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Good day fellas. It's been a while since I've posted on here and since I've checked in, so if this theory is old hat, I apologize. Tear me to shreds. But if not, I humbly submit this to the 17th Shard. I reread OB recently and I've been thinking of Brandon's repeated mentions of how the entire structure of Stormlight is going to be ordered; specifically that each order of Knights Radiant will have a flashback book through a different character's perspective. What I've not been able to wrap my head around is with who he's chosen for his flashbacks for the subsequent books - it seems we have an extra Lightweaver in the bunch with Ash - the Herald and Patron of Lightweavers - being present in the back five. With her inclusion, we've got representatives from each order present in Brandon's planned 10 book sequence: Kaladin/Windrunner, Shallan/Lightweaver, Dalinar/Bondsmith, Eshonai/Willshaper (probably), Szeth/Skybreaker, Renarin/Truthwatcher, Lift/Edgedancer, Taln/Stoneward and Jasnah/Elsecaller. So that leaves our interesting friend Ash - who according to tradition is the leader of Lightweavers. And we're missing a Dustbringer (or Releaser if you're gonna be PC about it) book. I think Ash is going to become a Dustbringer. This way she will make the flashbacks of the books nice and ordered and sequenced and each order gets one book. But I also think it works with the text. We know the Heralds are essentially just immortal (unless you have a special knife!) humans and thus fallible to human emotions that might attract the right type of spren. It also seems like another prerequisite for being a KR is to be flawed or damaged in some way and the Nahel bond is an avenue for that KR to explore their flaws and come to terms with them (Kaladin's depression, Shallan's repressed memories, etc.) Look at Ash's character for a second: what do we know about her off the top of our heads? She destroys. Brandon has spent three books putting in overt references to Ash destroying her own visage in works of art depicting the Heralds. Sounds a little Dustbringery to you? Ash is also sane, as we saw in her handful of viewpoints in Oathbringer but is dealing with an incredible amount of guilt for the last four and a half thousand years by leaving Taln to be tortured on Braize. There we also have the unofficial KR flaw - her mountain of guilt that gives her a compulsion to destroy any art depicting her as a way of ... atonement, maybe? Either way, I think this is enough to probably attract an Ashspren. We know from Malata that Ashspren like to destroy and have a bit of a chip on their shoulders. I think they would love the fact that Ash has spent nearly five thousand years destroying. If you were an Ashspren looking for a Nahel bond, she would be a prize catch, right? I think there's a little aversion to her being a Dustbringer in my head because I'm thinking along the lines of "but she's the Herald of Lightweaving! She just CAN'T be anything else!" But I think I've argued my brain out of that position. First, we know that Heralds can form a Nahel bond - Nale mentions he became a Skybreaker and shows off his fancy non-Honourblade shardblade. Who is to say that a Herald who joins an order has to join THEIR order though? There doesn't seem to be a hard and fast rule about it. Especially when they've gone through such changes in the past five thousand years. Ash is not simply the herald of beauty and creativity anymore. While some of the other Heralds have gone insane, Ash seems to have just gotten flipped around. She represents destruction now. So there ya have it. Let me know what you think.

Is Wit a Surgebinder? When he tells Kaladin stories, like in the plateau with his flute, or when Kal's in jail, Kaladin describes being able to physically see the stories that Wit tells. We know that Truthwatchers and Lightweavers have access to the illumination surge, so could he be a Surgebinder? I don't have any detailed theories, but I'd like to hear yours!

Alright! I'm new to the 17th shard, and for my very first topic I thought that I would propose something we would all have fun with. Which kind of surgebinder would you be and how would you use your powers in OUR world!? Would you be a graceful yet erratic Edgedancer slicking around skateparks, a Lightweaver,using your powers of illusion strictly for good (I would steal only one cookie.) Or a Windrunner, gravity itself at your beck and call. Keep in mind, surgebinder, not Radiant. You aren't bound by pesky morals and obligatory oaths!

