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I apologize if this has been proposed before (my searches didn't find it), but I think that Shinovar is the last remnant of Roshar's original, Earthlike ecology. My theory is as follows: Once, the Rosharan super-continent was Earthlike, with Shinovar at its eastern end. Then Odium sent the Everstorms, which began to erode the western part of the continent. In response, Honor sent the Highstorms, which laid down crem, creating new lands to the east. Over the course of the millennia, the original continent was eroded away up to Shinovar, while a new continent was created. Meanwhile, sea creatures began to migrate onto the new land (possibly with help from Honor or Cultivation) and, with the help of magic, evolved into chulls, axehounds, skyeels, and the rest. Now Shinovar is all that remains of the planet's original ecology. In addition to geology and the storms, this theory is supported by the fact that most of the non-Shinovaran wildlife of Roshar does not seem physically possible without the help of magic. In real life, a large land invertebrate like a chull would be crushed by the weight of its own exoskeleton, even in a lower-gravity environment like Roshar's (remember the square-cube law). Brandon has confirmed that chasmfiends require spren to survive, and I suspect that something similar is going on with the more mundane greatshells. Thus, these life forms must postdate all of the ambient magic that currently exists on Roshar. Moreover, there's Hoid's comment about the orphaned etymology in the term "axehound", which seems to imply that hounds once existed on Roshar but have been forgotten.

Is the Everstorm a good thing? Yes, we know it is from Odium. Yes, it can allow some really awful things to exist. However, it freed a people and from what we know of the listeners, even in chapter 14, they aren't any more evil than the Alethi. Since the prologue, some have been disappointed in Galivar for wanting to bring about the Everstorm. However, maybe he realized leaving the parshmen with an enslaved minds was wrong and the Everstorm was the only way to free them. Yes, he wanted a crisis to unite the people, but also could he have wanted to correct this evil done to the parshmen? Further is the shard Odium, not Rayse, the shard Odium itself evil? It interesting Brandon calls the shard Odium and not anger or hatred. Odium is hatred or disgust at another because of actions they have done. Odium is born from injustice and a desire to bring retribution for evils committed. So in the right context odium is not evil and even necessary. So the Everstorm will end the world as they know it. However, was it good to preserved Roshar as it was and leave innocent people to be born, live, and die as slaves? I don't think it was. So if the Everstorm was the only way to free the innocent parshmens' minds, maybe is a good thing.

Do parshmen/Parshendi need to be outside in the storm to transform into voidbringers, or would it reach them even if they were in an (intact) indoor structure? I can't help but think that in Edgedancer, when might have been just the worse possible thing they could have done. And then there's poor Rlain. I think Urithiru* is above the regular highstorm, so maybe the Everstorm can't get there either- but that would still mean he'd have to stay in Urithiru almost full time to avoid turning into a monster. But if he can just stay indoors, and people figure out how to build backwards laits, then he could just make sure to hunker inside whenever it comes. *(And am I the only one who keeps mentally pronouncing "Urithiru" as "Urethra"?)

The Everstorm has come. We see in Words of Radiance that the stormfather says "They call for a storm. My opposite. Deadly." My theory is this. That opposite is to Odium as the Stormfather is to Honor(Tanavast) A new godspren but of Odium rather than Honor. The voidspren that bring stormform could be to the Everstorm as Syl and the honorspren are to the Stormfather. I was also wondering what exactly the Unmade are. I would think that they have something to do with the Voidbringers because for Moelach telling the future is of the voidbringers. The thrill or nergaoul is another. Do these forces each have opposites? Are they of Odium or Honor or something else?

