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From what I understand, Mistborn Era 2 happened between the 10-15ish years that separate Stormlight 5 and 6. But at the end of The Lost Metal, Melaan ends up somewhere in the Cognitive Realm where there are a bunch of red-headed people. Assume they're Horneaters escaping from Roshar and the X years* that Era 2 (plus Melaan's epilogue) happened, were the Horneaters roaming the Cognitive Realm or was there a change to when Era 2 took place? * I don't know the number of years between AoL and TLM epilogues.

Kaladin has basically been the protagonist of the entire first arc. That said, it’s improbable that he’ll have as much of the spotlight in the second arc as well. I’m going to do my best to explain my theories for all of the viable paths I see moving forward... [Open the spoilers to see my ideas and details about how each one of these scenarios could go down. The pros/cons are super general and just my surface-level opinions.] Option 1: Swearing the Fifth Ideal in Book 5 Pros: It makes a lot of sense! Kaladin is alive and happy, we have a main character who's made it to the Fifth Ideal, and the future Radiants have an example to follow and a person to advise them. Cons: It's predictable, for the most part, and lacks some spice. Option 2: Swearing the Fifth Ideal and Dying Right After Pros: It’s fun and quirky and different. Also, we wouldn’t have to worry about his level of involvement being too high or too low in the second arc. Cons: It just doesn’t seem likely. If swearing the 5th is the indicator that his character arc is over, it kinda seems weird to kill him off immediately after. Option 3: Stuck in the Fourth Ideal Pros: Kaladin gets a major wrench thrown in his plans, which would allow us to know him better outside of the fight. There’s also the added bonus of a sort of parallel character development to that which we’ve seen so far. Further, it’s just a nice change of pace from Kaladin’s current progression, and it’s also something we haven’t seen before in the series. Everything is so fast-paced. Kaladin could be the first to face stagnation. Cons: As much as I love the idea, I’m not sure if it’s entirely likely. From the what we’ve seen in the first 4 books, it looks like Kaladin is progressing pretty steadily toward finishing his character development in the first arc. (There are probably more cons to this, but I’m self-aware enough to admit my own bias.) Option 4: Kaladin Dies Before He Can Swear the Fifth Ideal Pros: It’s new, it’s different, and it has shock value. It also makes the transition of protagonists pretty seamless. Cons: It’s unlikely, given that every character is given a satisfying end to their arc. Also, it’s sad. If you stuck it through to the end, then let me know what you think! If I got any canon information wrong, feel free to correct me––it’s been a while since I’ve reread any of the books, and I wrote this all in a sleep-deprived haze, lol. Definitely looking forward to reading any debate/discussion on this.

Given what was reviled in the live read about the passions could there theology be connected to Fortune? I know wit says this is horse rust, but that doesn't mean it wasn't biased on truth could there be a type of void binding that controls fortune?

Hey all, I have a theory about Kaladin which is in part derived from the information we know in secret project 4, and mistborn era 2 which pertains to his role in Stormlight 5. Spoilers be ahead I know Brandon doesn't like allegory but the idea is that the story of Fleet is an allegory for Kaladin's battle with depression. To summarize, Fleet is racing against the storm. He starts in Alethcar, races to the mountains staying only slightly ahead of the storm and then has a period of relative ease in the race across Azir. Then he hits the mountains of Shinovar but he's spent and tired. He's always staying just a step ahead of the storm at this point as he feels it wearing down on him. But he finally makes it over the mountains and hits the planes of Shinovar with the storm, now a trickle behind him. But it does take him in the end, he's beaten by the race and the storm and he does die. But as Wit says at the end, "So in that land of dirt and soil, our hero stopped the storm itself, and while the rain came down like tears, our Fleet refused to end this race. His body dead but not his will, within those winds his soul did rise. It blew upon the day's last song to win the race and claim the dawn. Past the sea and past the waves, our Fleet no longer lost his breath. Forever strong, forever fast, forever free to race the wind." This story is told by Wit but Wit tells it as if it's Kaladin telling the story and Wit tells Kaladin that it IS his story. "I know most stories, only the names change" Drawing the parallel, we know that Kaladin has always struggled with some degree of depression. He was born in Alethcar, but eventually made his way to as a slave to the Shattered Planes where he nearly took his own life at the chasm. I think that was his first mountain. Then through the next couple of books, he has nothing quite so grim, though he's definitely still fighting depression throughout. I think was represents the mountains of Shinovar would be his story throughout RoW. Beaten, broken, spent, and tired of everything. He has his depression eating at him from all sides but his will alone is what keeps him going. We know that Stormlight 5 will take place in parts of Shinovar. I believe that Kaladin will die in Stormlight 5. But from Secret Project 4, we know that Sigzil when he first see's Wit, he think's it's Kaladin. So that means that Kaladin is in a different form and it's dead (completely). I think that even though Kaladin will die, I think he'll either become a herald, or he'll become a cognitive shadow, but I don't think that Kaladin will pass beyond the cognitive realm.

