Search the Community

Ok, this is what I'm thinking after hearing what Darkness had to say to Lift about Surgebinding. What if the Heralds convinced the Knights Radiant that Surgebinding would return the Desolation and to stop that from happening they had to betray their spren to stop any more spren from bonding with humans in an effort to stop the next Desolution? What do you guys think? Feel free to pick it apart.

http://coppermind.net/w/images/TWoK_Front_Endsheet.jpg I'm sure this has been discussed but I didn't find anything. We know that each of the large circles represents an Order of Knights Radiant, and the small circles represent surges. The links between Orders and surges show which 2 surges the Knights of those Order can access. But each Order is also linked to three other Orders. Does anyone know why?

The theory I have here isn't too backed up, but I have a feeling I'm at least close. And the next feeling I get is that it's horrible. Anyway, I think that the reason Shardblades and Shardplate glow has something to do with spren. So far, the only people we've seen with glowing shardblade are/were the Knights Radiant, and as soon as they left their Plates and Blades, they lost their glow. And they also were no longer "owned" by the Knights, whom we know had Spren due to their Surgebinding capabilities. My guess is, if a Surgebinder holds a Blade and/or is wearing a set of Plate, it will glow again. So if Kaladin does end up with a Shardblade, it'll glow. I hope.

The Ideals of the Knights Radiants (written up in the in-book Way of Kings): one shared ideal and four unique ideals for each order unlock enhanced capabilities and even trigger access to stormlight (or at least the second ideal does for Kaladin). I have been assuming that the surges were a shared Honor-Cultivation system with the Oaths as an Honor system built on top of them. Could the spren have created the oaths? (tWoK chapter 67) Jasnah says (chapter 6) that the spren are returning the oaths. Does that strengthen the thought that they empowered them in the first place? The spren created the Radiants in imitation of what was done with the Heralds. It was a surprise to Honor. (WoR chapter 3) Nohadon complains that some of the Nahel-Bond spren are not discriminating enough. (tWoK chapter 60) So the spren created Surgebinding and it was kinda good, but it had a bug in that the empowered people wouldn't necessarily work together. Could the spren be the ones who changed their own system? The spren could have created the Ideals to restrain the behavior of the surgebinders. A Surgebinder either adopts the progressive ideals or doesn't become a strong surgebinder. The knights thought they had to disband (or whatever they did) because continuing as knights would lead to Something Bad. In doing so, they violated their Oaths to their bonded spren, not least of which is the first: journey before destination. Spren may have died or become mindless as a result. Syl comments on gravity working consistently as a working agreement (between the spren?) to keep people's minds from being blown (this is a whole topic of it's own) (Chapter 9 WoR). The oaths could be a similar agreement between the spren (and maybe Nohadon) to limit the strength of the Surgebinders who have not adopted all the ideals. Of course, Honor and the spren could have worked together on this also. What do people think?

karaokeang and WeiryWriter suggested that we create a database for known/suspected Surgebinders here. I've compiled every name I can think of. Let me know if you'd like somebody else added to the list or have any suggestions about the formatting. 1) Windrunners Kaladin Confirmed - Has taken the 2nd Ideal Szeth-son-son-Vallano Confirmed - Not a Radiant, does not have Nahel bond 2) Skybreakers 3) Dustbringers 4) Edgedancers Lift Confirmed - [sTEELHUNT] 5) Palah's Order Ym Suspected - Has a Nahel bond 6) Lightweavers Shallan Davar Confirmed - Has a Nahel bond Elhokar Kholin Suspected - Seems to have attracted Cryptics 7) Elsecallers Jasnah Kholin Confirmed - Unknown 8) Bondsmiths Dalinar Kholin Suspected -9) Stonewards 10) Ishar's Order Google Docs Version