As I was re-reading AU this afternoon, I had my Pandora on shuffle and stumbled upon the perfect song for Edgedancer as I opened to chapter 1. I would like to propose:

There's a question to be asked: Why Nalan hunts Surgebinders? Or rather: Why does he believe that Surgebinders may cause Desolation? Let's get a timeline. I'll be puting quotes in spoiler tags. There were no Desolations before humans were on Roshar. At first, Heralds were the only Surgebinders. At one point, spren figured out what Honor did and started bonding humans which resulted in Surgebinders. Heralds became patrons of the Orders, at the same time imposing organisation on them. We know that between Desolations Radiants fighted with some monsters (Dalinar's vision with Midnight Essence). We know that Heralds are sent back to Roshar before Desolation. We know that if they stay too long after Desolation ended, another one will start. Aharietam and Recreance: The Last Desolation was 4500 years ago. There is a connection between Heralds tortured and Desolation. Kalak seems to believe that if Odium cannot torture them to break them, he can't cause a Desolation. After Heralds walked away from Oathpact, Knights Radiant did not leave their posts. Steel stores physical speed. When Recreance happened, one of the soldiers in Feverstone Keep mentioned that Radiants should be fighting devils on the front line. So even after Last Desolation monsters showed up. After Recreance there were probably no Surgebinders (or next to none, since spren turned away from humans). Honor was Shattered after Recreance (or maybe Tanavast survived Shattering long enough. It is nor clear or known.) since it is in one of the Dalinar's visions Modern times: Taravangian believes that Desolation happens when Heralds break under torture and that spren came back because it was to happen. Stormfather forbidden spren (or maybe only honorspren) bonding with humans in fear of Recreance happening again. He has to accept Words, though. Stormfather sent Dalinar visions as demanded by Tanavast. These visions request Dalinar to refind Knights Radiant Spren started bonding humans at least ten years ago (Shallan's childhood) Nalan hunts Surgebinders down because he believes that Surgebinding may cause Desolation. Voidspren started showing up en masse after "Taln" returned to Roshar. But Venli is suspected to bear stormform earlier. True Desolation seems to be triggered by chain reaction: stormspren start hijacking Listeners -> large number of stormform Parshendi exist -> Voidbringers summon Everstorm -> Everstorm circles Roshar carrying more voidspren, triggering more Voidbringers out of formless Parshmen But Radiants existed for a long time after the Last Desolation, until Recreance. When Heralds abandoned Oathpact Jezrien said "There is a chance we might end the cycle of Desolations." But that wasn't their intention, they wanted to get free of the torture. They seem to consider End of Desolations as a side effect, not the primary goal. They know that Odium is somehow bound by their torture and they're afraid he will find a way around them not returning to the Damnation. True Desolation seems to be different to the regular Desolations, but we do not know why. The question is, why would Nalan hunt Surgebinders since they existed before without triggering Desolation? Why is the True Desolation different from the previous Desolation? How is it different? What is the exact connection between Herald's torture and breaking under it, their return, release of voidspren and start of Desolation? Do spren sense Herald's coming near to point of breaking? Discuss, provide more quotes and WoBs you find relevant.

Shin typically only experience the minor effects of a spent highstorm. The storm's power is used up for the most part while it is sweeping across the continent. Consequently, there is no reason for them to build buildings with highstorms in mind. We are told that the rest of the continent slopes their roofs to block the wind, but they presumably also use strong, heavy materials (like stone) and they have a near infinite foundation of stone to build on. Shin don't use stone in their usual buildings (I believe), they have soil instead of bedrock everywhere, and we don't have evidence that they have any reason to build particularly strong structures (such as frequent storms, earthquakes, etc). So with the everstorm sweeping from the west, can we conclude that most of their buildings were destroyed? Are the Shin left in the storm without protection, and therefore dead? There is a mountain range protecting them to the east and west, but I doubt tempers the storm enough to protect them. So here is my theory: The Shin as a people are nearly wiped out. The Stone Shamanate survived. This is because they use stone in their temple/religious building, which is OK for priests to walk on it because they are holy and for people participating in holy rites. There is a small cluster of people that gathered at the temple, but for the most part the Shin are wiped out. Depending on the number of stone buildings (if there are any) more or fewer people would have survived. Edit: I am also including caves in the "stone buildings" category. So when Szeth comes home to confront the Shamanate, they will be the leaders of a very small population (fewer than 500?) that survived the everstorm. He will then have to decide if he will kill even more of his people. It's possible that in the process he will become the last survivor (that he knows of) of the Shin which will make for an even more emotionally unstable character. Yay problems!

