Will the Heralds Connect themselves with Each Shard? (Theory)

[Colossus]

The fact that Brandon has delivered canonical writing set decades or centuries after the end of WaT appears to place restrictions on what the resolution of the conflict with Retribution could amount to. Furthermore, the PoV character from TSM is an extremely intelligent worldhopper. I find it extremely hard to believe that something as universally impactful as shattering Retribution would not be brought up by Nomad (Or Hoid during their dialogue). On the other hand, Brandon has said that he views SA to be his "magnum opus" and I also find it extremely hard to believe that the ending of his Magnum Opus wouldn't be extremely impactful to the entire cosmere. So the future where TSM takes place has to be one where the SA is respectws with a dramatic, impactful ending, but the impact on the Cosmere at large doesn't really change the universe to be unrecognizable compared to the end of WaT (For example, shades still exist, dawnshards are still in 4 pieces etc.) One theory I have played around with is that Retribution is still alive, but is outside of the Cosmere which is being shielded by the Heralds.

 

THEORY:

So, there are 10(9?) shards left to oppose Retribution:

Harmony, Cultivation, Endowment, Autonomy, Invention, Mercy, Valor, Whimsy, Reason, and (?)Virtuosity. (I know that by Yumi and the Nightmare Painter Virtuosity is splintered but, I'm not sure if this was stated to be before SA or not)

We also know there are 10(ish) Heralds (This theory actually works regardless of if there are 10 or 9 shards opposing Retribution, since Battar is a wild card.)

I argue that in order to prevent the chaos and destruction that would inevitably occur if there were an outright battle between the shards and Retribution, the shards bond themselves to the Heralds to push Retribution out of the Cosmere in order to give the people of the Cosmere time to make a plan to defeat retribution without destroying everything. I also think Retribution promised the night brigade he would fix what Odium did when he killed Ambition in exchange for bringing him the Dawnshards so he can break the Herald's shield.

I haven't taken the time to think of which Herald would be the representative for each shard, other than the fact that valor is defined as "great courage in the face of danger, especially in battle.", and I think we all know that the Bearer Of Agonies to a T.

 

In any case, do you all think this theory holds water? Let me know what you think!

[KaladinsSenseOfHumourSpren He/Him]

I don't think this'll work. The Heralds could only lock away Fused before the Everstorm because of Braize's strange properties. Keeping Retribution away from every inhabited shardworld... how would they do that? Previously they were also using the fact that Odium was trapped in the Rosharan system.

[Colossus]

22 minutes ago, KaladinsSenseOfHumorSpren said:

I don't think this'll work. The Heralds could only lock away Fused before the Everstorm because of Braize's strange properties. Keeping Retribution away from every inhabited shardworld... how would they do that? Previously they were also using the fact that Odium was trapped in the Rosharan system.

So currently the new Oathpact made at the End of Wind and Truth is not really locking the Fused away on Braize but rather protecting the Rosharan spren from Retributions influence. This theory just says instead of protecting Roshar's spren, the heralds would use their connection to Odium and Honor (Retribution) to protect the entire Cosmere from Retributions influence.

[KaladinsSenseOfHumourSpren He/Him]

1 minute ago, Colossus said:

So currently the new Oathpact made at the End of Wind and Truth is not really locking the Fused away on Braize but rather protecting the Rosharan spren from Retributions influence. This theory just says instead of protecting Roshar's spren, the heralds would use their connection to Odium and Honor (Retribution) to protect the entire Cosmere from Retributions influence.

I still feel like the entire Cosmere can't be protected by Heralds alone. Besides, for this to work, the Heralds need Connections to the other Shards. 

[Earless Jaks he/him]

How is Connection gained? It might not be totally implausible for them to gain Connection with other shards, especially in an increasingly interconnected Cosmere.

Once they have this connection, the Oathpact could work to lock out Retribution because it would be supercharged with all the other Shards' power.

Edited May 12, 2025 by Earless Jaks

[KaladinsSenseOfHumourSpren He/Him]

Just now, Earless Jaks said:

How is Connection gained? It might not be totally implausible for them to gain Connection with other shards, especially in an increasingly interconnected Cosmere.

Once they have this connection, the Oathpact could work to Retribution because it would be supercharged with all the Shards' power.

There will also need to a Herald for the Dor, I think. Leaving Sel exposed is a bad idea, as it would give Taravangian access to Dakhor monks and Elantrians. I also feel like Autonomy would never agree to let a Herald bond her and she'll try to defeat Retribution another way.

[Colossus]

I mean due to Retribution each shard could choose a herald to give a splinter to, in order to shield the Cosmere from Retribution until the various peoples of the Cosmere can advance far enough to prove a match for Retributions forces (Potentially Retribution is very successful in convincing other Cosmere groups to join him), then each Herald is the general for that Shards armies. 

 

This also provides motivation for more isolationist shards to still Connect to a Herald because if they don't... when Retribution is dealt with the other shards will have a Herald general and they wont.