I almost hesitate to call this a full-fledged theory, so instead we'll go with theoretical musing. Main idea: The disbanding of the Knights Radiant is the betrayal spoke of by the spren. This caused the "death" of their corresponding Nahel spren. In the new material released, we learn from Shallan's perspective that mankind betrayed the spren in ancient times. This causes the spren to be hesitant around Jasnah, and some number of spren may have died in the process. Such an event would very likely have a physical-world component, and based on the way Jasnah describes it the event must have been catastrophic. We then consider several such events that may be construed as betrayal: 1) The Heralds abandoning the Oathpact: I find this unlikely since there has been no evidence that the Heralds have any dependent relationship with the spren, espescially at the moment that they walked away. 2) The Knights Radiant disband: This is by far my favorite option because it explains the notion of "death." If we use the definition that spren are living ideas, then to abandon an idea and start acting against it would be its "death." In this case, I find it likely that the betrayal coincides with the Knights abandoning their oaths. However, if the Knights Radiant really did begin to slip before their downfall, it could have been a slow process. We now have a better understanding of the relationship of spren and sentient beings - the latter provide concepts that the spren use to forge their world. Since the Knights Radiant must truly believe in what they are doing and their actions must reflect that, one could only guess at the destruction caused by a huge number of people all giving up at the same time. We note that even Syl talked to Kaladin about giving up their bond and its effect on her. There is a counterargument here, in that the spren would likely have known that Surgebinding can cause a Desolation (in some way that has yet to be revealed). The Knights may have been pushed to step down (from the Heralds, spren or both) but the spren would have known and approved ahead of time. 3) The corruption of Vorin theology: This one is a little out on a limb, but it can be cast as a betrayal and we have not discussed this as much. I personally like the idea that the Sunmaker changed Vorin theology, and my claim is that Old Vorinism was correct. When mankind goes from one belief system to a slightly different one, this would cause all sorts of changes in the Cognitive realm. This could be construed by the spren as being a mighty betrayal to what is true. Finally, what does it mean for an idea to die? Ideas don't "die" in the sense that they cease to exist, but they can be abandoned by people and ignored. I claim this is the state Kaladin fould Syl in originally - a vauge notion of being honorable without any real personality or memories. Syl was bonded to one of the Knights that forake her oaths, causing Syl to lose everything that distinguished her, i. e. is effectively dead. What about Wyndle? Some of his quotes support the idea that there is a processs spren undergo to become bonding spren, which involves manifesting partially in the Physical realm and losing memories. However, I think he is a new bonding spren, as opposed to Syl who had done the job before. As such, we cannot use his quotes to explain Syl's state when Kaladin first started meeting her. In conclusion, I claim that the Knights Radiant breaking their oaths and giving up on their Ideals is the betrayal spoken about by the spren which led to the "death" of many active bonding spren.

This is by no means a real theory, but rather a fun thought: I think it would be an interesting plot device if, now that several of the Heralds abandoned their oaths, the Heralds are vulnerable and no longer "respawn" on Roshar. They still have very long lives, but the next time they die, they are kapput. I know there are a lot of different ideas of how the entire Order/Herald/Gem/etc. relations work, but I think it would put a really unique spin on things if their permanent death disconnected their Order from the Surgebinding chart in a way. I'm not sure which scenario I prefer, but it could mean that they cannot use abilities that are a combination of the relating to surges anymore, or something like that. This may put a lot of pressure on some capable main characters to find the Heralds and control them. It would essentially be trying to round up a group of rabid lemmings as they all run for a cliff in insanity (yes, I know the whole lemming thing isn't exactly true, but it provides an image). It wouldn't be my favorite interpenetration of the quote, but the entire "Unite them" sequence for Dalinar could relate to this urgent quest to find the Heralds and get them back on their feet. It seems like all of the Orders/Heralds will be needed for the Everstorm or whatever awaits us at the end of 10 books/years.

Hey guys, I've been skimming over the associations between the 4 developing Knights Radiant we've seen (including the one from the WoR interlude) and the Heralds. It makes sense that they seem to have matching character attributes (e.g. Kaladin clearly has Jezrien's "Divine Attributes" of protecting/leading), but I noticed that all 4 Knights also match the genders of their respective Heralds. I want to throw a few ideas around for discussion: Brandon's mentioned that we've met multiple Heralds already, beyond the opening chapter in WoK. Is it possible that there's some reincarnation or amnesia element that could make one of our main characters an actual Herald without us knowing? If this gender aspect is, in fact, not just by chance, it opens the way for new guesses on people who could develop into Radiants. Note that there can only be one new female character that becomes a Knight (since we've got 3 female Radiants already out of the 4 female Heralds), and that person would have to match the attributes of Chach (bravery/obedience) I haven't seen anything that completely nails down the mechanics of how spren are involved in the evolution of a Radiant, but does it matter that Syl is female while Kaladin is male?

