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The idea that the 16 Shards can be categorized in groups of 4 (a la Mistborn metals) is not a new one, and I think Dawnshard is going to further support that theory. The mural that seems to depict The Shattering of Adonalsium and imbues Rysn with her Command is described as having 16 "mostly symmetrical pieces" grouped into fours. So let's make groups of 4! I'm sure there's going to be tons of different theories on how the Shards are organized. Even when trying to find commonalities between all the Shards, there's bound to be people who see different patterns than others. Let's start with what we know, or at least what we think we know... About the Dawnshards in general: The Dawnshards are "the four primal Commands that created all things" The Dawnshards were used to undo Adonalsium itself Both a Command and Intent are required to use "the most powerful forms of Surgebinding [Magic]" that ordinarily "transcends traditional mortal understanding." These are demands "on a level no person could ever manage alone" -- a single person would not be able to handle wielding this combined power. So the Dawnshards predate the Shattering of Adonalsium and thus cannot have been created by the Shattering. They were used to create all things -- the power of creation, potentially wielded by Adoalsium, who is a deity. The people (Dragon, Human, mortal or immortal, but otherwise just people, not deities) who Shattered Adonalsium would have been incapable of using a Command on their own, even with the proper Intent. -- Could they have been required to work in groups of four? I think perhaps four people with similar Intents likely were needed to use each Command, and then the four Commands must have been used together to kill God. Four groups of four, with each person having a specific Intent that somewhat related to the Command they were helping to wield. And what do we know about the Commands specifically: Rysn's Command seems to have a theme, which is Change. "Accept it. Know it. CHANGE." "It was then that she grasped, in the smallest way, the nature of the Command inside her. The will of a god to remake things, to demand they be better. The power to change." Rysn seems to be able to appreciate colors and tastes much more clearly after being imbued with the Command, which is similar to the effects of investiture created by Endowment (Breaths, Nalthis) "Storms. Was it her, or did this tea taste extra good? She inspected it, then glanced at the sunlight pouring through the porthole. Was it . . . brighter than usual? Why did the colors in her room look so exceptionally vivid all of a sudden?" Rysn also appreciates the musicality in Drlwan's voice -- is this another effect similar to that of a Heightening? Or is Rysn potentially hearing the Rhythms of Roshar? "Strange, how she saw the contrast of shadows much more starkly now. And . . . why did Drlwan’s voice sound more musical?" The Command agrees(?) with Rysn's decision to let Cord keep her Shardplate out of tradition. Because it's the honorable thing to do? Because it's a gift that Rysn has endowed to Cord? Tradition, doing something because it has been done before, actually seems to be somewhat in opposition to the theme of "Change," so I feel this is important to explore. "'Cord discovered it,' Rysn said. 'It’s traditional to let the one who first claims a Shard keep it.' The Command pulsed with warmth as she said that." So based on this information, I feel pretty sure that we can at least begin to categorize the Shards. Everything that follows here is just my best guess at a grouping. CHANGE -- "The will of a god to remake things, to demand they be better. The power to change." Endowment -- Must be, based on the changes Rysn is experiencing. Even though I personally feel like it's a stretch to put this here. Advancement? The addition of things, or gaining of new things, to improve or grow? Cultivation -- Growth, personal improvement, etc. Could be the source of Rysn beginning to hear the Rhythms. Definitely belongs in this category. Ruin -- Entropy, decay, mortality. Definitely belongs in this category. ? SURVIVE -- The will of a god to create enduring life, that extends itself into infinity even beyond it's own death. The power to survive. Preservation -- Stability, safety, unchanging. Definitely belongs in this category, and really the basis for why I think "SURVIVE" or "LIVE" must be a command -- because Kelsier certainly hears the Command to SURVIVE in Mistborn, and it is not coming from Leras. Autonomy -- Self-reliance, individualism, independence. The ability to survive while depending on only yourself. Definitely belongs in this category. The unknown shard "who just wants to hide and survive." -- Obviously belongs in this category even though we don't know what the true intent is. ? UNITE -- The will of a god to bind things, to conncet people with eachother and with the land and life around them. The power to unite. Honor -- Oaths, connecting people to eachother, binding them to their words and traditions. Obviously belongs in this category, and the basis for why I think "UNITE" or "CONNECT" must be a command -- because Dalinar certainly hears the Command to UNITE all throughout SA, and it is not the Stormfather, nor is it Tanavast. Dominion -- Connecting people to the land, and to eachother with political power and territory. This one may be a stretch, but it's my best guess. I think it probably belongs in this category. ? ? CARE -- The will of a god to create meaning and purpose, to demand that life exists for a reason. The power to care. Odium -- Pasion, love, hatred, emotion, motivation (though "Motivation" would be a great Shard name on its own). Definitely belongs in this category. Devotion -- Purpose, worship, crusades/quests. This one is also a stretch; honestly I have the hardest time with the Selish Shards because their Intents are confusing to me. But I believe this one belongs here. You devote yourself to a mission or a purpose in life, whatever that may be.. Ambition -- Personal goals, enthusiasm, striving to achieve. If devotion belongs here then Ambition certainly does as well. ? If Wisdom is the Shard that just wants to "hide and survive" then it belongs under the SURVIVE Command. But if Wisdom is a completely different shard, then I would want to probably put it under the CHANGE command, because knowledge changes you. Actually... now that I think about it, I think there may be two Shards here. "Wisdom" is a thing that you have whereas "Knowledge" is something that you gain with time and experience and experimentation. I wouldn't be surprised to discover that "Wisdom" is the shard that wants to survive and hide, and keep its secrets, and just study the world as it is without affecting the outcome, and that there is another shard along the lines of "Knowledge" or "Discovery" that is about change through experiences. Anyway, just had to write down my own thoughts. I'm really interested to see how other people categorize the shards. And I'm also interested in thoughts on my categorizations and would love for people to poke holes in it or improve it or change it around so it fits better. What do you guys think?

