11thorderknight Posted December 18, 2011 Report Share Posted December 18, 2011 Theory: modern-day shardplate are fabrials designed to mimic the shardplate of the radiants, but people don't know it. Facts: modern shardplate is powered by Stormlight-infused gems. Szeth can't use it while Surgebinding, presumably because he would drain the gems while inhaling Stormlight. This is supported by the fact that the gems in Elhokar's plate dimmed unexpectedly quickly during the first battle scene, and we know he is starting to manifest signs of Radiant potential by seeing spren. In Dalinar's visions of the past, Radiant's shardplate was decorated with "glowing glyphs" that leaked stormlight, which is different that modern shardplate. The radiants also were able to make the plate appear and disappear, just like shardblades - in the scene where a Knight heals Dalinar, he wonders where her helmet disappeared to. Modern shardplate has to be put on and off, which is hugely different from shardblades. Navani talks about how some artifabrians have managed to make "half-shards" which are shields that will block a shardblade. What is that except a very crude version of shardplate? Syl hates Dalinar's Blade, but says nothing about his Plate. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReaderAt2046 Posted December 18, 2011 Report Share Posted December 18, 2011 That is nothing short of brilliant. It answers the big question as to why Syl dislikes Blades but not Plate. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunblesser Posted December 19, 2011 Report Share Posted December 19, 2011 very interesting. what does the line "Return to men the shards they once bore," mean in light of this? my only question is, where do you hide that much shardplate? could the shin be hiding so many? could anyone hide so many? remember, the number of shards accounted for in dalinars vision, involving one and a half orders, is more than he knows exist in his world. dalinar also says that the shardplate light eventually dims and goes out. he doesn't mention the glyphs, but i can only assume that they likewise went out. i'm more inclined to believe that nobody has yet been able to unlock their shardplates potential by living according to the ideals and saying the oaths. as dalinar's story progresses, i'm guessing we'll learn the truth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
name_here Posted December 19, 2011 Report Share Posted December 19, 2011 There's a number of oddities with Shardplate that can't be adequately explained by fabrials. Firstly, it is far more diverse in its effects than any other fabrial, with the possible exception of high-end soulcasters, which cannot be definitely confirmed to exist at present. Secondly, it regenerates. The half-shards do not, in addition to not doing anything except reinforcing the shield in a manner similar to Grandbows Thirdly, and most importantly, there is what happens when it gets split. When Dalinar loses his gauntlet, he notes that if he can completely regenerate his gauntlet before the Parshendi generate a full suit, the lost gauntlet will become inert. Given the manner in which fabrials function, either it should be possible to split up plate and grow multiple sets or it should be impossible to generate a new copy of an intact portion, depending on whether you can bind new spren or not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happyman Posted December 19, 2011 Report Share Posted December 19, 2011 Perhaps most importantly, there is no evidence that "contemporary" fabrial creators could create anything like Shardplate. The closest they have are half-Shards, which seem be much less elegant. Basically, Shardplate, even with its lowered power relative to Radiant usage of same, is still extremely overpowered compared to most fabrials on Roshar. Given the relatively low technology we see in the visions of the past, anything short of some kind of "divine," or at least "disproportionately technologically advanced" intervention seems unlikely to have created them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vauric Posted December 20, 2011 Report Share Posted December 20, 2011 I take a different view of Shardplate. Instead of being a fabrial recreation of old Plate, I think the Stormlight-gems used today are a replacement for their old power source. Kind of like duct taping a bunch of AAAs to a car battery to charge it. My idea is that the sets of Plate that exist were modified to use Stormlight because their old source was removed. My theory on that source is that the spren themselves that the Radiants bonded with were the source. Or if not the spren themselves, the Radiant's commitment/oath, which seems to "powerup" Syl at the end after Kaladin says the second set of words. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