Alas. We suspected that this would be the case for some time now, but it has finally be confirmed: Stormlight 5 won't be coming until 2024. Though the reason why certainly isn't quite what we expected... Brandon Sanderson did a Reddit AMA (ask me anything) with subreddit r/books last week, and u/VeryNiceName16 asked about the plan for the "Stormlight 4.5 novella" (tentatively titled Horneater) amid everything else going on in 2023. Which, if you've give a moment of thought for Brandon's release schedule for 2023, is a darn good question! We've got four Secret Project books, Defiant (Skyward 4), AND supposedly Stormlight Archive 5? Not to mention the Words of Radiance leatherbounds and several other smaller projects that might be coming along. I don't know about you, but I'm already sweating thinking about how much work it will be just to keep up! Progress on Stormlight 5 has been slow of course, and Brandon finally confirmed what we all expected: the Stormlight 5 release just isn't going to happen in 2023 after all. While some people might be bummed by this, I have to say that I'm honestly a bit relieved. With so much content coming out, I'm more than grateful that we're getting a bit of extra time so that we can properly digest it all. This delay should come as no surprise. Brandon's fastest turnaround time on a Stormlight book was Rhythm of War, which he started writing in early 2019 and was able to finish by the end of that year. Sanderson's plan was to start Stormlight 5 at the beginning of this year to hit the November 2023 release... Well, we're currently a little over halfway through the year and the first draft status bar is sitting at a mere 7%, with a few more weeks of Secret Project 3 revisions still on his plate first. Keep in mind Brandon will still have to work on revisions for Secret Project 4 and Defiant at some point as well. All of that to say, it would seem that he's roughly 6 months behind schedule as it stands, and that could slip a bit further. Brandon stressed at JordanCon 2021 that he will allow Stormlight 5's schedule to slide back if necessary. It's the "end of a sequence," as he called it, and he needs to make sure that sequence sticks the landing. Brandon went a step further though to clarify why Stormlight 5 has been a bit slow-going, and it's not primarily due to the Secret Projects or any other writing projects: it's movie and television stuff. It was ALSO at JordcanCon 2021 that Sanderson gave one of the biggest teases about about potential adaptations in quite some time: saying that if we "read in between the lines" we might be able to put some things together even though he couldn't announce anything official. In the recent AMA, he opened up a bit more on this saying: "This is the year that Hollywood came calling." With the success lately of various fantasy properties proving that Game of Thrones wasn't a fluke, streaming services, execs, and producers are on the hunt for more. Guess whose name shows up as the top bestselling author with no adaptations made? Brandon Sanderson has been getting a lot of their attention, and the recent Secret Project Kickstarter success only added more fuel to the fire. The result? Lots of phone calls and lots of meetings with several major streaming services and studios. (Netflix was one he named in particular.) Brandon explained earlier in the AMA that he's doing everything he can to earn a relatively high level of involvement and creative control over any adaptations that come about, and the bargaining power that he seems to hold is sure to be a big help. Apparently Hollywood doesn't know what to do with someone who doesn't need their money? It's important to stress that we do NOT know the status of any movie or television deals. While it's possible that something in particular is in progress, it's also possible that Sanderson is still working through negotiations to make sure they get the best deal they can. And let's not forget that even from the time of an announcement, it's a long road to seeing an adaptation on our screens. One thing seems clear however: it's a question of when, not if. The same is thankfully true of Stormlight Archive novels. While Stormlight 5 is expected to be delayed, we at least know that we can trust Sanderson to get it done as soon as he is able. As for u/VeryNiceName16's question that sparked all this? Brandon did confirm that Horneater is very much on his to-do list after Stormlight 5 is written. So perhaps we'll get a little something extra to tide us over in the months before the next novel? Which I say as if half a dozen other books in 2023 aren't already enough to do that!

