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Scadrien's Investiture is tied directly to spiritual genetics, so their descendants should be able to leave Scadrial and still retain their Connection to Preservation and their Allomancy as long as they don't intermix with other non-Scadriens too much. This makes me wonder; could enough Scadriens being born on another planet cause the Shard of Preservation to Connect to that planet? If I recall correctly, in TLM Marasi said something about a Perpendicularity being easier to form around a large group of Metalborn, likely due to their Invesiture. Plus, we've seen that the Everstorm (a similarly large deposit of Investiture) can be used to Connect the Fused to Roshar so as to bypass the Oathpact, probably by acting as a large source to Connect to. Basically, if this were possible, I think it may be a way for Kelsier or perhaps even the Vessel of Preservation itself to travel between worlds, as there would be a Connection to anchor them to the other world in question.

The Spren of Roshar are, as far as we know, unable to leave Roshar, which makes Surgebinding limited to Roshar. But is it the same for Honorblades?

What major players in our current books will become worldhoppers in the future I expect Wax(and maybe the rest of his crew) because of him calling himself Harmony's sword and the Harmony epigraph in Rhythm of War where Harmony says he is preparing a sword I also expect the majority of our Rosharan characters to figure it out, if not actively do it, due to the prominence of Shadesmar and the cognitive realm on Roshar

So an interesting question I have would be whether any Atium made it off of Scadrial, would Krhiss have her own small stockpile of it? And how valuable do you think it would be to Worldhoppers anyway?

During the time of the Final Empire, not all of the metals, or even all of the powers of the known metals, had been discovered yet. But now in Scadrial’s modern era such things have been discovered. So, would Marsh want to get his hands on these powers? For instance, if there was a Slider Misting who’s continued existence he. . . disagreed with, would he also be willing to use Hemalurgy to get their power as well? What about gaining access to other magic systems? Would he be bound to Scadrial like his brother, or like with Mistings and probably Ferrings, would he be free to leave? This WoB seems to say that Allomancy can be taken off world without too much difficulty, but what about Hemalurgy? In fact, there is a WoB that says that someone is going around the Cosmere and collecting magics via Hemalurgy. Could that be Marsh? So, I guess I've got a few questions here, really.

Personally, I think that Feruchemical duralumin would be the best, as you could understand the local language, and you’d have an easier time interacting with the local magic system. Barring that, Allomantic bronze might also be a good option, as you would be able to sense sources of investiture, and Allomantic chromium would be a good option too, because you could sap the investiture from certain things that otherwise could harm you.

So I was rererererererereading WoR, and I got to the scene where Shallan first meets Mraize and the Ghostbloods. The book describes Mraize's collection of glass boxes holding artifacts that are unfamiliar to Shallan. Here's the exact quote: That second paragraph of stuff, given what we now know about Mraize's off-world hopping, could very well be from somewhere else. (others, I think, have mentioned this). ANyone have any theories, ideas, WoBs, etc relating to this? My guess for the sand would (obviously) be Taldain, because it's white sand, but other than that, I have nothing.

Do we know how the timing lines up on Scadrial and Roshar? In TWOK Demoux is seen worldhopping on Roshar, meaning the non-flashback events we've seen on Roshar must occur after but within decades of the Final Ascension on Scadrial. In Mistborn Secret History, Kelsier only learns of worldhopping around the time of the Catacendre. He is widely theorized to be Thaidakar, but the Ghostbloods have presumably been operating for decades on Roshar. When did Kelsier establish the Ghostbloods? Also, Demoux followed Kelsier in life, later becoming one of the founders of and most dedicated adherent to Survivalism. What are the chances that he became a worldhopper but NOT a member of the Ghostbloods? I assume this has been discussed before, but I couldn't find anything written on it. Have I made some faulty assumptions? Thanks!

So I don't understand one thing. We know that But the events of Wok happened hundreds of years after the events of HoA. How is he alive? Maybe I missed something in which case I apologise. But it doesn't make sense to me. Also, I haven't read Row yet so please no spoilers for that one :D. Thanks in advance for answers. Life before death!