[ParaTulip fae/faer (declines as she/her)]

4 hours ago, Colossus said:

the other shards will have a Herald general and they wont.

I don't think Kaladin or Chana, just to pick two Heralds, seem like the kinds of people to want to be some other Shard's warrior for all time. Kaladin wants to be done with fighting already, and Chana literally wanted out of that all so badly that she had several children and was willing to murder her daughter to escape her struggle. Even after loads of therapy, I doubt they are going to enlist in some post-Retribution military order.

[Through The Living Ash he/him]

16 hours ago, Earless Jaks said:

How is Connection gained? It might not be totally implausible for them to gain Connection with other shards, especially in an increasingly interconnected Cosmere.

Once they have this connection, the Oathpact could work to lock out Retribution because it would be supercharged with all the other Shards' power.

Connection is gained by how closely one thing is perceived to be related to another. By spending a decent amount of time with a Shard, working for a Shard, or even describing themselves as being Connected in this way, a Connection could be formed. Connecting things is a simple task, especially when a Shard is involved, so the only thing stopping this would be the Herald's willingness. Even so, I cannot really imagine a pact that is strong enough to bind Retribution in this way simply using the fact that the Heralds are Connected to him. 

 

[Jult]

21 hours ago, Colossus said:

I haven't taken the time to think of which Herald would be the representative for each shard, other than the fact that valor is defined as "great courage in the face of danger, especially in battle.", and I think we all know that the Bearer Of Agonies to a T.

I took a stab at this. Some are pretty tenuous because there are lots of Heralds and Shards that we have very little info on.

1. Harmony - Chanarach: Dustbringer ideals line up nicely with the Ruinous side of Harmony. And their focus on self-control to prevent Ruin seems to correspond well with Harmony.
2. Cultivation - Vedel: Edgedancers bond Cultivation spren
3. Endowment - Pralla: Pralla is associated with the attributes of Learned and Giving. She is also associated with the number 5 (which is suspected to be Endowment's number)
4. Autonomy - Kaladin? : Forges his own path against conventional norms <- Not sure about this one.
5. Invention - Kalak: Kalak is associated with the attributes of Resolute and Builder. Loose logic on this one, but this was the last pairing I made so the choices were pretty slim at this point.
6. Mercy - ???
7. Valor - Taln: Did. Not. Break.
8. Whimsy - ???
9. Reason - Battar: Elsecallers tend to be very logical.
10. Virtuosity - Shallash: Shallash is associated with the attributes of Creativity and Honesty. Plus, Lightweaving fits Virtuosity pretty well.

I'm left with Ishar and Nale taking up either Mercy or Whimsy. Whimsy has been a problem for me in multiple discussions today. I'm starting to hate Whimsy.

[Colossus]

13 minutes ago, Jult said:

I took a stab at this. Some are pretty tenuous because there are lots of Heralds and Shards that we have very little info on.

1. Harmony - Chanarach: Dustbringer ideals line up nicely with the Ruinous side of Harmony. And their focus on self-control to prevent Ruin seems to correspond well with Harmony.
2. Cultivation - Vedel: Edgedancers bond Cultivation spren
3. Endowment - Pralla: Pralla is associated with the attributes of Learned and Giving. She is also associated with the number 5 (which is suspected to be Endowment's number)
4. Autonomy - Kaladin? : Forges his own path against conventional norms <- Not sure about this one.
5. Invention - Kalak: Kalak is associated with the attributes of Resolute and Builder. Loose logic on this one, but this was the last pairing I made so the choices were pretty slim at this point.
6. Mercy - ???
7. Valor - Taln: Did. Not. Break.
8. Whimsy - ???
9. Reason - Battar: Elsecallers tend to be very logical.
10. Virtuosity - Shallash: Shallash is associated with the attributes of Creativity and Honesty. Plus, Lightweaving fits Virtuosity pretty well.

 

I'm left with Ishar and Nale taking up either Mercy or Whimsy. Whimsy has been a problem for me in multiple discussions today. I'm starting to hate Whimsy.

Wow you really did the heavy lifting here! If I squint really hard I can see how Nale could be a herald for Mercy. He likely believes he is being Merciful to the original Rosharans by making his Skybreakers align with the Singers. Ishar being a Herald for Whimzy doesn't make sense but I really want to see him start popping out his dentures in front of the other Heralds LOL

[Jult]

1 minute ago, Colossus said:

Wow you really did the heavy lifting here! If I squint really hard I can see how Nale could be a herald for Mercy. He likely believes he is being Merciful to the original Rosharans by making his Skybreakers align with the Singers. Ishar being a Herald for Whimzy doesn't make sense but I really want to see him start popping out his dentures in front of the other Heralds LOL

True. Of the two of them I do think Nale makes the most sense for Mercy. I just couldn't bring myself to saddle Ishar with Whimsy. Maybe he could give his spot to someone like Lift instead?

[Colossus]

So after doing some thinking I would switch around a few of the picks you made

2 hours ago, Jult said:

True. Of the two of them I do think Nale makes the most sense for Mercy. I just couldn't bring myself to saddle Ishar with Whimsy. Maybe he could give his spot to someone like Lift instead?