Which one of these words are what the stormfather (stormfaker?) Is Looking for Winner gets to be torched by voidbrings for eternity Introduction "You must find the most important words a man can say. Those words came to me from one who claimed to have seen the future. 'How is this possible?’ I asked in return. ‘Have you been touched by the void?’ The reply was laughter. 'No, sweet king. The past is the future, and as each man has lived, so must you.’ ‘So I can but repeat what has been done before?’ ‘In some things, yes. You will love. You will hurt. You will dream. And you will die. Each man’s past is your future.’ In some things, yes. You will love. You will hurt. You will dream. And you will die. Each man’s past is your future.’ ‘Then what is the point?’ I asked. ‘If all has been seen and done?’ ‘The question,’ she replied, ‘is not whether you will love, hurt, dream, and die. It is what you will love, why you will hurt, when you will dream, and how you will die. This is your choice. You cannot pick the destination, only the path.’ This started my journey. And this begins my writings. I cannot call this book a story, for it fails at its most fundamental to be a story. It is not one narrative, but many. And though it has a beginning, here on this page, my quest can never truly end. I wasn’t seeking answers. I felt that I had those already. Plenty, in multitude, from a thousand different sources. I wasn’t seeking ‘myself.’ This is a platitude that people have ascribed to me, and I find the phrase lacks meaning. In truth, by leaving, I was seeking only one thing. A journey. The eighth parable I walked from Abamabar to Urithiru. In this, the metaphor and experience are one, inseparable to me like my mind and memory. One contains the other, and though I can explain one to you, the other is only for me. I strode this insightful distance on my own, and forbade attendants. I had no steed beyond my well-worn sandals, no companion beside a stout staff to offer conversation with its beats against the stone. My mouth was to be my purse; I stuffed it not with gems, but with song. When singing for sustenance failed me, my arms worked well for cleaning a floor or hogpen, and often earned me a satisfactory reward. Those dear to me took fright for my safety and, perhaps, my sanity. Kings, they explained, do not walk like beggars for hundreds of miles. My response was that if a beggar could manage the feat, then why not a king? Did they think me less capable than a beggar? Sometimes I think that I am. The beggar knows much that the king can only guess. And yet who draws up the codes for begging ordinances? Often I wonder what my experience in life—my easy life following the Desolation, and my current level of comfort—has given me of any true experience to use in making laws. If we had to rely on what we knew, kings would only be of use in creating laws regarding the proper heating of tea and cushioning of thrones. Regardless, I made the trip and—as the astute reader has already concluded—survived it. The stories of its excitements will stain a different page in this narrative, for first I must explain my purpose in walking this strange path. Though I was quite willing to let my family think me insane, I would not leave the same as my cognomen upon the winds of history. My family traveled to Urithiru via the direct method, and had been awaiting me for weeks when I arrived. I was not recognized at the gate, for my mane had grown quite robust without a razor to tame it. Once I revealed myself, I was carried away, primped, fed, worried over, and scolded in precisely that order. Only after all of this was through was I finally asked the purpose of my excursion. Couldn’t I have just taken the simple, easy, and common route to the holy city? For my answer, I removed my sandals and proffered my callused feet. They were comfortable upon the table beside my half-consumed tray of grapes. At this point, the expressions of my companions proclaimed that they thought me daft, and so I explained by relating the stories of my trip. One after another, like stacked sacks of tallew, stored for the winter season. I would make flatbread of them soon, then stuff it between these pages. Yes, I could have traveled quickly. But all men have the same ultimate destination. Whether we find our end in a hallowed sepulcher or a pauper’s ditch, all save the Heralds themselves must dine with the Nightwatcher. And so, does the destination matter? Or is it the path we take? I declare that no accomplishment has substance nearly as great as the road used to achieve it. We are not creatures of destinations. It is the journey that shapes us. Our callused feet, our backs strong from carrying the weight of our travels, our eyes open with the fresh delight of experiences lived. In the end, I must proclaim that no good can be achieved of false means. For the substance of our existence is not in the achievement, but in the method. The Monarch must understand this; he must not become so focused on what he wishes to accomplish that he diverts his gaze from the path he must take to arrive there. The man and a stone I once saw a spindly man carrying a stone larger than his head upon his back. He stumbled beneath the weight, shirtless under the sun, wearing only a loincloth. He tottered down a busy thoroughfare. People made way for him. Not because they sympathized with him, but because they feared the momentum of his steps. You dare not impede one such as this. The monarch is like this man, stumbling along, the weight of a kingdom on his shoulders. Many give way before him, but so few are willing to step in and help carry the stone. They do not wish to attach themselves to the work, lest they condemn themselves to a life full of extra burdens. I left my carriage that day and took up the stone, lifting it for the man. I believe my guards were embarrassed. One can ignore a poor shirtless wretch doing such labor, but none ignore a king sharing the load. Perhaps we should switch places more often. If a king is seen to assume the burden of the poorest of men, perhaps there will be those who will help him with his own load, so invisible, yet so daunting. Candles I stood in the darkened monastery chamber, its far reaches painted with pools of black where light did not wander. I sat on the floor, thinking of that dark, that Unseen. I could not know, for certain, what was hidden in that night. I suspected there were walls, sturdy and thick, but could I know without seeing? When all was hidden, what could a man rely upon as true? Candle flames. A dozen candles burned themselves to death on the shelf before me. Each of my breaths made them tremble. To them, I was a behemoth, to frighten and destroy. And yet, if I strayed too close, they could destroy me. My invisible breath, the pulses of life that flowed in and out, could end them freely, while my fingers could not do the same without being repaid in pain. I understood in a moment of stillness. Those candle flames were like the lives of men. So fragile. So deadly. Left alone, they lit and warmed. Let run rampant, they would destroy the very things they were meant to illuminate. Embryonic bonfires, each bearing a seed of destruction so potent it could tumble cities and dash kings to their knees. In later years, my mind would return to that calm, silent evening, when I had stared at rows of living lights. And I would understand. To be given loyalty is to be infused like a gemstone, to be granted the frightful license to destroy not only one’s self, but all within one’s care. Stack of stones I passed a curious pile of stones along my path, of a type I found remarkable. The fractured shale had been weathered by highstorms, blown up against stone of a more durable nature. This pile of thin wafers lay as if stacked by some mortal hand. But no man had stacked these stones. Precarious though they looked, they were actually quite solid, a formation from once-buried strata now exposed to open air. I wondered how it was possible they remained in such a neat stack, with the fury of the tempests blowing against them. I soon ascertained their true nature. I found that force from one direction pushed them back against one another and the rock behind. No amount of pressure I could produce in that manner caused them to shift. And yet, when I removed one stone from the bottom—pulling it out instead of pushing it in—the entire formation collapsed in a miniature avalanche. The epigraphs As I began my journey, I was challenged to defend why I insisted on traveling alone. They called it irresponsible. An avoidance of duty and obligation. Those who said this made an enormous mistake of assumption. If the journey itself is indeed the most important piece, rather than the destination itself, then I traveled not to avoid duty—but to seek it. It becomes the responsibility of every man, upon realizing he lacks the truth, to seek it out. Yes, I began my journey alone, and I ended it alone. But that does not mean that I walked alone. other quotes The answer is here folks we just have to find it. Anything Stand out to you?