So, when Rock says that he is leaving, he says that he and Kaladin "will not see each other in this realm" and that if they meet again, it will be in the realm of gods. I took this to mean that Rock gets sent off to either go to other worlds, or to do some job in Shadesmar. What do you guys think?

@Condensation Chrysler Madison pulled her sword out of the beast's neck and wiped it's black blood onto the grass. She wasn't sure where all these things had come from, but she'd been seeing these demons all over the multiverse in the past few days. Obviously something had happened to unleash them, but it was impossible to say what just yet. She finished cleaning off the sword, knelt, and offered a prayer to her god in thanks for another battle won. She'd have to go talk to him in person sooner rather than later though.

Hello again. What I am putting forth today is a theory, albeit a simple one. Let's begin with some background knowledge. Unsealed Metalminds, often referred to as Medallions, are a type of metalmind that is able to be used by anyone, even someone without innate Feruchemical powers. In Era 2, we see them used to store weight, warmth, memories, and famously as the fabled Bands of Mourning. The common medallions that we see can use two, occasionally three attributes in a single device. In Oathbringer, we see Hoid bond a Cryptic in order to become a Lightweaver. This is a revelation by itself, but it also has deeper implications: we know that worldhopping is difficult for Radiants because the Nahel bond attaches them very strongly to Roshar via their spren. This is similar to the pull Kelsier feels when trying to leave the Scadrial subastral in Mistborn: Secret History. However, in Mistborn Era 2, we see Hoid on Scadrial, even though we know that Era 2 takes place after the events of Stormlight 5 (therefore after the time that Hoid has bonded his spren). How can that be? I have a simple theory to explain, along with alternative explanations. The Theory in Question: I propose that Hoid is using a medallion that stores either Connection, Identity, or both to specifically store his Connection to Roshar. This severs the tie binding him to the planet and allows him to travel off-world. There are specifics that may differ - perhaps he has to travel to the Cognitive Realm in order for his spren to use the medallion (can a being made of Investiture even use a feruchemical device?), but the concept stays the same. Now, there are two alternatives that I see as being possible: 1. Hoid is using a method unknown to us at this point to preserve his Nahel bond and still travel off-world. This doesn't seem worthy to talk about right now because, of course, how do we talk about something we are not aware of? But if anyone has alternative theories as to how Hoid gets off world, I certainly welcome them in this thread. 2. Hoid breaks his Nahel bond in order to travel to Scadrial. I mean . . . It seems obvious to me that this isn't the case. It is, I suppose, plausible that Hoid bonds a spren in Oathbringer, keeps it for the few years until he needs to travel to Scadrial (end of SA 5? in the time-skip? During SA 6?) and then breaks the bond, presumably killing the spren or making them a Deadeye. I do not believe this to be very likely. Some people have proposed that a Radiant might be able to simply "leave" their spren on Roshar, sacrificing their powers in order to travel further than the Rosharan system. I do not think that this is likely or possible. You may be thinking, Hey, this theory sounds too simple. And you'd be right; it is very simplistic. The reason I believe it to be true is that the mechanics are fairly complicated. The method requires someone to either; A. already be a worldhopper from Scadrial (or from somewhere with access to Southern Scadrial technology, e.g. Silverlight) who then successfully bonds spren, a process I deem to be uncommon OR B. a Knight Radiant with knowledge and access to off-world technology. This second option will quickly become more common as the SA series progresses, but currently it is still quite uncommon. In other words, even though this process is simple once you have the requisite technology (and aptitude to bond a spren), these things are so uncommon at our place in the timeline as to be unfeasible for the average Rosharan or Scadrian. Therefore, I think it is a perfectly reasonable explanation for how Hoid does what he does during the events of Mistborn Era 2. Please feel free to poke holes in this theory in the comments, try as I might I always seem to forget some crucial point. Life is a learning experience however, and I appreciate the opportunity to learn from my mistakes! Thanks for reading!