Soooooooo while i was re-re-reading SA i remembered something about the radiants all being "broken" as people , meaning that if someone has had hardships in their past and kept on living they are more suitable to become radiants,(propably because the first three ideals mean so much more to them) BUT we've all been lied to , they took us for fools I SAY !!! (too dramatic? ... yeah propably ) well as i was reading this masterpiece something dawned on me , no they are not ! most of our characters have lived adequetly good lives up until the spren showed up Lets take them one at a time starting with the easier one :Shallan Davar , now u might say , hey she hasd the whorst life imaginable her mother tried to kill her dying by shallan's hand in the process her father covered it up to protect her but it ende up turning him into a violent monster that treated her brothers horribly, and you would be right if it wasn't for the little fact that it was patern's apearance the trigger that started this domino effect if he hadn't come her mother wouldn't have a reason to kill her and the whole crisis would have been averted . She even blames him directly for her life at the end of book two ... umm spoilers i guess? next we heve stormblessed him self :Kaladin he describes being great with the spear from the first time he picked up one ,which would predate tien's death. apart from that he lived a happy life . Yes he didnt have any friends apart from Laral who became a stuck up b...bad person and got bulied by the citylord for two years it is exteemly mild as far as disasters go Renarin Kholin we dont know much about his life the only tragic thing that we know is the death of his mother and maaaaybe not being able to live up to his father's (initial)expectations due to his blood weakness . but those dont seem good enough reasons to break a person considering that he is a prince and... well he is a prince! plus his father loves him and his brother adores him , it seems to me like a relatively good life as for Jasnah Kholin from her hatred of the thiefs and killers that she soulcasted we can assume the same thing that Shalan observed that something was done to her but apart from that she had her spren before her father's assasination and she is a very stoic person to think that she would let any tragedy scar her as much but at least i can see it as possible Same goes for Dalinar he forgot his wife so ... no scaring from there and he is a warrior , he has definately lost many allies to think that even his brother's death would fase him so i am not mentioning lift cause she definately had some crazy bad things happen to her , for her to be the way she is so what if the spren are not looking broken people only resilient ones and the breake them either as a test of strength or to fit the requirements of being broken(which might sound like the same thing but it isn't . since it means that spren aren't all that "good " but would ruin lifes to form people into soldiers against odium . where you could say that this is ultimately good since they strive for the survival of roshar , but that would make them kinda like Taravangian and that would make a boring class of ideologies ) i dont mean to undermine their traumas i am just saying that if you are serching for tragedies in roshar , Teft and Wikim Davar seem like far better cadidates any way my head is muddled and my eyes droppy so i rest my case , what do you think ? NOTE: in the case that this has been discussed before (which it most definately has ) plz send me the link cause i couldnt find anything

Pushed from this @Oversleep 's question. I began to try to find an explaination that in the end made me ask direcly to Mister Sanderson. This is the answer I get about the matter I hope he would reply to the last one, but in the end we discovered something quite juicy. A perks is something developed by small sections though Interactions. Greater Powerhouse in the Cosmere leave no space for this natural interactions. We may use this fact to remove all the strange feats of Mistborn, Feruchemist or Fullborn by the effect of a weird Perk

Okay, I'm not sure about whether it was a theory only or was it confirmed somewhere. Does Nahel bond pull the Surgebinder and spren closer together, what results in spren being pulled more into Physical (somewhat confirmed because as the bond progresses spren can manifest as Shardblade) and Surgebinder being pulled more into Cognitive Realm? I mean, Kaladin was able to see spren nobody else could (like bindspren) and the other instance we have is Rock who is a Horneater who are a result of human/Parshendi interbreeding so they are closer to Cognitive (I just realised that that is also not confirmed).

Something from the tweets archive on Brandon's site, about two-thirds of the way down the page (March 12th). It's not a world-shattering revelation, but I just wanted to make sure that it was known for theorizing purposes.

So I just finished reading Words of Radiance and started thinking about Nazh and all the work he has put into the books with his maps as well as other things. As I looked over information on his wiki page it said his powers are unknown and I figure it will all be revealed one day when we actually meet him. But I started thinking and am leaning towards him being a Windrunner. This is in part for him creating such detailed and articulate maps of towns and areas. With a windrunner ability you could lash upward so high till you could sketch the location. I know maps arnt created like that but it would be a little neat quirk of his to get a perfect view of an area. My other thought to this was when he recovered the document from the sunken ship Shallan survived. He stated you have no idea what I had to go through to get it from the bottom of the ocean. What if he lashed himself down into the depth of the water to scavange the boat like a diver would with weights. Then using his storlight invested body to see in the darkness of the ocean floor. This may already be debunked but it was something I walked away with last night thinking about the character.

