Kelsier is involved with the ghostbloods

[+Child of Hodor]

I admit the name connection is convincing. Kelsier is a cognitive shadow which is the Cosmere version of a ghost and he got his connection to the physical realm back via Hemalurgy which requires the spike to touch blood when it is initially inserted. 

I really don't want this to be true. I want at least the Stormlight front 5 to be free of Kelsier. It's not that I hate the character I just don't need him secretly involved everything. Stormlight doesn't need anymore meddling world hopping main characters from other stories. We've got that covered Hoid, Vivenna, Vasher and Nightblood  Plus all the secondary characters that joined the 17th Shard ... and a Kandra running around somewhere. 

I think Mraize is being groomed to be the leader of the Roshar subgroup of the Ghostbloods. Iyatil is like a higher up visiting from Corporate headquarters training up the manager of the Roshar branch of the Ghostbloods. They seem like some kind of interplanetary trade syndicate, their symbol is the three realms merging or a perpendicularity which is used for worldhopping. The way Mraize calls Iyatil his babsk like he's an apprentice merchant also makes me think that. 

That's just the impression I get, they don't seem like the Skybreakers, Sons of Honor or Diagram who have specific goals related to preparing for, triggering or preventing desolations. It seems like they want more power by collecting and using investiture from throughout the Cosmere. Not sure what they wanted Ash to tell them. Maybe the location of the  Honorblades?

[Leyrann]

17 hours ago, Child of Hodor said:

I want at least the Stormlight front 5 to be free of Kelsier.

They probably will be even if this theory is true. Just because he's the leader doesn't mean he needs to be directly involved.

That being said, Stormlight will get progressively more impact from other worlds, simply because it's a theme for the series (with the migrating and everything) and because, in Brandon's words, it's "a turning point" in the greater story of the Cosmere. I do believe Brandon tries to at least keep it mostly in the back five, however.

[Morsk]

I like the theory in a fun way, but I see Quote #2 as evidence against, because if Kelsier were running the Ghostbloods, Brandon would have treated it as a secret to keep, not a fun question to throw away a fun answer to.

The Ghostbloods treating everything as a hunt, and respecting members' rights to kill each other within limits, sound more like they're associated with remnants of Ambition.

[recneps]

On 8/15/2018 at 11:31 AM, Fatikis said:

We have no idea how Iyatil was raised and have no reason to suspect she reveres the Sovereign. In fact being a worldhopper she more than likely does not revere the Sovereign as she has a greater understanding of the cosmere. It is 100% not evidence. It is seeing strings you want to see.
 

She was definitely raised with Southern Scadrian culture. Why else would she have their mask-wearing habits?
It doesn't mean that she has their religion, but she definitely has some major cultural elements from them.

[Leyrann]

2 hours ago, Morsk said:

I like the theory in a fun way, but I see Quote #2 as evidence against, because if Kelsier were running the Ghostbloods, Brandon would have treated it as a secret to keep, not a fun question to throw away a fun answer to.

I think you're underestimating Brandon. I don't doubt for a moment he'd be able to fake a throwaway RAFO for a question he'd expect to come at some point.

[Fatikis]

9 hours ago, recneps said:

She was definitely raised with Southern Scadrian culture. Why else would she have their mask-wearing habits?
It doesn't mean that she has their religion, but she definitely has some major cultural elements from them.

Wearing a single item of cultural garb does not mean that she shares in the culture. It means she at least at a point wore the mask her native people wore. Also the mask has grown into her skin. The mask may not be by choice. She is a worldhopper from Silverlight. If you are looking for her culture I'd look there. This is basically like saying African American's have the same culture as the parts of Africa their people were from because at one point they were from there.

Edited August 17, 2018 by Fatikis

[Leyrann]

2 hours ago, Fatikis said:

Wearing a single item of cultural garb does not mean that she shares in the culture. It means she at least at a point wore the mask her native people wore. Also the mask has grown into her skin. The mask may not be by choice. She is a worldhopper from Silverlight. If you are looking for her culture I'd look there. This is basically like saying African American's have the same culture as the parts of Africa their people were from because at one point they were from there.

Absence of evidence (us not having proof she is of Southern Scadrial culture) is not evidence of absence (her not having Southern Scadrial culture).

At worst we're at "we don't know, but her ancestors were Southern Scadrial".

Edited August 17, 2018 by Leyrann

[Fatikis]

On 8/17/2018 at 11:20 AM, Leyrann said:

Absence of evidence (us not having proof she is of Southern Scadrial culture) is not evidence of absence (her not having Southern Scadrial culture).

At worst we're at "we don't know, but her ancestors were Southern Scadrial".

I actually did not make this argument. That being said the burden of proof is connecting Iyatil to Kelsier. So far the best you have is that her parents were from the planet that Kelsier came from, and that at some point Iyatil wore a cultural item. 

[Toaster Retribution]

More evidence for the Ghostbloods being Kelsier-connected: Mraize is obsessed with hunting. There is a Southern Sacdrial nation known as the Hunters. 

One point against it though is the callous way they treat recruits. That is extremely unlike Kelsier.