Now, I know we got name dropped and are on cosmeric cloud nines, seventh heavens and are envisaging Jasnah and Kaladin, Sylspear in hand, exploring the dragon nests of Vax. But if you were a native Rosharan , albeit one who had made a trip to Shadesmar and met Azure, what would you think? Other worlds, maybe but only maybe. There are other possibilities: the Rosharans cannot possible know that there is just one continent on Roshar They do know that there are unknown places in Shadesmar So what will it be? They do know that there are alien populations of people. They have to explain Azure. But other planets? Rosharans have optics, so they must have some astronomy. They must know that Roshar is a planet, how large it is and that it orbits its sun. They must also know that there are other planets in the system. But do they know that stars are suns?

As an avid fan of experimenting and theorizing with the limits of Cosmere magic, I've found a handful of interesting combinations that result in obscure (sometimes not fully practical) emergent properties. For example, using Steel Compounding with Abrasion to reduce drag to allow you to run even faster than a normal steelrunner could before "bad things" start to happen like re-entry heating and stuff. Another fun thing you could do with Abrasion is if you pair it with Gravitation, and lash yourself only slightly horizontally, such that the total gravitational pull makes the ground feel like a downwards slope. Then slick your shoes with Abrasion and slide all around, re-lashing yourself to change direction. Alternatively, instead of doing that with Gravitation, you could use Allomantic Steel to give yourself momentum across the ground. Possibly one of the most interesting to me is an Augur who is also a Forger. They use their Gold Allomancy to learn all they can about a possible alternate past for themselves, and then Forge themselves into that alternate history. In addition, if they were a Copper Ferring (twinborn of gold and copper), they could store what the Gold shadow 'feels like' to them, and then use the memory while writing the soulstamp. The applications of this are likely only limited by what exactly one can know about themselves through Gold Allomancy and the skill of their Forging ability. Are there any of these interesting cross-compatibilities you think would be possible in the Cosmere? I would love to know more of them.