I’ve looked for an answer to this question, but haven’t been able to find one. Apologies if it has already been discussed to death. I don’t have a theory to associate with the following observation, but am wondering: it is significant and, if so, do we have enough information to make sense of it? During the highstorm when Eshonai bonds the stormspren, Szeth also attacks the palace in an attempt to assassinate Dalinar. During this sequence, the Stormfather, Syl, and Pattern become extremely agitated. When I read the scene for the first time, I was so caught up in the atmosphere that I didn’t notice the possible overlapping. From the beginning of the chapter “The One Who Hates,” it is clear to the reader that the ongoing highstorm is Eshonai’s highstorm but not that Szeth is on the way. Eventually, based on Syl’s reaction and the narration, Szeth appears to be an agent of Odium. Starting off, in Kaladin’s storm dream, he speaks with Stormfather: Stormfather seems to be referring to Odium and the Everstorm that Eshonai will set into motion by bonding the stormspren and converting other Parshendi in a later storm. Pattern also agrees that something is off: And when Syl finds Kaladin, she also expresses alarm: Kaladin immediately begins to evacuate the palace, even though he still doesn’t know what is happening. It’s still not clear to the reader that Szeth is there. Syl's quote that "He's coming" still seems to refer to Odium. Once they reach the hallway where the spheres have been drained, but right before they see Szeth, Syl comments: Finally, we (the readers and characters) know that an assassination attempt is happening. When Kaladin tries to explain Szeth’s powers as deriving from the Nahel bond, Syl is adamant that he is something else, either having seen the honorblade, his use of stormlight, or not sensing a spren. Syl later points to Szeth’s blade as particularly troubling: What I don’t understand is why Syl makes the connection between the other ominous events and the arrival of Szeth. She clearly says “He’s here” in reference to Szeth when they find him during the evacuation. She’d already said “He’s coming,” but it seemed much more tied to the stormspren bonding and Odium. I know there are theories about Szeth having a connection to one of the unmade re: "the screams" as well as concerns about consuming so much stormlight. Is this Sanderson just writing an awesome chaotic scene or is there a clue in there?

I've not seen much discussion of this - here's my thoughts. For the last 4500 years or so, the highstorms have been doing the same thing: going from east to west once or twice a week, weakening as they do so. Though they are extremely powerful, because they come from a predictable direction the amount of actual damage they cause is not so bad - people and nature have been able to deal with them reasonably well. Those on the east of Roshar are the most affected as the winds are strongest there. There's a fairly smooth gradient across the continent and entire ecosystems have developed around this. But now the Everstorm comes, blowing the "wrong" way. It's not just buildings though. In the east, crops can only be grown in windbreaks and laits (I think so at least though I've not been able to find a direct reference). I don't know about the west - I guess in the far west the highstorm winds are probably weak enough that windbreaks only make a minor difference. This means that those who had been most sheltered and least setup to deal with highstorms will be the most exposed to the Everstorm. Towns in the west that are in laits rather than proper valleys could be destroyed (ironically, those domed buildings that Lift made fun of could come in handy). Even if the people survive their crops could be ruined. Sheltered cities might not be directly affected much but could face famine due to widespread crop failure. I would imagine that the Everstorm will similarly weaken as it goes from west to east. I'm not sure how strong it will be by the time it gets to Alethkar - maybe not much worse than a regular storm. It would be interesting to know how "wide" it is compared to a highstorm - will each Everstorm passing through affect the whole of Roshar or just a swathe? In the west, I wouldn't be surprised if some areas see their population fall by 90% or more - due to direct effects of the wind/rain, in the medium term from starvation due to crop failure and in the longer term due to the survivors migrating to safer regions. The Everstorm is going to be very destructive even if we ignore the magical effects. YOU ARE DOOMED