name_here Posted December 20, 2011 Report Share Posted December 20, 2011 Nah, Radiants use Stormlight to fuel their abilities, although it's boosted by saying the oaths and apparently requires being bonded to a spren. Witness every time Kaladin inhales Stormlight and Jasnah's Soulcasting. Now, a Radiant who had filled up on Stormlight might be able to power gemless Plate just by wearing it, but it seems more likely to me that they'd keep it full of gems as an emergency storage if nothing else. Come to think of it, there's been no indication that Shardplate loses Stormlight when intact, no mention of worrying about the charge level of the gems before a fight. I wonder if it's a containment vessel for Stormlight, and would prevent it from draining away from its wearer. The Windrunner in the vision certainly seemed pretty talkative considering he was charged up on Stormlight and in the middle of a fight, and it drains away with exhalations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vauric Posted December 21, 2011 Report Share Posted December 21, 2011 I don't know. The scene where Dalinar witnesses the Radiants abandoning their charge seems to indicate that the plate loses its glow as soon as the Radiants begin to take it off and abandon it. But that could go to support it either way, whether it be powered by the bond or by the stormlight held by the radiants. They do worry a bit about their gems before fights. It's not mentioned that the charge itself is important, but the scene in which Sadeas is giving his testimony about the saddle girth brings them up. He mentions the king losing eight gems and that being a big deal. I'd think that would mean their existence and wellbeing is maintained/watched, but it isn't proof the charge is necessary. It's weird, the only thing we have confirmation that the stormlight itself aids with is the healing of the plate. Everything else could be stormlight or the plate, it's not clear either way. Though there is a similarity between Plate and holding a lot of stormlight, regarding speed and strength. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReaderAt2046 Posted December 21, 2011 Report Share Posted December 21, 2011 Well, we know that Plate looses Light when it's damaged, and that the Light fuels the Plate. So if you sabotaged the gems, the plate would fail a lot faster. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aethling Posted December 22, 2011 Report Share Posted December 22, 2011 Couldn't part of the issue be that the modern users are not using the items to their full potential? They pass now as spoils of war. A dedicated order would undoubtedly instruct its members in the full uses of the items/artifacts. The modern users are able to tap into some of the basics. They can gain strength and agility, but I remember a scene where the original users were basically using the suits to fly or at least jump a very long way. Combine someone fully trained in Kaladin's abilities with someone fully trained in the use of the armor and weapons, and you would have a very formidable force. Since people with Kaladin's abilities appear to be rare, that would also partially explain why the orders were fairly small. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrazyRioter Posted December 22, 2011 Report Share Posted December 22, 2011 I'm pretty sure the flying was a result of use of the Basic Lashing, rather then a feature of the Plate. Also, the gems sometimes break during a battle due to damage to the Plate, there's no evidence that they require maintenance/recharging if the Plate doesn't get used. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wispsy Posted December 22, 2011 Report Share Posted December 22, 2011 Being gems they would only crack if a large amount of stormlight was drained quickly anyway, that's what cracks all the other gems with stormlight Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wisdom Posted January 5, 2012 Report Share Posted January 5, 2012 I sort of have a pet theory regarding Shardplate and Shardblades, when a potential Knight Radiant vows the Fifth Ideal of his order his Shardplate and Blade are formed from Stormlight and when they die it disappears. This accounts for the glow of the KR and the fact that their Shardplate didn't interfere with their Stormlight abilities as they do now. There was a link between each Knight Radiant and their Shardplate and Blade. However when the Radiants broke their Oaths and turned their back on mankind on the Day of Recreance this bond was broken, hence the loss of the glyphs and the glow. Its also possible Blades were able to change their form and this function was lost too. Problem: Why don't Plate and Blades disappear now? Possible Solution: They are no longer bonded to anyone and so are not destroyed when their bearer's die. If this little theory is true (even partially), I can't wait for Kaladin to say the Fifth Ideal . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Khan Posted January 14, 2012 Report Share Posted January 14, 2012 I think that the plate glowed (glew?) because the radients each had a skill, and when they fully utilized that skill, it just worked out. besides, except the flying, which is almost certainly a Lashing, did the glowing plate really show enhanced powers? it was enhanced because plate seems enhanced to normal people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treblkickd Posted January 14, 2012 Report Share Posted January 14, 2012 Dalinar's glowing (modern) Shardplate when he saves Elhokar would seem to argue very strongly against this kind of theory. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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