So, I was thinking about how different planets in the Cosmere would interact in terms of trade and tourism. I have below what is essentially a description of each world and what it might export or import. Any suggestions or ideas? I sort of put them in a rough order of how nice it would be to go to. First of the Sun: General - Because the Perpendicularity is basically a death trap, we see that offworlders have to physically travel through space to reach this place. Their main value is in the Aviar, which so happens to be found in a set of islands that will try to kill you as much as possible. It's mostly ocean and death. Exports - The Aviar. This actually give First of the Sun a strong standing in the Cosmere, as Aviar need to come from First of the Sun, and go to a very specific island to be Invested. This gives the planet a monopoly on the Aviar. Imports - We see in the story Sixth of the Dusk that the main import is technology. Guns and weaponry will likely be highly valued due to the perilous nature of the Pantheon islands. Tourism and Visiting - Just don't. The only reason I could think of for why a person would go to the planet for reasons other than trade would be research. The planet, though deadly, has some pretty cool stuff going on, and research into how so many lifeforms can detect mental activity would be fruitful. Threnody: General - Many natural resources, but hard to get to and dangerous. Assuming that the Threnodites manage to find a way to worldhop safely, the planet would be a valuable trading partner. Exports - Judging by how many plants and fungi we see on Threnody, I wouldn't be surprised if some of them turned out to be edible or medicinal. They have a lot of trees as well, so maybe they could sell lumber. Though we don't know much about the planet, Threnody appears to be rich in natural resources. Imports - Cheap silver and Invested perfect gems for light(assuming that the Rosharans find a way to mass produce perfect gemstones artificially) from Roshar. Tourism and Visiting - One word. No. Threnody is a dark, gloomy place that is only second to the First of the Sun in terms of everything trying to kill you. An outsider would likely break the Simple Rules by accident (no moving too fast a night, no bloodshed and no fire. At least Shallan won't have a problem with the last one ), and die. There isn't much to see unless you are a Cosmere researcher trying to study the shades. Taldain: General - This is a weird planet. And I'm not sure that this place will have that much significance in the Cosmere economy, despite their technological advancement. They don't seem to have anything particularly valuable, or even abundant. Imports - Minimal. Maybe metal for the dayside. Exports - Instant noodles to whichever planet Hoid is on. Should be enough to singlehandedly fund their economy. Tourism and Visiting - This would be a place for those seeking adventure. The Dayside is a place for exploration, as long as you have a guide, and don't get eaten by a sandling, it should be fun. Fun in the same way that a hike across the Sahara Desert is fun. Darkside might be popular among the Threnodites, who are used to dark environments. However those that aren't adapted to UV radiation should probably be careful not to stay out too long, because I'm pretty sure that skin cancer is still a thing in the Cosmere. They have instant noodles. Sel: General - Sel, though prosperous and diverse, probably won't make as much of a dent in terms of Cognitive Realm trade and interaction due to the fact that the Dor essentially makes the Cognitive realm a giant plasma storm. However, should they manage to find a way to control the Dor, or make travel through the Cognitive safe (possibly by using aluminum plates to create safe paths through the Cognitive realm), they would find themselves a popular place to visit among tourists and researchers alike. Due to the nature of magic on Sel, the different empires would develop into self sufficient, independent, and isolated nations that do not interact much. This might result in some funky politics as the government/representatives of, let's say Scadrial, would need to make trade deals, political treaties, and policies with each nation separately. Exports - I can see Elantris, due to the proximity to Devotions Perpendiculatiry and the ability to Soulcast using AonDor, exporting raw materials to other worlds. Though they probably won't be able to match the level of soulcasting production on Roshar, the Elantrian soulcast goods would likely gain a reputation of being of a higher quality, due to AonDor's ability to be very fine tuned and consistent. Rosharan soulcast foods are noted to not taste all that great, while the AonDor seems to be able to produce foods of high quality with no notable differences in taste to normally produced foods. Perhaps Nalthis would purchase the paintings from the Rose Empire, and Roshar would purchase carvings from Arelon (Sel appears to have a very good taste in sculpture and the arts). Barring the developments of methods to allow AonDor to work outside of Arelon and Sel, most of the magical technology that we see in Elantris would likely remain on world. RaiDel peppers from JinDo could be sold in Roshar, as it seems that spicy foods are popular there. Imports - I imagine that their main import would be aluminum from Roshar or Scadrial, as it would allow Elantrians to carry Investiture with them as they travel offworld, as well as to prevent the use of magic (like in prisons for Forgers in the Rose Empire). Perhaps the Rose Empire would buy art from Nalthis. If the Elantrians keep the habit of wearing bright colored clothes (referencing Elantris, where the Elantrians had to make do with Sarene's monkey-paw style response to their request for fabric, bringing them the most garish, brightly colored cloth that she could get), Hallandren dyes could be a popular item. Tourism and Visiting - So many places to see, and so little time. I believe Sel may be one of the best tourist locations in the Cosmere. The ecology and planet is safe, political climate (assuming the Shu-Dereth calm down) is stable, and cultures are diverse. The massive city of Elantris