This is a pretty straightforward theory. As far as evidence, I don't have any text released yet, but here are the two relevant WoB: Basically, I believe that if a Surgebinder were to pick up an Honorblade of a different order, she/he would be able to have access to those surges but at a reduced capacity, because in those two surges they are limited by the Honorblade. So if Shallan were to pick up Jezrien's Blade from Kaladin, she would only be as skilled as Szeth was as far as Stormlight use for Windrunning surges. Her enhanced physical abilities and healing factors would still be as strong as her Spren bond, but because she can only access those surges through the Honorbade, she'd be Windrunning at the reduced capacity that Szeth was.

So Szeth....I must say I both greatly LOVE and DISLIKE him....he is just so...he is a pushover. No gumpshun. That being said I cannot wait to see his character developement as he (hopefully) develops some personality. He is a complex character i know, the Great Sanderson would give us nothing less. Though I am not sure how much I will enjoy him being the focus of Skybreaker. I have a hard time letting go of having Shallan and Kaladin being the main focus, they have been just so much fun to get to know. I know that they will, ofcourse, still pop up in the next book from time to time. I am just not certain if I will enjoy it as much being mainly focused on Szeth. This being said I greatly trust the Great Sanderson, but I would love to hear input on how others think book three will progress conserning Szeth.

Even though his order is not mentioned, is it safe to assume that the Lopen would belong to the Stonewards since he had the ability to regrow his arm? Or is this just a perk of being a surgebinder?

So, many of you probably noticed the Larkin from the Rysn Interlude, a strange little creature with silver eyes, the same creature Darkness used to drain Lift's Awesomeness. Now, did you notice that there are two Larkin in the background of the Knights Radiant surge chart? I sure did. Any thoughts as to their relevance to Knights Radiance would be nice. We know they drain Stormlight, maybe they can also re purpose it? Are they the opposite of Lift? They take Stormlight and slowly digest it? If so, then they could be used as a pretty big Stormlight storage device. Thoughts? Opinions? Edit: Woot, this is post #100!

So, this is my first "official" theory, and to be honest, it's not completely formed yet. I'll try to add/update as it solidifies in my brain and as I find supportive quotes. At this point, it's more of a gut feeling, but I could be WAAYYY off LOL. In a nutshell, I believe one of two things. Either a) that each/all of the KR will end up ultimately bonding 2 spren. The next question would seem to be, which ones? And, how would they do it? Or b ) that KR will be paired and bonded in some way. If we take option a, it may be that in order to bond a second spren, the specialized skills of the Bondsmiths may be needed. Not sure what that would be or how it would work yet, but it could be an additional meaning to the "unite them" message that Dalinar is motivated by. We know there is conflict among the KR, and also the spren. We don't know yet exactly what the tension is between them, but we can deduce (and it's been mentioned by others here) that it's because of conflicting ideals such as with Syl and Pattern. In this theory, the KR would quite literally bond two different spren. With option b, which I'm tending to like much better than a, the Bondsmiths would be able to create a link between two Radiants, by creating some sort of bond between their spren. I don't know if it would cause the spren to quite literally "merge" in some way, or if it would be more along the lines of an oath. I tend to think oath. I also feel like the Parshendi are involved somehow since they can bond with spren as well, but I haven't quite figured out how. Have to chew on that a bit more I suppose.

