Theory: Baxil's Mistress

[name_here]

So, it's a popular theory that she's Shalash, but I have an alternate, not neccessarily exclusive theory: she's a Tineye. She has "strangely good" ears and black hair without looking like an Alethi. Given the way hair on Roshar is colored in proportion to blood relationship, this is highly unusual. However, both Vin and Mare had black hair, and it seems to be fairly common on Scadrial. Scadrial natives would likely not seem to be a member of any particular Roshar ethnicity. Also, while Radiant/Herald powers might very well permit enhanced hearing, they would also require a steady supply of Stormlight to maintain it, which long-term employees would probably have noticed even if she doesn't glow.

Now, she does have violet eyes, but that can be explained by having a Shardblade. It is alternately possible she is also Shalash, and was transferred from Scadrial a long time ago.

[Aeshdan he/him]

+1 for clever ideas! So we've spotted another Seventeenth?

[Tulir he/him]

Nice theory, but that doesn't explain why she is destroying art so blatantly. But overall, I like that idea.

[Aeshdan he/him]

Maybe she's Shalash's daughter/descendant? 4500 years is plenty of time for some of the Heralds to have married and started lineages.

[Zas678 he/him]

It's most likely Shalash. (Shallash?)

Europe Report

OROME

This post is for anything info that was gleaned at the recent signing at Forbidden Planet in London.

To start with, The question i asked him was, 'Is Shallash the lady smashing up the art in The Way of Kings?'

BRANDON SANDERSON

He was apprehensive to say it out loud, but he wrote in my copy of Alloy of Law 'Shallash appears in The Way of Kings'! I shall get a scan of that once i am able, and ill put it up in here. He also said to me 'you'd be surprised at how many of the Heralds appear in the book', so i guess another re-read is in order!

But he did also say:

17th Shard Interview

17TH SHARD

Tucker asks, "Will you ever write a book or series where different magic systems come into the same world?"

BRANDON SANDERSON

Where different magic systems come into the same world. Um...I have already.

17TH SHARD

(confused) Published novels?

BRANDON SANDERSON

Yes.

17TH SHARD

I mean like different magic systems from different worlds.

BRANDON SANDERSON

That's what I said.

17TH SHARD

He's being really clever about this, Eric.

ERIC

Okay, okay, sorry.

BRANDON SANDERSON

You're asking if I'll do it obviously.

17TH SHARD

(laughs)

But I'm still pretty darn sure that Shallash is Baxil's mistress.

[name_here]

Given the bewildering quantity of Scadrial religons, one which instructs worshippers to destroy images of other deities isn't exactly far-fetched.

[Odium's_Shard]

Maybe Baxil's Mistress as Shallash infers that she may be covering up the tracks of the Heralds. But this raises another question: how do the Heralds stay alive? Unless they have some sort of endowed power to be immortal, and they aren't residing in the realm of torture between Desolations, then there must be a power available to them that enables this.

[Cheese Ninja he/him]

The assorted evidence is way too strong for me to think it could be anyone other than Shalash.

Her face is used on either side of the chapter title, she goes around destroying artwork of a particular Herald (or Kadasix, as they're called there). There's the epigraph with "daughter of winds and kings gouges out her eyes." (paraphrased) Shalash's statue was missing in Szeth's prologue, I'd assume it was recently destroyed. She talks about acquiring a Shardblade as it wouldn't be too much trouble.

[Joe ST he/him]

Another thing is she is likely to be insane much like the other Heralds were supposedly