Pitching my first theory (of the crazy kind) here on 17thshard; let’s see how this goes. (Disclaimer 1: I’ve been through the forums and I don’t think this theory has been pitched before; I haven’t seen anything like this since the Seattle signing post, where I first saw the term Bondsmith) (Disclaimer 2: As we all know there is very little information on the 10 orders of Knights Radiant, the creation of Shardblade & Plate; and to be even more specific, all we know about Bondsmiths are the name, and the presumption that that is the name of Kalak’s Order. But hey, that’s why this is a loony theory! ) I propose that Shardblades (and therefore most likely, Shardplate) are created/generated/called-into-being initially by BondSmiths. Brandon has given to us (or confirmed) the names for 8 of the 10 orders, and given/confirmed the location of 7 of the 8. Bondsmith has to fit the position of either Kalak’s (builder/resolute), Ishar (pious/guiding) or Palah (learned/giving) order, and the predominant belief on this forum (which I share) is that Bondsmiths are in Kalak’s order, which… makes the most sense, given the options. So working off the assumption that Bondsmiths are in between Elsecallers and Stonewards, a few supporting points to this loony theory: 1) Transportation Surge. Shardblades are theorized to rest in the Spiritual realm until they are summoned. Summoning clearly involves some aspect of transportation from the Spiritual realm to the Physical realm (I have another loony theory where I propose that Elsecallers can summon things –and possibly beings/creatures- from or through Shadesmar/Cognitive realm that I may write up soon), and there needs to be some way in which the blades have some kind of connection (or bond, if you will) established between the 2 realms that allows them to travel back and forth when called and released. There needs to be another bond between the wielder of the blade and the blade itself (still need to read that book and series, someday). There also needs to be the disruption of the target-of-the-blade’s soul (maybe severs the connection of a being’s soul (spiritual) with their body (physical) or some other effect; I’m still working on this). All of this requires some type of interaction between the spiritual and the cognitive realms that Transportation may provide. It’s possible that Bondsmiths are able to invest the Blades with these types of attributes. 2) Surface Tension-like Surge. Shardplate has been shown to adjust adapt to the size of the person that wears it. It also fits seamlessly on the wearer, but allows a freedom of motion and agility to the wearer that normal, stiff armor doesn’t allow. It’s possible that the Bondsmith’s control over the Surface Tension-like force that Brandon described (allowing for things that are flexible to become rigid on command) plays a role in making Shardplate flexible for the wearer while still maintaining its structure and solidity. It’s also possible that when proper Knights Radiant are wearing the Plate, they are able to retract the helm and visor at will, as we saw in Dalinar’s flashback with the Knights in Starfall (although this has even less basis in what we know then the rest of my theory; just pure speculation on my part). Perhaps Bondsmiths are able to invest the Plate with these types of attributes. 3) Name of the Order. They are called Bondsmiths. The implication that they make tools, weapons or armor is kind of inherent in the name. Also that they forge some type of bond between things. Kelek has the attributes of Resolute and Builder. Who knows, he could have even shown the first Bondsmiths how to create the Shardblade and Shardplate. And to go even loonier with this theory, Kelek’s body focus are the nails, which by extension is the hands. One summons the Shardblades and they land in the summoner’s hands. Again, this is highly likely to be coincidental, but you never know, right? 4) Knights Radiant composition. If we accept that the Knights Radiant is a complete fighting force, it would make sense that there are different divisions and specialties among the Radiants. Some of the folks here have theorized that the Windrunners and Stonewards would be like shock troops, and that Palah’s order could be like medics, and that other orders would provide some type of direct combat or support role. Every army also needs specialists who focus on weapons and armament. It would be logical that a Knights Radiant Order would specialize in the creation and maintenance of the army’s primary offensive and defensive equipment. And possibly be able to cater those weapons to a specific fighting style or strength of each individual. Maybe that's why each Shardblade appears to be different; they are designed especially to the strengths and specifications of the weilder. So there we are; my first theory on 17thShard. Is it fairly unsubstantiated, with wild speculation and very little hard evidence? Sure. But is it possible? (And more importantly, did you have fun reading it?) I look forward to any feedback. I don’t know every theory that has been submitted and debunked out there, so it’s possible that a lot of this could be off, and I'd be happy to hear what does/doesn't work in this theory. But wouldn't it be cool if this was one more piece to the puzzle?

