Swimmingly Posted January 19, 2014 Report Share Posted January 19, 2014 In the epilogue to WoK, Taln is described as soaking wet. Shardblades are covered in dew when summoned. The process of moving things between the Realms (on Roshar) covers them in water. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kurkistan Posted January 19, 2014 Report Share Posted January 19, 2014 Taln's "summoning" being the cause of his wetness is a commonly held theory, I believe, and one that I agree with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moogle Posted January 19, 2014 Report Share Posted January 19, 2014 (edited) I think that things get really cold when summoned (at least momentarily), so water in the atmosphere condenses on them. Given that when you Surgebind, your clothing tends to freeze, I think this is the most likely explanation. Any other explanations would be welcome. Edited January 19, 2014 by Moogle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Natans Posted January 19, 2014 Report Share Posted January 19, 2014 So the Heralds are summoned to Alenthekar Capital, with a reason or the place that Tal appeared are random. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kurkistan Posted January 20, 2014 Report Share Posted January 20, 2014 (edited) Or one Herald is (meant to be) sent to each kingdom, perhaps. Actually, just how many Dawncities are there again? Edited January 20, 2014 by Kurkistan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WeiryWriter Posted January 20, 2014 Report Share Posted January 20, 2014 Or one Herald is (meant to be) sent to each kingdom, perhaps. Actually, just how many Dawncities are there again? Isn't it mentioned in the Starfalls vision that Alethela was the Kingdom dedicated to War? And the Herald that shows up there is the Herald of War? Hmm... *strokes chin* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swimmingly Posted January 20, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 20, 2014 Isn't it mentioned in the Starfalls vision that Alethela was the Kingdom dedicated to War? And the Herald that shows up there is the Herald of War? Hmm... *strokes chin*Nah, I'm sure that's just a coincidence, like every event to ever happen in Brandon's books involving a mythological character Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Havon Posted January 20, 2014 Report Share Posted January 20, 2014 I remember in the prologue for Wok it mentioned that when the Heralds die they go to Damnation to be tortured until the next desolation. I think that is where the heralds go along with shardblades. They're tools of Damnation, which is why Syl doesn't like them. Pure speculation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Natans Posted January 20, 2014 Report Share Posted January 20, 2014 (edited) Tal are herald of War Alenthekar are the Kingdom that supposed to maintain the war arts, that could be connected. Kurkistan my best guess would be 10 or 11(With the lost city that, for my soul, I can't spell) because there are 10 silver Kingdom, and because 10 are the number in Roshar New pet theory which Herald as sent to a Dawncity whose "theme" combined with the given herald. Make sense send one to which city them could unify all Kingdom to the fight. We have the herald of dreams and lucky, someone remember if other herald "themes" appeared in the book ? Edited January 20, 2014 by Natans Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dros Posted January 20, 2014 Report Share Posted January 20, 2014 Jasnah and Shallan are not covered in dampness, so I wouldn't think it's the Cognitive. One thing, though, if the Heralds are summoned instead of leaving by their own choice, why does Taln think he failed? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoser Posted January 20, 2014 Report Share Posted January 20, 2014 There are many possibilities: If blades are stored in the spiritual realm, Taln comes from there, and stormlight chills, that makes a pattern. Why is his beard filled with bits of wood and leaves? The blades don't come back with leaves on them. I doubt the spiritual realm has leaves and splinters. If Heralds travel back to be tortured (as Kalak thinks), they may have the ability to travel realmatically. We don't know if Taln knows that the Radiants packed it in. If he doesn't know the Radiants packed it in, it would be logical to go to Kholinar, which has apparently been the Alethi capital since Nohadon's time, at least. The Knights all lived in Alethela. Urithiru might have been more logical, but for all we know, Taln already went there. What about the rag he's wearing? Is it the one that was stolen from Axies the spren collector? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darkness Posted January 20, 2014 Report Share Posted January 20, 2014 Here's a question. Did the Radiants voluntarily return after desolations by travelling realmatically through their own abilities, or did they get towed back by their honorblades? Perhaps this is one thing the honorblades can do that shardblades cannot: take their holders back with them to wherever they go. Perhaps that is why the heralds had to leave their blades behind, so they could not be taken back when the time came. When a herald dies, the blade disappears, or is transported… bringing the herald with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dros Posted January 20, 2014 Report Share Posted January 20, 2014 (edited) Why is his beard filled with bits of wood and leaves? The blades don't come back with leaves on them. I doubt the spiritual realm has leaves and splinters. Neither does most of Roshar. Never really thought about that before. My god, what if they got sent to West Virginia!? That might break the strongest willed of men! But seriously, if Braize (sp?) is as awful as we would think it is (with Odium running the joint and all), I doubt there would be trees and leaves there. Correct me if I'm wrong, but only Shinovar has plant life on Roshar as we know it, right? And maybe I'm going out on a limb here, but would a place called Damnation have anything resembling leaves? Edit: spelling Edited January 20, 2014 by Dros Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoser Posted January 20, 2014 Report Share Posted January 20, 2014 Neither does most of Roshar. Never really thought about that before. And maybe I'm going out on a limb here, but would a place called Damnation have anything resembling leaves? The leaves would be like poison ivy with spikes. The irritating fluid would spray and the spikes would launch at you whenever you came near. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dros Posted January 20, 2014 Report Share Posted January 20, 2014 The leaves would be like poison ivy with spikes. The irritating fluid would spray and the spikes would launch at you whenever you came near. Nice place that Roshar. Where would the wood come from though? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swimmingly Posted January 20, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 20, 2014 Neither does most of Roshar. Never really thought about that before. My god, what if they got sent to West Virginia!? That might break the strongest willed of men! But seriously, if Braize (sp?) is as awful as we would think it is (with Odium running the joint and all), I doubt there would be trees and leaves there. Correct me if I'm wrong, but only Shinovar has plant life on Roshar as we know it, right? And maybe I'm going out on a limb here, but would a place called Damnation have anything resembling leaves? Edit: spelling It's a little-known fact that Odium is a dedicated arborist and gardener. When he's not inspiring wars and bloodlust with magic distilled from the essence of hate, he's out pruning hedges into the shape of tortured souls and planting flower murals depicting the flailed corpses of the damned! See his article in the exclusive Shin magazine He Who Adds: Getting your plants to FEAR YOU for higher yields. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dros Posted January 20, 2014 Report Share Posted January 20, 2014 See his article in the exclusive Shin magazine He Who Adds: Getting your plants to FEAR YOU for higher yields. LOL Ah! Makes sense to me. Perhaps Garden & Gun would like to do an expose on this colorfully dichotomous being, as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mileswasbestcharacter Posted January 20, 2014 Report Share Posted January 20, 2014 As a point of information, there is a Forrest on the edge of the shattered plains. I believe it was when we first saw Dalinar and Sadeas working together to coerce another highprince into paying for the king's soulcasters for wood. They hinted that the tariffs for logging from the Forest would get prohibitive. I think this could suggest there are Forests in roshar, however they are probably much more adapted to high storms than our trees would be. I also vaguely recall a reference to trees lying down, and having a trunk like a hinge that allowed them to fold over. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Havon Posted January 20, 2014 Report Share Posted January 20, 2014 Usually the simplest answer is true. I believe Taln just fell into a Bush when he was released from Damnation. Hence the leaves and twigs in his beard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaussian Posted January 20, 2014 Report Share Posted January 20, 2014 First, I am assuming both shardblades and heralds are, for lack of a better word, stored on Braize/Damnation between instances in which they are needed. Next, we know from the prelude that at least some section of Braize is hot, as Kalak was very frightened of the smoke and fire. So, it is assumed that the shardblades and heralds would be hot if they came directly from there. We know that it takes for a shardblade 10 heartbeats to summon it, which likely has something to do with travel time, with a faster heart rate meaning greater need and thus greater individual effort exerted on the summoning, thus shortening the travel time. If the travel source takes as energy a combination of the energy of the summoner and a degree of energy of the object itself, the energy taken from the object would cool the object, hence it would be cold on arrival. If the travel is instantaneous, then perhaps as the shardblade grows cold there it is a humid place and water condenses on it. So there are my rambling thoughts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lummi Posted January 21, 2014 Report Share Posted January 21, 2014 Is it possible that all the killing (pain) that the shardblades do is stored so when they are sent back to the place where the heralds are kept it is used to torture the heralds? That could ve the reasom syl hates them (or rather hates how they are used) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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