Heavenly Ones - preventing the 4 Oath

[OTC]

So, Heavenly Ones, who have been around for millennia fighting the KR, would probably have a solid understanding of what a each order is, what they can do, and probably also what oaths they need to say to progress.

Since none of the current crop of Windrunners have plate yet, they would know exactly where they are up to in their progression.

I think they are acting the way they are at the moment to deliberately stunt the progression of Windrunners to the next level where they will be a much greater threat. While I'm not sure what the 4th oath will end up being, I think they are playing off the psychology of those who traditionally end up as WR to slow down or prevent any of them attaining the 4th path.

[+Oltux72]

14 minutes ago, OTC said:

So, Heavenly Ones, who have been around for millennia

Yes

14 minutes ago, OTC said:

fighting the KR,

No. They spent the vast majority of that time on Braize without contact to human beings (save occasionally the Heralds)

A part of the actual Desolations was even before the Knights Radiant arose. Probably they have ten to twenty years of fighting Knights Radiant collectively. At the very extreme estimate a few decades more. And each individual had only a fraction of that time. The Everstorm is new. One rebirth per Desolation was the rule.

14 minutes ago, OTC said:

would probably have a solid understanding of what a each order is, what they can do, and probably also what oaths they need to say to progress.

Since none of the current crop of Windrunners have plate yet, they would know exactly where they are up to in their progression.

I think they are acting the way they are at the moment to deliberately stunt the progression of Windrunners to the next level where they will be a much greater threat. While I'm not sure what the 4th oath will end up being, I think they are playing off the psychology of those who traditionally end up as WR to slow down or prevent any of them attaining the 4th path.

Well, should there be a lot of 4th oath Windrunners? The theory is plausible, but would it be necessary at all?

[OTC]

46 minutes ago, Oltux72 said:

A part of the actual Desolations was even before the Knights Radiant arose. Probably they have ten to twenty years of fighting Knights Radiant collectively. At the very extreme estimate a few decades more. And each individual had only a fraction of that time. The Everstorm is new. One rebirth per Desolation was the rule.

The KR were not founded each desolation - they existed between desolations as well but experienced a surge in membership around the start of each one.

The only indicator of length for a desolation that I know of is from Dalinars vision, indicating it had lasted, I think, 10 years?

I'm not sure if the specific number of desolations is ever mentioned but if I conservatively say 10, and assuming the 10 year length is average, that's still potentially 100 years of fighting experience. It is unlikely that any survived the whole length every time, but each one would easily have decades of experience.

 

57 minutes ago, Oltux72 said:

The theory is plausible, but would it be necessary at all?

You don't see the benefit of keeping what would traditionally be the largest force of effective enemy soldiers from obtaining shard plate?

There are a limited number of honor spren. While they are bonded to KR who aren't able to progress, they are not bonded to KR who can progress and become more effective. 

[+Oltux72]

1 hour ago, OTC said:

You don't see the benefit of keeping what would traditionally be the largest force of effective enemy soldiers from obtaining shard plate?

I see the benefit, but not the necessity. Look at the Skybreakers. The 4th oath takes a lengthy quest. We do not have statistics for the Windrunners. In fact, we do not know what the 4th ideal is. The Fused sure do. If it takes on average, say five years, there will be no point in going for that.

1 hour ago, OTC said:

There are a limited number of honor spren. While they are bonded to KR who aren't able to progress, they are not bonded to KR who can progress and become more effective. 

Yes. However, do the Fused know that? Should they aim for decreasing the number of Windrunners or their progress? Very hard to say.