The magic system on Nalthis involves manipulating investiture using commands. A single command using a massive amount of investiture was used to create Nightblood. Is Edgil attempting to use Returned in order to create new Dawnshards, or new manifestations of Dawnshards?

I know Rhythm of War just came out and there’s a deluge of material for the Shardcast. I wish, SO MUCH, they there’d been more time between Dawnshard and RoW because I feel like DS has kind of been forgotten. I would love to see a Shardcast episode dedicated to the representation of Disabilities in the Cosmere. I realize this would be a ways down the list... but it would make me so happy.

I've pulled together a list of lingering thoughts from others and myself. Some of these already have solid theories, some I haven't seen given much attention. 1. Is Mraize sleepless? Or are the scars a tribute to Kelsier? Or is it just random 2. Heralds are briefly sane when someone speaks an ideal. Because of the connection to spiritual? 3. So the everstorm came and Taln still hadn’t broken? Badass. The existence of that bond could give a seed to Dalinar, like what Ishar was trying to swype? 4. Why do singers talk without rhythms sometimes (not just El)? Why is Rlain kinda different there, picking up and using rhythms differently in the flashbacks? 5. Wait Ash is the head of lightweavers, why is she “leading” the dustbringer book? 6. “Honor still lives in the hearts of men.” Is this a deeper comment than it seems? Certainly shook the honor spren. 7. Is Sixteen maybe Szeth’s father? Seems more invested though, if he doesn’t need to eat or bathe. More like a returned. 8. T sees a hole in the contract. What is it? Maybe hearkens back to Rayse referencing what would happen if Dalinar breaks the contract? (a) Early-on death rattle: "I hold the suckling child in my hands, a knife at his throat, and know that all who live wish me to let the blade slip. Spill its blood upon the ground, over my hands, and with it gain us further breath to draw." Any chance Todium chooses a baby as his champion? (b) Epilogue: "After all this, Odium would be safely imprisoned, no matter what happened. There was no way out.… Unless … Wit’s breath caught, but then he forced himself to keep whistling and walking." What did he realize? Does changing vessels do something? Unlikely Wit would have *just realized* something unless it had to do with changing vessels. If it was just about forcing Dalinar to resign, Wit would have thought of that already. 9. Who the hell was that merchant who had the flute and the toy horse. 10. The Wit bubble for the dog and dragon story: maybe burning copper or bendalloy, both? 11. Was Ashyn actually a human failing? Were they fighting odium? Was the recreance evil? Right? I have to believe there is more than what we’ve been told on these topics. After the trial: Adolin: "Why Maya? Why were you willing to do it?" Maya: "To save...save..." A: "To save us from something worse." Adolin assumes this is what she means, but it's not confirmed. Maybe another secret? The recreance can't be as cut and dry as stated. 12. BAM obviously gonna be important. She was big on Connection. Maybe part of the reason there were no dead eyes before she was bound? Any parallels with the Elantrians/hoed? Trying to be connected, but something broke it? 13. Lezian returned “the old way” via odium, i.e. without the everstorm. Is there anything more to be learned from this? Interplanetary travel is no joke. 14. Was Wit's story about misdirection relevant to what Todium does to him? Are one of the two of them misdirecting us? 15. Why are safehands safe? I don't think we have a reason, and Brandon always has reasons. 16. Will SA expand beyond Roshar for the second arc? Honestly feels like the singer conflict could be resolved. Odium is ostensibly bound but… 17. Wit/Jasnah conversation: Don’t have to win, just make sure you don’t lose. I.e. the battle of champions might be a tie. 18. If we have books focusing on Taln and Ash, can we assume that their cognitive impairments will be healed? How will Roshar be different if that were true? Is it is simple as memory storage (Wit/Kelek) or is it about radiant oaths (Ishar)? 19. Which pages of the diagram did T edit and keep with him, and show Odium when they talked? Does it matter? 20. Does the Kharbranth deal matter anymore? 21. T says the Diagram can't see Renarin? T knew that before Odium showed the blackened regions of his future-sight. So T's brilliant day and later interpretation must have actual future-sight embedded, if they're thrown off by Renarin's actions. 22. Dalinar recognizes the bondsmith honor blade. From what? Szeth's father? Or a vision? 23. Dalinar feels a warmth that the stormfather doesn't feel before Uniting Kaladin with the Tien vision. Dawnshard? Definitely not the first time we’ve seen this occur for Dalinar, and it jibes with Rysn’s experience.

