Jump to content

Theory: Plains shattered by Adonalsium shattering at plains


askthepaperclip

Recommended Posts

Is this the first theory that is in Ketek form? You tell me! :-)  EDIT: Arrrgh, I realized this isn't a ketek....it only has 3 or 4 distinct thoughts, not the requisite 5. I'll see if I can tweak it.

Credit to TheQuestion for scooping me on this by two weeks and being the first one I have seen to suggest this. Apologies if this is an old idea and I missed it...let me know and I will edit to give credit!

The theory, as suggested by the little ketek above, is that the event that formed the shattered plains was none other than the shattering of Adonalsium itself.

I like this theory for a few reasons:

1) We have recent WoB that Adonalsium and all the Shards were present on Roshar at some time. (I believe...it could be argued semantically that one or the other was, based on the quote. For the purposes of this theory, I am assuming both) Unless Adonalsium visited Roshar, then left and was shattered, then all the Shards paid a return visit to Roshar (seems unlikely), it is very likely that the Shattering happened on Roshar, and the Shattered Plains is the most likely location for ground zero.

2) We also have recent WoB that there are spren present on Roshar that are remnants of Adonalsium. Unless Adonalsium was walking around leaking power like the man made of money from the Geico commercials, my guess is that these spren are little "shardlets" left over from the Shattering (like the dust created when cleaving a block of marble).

3) The Dawnshards: able to bind any creature voidish or mortal. What would have power over both Honor/Cultivation and Odium? Adonalsium, that's what. I suspect the Dawnshards are also objects of pure Adonalsium, created during the Shattering.

Now for some more Cosmere-wide points:

4) Cosmere awareness: The people of Roshar are the most Cosmere aware of any we have seen, and have been for a very long time. This suggests strong Shardic influence, early and often.

5) Shardic density: Three Shards are invested on Roshar, more than any other we have seen. There are also three Shardworlds in the local system. This density suggests to me that Roshar is both strategically important (maybe they are fighting over that little bit of extra Adonalsium power) and the starting point from which the Shards dispersed throughout the Cosmere.

6) Literary importance: This one is a little thin, but why would Brandon devote ten books to a world unless it was extra special in some way? (I don't remember what the projected length of Dragonsteel is supposed to be, but I recall it also being a big epic)

Sorry for the lack of links/quotes, but I am writing this on the bus on my phone and am afraid to navigate away lest I lose my progress!

Thoughts?

Edited by askthepaperclip
Link to comment
Share on other sites

You do make a good argument for the Shattering happening on Roshar. However, I don't agree that it produced the Shattered Plains for timing reasons. There is reason to believe that the plains were once one of the ten Silver Kingdoms, and thus were inhabited at some point after the founding of the Knights Radiant, long post-shattering. Also, some of the Parshendi equipment, presumably salvaged from the plains, has imagery of the Heralds. So there was apparently an urban civilization in the plains while Honor and Odium were around. It is not entirely impossible that people settled on the Shattered Plains after they were shattered, but it seems like building cities on the terrain would be a rather difficult proposition, even without the weathering from the Highstorms.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was under the impression that we know the Shattering (of Adonalsium) happened on Yolen.

 

Unfortunately I don't think we have explicit confirmation on this so despite most people believing the Shattering happened on Yolen, there is enough leeway for theories like this.

 

@askthepaperclip

 

1) The phraseology indicates, to me, that not all of the Shards were on Roshar as discrete entities like Honor/Cultivation/Odium.  Brandon said they were only "technically" there, which screams that they were there as part of Adonalsium.

 

6) Well Stormlight is two five-book cycles, which really isn't that much more than some other series.  Mistborn is a trilogy of trilogies, so there's nine books (not to mention the three, or more, Mistborn Adventures books, so twelve+).  Dragonsteel is planned to have seven plus Liar of Partinel (and a sequel?).

 

Liar takes place on Yolen and is supposed to have the original shardholders as characters which would certainly indicate the Shattering took place on Yolen.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I agree with the statement that Adonalsium was once on Roshar, but left before being Shattered, which is like saying my car was once technically buried underground, since it came from metal dug up in a mine. Doesn't mean the hunk of metal was forged into a car in the mine.