would likely be the first stop on anyone's Sel vacation, and not just because it has a Perpendicularity on it. There is something for everyone in the city. Scholars could visit the library in the city, and artists could study the sculpture and masonry that decorates the stone of the city. Due to the unique natue of Selish magic and the level of Realmatic awareness, researchers of magic would have a field day studying the different systems of magic and discussing realmatic theories with the Elantrians. Nalthis: General - A very pleasant place to be. The people are all Invested with Breath, making them healthier and stronger than a normal person. However, the nature of Endowment's Investiture makes Investiture hard to accumulate. Hallandren is skilled in the arts and magical technology. Exports - Paintings, dyes, and Lifeless to Roshar. As suggested by @Honorless, they may also have some trade in Breaths. However, due to their limited nature (one Breath per person), I'd imagine that it wouldn't be a major part of their trade economy. Imports - Investiture from Roshar for the Returned. Cheap food from planets with high food production capabilities, such as Roshar or Sel with Soulcasting or Scadrial with their fertile lands. Tourism and Visiting - Probably one of the nicest places to visit, Nalthis has many sights to see. Tourism to Hallandren would be busy, as the city has restaurants, colors, and a very vibrant culture. The Court of Gods would be a popular destination. For those that want a bit more peace and quiet, the nation of Idris is a good choice. The seafood in Hallandren seems to be quite nice. Rich people could go and buy Breath. Roshar: General - These guys might end up being an economic powerhouse. They don't really need anything. Soulcasting gives them the ability to produce vital materials such as food, water, metals, and fuels. Highstorms mean that Investiture is easily accessed on the planet, giving their economy near limitless potential to produce using Soulcasters. Their ability to expand may be slower due to the reliance on gemstones, but unlike other planets, gemstones are a renewable resource on Roshar. Exports - Allomantic metals including aluminum, and fuel to Scadrial. Silver, soulcast food, and maybe perfect gemstones (for flameless light) to Threnody. Stormlight infused gems packed in Aluminum to Nalthis for the Returned to eat (like magic Poptarts), and cheap soulcast food might be popular as well, judging by how expensive food is in Hallandren). And possibly Aluminum to Sel (Aluminum has the ability to keep Investiture from leaking, so Elantrians might use aluminum to carry around Investiture to eat when offworld. But we see that Elantrians have the ability to do their own version of soulcasting, so maybe they won't need to buy Aluminum.) Something to notice is that a lot of their exports have to do with aluminum. This is because soulcasting (an ability that appears to be shared only with the Elantrians) allows for Roshar to bypass the large energy and cost requirements of Aluminum production, and their easy access to the Cognitive Realm gives them a unique position to dominate the aluminum trade. Same goes for their access to Stormlight and gemstones. Imports - As the Rosharans don't seem to have many pressing needs, their imports will likely consist of "luxury" goods. Canned food (apparently soulcast food doesn't taste that great), and techonology (Harmony seems to be active in the tech development on world. He even name drops the "radio" in Era 2.) from Scadrial will probably be popular. Perhaps the lighteyes will take a liking to the colorful fabrics of Hallandren in Nalthis, or perhaps, following the loss of the Parshmen, Lifeless would probably take the place of menial labour, which would also bring with it the need for Ichor-Alcohol. Depending on how safe the Elantrians can make the Cognitive Realm, Elantrian soulcast food may also be popular. Tourism and Visiting - Roshar would probably be popular among the Returned as a vacation spot, as easily accessed Investiture from Highstorms means that they could relax and not worry about eating Breaths. Sandmastrells from Taldain might also go there to train, as the abundance of Stormlight and water means that they can practice Sandmastery without worrying about dehydrating far from a source of water. I'd also imagine that the scholars from the Rose Empire on Sel would be delighted to discuss Realmatics with the Rosharan Ardents, as both cultures are quite Realmatically Aware. Roshar's unusual ecology and societies mean that there are many places that a tourist could visit. Tourist destinations include: the tower-city of Urithiru, the Shattered Plains, the Grand Indicium in Yeddaw (very popular amongst scholars of most worlds), the Horneater Peaks (which would probably see a lot of activity, being the location of Cultivation's Perpendicularity after all), the Purelake, and many more. Shadesmar is also a pretty good place for tourism, with friendly spren and cities. Scadrial: General - I saved the best for last. This planet will likely play a huge role in the overall Cosmere storyline. The society is advanced, the magic systems are not bound to the planet, and they have a Sazed. Also, they were close to developing instant noodles and space travel. Exports - Mainly technology. They are very advanced in engineering, and their medallions may also be a big thing. Maybe the medallions would allow Elantrians to carry some Investiture with them offworld. Who knows. Maybe Ettmetal will be used on other worlds, either as a weapon or to power those airships that we see in Southern Scadrial. Imports - Likely metal and fuel from Roshar. I can imagine the upper class buying colored clothing from Nalthis and large gems from Roshar just to show off. Tourism and Visiting - Scadrial has a rich history, and have preserved historical artefacts well. Museums would be cool. The Pits of Hathsin could be the Scadrial equivalent of the Paris Catacombs for us. Also, you could get a hemalurgic earring and talk to Sazed AKA Harmony AKA the most powerful being in the Cosmere as of now. Thanks to @Honorless for suggesting the Breath trade and Shadesmar.