In pondering the Unmade and hunting through these forums, I ran across a really interesting theory about Ba-Ado-Mishram, and how she may have held the Dawnshard, or a Dawnshard, and that’s what allowed her to connect with the singers at a level she hadn’t before. There was also mention that maybe this inspired Dai-Gonarthis to head to Aimia to try to take the Dawnshard there for himself. This got me thinking: Did Dai-Gonarthis succeed in making contact with the Dawnshard? And did it Change him? Maybe into Cusicesh? I’m not the first to make this leap, but I think what we’ve learned about the location and nature of the Dawnshard make this much more plausible now. Edit: topic of inspiration:

Throughout almost all books about disabled people written by abled authors, I've never seen a portrayal of the disability community. They'll write about the *struggle* or the depression or the isolation and they even sometimes write about moving on and finding the happiness in life, but something abled people never seem to think about or understand is the absolute joy and solidarity found in talking to other disabled people. Before I read the acknowledgements, I could tell with absolute certainty Brandon had worked with actual disabled people (not just able-bodied "experts" or those with disabled family members). When I read this part, I laughed out loud from happiness. Disabled people coming together and creating a community is a detail that seems obvious when you hear about it, but able-bodied people hardly ever consider it. This stems partly from how disabled people are treated in real life. Historically, disabled people who need primary caregivers are purposefully isolated from other disabled people. This goes double for disabled children in schools. Now, there are more and more special education classes where disabled kids interact with one another, but there is also a disconnect between SpEd kids and mainstreamed disabled kids fostered by both SpEd and mainstream teachers. Similarly to how the ardents considered it a bad idea to have mentally ill patients interact with each other, caregivers and experts throughout history have separated disabled people (by forbidding them to play with each other as kids, discouraging support groups, and drawing arbitrary lines between "real" or "tragic" disabled people and "basically normal" disabled people). THIS! There is something about struggling alone your whole life, thinking that you're always going to be a disabled person struggling in an abled world, and then finding a community full of people just like you. Finding out that there is a disabled world, and that you truly belong somewhere for the first time. There is a space for everyone, and you will find someone who is just like you. People of all backgrounds and beliefs are a part of the community, as anyone can become disabled at any point in their life and personal development. It seems obvious, but there is something profound about realizing that you don't have to do things the abled way. You don't have to dress yourself typically, you don't have to tie your shoes if you have velcro, you don't have to put all your clothes in drawers, you don't have to drink from cups, and so many more other little things everyone takes for granted. Also, the point about how disabled people are invisible is a detail that I love. How often do abled people on earth think about disabled people and how small things pertain to us? How often do they think about the possibility of a disabled person interacting with their world? If you don't use a wheelchair, think about what it would take for a wheelchair user to visit your house/apartment for a week. Do you have front steps? Is there a slight drop-off at your front door? Do you have thick rugs or deep carpet? How high are your kitchen and bathroom counters? Do you have a top-loading washing machine or dryer? How wide are your bathroom doorways? Of course, none of these things makes you a bad person or prohibits disabled people from becoming friends with you or visiting. I just think it's interesting and important for abled people to think about how much the world around us is only designed for abled people. It's also good to think about what kinds of adaptive devices and changes to the environment it would take to accommodate someone who is not completely able-bodied. Rysn probably never really thought about disabled people before she became disabled herself. She's really had such a compelling character arc through these books, and with so little screen time. I personally disliked her when I read her first interlude, but she has grown and changed in a way that had me cheering for her even before reading these parts of Dawnshard. I can't wait to see where she goes from here, not even considering that fact that she is (has?) a freaking Dawnshard. (sorry this is so long lol)