Please note: this theory is currently REDACTED due to steelhunt. Once certain info comes into the public domain I will unredact. If you have a steelhunt code already and want to discuss redacted areas privately, I am very happy to do so This is mostly building on Isomere's theory: The Tanavallah: a Surgebinders Guide to Harmonics: {http://www.17thshard.com/forum/topic/3301-theory-the-tanavallah-a-surgebinders-guide-to-harmonics } Please note a lot of this is my speculation, and getting thoughts down, please do add comments/refutations. SURGEBINDING Ok so here is the adaptation on the table at the back of WoK that Isomere put together: (LINK) Here is Isomere's original version: (LINK) And here is my adaptation. Working heavily off the table found on the Coppermind about the Ten Essences: (LINK) Blanks are currently unguessed. Where it says 'see note' this is due to redaction IMAGE PARTLY REDACTED EDIT: Thanks to a number of fantastic comments, I've had a good rethink and have changed the table from the one here {LINK} to the one here (also shown below): {LINK} The table has been developed thanks to discussion and analysis of Brandon's readings. The large circles represent the Order of the Knights Radiants where the small represent the Surges. The numbers on the picture correspond to the table (PARTLY REDACTED) below also provided for reference {LINK}: Main Changes and notes: General: Which parts are physical/cognitive Honor/Cultivation are up for debate, although I'm leaning towards top Honor, bottom Cultivation. Number 1: We know that the top right 2 surges (for 1) are Gravity and Pressure but not which way round (corresponding to the Windrunners. {LINK} I think Gravity and Pressure are correctly assigned as pressure works better with Smoke than gravity. Number 2: Smoke & pressure > Dust. Seems to make sense. WoB is that Dustbringers ARE an order of the radiants. [ Signing 2 at about 27 mnutes ; thanks to Miyabi for pointing out]. The dustbringers are theorised to COMBUST items which also suggests heat, whereas light is used elsewhere in the table. {LINK} Number 3: Brightcallers are a theorised potential Order. This is the only place I can see them. It may be this order that can 'control the sunlight' by manipulating heat? Number 4: Redacted Number 5: Growth, Light, plants. Number 6: Working on the assumption this is where Shallan fits in. (Shalash/Shallan ties are well documented (creativity etc) importance of Blood, etc). Memory may be an extrapolation of light and sight abilities, and we know about the soulcasting. We know that lightweaving makes an appearance in SA {www.theoryland.com/intvsresults.php?kwt='lightweaving'} . WeiryWriter noted the following: "Lightweaver was a possible title for Shallan's book and there was a uncited quote ...that Shallan would have three apprenticeships, Jasnah, someone, and Hoid who we know uses lightweaving." So it looks light Lighweavers fits well here, and means Light is attached to 5 and 6, which makes sense. Complementing quotes can be found by searching for 'lightweaver' here: {LINK} Number 7: Jashan hints at the end of WoK that she has a different combination of surges than Shallan, and given they both share the ability to Soulcast it makes sense that Jasnah is here. The reason I've put her here and NOT 5 is that Jasnah is 'bad with organics' i.e. life forms, plants. Seems odd she would fit in 5. That hints that transportation is between 7 and 8. Number 9: We have been told travel is one of the surges{www.theoryland.com/intvsresults.php?kwt='surges'} and Miyabi has stated Stonewards can travel, although I haven't seen the quote, her statement is here: {LINK}. It is certainly speculated due to the Stoneward suddenly appearing in Dalinar's vision. We know that regrowth was combined in a fabrial using topaz and helidor and we have seen the order of stonewards use such a fabrial. This originally led me to suspect growth was between orders 9 and 10 however Moogle pointed out the gemstones could be there to Target bone and flesh, which makes more sense in the overall structure. Also, if growth was a Stoneward power they would not need to use a fabrial. {LINK} Number 10: We have confirmation that Order 10 is the Skybreakers. As Gravity manipulation would give the ability to fly, Travel is probably not a Skybreaker Surge and so must be between 8 and 9. { LINK - Search for Glyphs } Double eye: I've been thinking about the double-eye symbolism and it would make sense if the two pupils represented the merging of Honor and Cultivation. The double pupil (see image below correspond to the Flesh and Plants orders (5 and 10). This would suggest that order 10 (men) is part of Honor and order 5 (Plants) is part of Cultivation. Also, note the links between orders (big circles). 5 and 10 are linked. 4 and 6 are linked to 5 (Cultivation) 1 and 9 are linked to 10 (Honor) 1 and 4 and 9 and 6 are linked; suggesting the counterpoints for Honor and Cultivation respectively? 2,3,7, and 8 are linked to the central point of the diagram, i.e. between 5 and 10, an equal mix of Honor and Cultivation. I am coming to the view that the top half is more Honor, and the bottom half more Cultivation. Cultivation: Plants, Blood, Crystal {Loving, Learned, Creative, Healing, Giving, Honest} Honor: Men, Air, Stone {Protecting, Dependable, Pious, Leading, Resourceful, Guiding} Equal mix: Metal, Oil, Smoke, Fire {Just, Confident, Brave, Obedient, Wise, Careful, Resolute, Builder} VOIDBINDING I've gone through the Theoryland archives and dug out the items from the following articles that I think are interesting to this discussion as they pertain to Voidbinding; (Keywords: Surges, surgebinding, voidbinding, shardblades.) Also included are some WoK Quotes We have also seen, in addition to the tables above, the table dubbed the ‘table of dissonance’: ( LINK ) It follows a similar layout to the double-eye of the Radiants and each of the surges (or voids, as I