Being as all the worlds in the Cosmere are round, and the Cognitive Realm parallels the Physical Realm, how does worldhopping work? Previously, before this occurred to me, i had pictured worldhopping being achieved (based off of Kelsier's journey to the Ire in secret history) by simply walking off the edge of the world, passing through a vague amount of compressed space (due to a lack of thoughts/Cognitive stuff) and arriving on a different world. But upon reflection, a globe has no edge to walk off of. So how does one transfer between different worlds?

So Khriss… We know that she is native to Taildan, and that she is a major worldhopper. But Who Is She? What happens after the cliff hanger in White Sand 2? What is her position in Silverlight? And which systems has she been to? For that matter, who is Nazh?

I read Warbreaker, but it seems a lot of time has passed since then. Vivenna is a very different person (the obvious part being that she can fight hecka good). Do we have any information on why?

How does worldhopping actually work? I mean, I think they travel through shadesmar, but how? boat? magic? shadesmar is like the inverse of the worlds, but what's the inverse of space? Anyone?

From my understanding, every Cosmere magic system has a way to access the cognitive realm and worldhop. My question is then, do Elantrians do this with a variant of Aon Tia? Or is that bound by using distances as we see in the book - since you can't walk to the cognitive realm, could you travel there by Aon?

A couple of weeks ago I had a run-in with Brandon ans was able to ask him a question. I thought I would post it here so y'all can see it. Here is the paraphrased Arcanum style transcript: Here is what I got from this: There are (or could be) shardblades off of Roshar, but definitely not a large number of them. Most (if not all) of the "missing" shardblades are still on Roshar. Also we now have definite confirmation that it is hard to take a spen off world, but it is possible. I would love to hear what the rest of the shard thinks of this WoB.

I was re-reading Elantris after finishing Oathbringer for the tenth time, and I remembered that in the memory of Tanalan the younger, Dalinar dismisses a older bald man with a birthmark stretching across half of his face. Elantris describes Telrii as having a giant purple birthmark that stretches across the left side of his face. I think it's too much of a coincidence to be chance. I think that Telrii may be trying to get into power on this new planet, where no one knows of his previous failure. Well, except for Gallodon (Temoo/Grump {See interludes from WoK}) I think it would be interesting to see them meet, especially with the Radiants witnessing it.

So I noticed while reading Oathbringer that May Aladar is described almost the exact same way as Vin. So maybe Sazed found out how bring her back?

So there is this WoB that I couldn't figure out. I was wondering if you guys could make heads or tails of it. Q: The prevailing theory on the 17th Shard is that Hoid worldhops using Shadesmar. I was wondering if you were willing to confirm or deny that? A: Hoid has indeed gotten between worlds before through Shadesmar. Q: And would you be willing to give us a hint as to how he does that? A: There are hints in the books. There is a hint in the very first cosmere book I released. [that would be Elantris] Which I thought was a huge hint, but so far I haven't seen anyone talking about it. I thought for sure once people started figuring the cosmere, they would see the massive in-your-face hint I put in that book, but so far, as far as I know, no one has. Now, the one [hint] about the map, that one I don't think is obvious. I know people have been trying to figure it out. It's going to be fun once you figure it out, but it's not something huge and obvious. The Elantris once was, like, enormously "HIIINT!"