So, after picking the pieces of my brain up off the floor following the Toadium event in RoW, I formulated a theory on how Odium might eventually be dealt with. Odium has been described as being particularly dangerous, and one of the epigraphs in RoW indicates that this is due to the Intent of the Shard itself, not just the personality of Rayse as its (former) Vessel. The standard way of dealing with something like this would be to kill/destroy it. But clearly Brandon laughs at the idea of doing what we expect, so what if there was some other way to neutralize Odium as a threat? What if instead of being destroyed/splintered, the Shard could be changed? Rysn now holds (or is) the Dawnshard Change. I think that Dawnshard may eventually be used to mitigate the worst parts of Odium's Intent. This might be a straight-up softening, like changing it from Odium (hatred) to Anger. Or it could be a more subtle change, like directing hatred only toward evil things. (I'm thinking of something like the TV show Dexter here, which is about a serial killer who targets other murderers. It doesn't change his essential nature, but he manages to channel it in a way that's less harmful for society overall.) What do others think? I recognize that changing the nature of a Shard would be a very tall order, but if the Dawnshards were used to shatter Adonalsium, I think they'd be up to the task of changing a piece of Adonalsium. (And because of their power, I think it's entirely possible Toadium will want to get his hands on the Dawnshard if he finds out it's on Roshar. I really hope he doesn't piece it together from whatever info about the expedition to Aimia the other monarchs let King T have.)

