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One of the many long-awaited reveals that we expect to see in Rythyms of War is the consistency of living Shardplate. Just as a little context info, Shardplate's most straightforward use is that of deflecting blows from Shardblades. This is not the only use of Shardplate, however; the incredibly heavy armor grants the user increased strength and increased dexterity. Shardplate users are notable for their ability to hold Shardhammers--incredibly heavy hammers that no normal person could lift--and Shardbows-- which have an incredibly heavy drawback weight. This, as well as the fact that they can leap the chasms between plateaus on the Shattered Plains, and scale incredibly sheer cliffsides. Most shardbearers would agree that they would choose Shardplate over Shardblade every time (except possibly Adolin because he's awesome, but whatever). This seems to coincide with the fact that Radiants get their living Shardblades before they get their living Shardplates. This leads to the million-broam question: What is living Shardplate made of? I might have an answer. It's out of the question that it might be made of a spren, as you'll only hear the screaming of the dead spren when you wield a Shardblade, not wearing a Shardplate. This makes sense, because most Radiants will only bond one spren (there are exceptions, but not many). So what else could the Plates be made of? There are a few possibilities, but in my opinion, the most likely consistency of Shardplate is that of pure stormlight. It makes so much sense! Stormlight grants Radiants increased strength and dexterity when they breath it in. What else grants people strength and dexterity? Shardplate. If that seems like more of a coincidence than proof, then get this: Stormlight is required to make Shardplates regrow. In order to mend the Plates, they must be fed the same energy that powers the Radiants. Without stormlight, the Plates will also lose their power, becoming dead weight and ridding the Plate wearer of their increased power and speed. If this is true, then not only would the power of a bondsmith uniting the realms be a kind of turning-point for living shardplates, but we might also have a guess at what living Shardplate can do: Heal the wearer. Radiants can heal themselves by breathing in stormlight. If the Shardplates are made of stormlight, then would they even have to consciously heal themselves, or would it just happen automatically? But hey that's just a theory: A COSMERE theory. Thanks for reading!