband. 2. Ba-Ado-Mishram is going to be a factor in Adolin becoming Odium’s champion, maybe some cleverly selective info from Taravodium to manipulate his desire to restore Maya. I’m not sure on this but the info we have so far aligns BAM’s imprisonment with Maya’s potential restoration, and that would be very interesting to look at from Adolin’s prespective and anyone who knows about Maya (and who knows how many beings will have heard about the trial). 3. Dalinar will beat, but refuse to kill, Adolin and ultimately break the terms of the contest of champions and end up releasing Odium from the Rosharan system. We know there’s a greater war shaping up and Odium leaving Roshar works better in SA5 than SA10. Also, we have mention of men in gold and red outside of Roshar and Brandon has said those colors are the motif of Odium. It’s also something where we could see Dalinar questioning if some oaths are/should be more important than others. 4. Adolin is going to be removed from the main cast. I like the idea of him becoming a Fused more because of the ramifications that would have on the rest of the cast, particularly Shallan and Renarin (Shallan of course becoming a worldhopper, but Renarin in terms of defining corruption versus enlightenment). 5. BAM’s imprisonment might have been damaging to Roshar, but her release will set her up to be a (maybe inadvertent) big bad in the back 5. I don’t know, I’m just getting some previous cosmere book vibes and a greater war needs a drill sergeant on a certain Shard’s designated training ground. I’m probably wrong, but this makes the most sense to me with the info available. There’s plenty of clues, but Adolin’s corruption also serves foreshadowing for other characters too.

Hello! I DEVOURED the Mistborn era 1 about a year ago and jumped right into Stormlight. I’m currently on Bands of Mourning then moving to Elantris and Warbreaker. Looking forward to theorizing on SA 5, The Lost Metal, and future Cosmere with you all!