WARNING: THERE WILL BE DAWNSHARD SPOILERS, AS WELL AS GENERAL COSMERE SPOILERS So we now have lot more pieces of The cosmere endgame after reading RoW (and dawnshard). We now know more of the ghostblood’s influence, what dawnshards are, and that the sons of honor exist. so here’s the updated endgame characters and groups ORGANIZATIONS •The 17th shard These guys will definitely prevail until the endgame. They are wide reaching and powerful. They want to keep Adonalsium from reforming for seemingly unknown reasons (other than Adonalsium dangerous and really powerful). They will probably be a force of good, in the end (probably). •The Ghostbloods these guys will also have a fantastic chance of making it until the endgame. They are scheming and about as powerful and far reaching as the 17th shard. It’s not entirely certain what their motives are either, but it is probably not good. Now that we know that their leader is likely Kelsier, they are more dangerous than ever. They are likely going to be a force of evil in the endgame. •the ‘cult’ of Trell the cult of Trell (which is what I’m calling them now) is pretty dangerous and seems to be an invested third party, likely working for autonomy, though we are not sure. They are currently sieging Scadrial for mostly unknown reasons. The set also seem to be part of this organization. We don’t know what they are doing, but they seem to be powerful enough to be in the endgame. They will probably be a force of evil in the cosmere. •the IRE this organization is one that I doubt will be in the endgame, but is a notable group. They are very cosmere aware, and seem to have connections all across the cosmere, through scholarly knowledge or trade deals. They could be a wild card, but likely they will not last into the endgame. •The Sons of Honor This group is another unlikely one. They seem to be specifically Roshar oriented. They will likely play an important role within Roshar, therefore playing a role in creating the endgame, but will likely not remain until the endgame. If they do, they will likely be a wildcard. •The Dysian Aimians these aimians have a few members on other planets, have guarded one of the dawnshards, and is now helping that dawnshard’s vessel. There is a decent chance they will get slain by Todium by the end of the stormlight arc, but if they survive until the endgame, they will be a force of good. SHARDS AND PRIMORDIAL COSMERE OBJECTS •Odium this one is fairly clear. They are the most dangerous shard, has already shattered four other shards. Taravangian might not hold it, but it will definitely be a force of evil, likely having odium’s vessel only holding one shard. •Harmony this is also a pretty cut and dry one. Currently, it is one vessel holding two shards. I think that will stay true until the endgame, but the vessel might not be Sazed (though I hope it is). Harmony will almost certainly be a force of good in the endgame. •Endowment Endowment seems to have some master plan, we just don’t know what it is currently. There is a lot of funky things going on with Nalthis, and that is likely due to Endowment. Edgli will likely prevail to the endgame due to her plan. She will probably be a force of good, but it is an uncertain good. •Autonomy autonomy is another shard that is currently scheming. She seems to have avatars all over the cosmere, has restricted access to Taldain in the cognitive realm, and is likely meddling with Scadrial in the form of Trell. Bavadin will likely stay until the endgame, given their plots, and will almost certainly be a force of evil. •Honor We all know that Honor is probably going to have a vessel by the end of the stormlight arc, possibly even during stormlight 5. The question is, by who? There’s a chance it’ll be Dalinar, there’s a chance it’ll be someone completely different. Whoever it is though, there is an almost guaranteed chance that they will be a force of good in the endgame (if they make it there. I think they will, though). • Dominion and Devotion these two are currently shattered by Odium, but I bet they will be brought back before the endgame hits. I think they will be another merged shard, because I think it makes sense (and would be cool). If that is the case, I think they will be a force of good. If that is not the case, each of them are wild cards. •Cultivation she has a grand plan, likely involving the next vessel of Cultivation (possibly Lift!). Whoever controls cultivation, I’m sure Cultivation will be a powerful force of good in the endgame. •the dawnshards These bad boys will DEFINITELY be in the endgame. The only questions are who will hold them and which side will they be on. The dawnshard of change might stick with Rysn until the endgame, but I’m not sure on that one. I think there will be at least one (maybe THE one) that will be a force of evil in the endgame. They will all definitely be very integral pieces of the endgame. CHARACTERS •Hoid This one is the most obvious of them. He will almost certainly be part of the endgame (talking like 97% here) and will undoubtably be a force of good. We still don’t know what his plans are and why he is collecting magic systems, but I think that will definitely play into the endgame. •Nightblood This one is also an obvious one. He is way to powerful to not make it until the endgame and his “destroy evil” command makes it pretty much impossible for him to be a force of evil. He will be a dangerous (and comedic) tool on the side of the ‘good guys’. •Kelsier He’s a cognitive shadow that is meddling in the affairs of gods. He will either be smited long before the endgame or live until the endgame because of that. The fact that he is likely the head of the Ghostbloods will help his chances. He can either be a force for good or a force of evil, though I am leaning toward a force of evil. Many years of existing in the roughs of the cosmere will definitely do something to the mind, especially one of a psychopath’s. •Vasher He’s immortal, so he could live until the endgame. We do see he is a man that has given up on fighting, so I doubt he will fight in the endgame. There is no reason for him to get killed off before the endgame, so he might live. I bet he’s part of edgli’s master plan. He will be a force of good if he gets there, though. •Rysn There is a decent chance she will not be alive to see the endgame, but if she does, she will be a strong force of good. •Marsh This is one I somewhat doubt. He has enough atium to last ‘til mistborn era 3, likely era 4, but he is no immortal. I doubt he will last until the endgame. If he does though, he will be a force of good. •Khrissalia She will be probably an important part for influencing what happens in the endgame, but I doubt she will survive until the endgame. Maybe if she controls a dawnshard though... I think that’s a wrap! That is my updated idea for the contenders of the final fight for the cosmere! Tell me if I missed anything important (as well as your thoughts on it)!

So, we now know of 14+1 shard names, and at least 1 Command and possibly 1 Intent. Command: Change, Maintain?, Create? Destroy? Intent: Emotion (Passion), Material?, Self? Others? Sorry, I don't know how to make a table. Passion, Material?, Others?, Self? Destroy: Odium, Ruin, ?, ? Create: ?, Invention, ?, ? Maintain: Honor, Preservation, Devotion, (Survival) Change: Whimsy, Endowment, Dominion, Autonomy Cultivation, Mercy, Valor, Ambition, not sure how to fit in this grid.