shall call them) is represented as a de-symmetrised version of the surge on the normal table; indicating, it seems, some sort of twisting of the surge. Voidbinding is mentioned in WoK as having to do with trying to predict the future – that would suggest some manipulation of time, which is why I believe time is one of the voids. We also know that there are 3 main over-arching magic systems: Surgebinding, voidbindings, and a third which is related to fabrials: Q:You have told us there are more than 30 magical systems on Roshar. I am assuming there are 10 surgebindings and 10 voidbindings. Do the next 10 belong to another such classification? If yes, can you give us the name for it. A: Fabrials are part of it. Now, we know Szeth has similar abilities to Kaladin, a potential Windrunner, however: Q:Does SzethsonsonVallano's Surgebinding require HonorSpren like Kaladin's? A: No, it does not. (Hm....) Gold star to you. Q:Is there a link with the fact that we know that Szeth is truthless and the fact that Honorspren are what cause Surgebinding? Is there a connection there? A:There may be. I won't say. That's a RAFO. Szeth isn't actually in an order of Knights Radiant. Something different is happening with Szeth that people have already begun to guess. And Kaladin isn't yet a Knight Radiant, but the powers he uses are those of the Windrunners, one of the orders of the Knights Radiant. Szeth is using the same power set. The symbol stamped into the front of the first hardcover represents the Windrunners because of Kaladin's awakening as a Windrunner. Also because of Szeth, but mostly because of Kaladin We know that glyphs can be written in many pictoral forms. In the surge table, they’re written to style as a sword (WoB), in the table of dissonance as (speculated) an animal, but the last quote suggests they represent the same overall glyph. Additionally, we know that Szeth is using the same power set but is not using Radiant-powers. And, we know that there are 3 sets of 10 powers; surges, voids and something relating to fabrials. I hypothesise that voidbinding voids correspond to surgebinding surges, except for the manner in which one obtains these powers (spren-bond versus other means, possibly relating to Szeth’s oathstone). Therefore, if predicting the future is a voidbind (as is alluded to in WoK), some manipulation of time is also a surge. There may also be Void orders - Ghostbloods maybe? There’s also an interesting extrapolation to do with Shardblades. Syl has stated that she prefers Dalinar once he gave up ‘that thing he carried’ (his shardblade) Also, we know that the Radiants abandoned their blades and Taravangian says to Szeth: “that monstrosity of a shardblade you carry” Q: Was Syl’s appearance and behavior caused by Kaladin giving up his shardblade? A: It was a major fundamental factor in what happened between them. So it seems that honorspren/ radiant-binding spren have some aversion to shardblades for some reason; this may be why Szeth does not surgebind, but voidbinds? We also know that he is not allowed to give up his blade which ties in to this theory. This theory is slightly complicated by the fact that we are told: Q: Is there a functional/structural difference between modern-day Shardplate and the stuff the Radiants wore? Did the Radiants have to use infused gems to keep their suits going or could they just 'breathe in' Stormlight and feed the suit off of their 'inhaled' reserves? A: Something is different. You will find out what. Q:Is there any ramifications to the holder of a shard blade for using a blade in a manner that it wasn't intended? A:Depends on the type of Shardblade. (You have seen three different kinds in TWoK.) For most, no. For some, most certainly. So we cannot be sure if this is Syl’s aversion to all shardblades or just one type. However, 3 types of shardblade could correspond to the 3 types of magic; Honorspren might only like honorblades, regular shardblades might be part of the fabrial set and Szeth’s ‘monstrosity’ might be some kind of voidblade. Also, on the point of voidbinding, we know from Navani’s notebook translation { Link to wiki, search for Navanis Notebook } that fabrials are powered by trapped spren (you could say, a spren Bonded to a gemstone). Surgebinding required bonding to spren, but what about voidbinding? Szeth is the most likely potential voidbinder we have seen, and the only similar item I can think of is his oathstone. Some kind of oath, perhaps, secured in an item is necessary to gain voidbinding powers? Q: With Szeth, the Assassin in White, is he tied to the [Oath]stone or is it a genetic thing or is it kind of like a spren? A: RAFO Q:What did Szeth do to become a Truthless, and is there anything else involved in being a Truthless that we haven't seen?" A: Szeth was perceived as betraying his people in a fundamental way, and you will learn more about that when his book comes along. Q:Is Szeth bound to a spren? A: No. He's not. Q: Was Vallano, Szeth's grandfather, also a Truthless? And if not, what did he do to disgrace the Shin? A: No, Vallano was not Truthless. Szeth was a very respected member of his society, once. There are clues to what happened in his story, but you won't hear it in full until he gets his book. (Which will include his flashbacks.) Q: Is Kaladin naturally stronger than Szeth in using Stormlight? Szeth can only hold onto it for a few minutes, but Kaladin has been shown to hold onto it for much longer. Or does it have to do with Kaladin having a spren? A: Ah, so you all noticed that, did you. Glad you did. I have like a dozen things I nearly posted here, but all of them spoil a scene in Words of Radiance. So I'll just zip it for now. Voidbinding and Surgebindings probably have their own set of limitations. Surgebindings may be more powerful but perhaps voidbing can be done to anyone, via an oath-bond, or perhaps it has more far-reaching applications. Apologies for the ramblings!