One of the things I like most about the Stormlight Archives (and possibly what makes them so popular) is the moral questions is forces readers to consider. What is the right thing to do in a given situation? Szeth's biggest role in the story so far has been his work as the Assassin in White, killing King Gavilar and many other rulers across Roshar. As we all know, he did this because he was sworn to obey whoever held his oathstone, part of his punishment as a Truthless for raising the alarm that the VoidBringers were returning. His people believed it was a false alarm, and punished him. As we also know, he was actually correct the entire time, and the VoidBringers and Knights Radiant really were returning. Kaladin making him realizing this is what made him stop fighting at the end of WoR. Just before Kalading ends the fight, Szeth makes the comment that he was never Truthless, that he could have stopped the murders at any time. Kaladin counters that he's using the oath as an excuse, and that he's being a coward for not accepting that he had a choice. Presented from Kaladin's viewpoint, it's hard not to see the validity of his point. Szeth always had a choice. But in RoW, Dalinar makes the argument to Taravangian that keeping promises and oaths are part of honor. As far as Szeth knew, he was bound by a promise as part of his punishment (at least, as far as we understand how being a Truthless works), so he was honorbound to commit the terrible acts he did. But he always had the option to choose to reject the orders. Even if he had truly been wrong, and he truly was a Truthless, would it still have been honorable for him to reject the orders he'd been given? The SkyBreakers might be misguided, but they are still an order of Knights Radiant. I think it's fairly certain that this conversation is going to come up during Stormlight 5, considering that Szeth and Kaladin are travelling to Shinovar together. The two haven't interacted since their battle in the highstorm, which I suspect is a deliberate action on Sanderson's part. Honor (not the person) is obviously a subjective concept, but what do you think? How will the conversation between them go?