I would put Ishar with invention since he seemed like he was the most creative with the surges before coming to Roshar, and just in general the more resourceful (He was coming up with ways to invent new warriors out of the spren even though that was deranged)
Kaladin with Mercy because he's a therapist

Nale with reason because similar to what I said before he was trying to put logic over feelings when talking with Szeth and deciding the future of the Skybreakers. 

I want Battar to go with Autonomy. Firstly she's definitely up to something, trying to decure HER best interests over the other Heralds and also she's possibly a traitor. Theres a popular opinion that Autonomy is going to end up being a bigger threat than Retribution in the long term and Battar seems like she would agree to help Autonomy conquer the Cosmere.

That leaves the Kalak free. We know that Virtuosity is gone at some point in the future so if they are not dead currently that means they die sometime between Stormlight 10 and Yumi, it's possible that the Herald that accompanies Virtuosity will also die at this point so we have to decide which Herald doesn't make it out of this alive. I think either Shallash or Kalak fits well with that.

[Jult]

16 hours ago, Colossus said:

I would put Ishar with invention since he seemed like he was the most creative with the surges before coming to Roshar, and just in general the more resourceful (He was coming up with ways to invent new warriors out of the spren even though that was deranged)
Kaladin with Mercy because he's a therapist

Nale with reason because similar to what I said before he was trying to put logic over feelings when talking with Szeth and deciding the future of the Skybreakers. 

That makes sense to me.

16 hours ago, Colossus said:

I want Battar to go with Autonomy. Firstly she's definitely up to something, trying to decure HER best interests over the other Heralds and also she's possibly a traitor. Theres a popular opinion that Autonomy is going to end up being a bigger threat than Retribution in the long term and Battar seems like she would agree to help Autonomy conquer the Cosmere.

I also subscribe to the opinion that Autonomy is a bigger threat than Retribution. And I agree that Battar is up to some shady business.

Kind of a side note, but I also have a hard time trusting Kalak. The Sons of Honor did some messed up things on his orders. And his main goal was essentially to find a way to abandon Roshar. I think he makes a decent Autonomy candidate too. But let's give it to Battar for now.

So, if I'm keeping up, we now have

1. Harmony - Chanarach
2. Cultivation - Vedel
3. Endowment - Pralla
4. Autonomy - Battar
5. Invention - Ishar
6. Mercy - Kaladin
7. Valor - Taln
8. Whimsy - Kalak by default
9. Reason - Nale
10. Virtuosity - Shallash 

I tried to do some digging on Virtuosity's timeline to see if she would be alive for all of this. But it didn't really go anywhere. She Splintered herself 1,700 years before Yumi and the Nightmare Painter. But it's hard to tell when that book takes place. We know it's in the far future. But it would have to be very far future for the timelines to work out in our favor. Which, I guess it could be. Or there could be some timey wimey shenanigans going on with time dilation from her Splintering. Maybe it's felt like 1,700 years for that system, but it's been a shorter time for the rest of the Cosmere?

[Colossus]

6 hours ago, Jult said:

That makes sense to me.

I also subscribe to the opinion that Autonomy is a bigger threat than Retribution. And I agree that Battar is up to some shady business.

Kind of a side note, but I also have a hard time trusting Kalak. The Sons of Honor did some messed up things on his orders. And his main goal was essentially to find a way to abandon Roshar. I think he makes a decent Autonomy candidate too. But let's give it to Battar for now.

So, if I'm keeping up, we now have

1. Harmony - Chanarach
2. Cultivation - Vedel
3. Endowment - Pralla
4. Autonomy - Battar
5. Invention - Ishar
6. Mercy - Kaladin
7. Valor - Taln
8. Whimsy - Kalak by default
9. Reason - Nale
10. Virtuosity - Shallash 

I tried to do some digging on Virtuosity's timeline to see if she would be alive for all of this. But it didn't really go anywhere. She Splintered herself 1,700 years before Yumi and the Nightmare Painter. But it's hard to tell when that book takes place. We know it's in the far future. But it would have to be very far future for the timelines to work out in our favor. Which, I guess it could be. Or there could be some timey wimey shenanigans going on with time dilation from her Splintering. Maybe it's felt like 1,700 years for that system, but it's been a shorter time for the rest of the Cosmere?

I think it's very possible that Yumi takes place so far in the future (plus timey wimey stuff) that Virtuosity is currently alive at the end of SA 5. I had another in my theory that the Night Brigade is working for Retribution and or Autonomy to try to find the dawnshards to let them break that shield around the Cosmere. I don't think Virtuosity is alive in TSM since that's getting closer to Yumi's time. ( I can see TSM being ~500 years after SA5, so only ~1000 years before Yumi). If Viruosity is gone I wonder how the shield is holding up. Also I suppose that a shard can be gone but it's Heralds still alive. Honor is "gone" but his splintered powers are still functioning.