Shallan and her Spren (RoW spoilers)

[PiedPiper Forescout]

Ok so I tried to phrase the title to be as innocuous as possible, but here's my question: why oh why would the Cryptics send Shallan Pattern after she killed Testament? ON PURPOSE, and not with Testament's consent like in the Recreance! And we know that Pattern crossed over with the support of other Cryptics because he talks about how famous he is... so... theories? If the Cryptics were so determined to start bonding humans again, why not choose another to become a Lightweaver? Does this have something to do with the Unmade influencing Shallan's family? Is House Davar that crucial to the fight against Odium?

And also, why did the Cryptics decide to return? Wyndle mentions in Edgedancer that the cultivationspren don't really know what they're doing, that they're returning only because the Honorspren and the Cryptics have already started doing it... but of course we know that the Honorspren who did bond humans were outliers, so from this we can surmise that the Cryptics were the trailblazers here. Why? What do they know? I NEED to see their Shadesmar home!

[Lightdancer Arteth]

2 hours ago, PiedPiper said:

I NEED to see their Shadesmar home!

Now I do too. I bet there's a lot of math.

[Karger Unmade]

Pattern was on a suicide mission.  He would stay and report back as long as he could until his death.  Shallan is uniquely suited to cryptics in general and if you believe that your death is inevitable anyway why not bond her? 

[ReaderAt2046 Arbiter]

Actually, I have a theory on this: I think Pattern took this binding because of Testament's death. I think he felt that if he could bond Shallan, if he could make her a Radiant as Testament tried to, it would mean that Testament's death was not in vain.

[Bremen High Prelan]

How else are the Cryptics going to understand why Shallan killed Testament? Why the Recreance happened? Why do humans break their bonds at all?

[Lightdancer Arteth]

23 hours ago, ReaderAt2046 said:

Actually, I have a theory on this: I think Pattern took this binding because of Testament's death. I think he felt that if he could bond Shallan, if he could make her a Radiant as Testament tried to, it would mean that Testament's death was not in vain.

Pattern and Testament romance, perhaps?

[DiePie High Prelan]

So there are a few things we know on the topic:

first of all the obvious thing that Pattern assumed that he would die going into this, and that the Cryptics were willing to send Shallan a second (or even third) Spren going into this.

we know that Cryptics are highly analytical

I would also argue that Cryptics also lack a lot of the individuality that we see from other Spren (the Honorspren, for me, come to mind), as evidenced by them having numbers as names, and the fact they are so willing to sacrifice themselves for what they see as the greater good.

It's also shown to us in Venli's chapters that the Everstorm had been brewing in the Cognitive realm for a while before it was summoned on the shattered plains.

 

So it makes sense that the Cryptics, after seeing the Everstorm, were the first to come to terms with the fact that the final desolation was coming, and that they would need to begin to prepare by beginning the process of bonding humans. This self-sacrificing nature is probably why the Cryptics were so ready to send another Spren to Shallan, as they had far more willing Spen than they do/did people they could bond, and were willing to take the risk of dying in order to get as many Radiants as possible.

Also the Cultivationspren sending Spren out to bond probably had to do more with the Honorspren beginning to bond than the Cryptics, since they were probably the most outspoken against humans, and if they're doing it...

[ReaderAt2046 Arbiter]

20 hours ago, Lightdancer said:

Pattern and Testament romance, perhaps?

Or possibly Testament was Pattern's mother, or daughter.

[Frustration Nightwatcher]

Personally I think that Cultivation is up to something, Pattern mentioned another would be sent to Shallan if she killed him. And Wyndle is there against his will.

Something is happening.

[Leuthie Worldbringer]

2 minutes ago, Ookla The Frustrated said:

Personally I think that Cultivation is up to something, Pattern mentioned another would be sent to Shallan if she killed him. And Wyndle is there against his will.

Something is happening.

Cultivation and the spren are banking on a future sight that a bonded Shallan will free BAM and bring all deadeyes back? This would explain the willingness to risk "death" to bond her. If she succeeds, you'll be brought back to life, anyway.

[Frustration Nightwatcher]

Just now, Leuthie said:

Cultivation and the spren are banking on a future sight that a bonded Shallan will free BAM and bring all deadeyes back? This would explain the willingness to risk "death" to bond her. If she succeeds, you'll be brought back to life, anyway.

You're putting words in my mouth.

[Lightdancer Arteth]

2 hours ago, ReaderAt2046 said:

Or possibly Testament was Pattern's mother, or daughter.

I like yours better.

[Kitch Lighteyes]

I think the bigger question is...why does Shallan deserve 2 spren?

There's something going on in the background that puts the focus on Shallan and her family and why it's so important for her to have a bond.

That being said...this is set up for a double bonded Lightweaver jumping into a Slandervanche