There is a theme that keeps coming up often enough that I'm starting to think its a clue as to the fate of the Cosmere, and the motivation of Adonalsium. The heralds are immortal beings that have minds, that have been "corrupted" by madnesses unique to each of them. At first I thought this was tied to their torture on Braize in between desolations, but I think it's also been hinted at that more than just the torture is wracking their minds. The immortality itself means their memories have disappeared into oblivion, which has contributed to the destruction of their identity as well: Kelek's Note: It's not just the heralds. A lot of immortal beings are tired of life. Secret History: I think Zahel is wrong. I think that cognitive shadows are the soul or contain the soul. The spren thing comes up a lot in RoW, but I think its wrong, if only because we see that the spren become more human-like over time rather than the other way around. Investiture becoming conscious and making decisions; it feels like spontaneous life from power, sort of Cosmere abiogenesis. I think that there are some more clues about this with Ishar's experiments trying to bring them into the physical realm. Also, is Ishar one of the five scholars? Something dark is going on there, maybe Ishar is the bad guy for the back 5? Anyway, more issues with immortality: Through Mistborn through era 2: Elantris Bringing it all back around: In RoW we get the BEST vision that Dalinar has ever sent to anyone, and I think this gives us a clue as to the meta-theme of the cosmere: This is the real deal. Somehow Dalinar used connection to allow a conversation between Tien's REAL soul with Kaladin. I think this has major implications for "Journey before Destination" - that connection is formed on the journey, and that it is possible to revisit those moments through connection. And Tien somehow influenced the world to get this object back to him. I have no idea how. Fortune maybe? The message is here: So what is the implication for the greater cosmere, history and direction? i laid it out kind of in a previous post I think these all point to a risk of immortality / immortality being a double edged sword, as a theme in the Cosmere. Even Adonalsium is hinted to have known about, and perhaps even had some part in their own shattering. I actually think this is the inspiration behind the Iriali religion. Dawnshard: So what is Odium's Endgame? I think with Odi-vangian we are going to see something interesting - Odium wants to preserve ALL life through making them immortal. I think this will end up being very anti-"Life before Death, Journey before Destination, Strength before Weakness". He wants to SAVE US ALL. To do it he will still likely want to destroy all other shards to be the last one standing. I think it might be interesting to see the endgame be the right to die (and go to the Beyond), versus the right to immortality but as a slave/servant/underling of the only god, Odium.

TLDR: Cord’s new plate was made by Honour and bestows powers to its wearer. Now this is really just a mostly unfounded thought I had while thinking about the lore surrounding the Dawnshard on Aimia. One nugget of information that I feel was easy to overlook amongst the massive info dump that was the latter part of the book, was Cord’s new Shardplate and Nikli’s reference to it being used by guardians of the Dawnshard. I feel that there is something odd there. Firstly, who were the guardians? The Larkin? The Sleepless? Neither seem likely to use or even need plate. So who were these guardians, and why did they have such a seemingly mundane tool for the defence of what seems to be the most powerful weapon on the planet. One set of plate seems hardly sufficient to defend from many of the threats on Roshar alone let alone the rest of the Cosmere. Another oddity about the situation is the plate itself. How did it get there? Where did it come from? Currently the only way we have seen ownerless shardplate created is through the breaking of a spren bond. So did a Radiant purposely break their oath to give this plate to the guardians? Or was it simply recovered post-Recreance and there is nothing more to it than that. Anyway, to the point of the theory. This plate is no regular shardplate. It is instead a set of Honourplate (name pending). I believe that the plate was, like the honourblades, created directly by Honour specifically to be used in the defence of the Dawnshard. I also think it bestows special abilities on its wearer, just like the blades, making it much more useful for defending the Dawnshard. No idea yet what these powers might be. Anyway, if you have managed to make it this far, thank you and sorry. I did try to keep it brief but I got away from me. Would love to hear your thoughts.

So, the person wielding a Dawnshard holds an insane quantity of Investiture as evidenced by the Heightenings they receive. And Nightblood consumes Investiture while drawn. So what happens when a Dawnshard uses Nightblood? Would Nightblood destroy it after a while? Would it increase Nightblood's power? And if it did destroy the Dawnshard what would happen to the Cosmere? We've learned that the Dawnshards were what Adonalsium used to create the Cosmere so what would happen if one was destroyed?

When will Dawnshard be released in a hardcover for the general public to read

So, as mentioned in Dawnshard, and later confirmed by Brandon, high levels of investiture give Heightenings as seen most prominently in Awakening, and now in being a Dawnshard. So Brandon confirmed that it is being very invested that gives Heightenings and it is NOT limited to holding a lot of Breaths. So we saw Rysn with perfect pitch and color suggesting she has at least the Third Heightening. I theorize that that will increase as she holds the Dawnshard for longer because agelessness is the Fifth and we see that with Hoid being a Dawnsliver but Rysn makes no mention of life sense which reaches its peak strength at the Fourth, so she probably only has the Third at this point. But anyways, to the main question I am curious about, what about later Heightenings that seem specific to Awakening? Specifically the Sixth, instinctive Awakening, the Eighth, Command breaking, Ninth, greater Awakening and audible Command, and Tenth, perfect invocation and mental commands. I am really curious how those translate to other systems of magic. Any thoughts, theories, provoking questions?

