WaT back cover revealed

[Qviqve]

What do you think about de back cover of WaT? Any theories or new ideas? 

Source:The coppermind

Spoiler

As the end arrives, I wonder if we should have done more.

 

We have what we wanted. Surges return to the children of Honor and Cultivation, but there is another who lays claim upon their hearts. Once, I wished for the sword that humankind could be—but now I wonder if we have been deluded as well. If this was his plan, and not ours, and if those we watched were not ours to nurture, but his.

 

Ten days remain. Two champions. The culmination of milennia of preparation, posturing, and prayer. Ideologies, as storms, gather to crush the world between their separate dreams—and one man will stand at the center of it. A man who now remembers his past, but leads a people who have forgotten theirs.

 

As Cultivation pulls her final string, and sends the Reimagined King to seek the truth, we must wait and tremble. The Reforged Spear becomes the hope of spren. The Reformed Woman pries in corners of a god's mind. The Reborn Assassin puts his knife to the throat of a once proud people.

 

It is not the end we hoped for. We have lost the ability to see what will happen, for a challenge has come that none of us anticipated.

 

For the power of Honor . . . has begun to question.

It may sounds acward but the first thing that came into my mind is that te sleepless writting this is the one that is with the GB. As they have been watching Shallan since she was a kid and know they have a "new spy" in Dalinar's retenue.

Eager to read your thougths! 

Edited November 23, 2024 by Qviqve
I just realised that this was a filtration, put the blurb in spoiler

[JustQuestin2004 he/him]

2 hours ago, Qviqve said:

As the end arrives, I wonder if we should have done more.

Most definitely, like giving the Coalition accurate information on all the enemies capabilities would have been great, all details on the Forms of Power, the 9 Brands of Fused, and the Unmade and what dangers they all pose. That would have been a good start.

2 hours ago, Qviqve said:

We have what we wanted. Surges return to the children of Honor and Cultivation, but there is another who lays claim upon their hearts. Once, I wished for the sword that humankind could be—but now I wonder if we have been deluded as well. If this was his plan, and not ours, and if those we watched were not ours to nurture, but his.

Ominous, is this saying that the Sleepless, or the author of these blurbs, have been working for Odium, even if unintentionally.

And 'the sword tha humankind could be', that sounds an awful lot like what Rayse wanted and what Wax is as Harmony's Sword.

2 hours ago, Qviqve said:

Ten days remain. Two champions. The culmination of milennia of preparation, posturing, and prayer. Ideologies, as storms, gather to crush the world between their separate dreams—and one man will stand at the center of it. A man who now remembers his past, but leads a people who have forgotten theirs.

Stuff we already knew. Nothing to really talk about for this. 

2 hours ago, Qviqve said:

As Cultivation pulls her final string, and sends the Reimagined King to seek the truth, we must wait and tremble.

Her 'Final String' is Dalinar, not Lift?  Granted Lift can't really do anything productive to the Contest at the moment.

2 hours ago, Qviqve said:

The Reforged Spear becomes the hope of spren.

I'm guessing that Kaladin is going to save quite a few Spren from Ishar and his experiments? 

2 hours ago, Qviqve said:

The Reformed Woman pries in corners of a god's mind.

Which God? Probably Mishram, which sounds awfully dangerous even for Shallan. 

2 hours ago, Qviqve said:

The Reborn Assassin puts his knife to the throat of a once proud people.

Nothing new.

2 hours ago, Qviqve said:

It is not the end we hoped for. We have lost the ability to see what will happen, for a challenge has come that none of us anticipated.

The Sleepless can, or rather could, see the future? Interesting.

2 hours ago, Qviqve said:

For the power of Honor . . . has begun to question.

The power is coming alive, yep, good to have that confirmed. Also questioning what? The Oathpact? The worth of Humanity? The conflict between Honor and Odium without a human mind to give context?

[Isilel]

A bit of a crackpot, but could "he" be Hoid, rather than Odium?

[JustQuestin2004 he/him]

1 hour ago, Isilel said:

A bit of a crackpot, but could "he" be Hoid, rather than Odium?

He must be really getting around to 'Lay claim' upon all of humankinds hearts.

[The Stick]

I think the Fortune mention could be interesting.

Secondly, Kal being the hope of spren seems like pretty big foreshadowing.

Lastly, this structure seems very different then the previous ones. However, it once again has the 4 original mentions made at the end of book 1.

