The Shin are actually descendants of the Stonewards, not Skybreakers.

[lichie]

Contrary to the other theory about the Stone shaman here on these forums, I believe the people of Shinnovar descend from Stonewards. The correlation is pretty obvious, considering that the Shin people revere stone very highly. But I also believe that they may go as far as to worship Taln, the Herald of the Stonewards, almost as if he is their God (I’m using the term “God” very loosely). Because the Shin kept the remaining Honorblades after the Last Desolation, they must know that Taln was the only one of the Heralds who returned to Damnation to uphold the Oathpact, and this is why they worship him. Szeth was declared truthless because for him to claim that the voidbringers (and the next desolation) are returning, he is claiming that Taln must have failed them in Damnation, therefore speaking blasphemy toward their God.

 

I think it may also be possible that the Stonewards still exist in Shinnovar, retaining their Surgebinding powers (and spren) even after the day of Recreance. I do not think the Knights Radiant themselves broke their Oaths, killing their spren. Instead, I think their spren were killed when the Heralds of their Order broke their own Oathpact by not returning to Damnation. This would explain why in Dalinar’s vison at Feverstone Keep, seemingly all of the Knights abandoned their blades at the same time. If it was up to the Knights to betray the Oaths on their own, it would be very unlikely for all of them to “betray” their oaths at the exact same time. If this is true, it may mean that because Taln did not abandon the Oathpact, that the spren of the Stonewards did not die. It is possible that the remaining Knights of the Stonewards then gathered the Honorblades and retreated to Shinnovar.

Edited March 30, 2014 by lichie

[Adolin_Dustbringer]

Weren't the two Orders who got rid of their shards at Feverstone Keep Windrunners and Stonewards though?

[thejopen27]

Yeah I'm pretty sure the two orders that were so honorable they immediately gave up their blades and plates after the recreance rather than fight in whatever war the other orders were fighting were the Windrunners and the Stonewards.  Okay so part of that is my theory but the Stonewards were definitely one of the two that gave up their blades and plate right away and I think it had to do with those being the two most Honorable orders.

Edited March 30, 2014 by thejopen27

[lichie]

Weren't the two Orders who got rid of their shards at Feverstone Keep Windrunners and Stonewards though?

 

I completely forgot that there were only 2 orders of Knights in the vision, so yes you are right. I wasn't nearly as confident about that part of the theory as the first part, which is that the Shin people are the descendants of the Stonewards.

[Robot Aztec]

this theorie rocks

[akintu]

Another spin on Szeth being declared Truthless, is if the Stone Shamans are connected with Taln, they may have known he wasn't back at the time Szeth made his claims. No Taln, no desolation, therefore Szeth must be lying.

[Worldhopper]

It also kinda make sense that if they worship Taln, the only Herald to uphold his part of the Oathpact, then in the same way they would uphold their oaths to their Oathstones. Even to the insane lengths that Szeth does.

[Argent]

It also kinda make sense that if they worship Taln, the only Herald to uphold his part of the Oathpact, then in the same way they would uphold their oaths to their Oathstones. Even to the insane lengths that Szeth does.

 

I don't see how they would know what the Heralds did after the last Desolation. How would they know that Taln was the only one who died, or that the other 9 chose to betray the Oathpact, or that Taln has been single-handedly holding the Desolation back all this time?