 

I swear I've heard WoB that Sel is actually the most Cosmerically aware...

 

I also agree that the timing is off for the Shattered Plains to have been Shattered by Adonalsium, largely because I believe the Plains are Urithiru (and were never technically shattered, it is stated many many times throughout the book that people just think it looks like it was shattered, no one has any knowledge or recollection of any actual shattering event taking place).

 

Roshar at first had only Cultivation and Honor. Odium has his own Shardworld, moved to Sel briefly to mess with Devotion and Dominion, and has since moved on to Roshar.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Totally agree with Weiry on the interpretation of the WoB.  I was there when he said it and he clearly said it in such a way as to foil Chaos's question.  We was smiling and laughing at Chaos in his voice as he uttered the words.  It seemed very clear to me that Adonalsium was at some point in time on Roshar and that is how all of the shards were technically present.

 

Also, subsequent WoB says that Adonalsium "left" power on Roshar rather than some of Adonalsium's power "remained".  This suggests that Adonalsium was whole upon departure from Roshar.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hmm... good points everyone. Name_here, I did neglect to consider the timeline of the shattered plains in that way, specifically the prior existence and subsequent destruction of Natanatan. Although I believe Brandon demurred when asked if the destruction of Natanatan was linked to the formation of the shattered plains, which leaves it still possible that it was destroyed during one of the desolations, similar to the Kingdoms of Sur, Tarma, and Eiliz (mentioned in the Nohadon vision).

 

As for the city on/in the plains, don't we have confirmation that there were people on Roshar before the shattering of Adonalsium? Or is it just that there were people on SOME planets before the shattering? If it is the former, than there is no reason the city built on/in the plains was built before the shattering.

 

As far as the shattering happening on Yolen: 1) Hmph...don't talk about unpublished books, right? Ppbbttth  :P  2) More seriously, I don't see why the original shard holders couldn't have traveled from Yolen to Roshar pre-shattering. Or even post shattering...maybe the shattering happened on Roshar and they were all like "oh This post has been reported for attempting to skirt the rules, we better go take up those shards before the unbridled power tears apart the Cosmere, yo!"

 

I still think think Roshar is significant in some major way. There is too much weird stuff going on, and it just has the feel of a "prime" world to me. The other worlds feel like side stories now. It get the feeling that Roshar is the primary story line of the Cosmere: "This whole mess started here, and it is going to finish here" sort of thing. Maybe that's just me, and I'm sure you all have myriad WoB quotes that will directly contradict that  :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

No, it appears that the plains are the source of Parshendi equipment with images of the Heralds, which thus implies they were inhabited after the Oathpact. Admittedly, the people who made that equipment aren't necessarily the original inhabitants.

Edited by name_here
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I feel like something as significant and powerful as Adonalsium shattering would have a much stronger effect on a land-mass than just shattering its landform. I figure it would be more like a large asteroid striking Earth (just as an example of the damage potential)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I feel like something as significant and powerful as Adonalsium shattering would have a much stronger effect on a land-mass than just shattering its landform. I figure it would be more like a large asteroid striking Earth (just as an example of the damage potential)

 

Indeed. I allways thinked that Honor death caused the shattering. Like when in Elantris, the death of Devotion caused(probally) the clasm that messed with the Aons.

 

At least to me make more sense given the fact that the city that was destroyed(urithahru...... insert_correct _name) could be the the font of the parshendi weapons, what place the shattering in a "not so far" past.

 

If the shattering occured because of the "Adonalsium death" tha Shattered Plains woudn't have weapons with the herald's faces, because the heralds are created by Honor who only "borned" after the "Adonalsium death".

 

=)

Edited by Natans
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Indeed. I allways thinked that Honor death caused the shattering. Like when in Elantris, the death of Devotion caused(probally) the clasm that messed with the Aons.