Another topic that I have not had time to search through the forums for past a couple pages: Do we know who the Symbol-headed beings are yet? It seems to me like the only other symbols we have really seen so far that wouldn't be recognizable letters or glyphs would be the connected symbols on the Knights Radiant map. After finding the explanation from Brandon in one of his Q&A sessions, the connection seemed pretty obvious to me - Is it a popular theory that the symbol-headed beings are some representation of individual powers expressed on that map? Each one might give the specific power that the symbol represents. Maybe you have to touch them to use it or something. Has this been debunked?

This entire post is a HUGE speculation, so be warned. Edit 6/11: This chart was created to mimic the Kabbalah, and uses color, form, relationships and symbols to create meaning. The ideas below are all my interpretations of these relationships and symbols. The main structure of the diagram is a large eye with two pupils and 10 lines radiating out from the center. The smaller symbols form a ring around the iris. The beasts wings form the sclera of the eye. If you take away all the trimmings it becomes the symbol of Knight's Radiant. "Dalinar recognized the symbol, the particular pattern of the stylized double eye, eight spheres connected with two at the center. It had been the symbol of the Lost Radiants, back when they’d been called the Knights Radiant." (Ch 19). But what does that symbol mean? I believe these images are a graphical representation that Honor and Cultivation merged into one Shard with two Intellects. In effect, they are both peering out of the same eye, but with slightly different points of view. The Harmonic Table: KR symbol Double Eye Double Skull I think its quite important that the two Winged Greatshells are symmetric, and that there is a single larger head with mandibles created in the negative space between the two physical forms. The left beast represents Cultivation, the right beast represents Honor, and the central head depicts the spiritual union of the two Shards. There is also a Glyph located at the place where the two Dragonwasp heads connect. The heads and symbol viewed together resemble a crown with the central gem placed over the forehead. This Gem contains the glyph of Ishi. Now putting it all together: Ishi is associated in the Ars Arcanum with guidance and piety, and resides in the third eye focus of the spiritual union of Honor and Cultivation. The Skybreakers then are an Order of Radiants devoted to guiding us based on visions of the future. Ishi is the 10th Glyph, so 10 becomes a symbol of revelation. Each glyph and map shape is important, and you can make similar interpretations for each order of the Knights Radiant. We can even use this image to figure out the general location of the two Shardic pools, and predict their release into the physical realm through the Greatshells. This is also a way to organize Surges, and by association, Invested Spren. Think of the diagram as a coordinate axis grid. The x-axis is Investiture, the y-axis is Realm. The quadrants tell you the element type. Before we go any farther I suggest you look at how the color changes from top to bottom. Up is Physical, down is Cognitive. Left is Cultivation, right is Honor. Each Spren relates to a primary element or combination of primary elements. Going clockwise from the top right we get air, fire, water, earth and spirit in the middle. The large glyphs are Spren, and correlate to an Order of Kights Radiant and an Honorblade. The small glyphs are Surges and represent a power of creation. Starting from 1:00 and going clockwise the Surges are: External Physical-Gravity, Pressure External Mental-Darkness, Light External Temporal-Transportation (Timespace Contraction) Internal Enhancement-Transformation (Spiritual Connection) Internal Mental-Memory, Awareness Internal Physical-Perception, Strength This fits with Windspren ( Pressure and Gravity), Cryptics (Memory and Transformation) and JasnahSpren (Transportation and Transformation). If this is grouped correctly, StoneWards would be