This theory might already be going around, but what if Peacegiver's Treasure is a Dawnshard? It would make sense if the Dawnshards were spread throughout the cosmere, and given the effects we see in Rysn, it would make sense if the other incredibly powerful form of Investiture which manifests in incredibly high levels of Heightening is another Dawnshard. That would also explain why Peacegiver told the priests to not use it.

After reading Dawnshard and seeing some of the speculation, I've come to agree with the popular opinion that UNITE is one of the Dawnshard commands. I believe UNITE is the Dawnshard that is different from all the rest--because it's been shattered. If I personally had the #1 priority of breaking a god into many pieces, my #2 priority would be making sure it's couldn't be reforged sometime in the future. Depending on how this went down it could even explain Hoid's grudge against Bavadin and Rayse. Here's my theory: After the 16 shardholders took their power, Bavadin and Rayse suggested using the power of their Shards to destroy the UNITE Dawnshard so as to prevent there ever being a unified Adonalsium ever again (or they just went ahead and did it without consulting the other shardholders). If a close friend of Hoid's was the holder of this UNITE Dawnshard, killed by a Bavadin/Rayse team up it would explain: Hoid's implied goal of trying to bring back the dead (shown in The Traveler, though it's non-canon) His grudge against Bavadin and Rayse (from the Letter) Why Odium thought he killed Unity (with the help of someone else?) Why one Dawnshard is different from the rest So this theory requires that Dalinar is holding (part of) the Unity Dawnshard. The visions of golden light could be splinters of Unity passing on to Dalinar from some outside power (i.e. Nohadon). A problem I have with my own theory is the Poem of Ista: If the Unity Dawnshard was splintered immediately after the Shattering, why are there references to Heralds and presumably that same Dawnshard? I'm not sure. Maybe this poem is prophetic, maybe the "Heralds" are not the 10 Heralds we know, but used here as a synonym for gods (maybe Shards?), maybe my theory is completely wrong! Thanks for reading my theory. I've seen some of these ideas floating around but wanted to post my speculative timeline in case anyone finds it interesting!

It is my understanding that at the end of Danwshard, Rysn was going to tell Navani and Jasnah about the sleepless. How is it possible that they would let her leave without forcing a meeting with the sleepless. Jasnah in particular has an interview with the Ash and Taln every week even though she barely learns anything new, I find it hard to believe she would not find some way to interview other, sane immortals. Why is it that in the preview chapters Navani does not mention the sleepless once and there is no mention of information that they gained from them? I understand Brandon does not want Dawnshard to be required reading for RoW and so he didn't make anything that happened have a big impact, but in world why would Jasnah ever give up on this chance? The only answer I have is that the sleepless have much more experience in manipulating people and holding their ground especially when it comes to hiding their secrets, but it does not seem like that from Dawnshard.

PLEASE NO ROW SPOILERS TLDR; The Sleepless caused the Scouring to protect the Dawnshard. Dawnshard revealed many things about topics long debated. But one event that I thought would get explained to us in this book but wasn’t stands out to me. The Scouring of Aimia. I thought we would get answers as to who/what caused the event that left the islands of Aimia lifeless. The only nugget of information we get on the event is a story told by Nikli while he is still hiding his true nature. So this whole story told by Nikli has to be taken with a grain of salt as at the time he was lying to Rysn about his true nature, but I feel in this instance he has no reason to lie, and the emotion he shows at recounting the story supports that. My theory is that it wasn’t invaders or treasure hunters who destroyed the fabrials that supported life on Aimia, but the Sleepless themselves. It is quite clear that they will go to extreme lengths to protect the Dawnshard. I believe that at some point (personally I think this was when the Larkin died out and the sleepless took over protection of the Dawnshard) they decided that a whole population of people living on the island above the Dawnshard was too much of a risk, so they forced the inhabitants off the island by sabotaging the fabrials. I also think that maybe the sleepless spread rumours of a terrible ‘Scouring’ to make the event sound a lot more catastrophic than it was to further keep people away from the place. Nikli’s strong emotion when talking about it could be because he is sad about what happened there, or it could be similar to Taravangian’s sorrow whenever he speaks of the terrible things he has done. Maybe the Sleepless also encouraged attacks on Aimia to further isolate the place and scatter the populace? Or maybe they drew the attackers there by accident? Or maybe those are lies to augment the tragedy myth surrounding the place? I am not sure. Obviously this theory has lots of holes (most of the rest of Nikli’s story doesn’t really line up with this but as I said, he isn’t really the most trustworthy of characters at that point) but it was just something I was thinking about so I thought I would open it up for discussion. Thanks for reading. And please don’t put any RoW spoilers in the replies, I haven’t read the previews.