There's been a lot of speculation about what the secret was that destroyed the Knights Radiant, as well as speculation into the causes or mechanics of the Desolations and the Oathpact. I have a wild theory that connects the two. There's probably a thousand things wrong with it, and even I see a bunch of holes and leaps in logic, but hopefully it will at least be entertaining. It starts with a WoB exchange I saw posted in another topic earlier today by Steeldancer, so credit goes to them for finding this quote: So we know that the Heralds all being present on Roshar causes another Desolation to occur. The question is, why? Well let's consider what we know of Worldhopping, because that is essentially what is happening. Spren (and perhaps originally the Listeners themselves) come from Braize to Roshar. Other worldhoppers transition between the Cognitive realm and the Physical realm using Perpendicularities. Other WoB have confirmed that perpendicularities could be caused by a massive amount of Investiture. I believe it was confirmed that Jasnah essentially did a miniature version of this to return to the physical world. My theory is that the Heralds act like Investiture lodestones. If they stay long enough in the world, there is a kind of critical mass that occurs, creating enough of a perpendicularity for Odium's forces to transition en masse into Roshar. This is basically how the new Everstorm worked. Once a critical mass of Fused Listeners was reached, they were able to call the storm. I believe the Everstorm itself is Odium’s perpendicularity on Roshar, at least this time around. We know it carries Voidspren with it, and could be what allows them to come into the Physical realm in large numbers. We also know that it was created by a large number of Fused (ie, Invested) Listeners pooling their energies. That sounds like a recipe for a perpendicularity to me. Now what if the Highstorm works in the exact opposite way (which would make sense, since they are reversed in every other way). The Highstorm is described by (suspiciously colour-obsessed and oddly familiar) “Zahel” as “invested to the hilt and looking for somewhere to stick it.” (As an aside: god bless “Zahel”). The Highstorm disperses Investiture. It takes a huge amount, maybe enough to form a perpendicularity, but then spreads it out across literally the entire world. I submit that this was its primary purpose (because remember, the Stormfather has been tasked with keeping the Highstorms coming, and presumably Honor would have some reason for unleashing these things periodically upon the world). My theory is that there are other ways to enable (or hasten) a Desolation. Perhaps with sufficiently concentrated Investiture, Odium can create a workaround, or at least speed things up, with less time between Desolations. The Highstorm is a check against this by dispersing Investiture, whereas the Everstorm keeps it concentrated (which is which it doesn’t infuse gems with Stormlight). So Honor works to prevent (large) perpendicularities from forming, and Odium tries to create more. Smaller perpendicularities ensure that the two worlds will never be entirely isolated, but might not facilitate a lare-scale invasion. The Oathpact, then , could be an agreement. Honor creates a bargain by which Odium has a shot at Roshar every once and a while. Honor essentially creates the Honorblades as a controlled means of opening a path between worlds by way of highly concentrated Investitute (which could be why Syl refers to Szeth using a dangerous amount of Stormlight with the Honorblade). At the same time though, he makes them double as a means of fighting against the very invasion they facilitate. Odium, in turn, agrees not to just come over to Roshar and destroy it himself, an agreement that binds him even after Honor's death. So how do the Knights Radiant fit in? Well we already know that they were not intended by Honor. They were the result of the spren taking it upon themselves to mimic what he had done. They mimic the Honorblades, which are presumably involved with the Oathpact (see above). What if, unintentionally, they have re-created certain aspects of the Oathpact as well, as a side effect of the nahel bond? The Heralds, when concentrated on Roshar, kicked off Desolations. The Fused, when concentrated on Roshar, kicked off the Everstorm. And for however many centuries, human beings, Invested to the hilt, as it were, were concentrating themselves in a specific location: Urithiru. What if this was enough to, if not cause the Desolations, at least exacerbate them in some way? What if it created enough of a perpedicularity to allow some of Odium's forces onto Roshar in a consistent manner, like a door propped open even between the Desolations. Spoilers from Edgedancer: To me, this seems like the kind of revelation that would utterly crush a group dedicated to sacrificing for the good of all. To learn that they and their spren had in fact been causing or at least hastening/worsening the Desolations, that all of their efforts and sacrifice were only perpetuating a cycle of endless violence, I could see that breaking them, and causing the Recreance.