So, I was thinking not so much about the fight between between Kaladin and Zahel, but the problem of time. How do you keep main characters alive for other eras in cosmere events without them becoming Shards? When in Elantris they become Elantrins. The Lord Ruler, combined two different magic systems to sorta achieve it. For others they use Breaths. This form of investiture seems like one of the few that can travel no problem. You either need a Divine breath or (and a better way I think) is to amass 2,000 breaths. Getting that number of breaths would be out of reach for every except kings, queens, and high princes. But with Shallan becoming aware of the Cosmere and Hoid and Jasnah being a couple, this leads to the possibility that a few Radiants would end up with agelessness. The heralds after all are ageless, and we aren't sure how this was achieved. It was achieved due to an oath made to Honor most likely. We don't know what the fifth oath does of course. But if you look at what Breath does and compare it to stormlight it is very similar. "The Fifth Heightening grants Agelessness; an Awakener's resistance to aging and disease reaches its maximum strength. These persons are immune to most toxins (including the effects of alcohol) and most physical ailments (such as headaches, diseases, and organ failure). (Coppermind)" For stormlight, "While held, it will automatically heal wounds, exhaustion and even conditions such as poisoning or drunkenness." Possible character that end up with both. Zahel, Kaladin, Jasnah, Hoid (already is a Radiant and has Breath), Dalinar, Adolin (it would certainly help him out if he held some Breath). Any thoughts on what the results of holding both would be. I feel like these magic systems go together very easily.

For first 5 Stormlight Archive titles to match the ketek poetic structure, the 5th book's title must be able to be abbreviated K. o. W. T. So what are some words that start with K, O, W, and T that you think are good potential title words? Not just any words, but words that you think might work well as words in a Stormlight Archive title. Here are a few of mine: Knight, Key, Keep, Keeper, Kill, Killing, Kiss, Kin, Keening Of, Out, Outward, Other, Outer, Over, On Wind, Winding, Withered, Wise, Wisdom, With, Whistling, Winter, Winged, Wishes, Walled, Wife, Wicker, Winking, Whips, Will, Willing, World Time, Trails, Tamed, Tear (as in, crying tears), Torn, Tare (meaning weed), Tired, Track, Traveler, Temper, Table, Teeth, Tap(ping), Travail, Taker, Taken, Tinder, Tether, Twice, Thrice Write your own words, and feel free to combine mine and others' words into whole titles that you think are cool and/or viable.