 

At least to me make more sense given the fact that the city that was destroyed(urithahru...... insert_correct _name) could be the the font of the parshendi weapons, what place the shattering in a "not so far" past.

 

If the shattering occured because of the "Adonalsium death" tha Shattered Plains woudn't have weapons with the herald's faces, because the heralds are created by Honor who only "borned" after the "Adonalsium death".

 

=)

 

The formation of the Chasm and the splintering of Devotion definitely did not occur at the same time.  Devotion was splintered by Odium, there were no Seons when Odium was on Sel, Seons had existed for longer than anyone can remember before the Reod.

 

History on Sel is marked by three different "eras" Early, Middle, and Late.  It is believed the start of the Middle Era is marked by the splintering of Devotion and Dominion while the start of the Late Era is the Reod.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The formation of the Chasm and the splintering of Devotion definitely did not occur at the same time.  Devotion was splintered by Odium, there were no Seons when Odium was on Sel, Seons had existed for longer than anyone can remember before the Reod.

 

History on Sel is marked by three different "eras" Early, Middle, and Late.  It is believed the start of the Middle Era is marked by the splintering of Devotion and Dominion while the start of the Late Era is the Reod.

 

And there goes my Ilusions =)

 

Down to theoryland I go to understand what happened in Sel.

 

Tks WW =)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My pet theory on the matter has always been that Urithiru (@Natans, a good way to remember the spelling is to remember that it reads the same, phonetically, front to back and back to front - it's a palindrome) was a floating city and it fell - for some reason - in the area now known as the Shattered Plains. There is very little that suggests this (the belief that one cannot simply walk into Mordor Urithiru, the fact that the Shattered Plains look like something big fell in their middle, and Eshonai's comment that there are old buildings underneath the plains), so I won't call it a full theory, but it's one of those things I wouldn't be surprised if it ended up being true.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've always thought that was a distinct possibility as well Argent, reading hints between the lines.  I've always been curious though, if something big fell in the middle, why would there be ten conveniently located craters on one side of it? The ten thrones perhaps? My big problem with it, I would hope that some hints would have come through history if an entire city fell from the sky!  Urithiru fell no pun intended after the shadow days but before the recreance, if I recall correctly (feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, I didn't double check that) so it seems there would be some sort of history involved in that. At the very least, one of the references to Urithiru references "Vedan" and "Kholinar" which seem like they would be slightly more modern terms, but that's an assumption on my part. Of course I could speculate the firing of the Palaneum, or the ardents specifically hiding this type of information.

 

On the other hand there's Nohadon's account of "walking" to Urithiru.  This implies it was at a fixed location to me, as opposed to moving around which goes against the "built in the west" part of it. I suppose it could just be a slow moving floating city, or only moved when needed, or Nohadon could have been following it for quite a while as he walked...I'm getting side tracked here.  I'm basically agreeing that it seems possible for Urithiru to be a floating city and the cause of the plains shattering. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My pet theory on the matter has always been that Urithiru (@Natans, a good way to remember the spelling is to remember that it reads the same, phonetically, front to back and back to front - it's a palindrome) was a floating city and it fell - for some reason - in the area now known as the Shattered Plains. There is very little that suggests this (the belief that one cannot simply walk into Mordor Urithiru, the fact that the Shattered Plains look like something big fell in their middle, and Eshonai's comment that there are old buildings underneath the plains), so I won't call it a full theory, but it's one of those things I wouldn't be surprised if it ended up being true.

 

Palindrome you joke with me =)  I understand this as much do you understand what is a "Mesóclise" in my language =) (Falar-te-ia mais se não fosse incortês empregar meu idioma natal neste fórum)

 

 

But thanks to try teach this ileterate fool, that here speak with you, a little bit kind sir. In your homage I, henceforth  promise allways write Urithiru correctly.  =)

 

 

By the way a floating city that would be nice. But if  it was indeed a floating city, the center of the Shattering Plains woundn't be a mountain or something ?  A city(large rock) woundn't disintegrate if falled from the sky from a not orbital height, or would ?

Edited by Natans
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Chaos locked this topic
Guest
This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...