What do you guys think that Brandon means by this quote per this WOB? How different is this Darnshard from the others? Maybe there are three "good" or "neutral" dawnshard and the last one is "bad"? Change, create, stay, destroy? What do you guys think?

I think that Odium is a dawnshard. We have these WoBs: Valhalla Ruin and Odium, they both talked about their passion, and it was italicized both times. Would any other Shards talk about passion in that same italicized way? Brandon Sanderson Yes they would. Valhalla Would any of them not talk about it that way? Brandon Sanderson Yes. Excellent, good questions. Idaho Falls signing (July 21, 2018) Billy Todd, Moderator So, does he genuinely believe in characterizing himself as Passion? Brandon Sanderson Yes. Part of him does. Billy Todd, Moderator Has he always ever been Odium since the Shattering? Brandon Sanderson Yes. JordanCon 2018 (April 21, 2018) I think that this is because passion or be passionate is one of the Commands for the Dawnshards, so part of him is that, Passion. Brandon also said: MoriWillow You once told us that one of the Dawnshards was different from the others. As of the events of this novella, is that still true? Brandon Sanderson Yes. Dawnshard Annotations Reddit Q&A (Nov. 9, 2020) I think that the one Dawnshard that is different is the one that Odium is. I think he's both a Shard and a Dawnshard. We know that Odium has more power than he should, and that he's referred to himself as Passion. We also know that Odium has a record of winning what would seem to be even fights, relatively unscathed. We know he has had help as well, but Brandon also said that he's capable enough on his own that, given the current situation, he could conceivably overcome Sazed (who has approximately twice the raw power). Relevant WOBs: Khyrindor Odium seems to have a bad track record when it comes to killing Shards. He was wounded versus Ambition, and he's trapped on Roshar. Yet, he's credited in killing Devotion and Dominion. My question is: was Autonomy significantly involved and would Odium have been able to do it on his own and still be okay to-- Brandon Sanderson RAFO. It is dangerous to attack a Shard with one Shard. Let's say that. And a wise Shard would try to avoid that confrontation unless there are specific reasons they think they would have an advantage. Skyward Seattle signing (Nov. 10, 2018) Questioner Does Odium actually present a real threat to Harmony, because he-- *interrupted* Brandon Sanderson So Harmony is vastly more powerful than Odium. Questioner Yeah. Brandon Sanderson Elend was vastly more powerful than Vin. Who would win in a fight? Questioner Vin. Brandon Sanderson Okay, there's your answer. White Sand vol.1 release party (June 28, 2016) A few last big pieces of evidence: The foreshadowing: The Broken One reigns. I think the Broken One is Odium's Dawnshard, that is functioning differently. The fact that Dalinar felt a warm golden in light in (OB I Think?) and expects it to be the God Beyond before turning around to see Odium. This could be reminiscent of the "warm golden light" that Rysn also felt when she saw the Dawnshard in the cave. We know Honor was ranting about the Dawnshards, emphasis s. He talked about how they had been corrupted or something of the like (someone please link the relevant quote I don't have my books right now because I'm moving). Odium having, and corrupting, a Dawnshard certainly seems like the type of thing to fit into this categorization of Honor's. We know that Hoid has personal beef with Odium, considering that there are a max of four Dawnshards at a time, it seems like the kind of thing where knowledgeable Dawnshards would be aware of each other, and also seems like the kind of thing that could exacerbate personal beef. We know that we've seen a Dawnshard, somewhat, before Dawnshard. Punzi (paraphrased) Have we seen a Dawnshard in any Cosmere book? Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased) Yes and no. *hands RAFO card* DragonCon 2019 (Aug. 30, 2019) Questioner The Dawnshards. Have we seen any evidence of them on Roshar yet? Brandon Sanderson Technically, yes. Questioner Is there a the relationship between them and say, like, the perfect gems like the King's Drop? Brandon Sanderson I'll RAFO that. Good question. FanX 2018 (Sept. 8, 2018) I think these are because Odium is a dawnshard, or a corrupted version of one, and we haven't seen him use his Dawnshard yet either. But that's my theory, I'd love to hear other's thoughts on my theory, things you think prove my theory right or wrong or things I might've missed!:)

I, as many here, were wondering how Cord managed to find enough Stormlight infused gemstones to power up the armor. Could she "talk" or "ask" the sprens to infuse gemstones on their own will?

That was a miraculous find, where were they and how did they stay charged after so much time presumably hidden under the island?