Heralds sword ability ranking?

[IcaroRibeiro]

So we got a confirmation all Heralds turned to swordmasters after 2 thousand and half years of fighting in desolations 

According to Stormfather Ishar was average in ability, while Talenel was the best no-contest. So, just for fun, make your ranking of Herald's dueling proficiency 

Here's mine based on the nature of their surges and their likely interests:

1) Talenel 

2) Chanarach

3) Jezrien

4) Battar

5) Nale

6) Ishar

7) Vedel

8) Kalak

9) Shalash

10) Pailliah 

 

 

Chanarach is the matron of dustbringers, who are the most war-like order after Stonewards and their ideal is about self mastery. I'm sure she was a warrior even before the desolations and the Oathpact and I actually believed she was the best swordmaster among the Heealds before reading ROW

Jezerien comes next, he's a general and a king and Windrunners while mostly scouts are also an war-like order 

At first I thought Battar would be in the bottom of the lost, but Elsecallers ideals are about becoming the best versions of themselves, hence I think she seek to improve other time for the sake of her own personal intenet  

Nale also belong to a military order, although not exactly a warrior one so I give him the sixth spot 

Vedel Abrasion is really useful for combat and Edgedancers are scouts and field surgeons, I'm mostly giving her seventh place because Truthwatchers looks more scholarly and Lightweavers more any artists and spies, meanwhile Willshapers were mostly engineers and builders. To reflect the nature of their Radiants I sorted Heralds alike 

[Nymeros]

1) Talenel 

2) Chanarach

3) Jezrien

4) Nalan

5) Ishar

6) Shalash

7) Battar

8) Vedel

9) Kalak

10) Pailliah 

 

I agree with Chana being second just because she is the only herald other than Taln who wears armor.

As well I think Jezrien is the obvious choice for the third spot but I placed Nalan at 4th just because it seems that he and Jezrien were rivals and enemies in the past so I would like for the two to be on roughly equal terms physically.

Next is Ishar place towards the middle.

Ash I have in the next spot due to her aggressive personality and relationship with Taln. 

Battar for the reasons you indicated. Kalak and Vedel in no particular order but Pailliah at the bottom because lol!truthwatching

Edited November 22, 2020 by Nymeros

[Friendshipspren]

Oh man can't wait till we see taln and ash become fully functional fighters and surgebinders in the second arc. 

Also I think that if palilah truly was the assassin jasnah tried in her prologue in WoR then she might have been a real good fighter from the stsrt or trained ntk the upper half of the list in the 4500yrs since Aheritiem 

[SirNoSell]

1) Talenel

2) Jezrien

3) Chanarach

4) Nale

5) Ishar

6) Vedel

7) Shalash

8) Kalak

9) Palilah

10) Battar

[Toaster Retribution]

I would go 

1) Taln - We have the Stormfathers word on this.

2) Nale - Not only has he continued fighting during Talns torture, but he has to have been a beast given how the Skybreakers are pursuers of evil, and as such probably engage in more one on one fights than the more soldier-esque orders. Also, he easily bested Szeth in RoW.

3) Chana. As others has said, she is the leader of the Dustbringers, an order focused on battle. 

4) Jezrien. Windrunners do a lot of fighting, but I suspect he did more leading and strategy as well, which allowed the top 3 to stay ahead of him in skill and practice. 

I think there would be a gap after here, but I would personally go with something like this:

5) Vedel - Battlefield medic, has to be able to stay alive to support.

6) Ishar - Said to be in the middle of the pack by SF. 

7) Battar - Elsecallers have their whole "I can teleport"-schtick, so she might have been the go to Herald if someone needed to chase something when Nale was away distributing justice elsewhere. 

8) Kalak - Willshapers feel more combat-oriented than the other two, so he goes here. 

9) Pailiah - I dont have many arguments for placing her above Ash, other than that it would be a fun contrast if the most combat-savvy Herald, and the least combat-savvy where in love. For this to work, Ash has to be last.

10) Ash - The argument for her was more or less on Pailiahs place. In addition she is the youngest.