[duladen he/him]

Quote

For the power of Honor . . . has begun to question.

Sure makes me think of…

Quote

So the night will reign, for the choice of honor is life...

[RedBlue]

If Kaladin is going to be the ‘hope of spren,’ he probably has to do something more game-changing than stop Ishar.

My guess is that Kaladin will discover and fix whatever problem it was that caused the Recreance in the first place. (The big secret that drove the Radiants and their spren to choose to break the bond, not the Mishram stuff.) That allows the modern Knights Radiant to keep going, and allows the spren to participate in the world again.

[Inevitability]

15 hours ago, Qviqve said:

What do you think about de back cover of WaT? Any theories or new ideas? 

Source:The coppermind

  Hide contents

The Reforged Spear becomes the hope of spren. 

I am taking this in two directions:

1) Maya becoming renewed from being a deadeye. Not sure how spear works into this

2) Syl is the “ancient daughter.” Perhaps her reforged connection with Kal is what will enable her to recover ancient memories. She also has literally been a spear

[coolsnow7]

16 hours ago, Inevitability said:

I am taking this in two directions:

1) Maya becoming renewed from being a deadeye. Not sure how spear works into this

2) Syl is the “ancient daughter.” Perhaps her reforged connection with Kal is what will enable her to recover ancient memories. She also has literally been a spear

The main reason I approve of this is that Kaladin is not a spear! They haven’t been metaphorical that way a single time in these back covers. It is definitely not referring to Kaladin, and therefore is almost certainly referring to Syl.

Which suggests that Kaladin is going to kill her, and find a way to bring her back from Deadeye-hood.

[Diomedes]

On 11/23/2024 at 8:40 AM, Qviqve said:

Once, I wished for the sword that humankind could be—but now I wonder if we have been deluded as well. If this was his plan, and not ours, and if those we watched were not ours to nurture, but his.

Further evidence that the Alethi Lighteyes will switch sides to Odium, which was a theory of mine.

On 11/23/2024 at 11:13 AM, JustQuestin2004 said:

On 11/23/2024 at 8:40 AM, Qviqve said:

The Reforged Spear becomes the hope of spren.

I'm guessing that Kaladin is going to save quite a few Spren from Ishar and his experiments? 

I think this is about reforging the Nahel bond that it may become less destructive to Spren. And about helping out all those Deadeyes. 

 

On 11/23/2024 at 8:40 AM, Qviqve said:

For the power of Honor . . . has begun to question.

The power may be seeking the wrong vessel, somebody like Taravangian or some Fused.

[Subvisual Haze]

Quote

As the end arrives, I wonder if we should have done more.

but you didn't do anything!

[+Oltux72 he/him]

16 hours ago, coolsnow7 said:

The main reason I approve of this is that Kaladin is not a spear! They haven’t been metaphorical that way a single time in these back covers. It is definitely not referring to Kaladin, and therefore is almost certainly referring to Syl.

Which suggests that Kaladin is going to kill her, and find a way to bring her back from Deadeye-hood.

(The Sunlit Man)

Spoiler

Sigzil seriously considers the possibility that Kaladin may still be alive. Give the time passed that means he'd have to be a Cognitive Shadow or a worldhopper.

 

[Qviqve]

Wow! you guys have a ton of good ideas! Especially love the one of Syl being the Spear instead of Kaladin. This may be another reason to keep in check the " Ancient Daughter" title that Syl has. However, despite theese blurbs from The Sleepless has been, since TWoK, talking about the humans it may be tricky to think they may be reference to Syl, I love the idea!

18 hours ago, coolsnow7 said:

The main reason I approve of this is that Kaladin is not a spear! They haven’t been metaphorical that way a single time in these back covers. It is definitely not referring to Kaladin, and therefore is almost certainly referring to Syl.

Which suggests that Kaladin is going to kill her, and find a way to bring her back from Deadeye-hood.

Other one that missed in my first read was in this sentece...

Quote

We have what we wanted. Surges return to the children of Honor and Cultivation, but there is another who lays claim upon their hearts. Once, I wished for the sword that humankind could be—but now I wonder if we have been deluded as well. If this was his plan, and not ours, and if those we watched were not ours to nurture, but his.

They refer to "the children of Honor and Cultivation" and the first thought was about the humans, but they came with Odium from Ashyn. Could it be that they are talking about the Spren (or even the Parsh) as they had the Surges forbid by Honor?