So no spoiler tags, as this is in the WoR Page. And I apologize for Misspellings, I listened to these books. So in the finale of WoR, we learn that the Stormwarden believe there to be only one Hihg storm that Circles the Globe, and they can predict it mathmaticly. However, by the Time it reaches Shinovar, it's depleted toa Normal Storm. so there must be an area between Shinovar and the Shattered Plains where the Storms reform, due to either Strong Winds or Invesiture. Then, at the end of the 500 year cycle, the storm slowly disperses, so it's weakly over the whole globe. This causes the Weeping. On light day, the Storm starts to Reform, and begins the Cycle anew. But now, because the Stormfather made a high storm on light day, the Stormwardens won't be able to predict their dates, Because not only will the regular weeping storm reform, and sweep the globe normally, but the Storm Father's Storm will also be going around the globe. If it were just these 2 storms, the Wardens could make new calculations to Predict the Stormwalls, but the Everstorm is also going the Wrong way, eventually, it will collide with one of these storms, and Grow, and then it will hit the next, and grow, but those two storms will keep going. So now, Roshar has to deal with 3 Continent sized Hurricanes, only two of which they're prepared to withstand. Even if we assume Taravangian's Diagram knew of this, and he's prepared Karbrunth and Jah Kaved, most of the World is going to be wiped out in a year. Only the Warcamps (Hiding in Urithiru) might Survive. Does this make sense to any one? Or am I just crazy.

“True Wit is Nature to advantage dress’d What oft was thought, but ne’er so well expressed” [ASIDE: In the Spirit of Sanderson, I thought I’d begin with an epigraph of my own, this one from Essay on Criticism, the 1709 poem by Alexander Pope. Unlike our Wit, Pope was a hunch-backed asthmatic dwarf. But, like Wit, Pope was the leading satirist of his time. His jibes earned him the enmity of many. Tupac and the Notorious B.I.G. were not the original “gangstas”; when Pope wandered the London streets at night, he took with him two loaded pistols and his two Great Danes (what an image!) You’ve all heard many of the lines from Essay on Criticism, but might not have known their source. Here are a few: “Fools rush in where angels fear to tread”; “A little learning is a dangerous thing”; “To err is human, to forgive, divine.” ASIDE OVER – thanks for reading this far!] On WoR’s last page, Wit says to Jasnah, “You’ll find God in the same place you’re going to find salvation from this mess…Inside the hearts of men.” Of similar import is this phrase from the epigraph to Chapter 71, from the Second Letter: “[Rayse] bears the weight of God’s own divine hatred, separated from the virtues that gave it context.” [Second aside: Does that mean the Second Letter writer considers Adonalsium to be God?] I believe these statements capture the theme of The Stormlight Archives, and perhaps all of the Cosmere novels: the importance of balance. Not necessarily of “harmony,” which assumes perfect equilibrium, but of balance, offsetting characteristics that temper the edges of each. The shattering of Adonalsium upset the balance of the Cosmere by giving primacy to specific aspects of Godhood: Honor, Hatred, Growth, Ruin, Preservation, etc. Maybe it’s the imbalance of each Shard holder that causes them to lose their humanity, since each Shardic Intent operates within them unopposed. I think Wit’s statement to Jasnah means that to defeat Odium, men’s hearts must return to honor – doing what’s right and not only what’s legal. That doesn’t mean that people won’t hate, but that hate cannot be allowed to dominate them – balance is necessary. Sadeas and Nalan appear to be character devices to illustrate what happens when imbalance captures the heart. Adolin may end up showing us balance despite his lapse. As I’ve said in other posts, Honor binds, Odium divides – centripetal and centrifugal forces. To find the place in the middle, they must be combined – not the harmony of Mistborn, but a complementary tension. I think the Battle of Champions in Book 5 will be fought by Kaladin and Eshonai (not Szeth, who is clearly unbalanced in every meaning of that word and will likely continue his story into the second five books). Halfway through her bonding with the stormspren, Eshonai tried to halt the process. This may have caused an imperfect bonding and may explain why the rhythms of peace still try to assert themselves within her. I predict that during the Battle of Champions, her desire for peace will defeat her desire for destruction. Eshonai and Kaladin together will form that unity, that bonding of honor, that will enable them to halt Odium’s gains – the Everstorm may or may not continue at that point, but Odium will be temporarily thwarted. In the second five books, he will seek another approach: hatred among men. Odium is already a long way towards reaching that goal (see Jah Keved and the wars in the West). One last observation: before WoR was released, I speculated on another post what Odium gains by the Desolations and the Everstorm. Based on the Second Letter, epigraph to Chapter 69, we now know that Odium is bound to the Rosharian planetary system: “Rayse is captive. He cannot leave the system he now inhabits. His destructive potential is, therefore, inhibited.” The natural inference is that he seeks to destroy Roshar to free himself from his bonds. The Second Letter writer further states (in the epigraph to Chapter 70) that this binding might have been by “Tanavast’s design.” One can envision that either the Oathpact or Tanavast’s splintering might have had the effect of causing Odium to be so bound. How interesting, then, that Hoid/Wit, who has “never been a force for equilibrium” and who “tow chaos behind [him] like a corpse dragged by one leg through the snow” (epigraph to Chapter 74) should be the one who seeks to re-establish equilibrium by focusing on “men’s hearts.” He may be (reluctantly) content to destroy humankind on Roshar if necessary to triumph over Odium, he tells Dalinar. But if humankind is to save itself, it must find balance within its own hearts.