Strength/ Perception. Edit: Skybreakers would be Strength and Gravity, Lightweavers might be Light and Transportation (which could explain how Hoid gets around through time and space) Where are the other 6 Surges? They were never Invested by Honor/Cultivation but the spren exist and some have already been incorporated into fabrials. We see a radiant use Heliodor (gold) to mend wounds and we've seen a painspren fabrial work. What is an Honorspren? What is a Cultivationspren? That depends on how sensitive or specific you want to be. I'll just arbitrarily say you must have more than 50%, which would give you 4 Honorspren, 4 Cultivationspren and two hybrids. A purist would say there are no Honorspren as they all contain a bit of Cultivation. Surges and Symmetry: To understand Voidbinding you will need to grasp the theory behind Surgebinding. Each Surge represents a power of creation and is accessed through an associated Wave, or perhaps through the Concept of how that wave should function, or through a portion of the Ideal Form of the original Wavepattern that sparked the creation of all things. It seems the medium is variable, and you can reproduce a Surgepattern with light, sound, color or even quantum probability waves. Notice that everything in the chart has perfect symmetry. This is a reflection of how waveforms have spin, creating alternating positive and negative cycles and generating perfectly balanced patterns. Symmetry became a cultural obsession in an attempt to get closer to the Harmonic Divine. Voidbinding The Table of Dissonance: Enter Odious Interference. His Intent is either to enslave or destroy everything else in the Cosmere. If He were to join the spiritual union He should add varying amounts of His investiture to each of the available spren, effectively creating a z-axis to the Harmonic Table. But He is a Jealous Younger Brother and didn't want to sully His Essence by combining with others. Instead, He found a way to enslave or destroy the Surges in the Harmonic Table. First, he created a way to trap the Investiture of the paired Shards into StormGems (Fabrials) and harnessed their powers. Next he used those powers to create perfect dissonance in the waveforms of the 10 Surges. Notice that the Table of Dissonance pairs up exactly with the Table of Harmonics. Surges are warped by reversing their charge and spin. This would in effect create an anti-surge. The very powers of creation are turned against themselves. Matter, Spirit and Mind are replaced by Fire and Shadow. EDIT: you can try this out for yourself by drawing a sine wave. Try and swing the part below the x-axis to create net zero at all points along the graph. EDIT: This is a supernova created when a star began to produce antimatter at its core. The organized matter turns into random energy and forms fire and empty space. This theory is far from complete, but it is as thorough as I can make it with the Splinters I'm working with. I'll be trying to finish the Harmonic Table based on Shardic Lens Theory, but could be hard to link everything up with only 10 of the 16 powers. My guess is we will see more Fabrials fill in the gaps for us. Since this theory depends on Honor and Cultivation uniting into one spiritual entity, it serves to reason that they are both partially splintered and partially whole. How that would affect the Cognitive aspect of the two shards is unclear, but best interpreted after reading chapter 57 and 75. Edit: I've done numerous organizational changes to clarify things, and I changed the Labels on the image a bit. For example, Heat changed to Light Edit 4/28: Based on discussions on page 3, renamed inertia to Strength, switched Gravity and Pressure locations. Updated image to reflect changes. Removed "Spin" from OP to avoid unnecessary confusion.

Just a thought, Dalinar mentions that he and Adolin are trained in Wind stance. He also mentions in one of his visions about switching to Smoke stance. He also remarks that Adolin' s opponent in a duel was using Rock stance. Is it possible that the stances reflect orders of the Knights Radiant? Wind Runners (Wind stance) Stone Wards (Rock stance)?