[+Oltux72 he/him]

6 minutes ago, Qviqve said:

They refer to "the children of Honor and Cultivation" and the first thought was about the humans, but they came with Odium from Ashyn. Could it be that they are talking about the Spren (or even the Parsh) as they had the Surges forbid by Honor?

I think that is talking about the forms of power. The red eyes indicate that them resulting from bonding voidpren is not the original state. It seems like they originally resulted from bonds with old gods like Wind. That state may arise again.

[Ewery1]

49 minutes ago, Qviqve said:

They refer to "the children of Honor and Cultivation" and the first thought was about the humans, but they came with Odium from Ashyn. Could it be that they are talking about the Spren (or even the Parsh) as they had the Surges forbid by Honor?

Oh this is interesting… The Listeners/Singers aren’t the children of Honor & Cultivation, they’d be the children of Adonalsium, right? Who could it be other than the True Spren?

[AquaRegia he/him]

7 hours ago, Qviqve said:

...  these blurbs from The Sleepless has been, since TWoK, talking about the humans

Hard agree here - the same four main HUMAN characters who have been described in every single back cover blurb.  How can anyone doubt that:

the Reimagined King = Dalinar.  (He is King of Urithiru, but he's reimagining his own role... seeking the truth of what happened to Honor/Tanavast.)

the Reforged Spear = Kaladin.  (He was broken, but is healing, and the spear was always his chosen weapon... "the hope of spren" is yet unclear, but I'm sure it's him.)

the Reformed Woman = Shallan.  (Previously THE LIAR, she is finally deciding for herself what she wants... seeking Mishram.)

the Reborn Assassin - Szeth.  (Literally died, brought back by Nale... seeking to save the people of Shinovar.)

 

Quote

 

They refer to "the children of Honor and Cultivation" and the first thought was about the humans, but they came with Odium from Ashyn. Could it be that they are talking about the Spren (or even the Parsh) as they had the Surges forbid by Honor?

Oh this is interesting… The Listeners/Singers aren’t the children of Honor & Cultivation, they’d be the children of Adonalsium, right? Who could it be other than the True Spren?

 

 

I think "the children of Honor and Cultivation" simply refers to all Surgebinders, regardless of race.  Mostly human, as the next lines indicate, but not solely.

 

Edited November 25, 2024 by AquaRegia

[Confused]

My takes...

Quote

As the end arrives, I wonder if we should have done more.

I agree with @JustQuestin2004 on this one. Lots more. But maybe another gameplayer anticipates the Sleepless’ passive role when making their moves.

Quote

We have what we wanted. Surges return to the children of Honor and Cultivation, but there is another who lays claim upon their hearts. Once, I wished for the sword that humankind could be—but now I wonder if we have been deluded as well. If this was his plan, and not ours, and if those we watched were not ours to nurture, but his.

The Sleepless want Radiants solely as children of Honor and Cultivation. Sja-anat ensures some Radiants bond enlightened spren. Odium now is fully Invested in Roshar to the point that even Radiants can rely upon his power.

Ironically, the Sleepless make the same mistake Honor does – they trust humans to be “honorable.” Odium knows human nature better. He relies on human passion to someday create bondable voidspren. Maybe he expected his Unmade Sja-anat to enlighten spren.

Quote

Ten days remain. Two champions. The culmination of milennia [sic] of preparation, posturing, and prayer. Ideologies, as storms, gather to crush the world between their separate dreams—and one man will stand at the center of it. A man who now remembers his past, but leads a people who have forgotten theirs.

So many questions, so few answers...

1. “The culmination of milennia [sic] of preparation, posturing, and prayer.”

The Sleepless come from another planet. To whom do they pray? To what Shard are they Connected? Do they “prepare” over millennia because, unlike Frost, they fear Odium may leave the Rosharan system or is there another reason? Does their foresight derive from their Shard, their hive-mind, or something else? The WaT back cover shows the Sleepless now doubt their own foresight.

2. “Ideologies, as storms, gather to crush the world between their separate dreams...”

I read this to mean different ideologies have different aspirations, different dreams. The ideological fight threatens to destroy the world. (When doesn’t it?) The “storm” metaphor IMO ties these ideologies to the Stormfather (Honor) and the Everstorm (Odium). They “gather to crush the world...”