This is my first post, so I'm going to have to ask you to stick with me here. Honor, aka the Almighty, as we all know, is dead, splintered by Odium. My first thought was 'Oh, then the Spren must be his splinters.' WRONG. The spren have been around during the time of the Almighty, as shown by one point in the book (possibly a Words of Radiance spoiler) This says that Surgebinders existed during the time the Almighty was alive, and thus so did the spren (Nahel Bond). However, that does not mean the Spren are not -of- the Allmighty. I believe that all spren are a form of the Almighty's investiture in the world, as they seem to have all -bonded- with specific emotions/elements/abilities. WoR spoiler Now, second part of this theory. If the spren are all from Honor, what does that leave Cultivation? Well, that leaves him with Shinovar. Think about it. Unlike what Ruin and Preservation did, fighting for power, Honor and Cultivation decided to split up the land, they made a deal of sorts. Honor would get the land and shape it any way he wanted so long as it didn't mess with Cultivation's area. Thus the mountains around Shinovar so that Cultivation's land wasn't effected by the Highstorms. This would explain many things. First of all, it explains the lack of spren in Shinovar, since Honor has no sway there. Second, it would explain why the Shinese revere farmers and hate warriors, since warriors have to do with Honor, and farming has to do with Cultivation. Thirdly, it might explain the Shinese reverence of rock. The mountains that separate Shinovar from the rest of Roshar could be a holy symbol of their god's protection. Small side theory, I think Cultivation might actually be a man, since at the end of WoK, when Taravangian is talking to Szeth, he says, "Sometimes I wonder if the Lifebrother himself sent you to me." I know the Lifebrother is a nickname for one of the Heralds, and the Herald might have been an Edgedancer, which would explain Lifebrother, you know, growing plants and healing people could have to do with Life, but that is just a side theory. (thanks for the comments. I believe the Lifebrother might still be a Herald, though not Cultivation, and I do feel slightly stupid for posting this part.) WoR spoiler WoR spoiler Szeth's people, under the command of Cultivation, who I believe not only is still alive, but occasionally communicates with his/her people, gave Szeth a Shardblade as mentioned in the before quoted conversation with Taravangian. Not only does this mean Kaladin has the potential to be an immensely more powerful Windrunner but also gives an implication that the Nightwatcher is Cultivation. I say this because perhaps Szeth wished for the powers of a Radiant, and so got Windrunner powers, but in return for the great cost of being eternally enslaved, doomed to kill, and yet seemingly absolved of all sins he is forced to commit, for this is the price their god made him commit. Any thoughts?

First off, much credit to vikorr! He is the person who set this off in my brain case. Second off, if this has been said before, then I'm sorry! And finally... the theory! Alright, ladies and gentlemen. The main of my theory lies on the principle that a spren bond has to do largely with your cognitive aspect. Which is not only decided by how you view yourself, but how others view you. In the Emperor's Soul, Shai tells us, It is important to know that when Shai describes the Cognitive Realm, she says that the way an object is viewed before she says and how it views itself. Which brings us to our next point. When Syl is talking about what Kaladin used to be, and why she followed him, she says, A large part of the reason that Syl joined with Kaladin was because that others saw him as upholding his honor. Even when he was a wretch, he still held some of that respect. Now, onto the recreance. There are two death rattles that are particularly significant: Emphasis on the love. In it's absence, the bond dissolves (which relies on the conjecture we get, finally, by moving onto Feverstone Keep). From <WoR Spoilers!> We know that many spren died in this event. They died because not only did the knights Radiant forsake their vows, the people of Feverstone Keep visibly saw it as a betrayal. They had thought of the Knights Radiant as enemies and traitors, and were prepared to fight for their lives. So... Tadaa! In culmination: A massive part of the nahel bond is having an honorable cognitive aspect, which is largely determined by how others view you.

I can't find mention of it, but is the person who recruited Szeth for Taravengian a ElseCaller or LightWeaver? He Soulcast a wall into smoke, and a gemstone is mentioned as being suspended in his palm. But so is Jasnah' s. Is this man a Soul-Caster?

This may have already been theorized. But, if not - I could use some help fleshing it out. I believe that the way that Shards are created is by a sacrifice from the Spren to become the Shardblade for their Surgebinder. I'm still undecided on whether or not the Surgebinder, knowing the correct way, could release the Spren from the ShardBlade though. This would make sense for me on why Szeth doesn't have a Spren and also why Shallan has a blade but has had no Spren show up for her (other than Cryptics, which I'm not convinced count as Nahel-bond spren). I know this would Debunk a few theories related to Szeth and the Honorblade among others - but I feel it has some credence. Please - pick this apart and hopefully make it better. *Note* Every surgebinder we have met that doesn't have a Spren, has a Shardblade from an Unknown source. (This includes information from the readings). *EDIT* I just did some more research on Cryptics and it appears they are Shallan's Spren, but I still feel this theory holds water, just not as much as it used to.

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