So, my theory goes something like this. The Everstorm is said to distribue Odiumspren, and it has been established that the Greatshells bond with spren. Therefore, when the Everstorm comes around again, it will forcefully bond odiumspren to creatures such as Chasmfiends, creating the creatures that resembled Chasmfieds that were seen fighting alongside the Voidbringers. Heck, maybe the possessed greatshells are voidbringers, and the Stormform Parshendi are just the harbingers of the Everstorm and their infantry escorts. If any of this is true, possessed Greatshells (and thunderclasts) are probably what Shardblades are/were made to fight.

I have one last theory before WoR is released. So we all know that there is a fancy pants weird sun in the sky in Shadesmar. What is the purpose of this sun in Shadesmar? Is it there just to give light? Or is there a higher function? Well, I finished up my pre-WoR WoK reread today (not that is really matters since Amazon is the Devil) and I came across this tidbit spoken by Honor in Ch. 75, "In the Top Room": So, obviously there is the mundane figurative imagery of the sun setting on a time of relative peace. But, perhaps there is more to this. Perhaps the sun in Shadesmar rises after a desolation and begins to set as a desolation begins to approach. The setting of the sun signalling the start of the desolation. As some evidence of this, I note that in Ch. 45 "Shadesmar", Shallan notes that the small white sun in Shadesmar "hung on the horizon". So the perhaps figurative sun spoken of by Honor is in a similar position to the Shadesmar sun seen by Shallan. Obviously not conclusive by any margin. But, an interesting thought nonetheless. What say ye?