Shard “ideologies,” I think, are idea systems built on Intent. Honor’s ideology is voluntary bonding, choosing to be and act together without compulsion, attracted by a common temperament and code of conduct. “Honor.” Odium’s ideology, OTOH, is passion, enflaming or diminishing emotion and rationality, but never at the same time. Passion motivates people, gets them moving on the path their passion directs. Too much passion can blind and mislead. Too little fails to motivate.

3. “[O]ne man will stand at the center of it. A man who now remembers his past, but leads a people who have forgotten theirs.”

The first sentence IMO says that Dalinar stands between Honor and Odium, the fight of ideologies. This interpretation might mean Dalinar will pick up both Shards. But to “stand at the center” is not the same as wielding those powers. The phrasing suggests Dalinar is the hurricane’s eye around which the fierce winds rage. This image might even be literal and not just metaphoric, when the Stormfather and Everstorm meet.

Maybe before Ascension Dalinar merges (bonds) the Shards into one indissoluble Shard. Navani can teach and help him to use the rhythms of each Shard to combine them. Like others have posted, I think there’s a decent chance Dalinar Ascends to the merged Shard jointly with Navani.

Dalinar now remembers his personal past as a brutal warlord whose passion causes him to murder his wife. A drunk, a dissolute, a tool his brother uses as a battering ram; blunt, bloody, and unquestioning. He evolves into a man worthy of redemption and a new life with Navani. Despite his all-to-human mistakes, he grows to be a thoughtful, honorable leader of his people.

But humans including Dalinar “have forgotten” their brutal group past. No living human knows their kind destroyed their first planet. None remember the frightful journey to Roshar – Ishar as Moses leading his burning people through newly-opened obsidian walls and on to the Promised Land. None remember what precipitated the Desolations or where the blame truly lies. These discoveries will dwarf the impact of the Eila Stele’s revelation. What will humans do and how will Dalinar hold them together when they discover their truth?

Quote

As Cultivation pulls her final string, and sends the Reimagined King to seek the truth, we must wait and tremble. The Reforged Spear becomes the hope of spren. The Reformed Woman pries in corners of a god's mind. The Reborn Assassin puts his knife to the throat of a once proud people.

Again, one at a time:

1. “As Cultivation pulls her final string...”

Why is Dalinar’s truth-quest Cultivation’s final string? She’s a far-seeing god. No back-ups to back-ups to back-ups? More to the point, her final string to do what? Just prevent Odium’s escape from Roshar? Or to re-create Roshar in a more suitable way (from Cultivation’s perspective)?

Metaphorically, is the “final string” a bowstring Cultivation pulls with her last arrow? Or is the “final string” the puppeteer’s last manipulation of her puppet Dalinar? (Or maybe Brandon means this is the last time Cultivation plays the harp on Roshar?)

2. “[Cultivation] sends the Reimagined King to seek the truth...”

Why do the Sleepless see Dalinar as a “Reimagined King”? Did they not imagine Dalinar’s role as King of Urithiru or his Ascension? Or do they refer to his personal reimagination as a true Bondsmith, no longer a man of war?

3. “The Reforged Spear becomes the hope of spren.”

The fires of war reforge Kaladin into a healer. He becomes Wind’s champion, but why is he “the hope of spren?” Does this phrase refer to the Eila Stele’s “spren, wind, and stone? I think of Wind as Roshar’s original change agent. Wind spreads the seeds of life and erodes the landscape. Pre-Shattering highstorms feature the Listeners’ Rider of Storms, once a friend who betrayed the Singers. The Stormfather is a fiercer, angrier, more destructive version of the Rider.

My best guess: The Stormfather’s destructiveness restricts Roshar’s growth. In the Fleet story, Fleet (Kaladin) defeats the Storm. Kaladin restores the variable Wind to its former place. Sometimes there will be a storm, sometimes a gentle breeze. More growth means more people of all species, including spren. Restoring Wind frees spren. Maybe...

4. “The Reformed Woman pries in corners of a god's mind.”

Shallan integrates her personality to reform herself (though she’s not fully there). From today’s reading, it looks like Shallan, Mraize, and Iyatil go with Dalinar and Navani into the Spiritual Realm

I think she helps the group interpret what they see in the SR. She’s good with patterns. IOW, she “pries in the corners of a god’s mind” – Adonalsium’s or some Shard’s, not BAM’s.

5. “The Reborn Assassin puts his knife to the throat of a once proud people.”