Hello, everyone! This is my first post here on the 17th Shard, so please excuse if I mark anything wrong on here. I do not know if this has been said anywhere else, but while listening to one of the Shardcast episodes theorizing about who would die in Stormlight book 5 and who would survive to make it to the back half, I had this thought come to me. It is a common theory that Kaladin will not make it to the back half of the Stormlight Archives since so much of the front half has centered around him, and so much of his character arc has already been completed. Thinking about how complete Kaladin's character arc feels made me realize how incomplete Moash's character arc has seemed to me. I do not know if anyone else has felt this way, but throughout all of the books it has felt like Moash should be an important character, but comes across more as a side character that sometimes is heavily involved with the plot. In theory, Moash's character and story arc seem really important and impactful, but I remember not feeling that way completely while reading the books, like I was waiting for more to be done with his character. In short, if Moash's charcter arc ended anywhere near where it is currently, I feel like I would be left with the impression that he was not used to his fullest extent. In addition, Kaladin cannot just die in book five. If he does, he needs to go out in a big and important way. He is too important of a character for anything else. This leads me to my theory. I am not sure to what extent spoilers need to be marked, so I am just going to mark the entire thing as a spoiler. Thoughts?

For first 5 Stormlight Archive titles to match the ketek poetic structure, the 5th book's title must be able to be abbreviated K. o. W. T. So what are some words that start with K, O, W, and T that you think are good potential title words? Not just any words, but words that you think might work well as words in a Stormlight Archive title. Here are a few of mine: Knight, Key, Keep, Keeper, Kill, Killing, Kiss, Kin, Keening Of, Out, Outward, Other, Outer, Over, On Wind, Winding, Withered, Wise, Wisdom, With, Whistling, Winter, Winged, Wishes, Walled, Wife, Wicker, Winking, Whips, Will, Willing, World Time, Trails, Tamed, Tear (as in, crying tears), Torn, Tare (meaning weed), Tired, Track, Traveler, Temper, Table, Teeth, Tap(ping), Travail, Taker, Taken, Tinder, Tether, Twice, Thrice Write your own words, and feel free to combine mine and others' words into whole titles that you think are cool and/or viable.

So, in every book, we get at least one letter between hoid and a Shard (or Frost I suppose). In TWoK and WoR, we got Hoid and Frost. In Oathbringer we got a whopping 3 from Endowment, Autonomy, and Harmony, and Harmony's letter in RoW was absolutely crazy. Who do you want to see a letter from in the 5th book? We've already heard from all the (living) shards from other shardworlds we have had books from; White Sand, Warbreaker, Mistborn (The vessels from Elantris are dead, and the short story world's aren't Shardworlds iirc), so it would be (presumably) from a shard we haven't really "met" yet. I personally hope it's from Valor, one of the new ones from Harmony's letter. Sazed meantioned she would probably be open to talking to Hoid after all. Though Mercy's previous involvement with Odium would also be extremely interesting to hear about. Invention and Whimsy have nothing to go off of so I'm less interested in them. I also doubt we will hear from an entirely new Shard, as that's never happened before in a letter. Though maybe we won't hear from a shard at all? No idea who Hoid would really want to hear from besides Frost or a Shard though. Maybe Thaidakar? Really, really, REALLY doubt Hoid would write to him though. Can't be someone from Sel either, Elantris and Emperor's Soul takes place like 1000 years before Stormlight. Would love to hear everyone's thoughts, the letter epigraphs are always so interesting.

my theory is that the stormlight archive book 5 concludes the roshar saga and from book 6 it will be more cosmere bound. we will visit other planets and meet more worldhoppers. now I may be wrong but I do think that wit will help some important characters like jasna, shallan to leave roshar and allow them to become worldhoppers.

my theory is that the stormlight archive book 5 concludes the roshar saga and from book 6 it will be more cosmere bound. we will visit other planets and meet more worldhoppers. now I may be wrong but I do think that wit will help some important characters like jasna, shallan to leave roshar and allow them to become worldhoppers.

So, I was perusing the wiki, when I found this: http://coppermind.net/wiki/The_Highprince_of_War And I know Sanderson has changed the flash back sequence, so that Dalinar's flashbacks are in 3 (most likely). But look at this part. This is very vague. However, now it is time to speculate.Do you think Dalinar will die before we reach book five?