It strikes me that a lot of the epigraphs now make a lot more sense now that we can predict that the Everstorm is due to the Parshendi. They deserve a re-look with everything we've learned from the WoR sample chapters. Here's the ones that I think make more sense: “I’m cold. Mother, I’m cold. Mother? Why can I still hear the rain? Will it stop?” Collected on Vevishes, 1172, 32 seconds pre-death. Subject was a lighteyed female child, approximately six years old. It seems likely that the Everstorm is actually a highstorm summoned and controlled by the Parshendi, here. It keeps raining and storming, and chills everything down. “Light grows so distant. The storm never stops. I am broken, and all around me have died. I weep for the end of all things. He has won. Oh, he has beaten us.” Dated Palahakev, 1173, 16 seconds pre-death. Subject: a Thaylen sailor. Here, we see that the Everstorm is still going. Apparently it darkens the sky, too - there's no light. A lot of people are going to die, I think. Perhaps this is from the perspective of Kaladin? Dalinar? The person talking seems to know it is Odium that has 'won'. “In the storm I awaken, falling, spinning, grieving.” Dated Kakanev, 1173, 13 seconds pre-death. Subject was a city guardsman. The storm starts and he 'awakens'? It could be Kaladin having a highstorm vision. “That chanting, that singing, those rasping voices.” Kaktach 1173, 16 seconds pre-death. A middle-aged potter. Reported seeing strange dreams during highstorms during the last two years. “The day was ours, but they took it,” the boy cried. “Stormfather! You cannot have it. The day is ours. They come, rasping, and the lights fail. Oh, Stormfather!” Here is where things get juicy. I predict that Dalinar leads the Alethi to fight the Parshendi in a final climatic battle, and they seem to be winning the battle... and then the storm comes as all the Parshendi in stormform summon it. It seems that the Parshendi, when in stormform, rasp as they sing. “All is withdrawn for me. I stand against the one who saved my life. I protect the one who killed my promises. I raise my hand. The storm responds.” Tanatanev 1173, 18 seconds pre-death. A darkeyed mother of four in her sixty-second year. A lot of people die here... and Kaladin, in the midst of the destruction of the Everstorm, finds himself saving Sadeas? In any case, it seems likely that Kaladin, as a Windrunner, could have power over the storm and could potentially save the day here by stopping the storm. It's an unending highstorm, so it's not like he won't have enough Stormlight. “They named it the Final Desolation, but they lied. Our gods lied. Oh, how they lied. The Everstorm comes. I hear its whispers, see its stormwall, know its heart.” Tanatanes 1173, 8 seconds pre-death. An Azish itinerant worker. Sample of particular note. Nothing special here, but it does note the 'whispers', which may be connecting to the 'rasping'. Stormform Parshendi are probably creepy as all heck. Anyone feel like offering different interpretations?

Hello Sandersonians! while perusing some of the topics on here an idea came to me, so I'm going to share with you all. I apologize if this has been covered before. My theory is thus. I am starting to believe that Shinovar is a kind of safe-haven, a fortress if you will, for when the final Dessolation/Everstorm comes. A place to safeguard the races of Roshar and to allow them to endure the coming trials. Here is some of my thinking behind this. Shinovar is protected from the Highstorms : Shinovar is at the far west of the continent of Roshar, and is surrounded by a large mountain range that breaks the fury of the Highstorms. This provides Shinovar with natural barriers, that would help protect against both Invading armies, and a calamity such as the Everstorm. Shinovar is particularly fertile, and the Shin place emphasis on food production: With the culture of Shinovar placing so much emphasis on farming and food production. And with a environment tailored to producing vast amounts of food. Shinovar would likely have large stocks of food, a resource which can quickly become scarce during times of large scale war, an is invaluable for mounting an effective resistance. This would allow Shinovar to house large numbers of refugees and large armies. The Shin seem to retain more ancient knowledge than other cultures: Szeth's existence would suggest that the Shin stone shamans have a knowledge of surgebinding that has been largely lost in other cultures. Knowledge that would no doubt prove useful when fighting the Voidbringers. Shinovar has a curious absence of Spren: I am unsure if this point would support of discount this theory. This absence of spren could be an advantage, we know there are some 'evil' spren, and it could be argued that the voidbrigers themselves are spren. Though this would also mean the absence of good spren like Syl. Shinovar may be 'the place nearest to Honour': In the tWok there is a quote stating that 'Urithiru was placed to the west of Alethela, in the place nearest to Honour'. While there are many places west of Alethela, Shinovar is a strong possibility. If Honour is indeed in the west of the continent, it would make sense to make your stand against the voidbringers here, where Honour's power would be strongest. *Small spoiler from Words of Radiance* So that is some of my thinking behind my theory. Shinovar is vastly different from the rest of Roshar, and I don't think it would be too much of a stretch to find out it was intended as bastion to fight the dessolations from. Thought I am still unsure on how much I like the validity of this theory, I think it has some merit. Thank you for reading such a long post. Thoughts everyone?