Through Nale’s intervention, Szeth is literally reborn. He quests to destroy the Stone Shamans whom he believes have misled the Shin. When did Nightblood become just a “knife?”

Quote

It is not the end we hoped for. We have lost the ability to see what will happen, for a challenge has come that none of us anticipated.

For the power of Honor . . . has begun to question.

Aha! Honor begins to think! Honor’s Cognitive Shadow resides in the Stormfather. I believe that Investiture mass already is sapient as Honor’s (not Tanavast’s) “ghost.” We’ve seen the Stormfather try to dissuade Dalinar from seeking Ascension. He says a self-conscious Shard not held by mortal Vessel will hate humans. Dalinar will once again have to persuade the Stormfather as Honor’s CS to bond with him, but on a much larger scale.

On to Chapter 33!

Edited November 25, 2024 by Confused

[AquaRegia he/him]

8 minutes ago, Confused said:

She’s good with patterns.

I see what you did there.

[+Oltux72 he/him]

21 hours ago, Ewery1 said:

Oh this is interesting… The Listeners/Singers aren’t the children of Honor & Cultivation, they’d be the children of Adonalsium, right? Who could it be other than the True Spren?

By that logic everybody is a child of Adonalsium

15 hours ago, Confused said:

1. “As Cultivation pulls her final string...”

Why is Dalinar’s truth-quest Cultivation’s final string? She’s a far-seeing god. No back-ups to back-ups to back-ups? More to the point, her final string to do what? Just prevent Odium’s escape from Roshar? Or to re-create Roshar in a more suitable way (from Cultivation’s perspective)?

Metaphorically, is the “final string” a bowstring Cultivation pulls with her last arrow? Or is the “final string” the puppeteer’s last manipulation of her puppet Dalinar? (Or maybe Brandon means this is the last time Cultivation plays the harp on Roshar?)

Again, why would Cultivation keep Odium on Roshar?

[RedBlue]

17 hours ago, Confused said:

Why is Dalinar’s truth-quest Cultivation’s final string?

I don’t think we can assume that Dalinar’s quest is Cultivation’s ‘final string.’ We’re only on day 2. She might smack down a reverse uno card on day 5 or something.

Alternatively, maybe the key to defeating/controlling Odium really is in the Spiritual Realm and Dalinar is about to trip over it.

 

17 hours ago, Confused said:

Why do the Sleepless see Dalinar as a “Reimagined King”? Did they not imagine Dalinar’s role as King of Urithiru or his Ascension? Or do they refer to his personal reimagination as a true Bondsmith, no longer a man of war?

I interpreted this as referring to Dalinar’s own reimagining of what kingship can, and should, be. It’s his study of Nohadon’s philosophy, his beliefs about honourable leadership, and his attempts to unite groups of people through shared interests rather than violence.

 

17 hours ago, Confused said:

When did Nightblood become just a “knife?”

I think the ‘knife’ is a poetic reference to Szeth’s skill set in general, not to Nightblood.

 

Good write up. Amazing how much there is to unpack just on the back cover of these books!

[FollowYourMuse she/her]

3 hours ago, Oltux72 said:

On 11/25/2024 at 5:59 AM, Ewery1 said:

Oh this is interesting… The Listeners/Singers aren’t the children of Honor & Cultivation, they’d be the children of Adonalsium, right? Who could it be other than the True Spren?

By that logic everybody is a child of Adonalsium

In a way yes, everything is of Adonalsium but not directly. The newer people, were created by the shards, pieces of Adonalism, It seems that unlike Scadrial or other shardic worlds where they re-created people in the likeness of the original human Yolen people, Cultivation and Honor, took over a world already populated by Original inhabitants, and splinters of Adonalism. 

There were Spren of Adonalism, and the native Rosharon flora, fauna, and Spren including the Singers  that are the "children" of Adonalism. I assume the "old Magic" Wind, Stone and Night are possibly also (Splinters?) of Adonalism. 
Later there were Spren of Honor, which he later passed that duty to the Stormfather who is the Father of Syl.  So a piece, of a piece of divinity, that is a part (shard) of the original Adonalism.  
The Sibling is the child of Honor and Cultivation, so a combination of 2 intents, now influenced by 3. 
The Original Spren and People of Adonalism would not have had the same single intent investiture, so would be child of Adonalism. 

This just reminded me that I have had thought of making a "genealogy" chart at some point, though I tend to think it is more like genetic inheritance than family lines.