Guesses on Valor

[Trusk'our he/him]

We don't have any true idea what Valor's Intent is yet, other than her name.

I'm going to throw out my best guess, that it deals in some way with hardship and overcoming it, proving yourself through it. Simple courage feels a bit off, since Odium is actually pretty well aligned with courage (given Taravangian's experience with heightened emotions drawing the Shard to him). In other words, being valorous in the face of trials.

Under this reasoning, a hypothetical magic system aligned with Valor could work through D&D style methods, where the bigger the dangers you face the more power you're granted for having defeated it and you slowly power up over time.

Fighting might be a niche example though. Perhaps you could prove yourself through other hardships, and the more strenuous the trial the more Investiture is gifted to you by the system (with a particularly heavy focus on Spiritweb cracks caused by stress and trauma).

[Qianweilian He/him]

It might be an underdog sort of magic, where standing up and fighting is rewarded.

[Adonalsium Will Return He/him]

That sounds like a good magic system theme- I imagine a Viking-adjacent culture, maybe. What would dictate when and how much power is received? Something like the Stormfather, or some kind of set of specific rules?

[Qianweilian He/him]

57 minutes ago, Adonalsium Will Return said:

That sounds like a good magic system theme- I imagine a Viking-adjacent culture, maybe.

Yeah, some sort of raiding might develop. I also would believe a duel focused society, like the Warcamps.

[Trusk'our he/him]

1 hour ago, Adonalsium Will Return said:

That sounds like a good magic system theme- I imagine a Viking-adjacent culture, maybe. What would dictate when and how much power is received? Something like the Stormfather, or some kind of set of specific rules?

Could be, since we have a reference for that in the Spren.

I guess if you wanted to do a system without Spren or Spren-adjacent beings you could still have a general cultural thing in the Cognitive and Spiritual Realms, where the collective is still influencing them (similar to how Returned's appearance is influenced by the society's standards that they're in).

[Adonalsium Will Return He/him]

2 hours ago, Qianweilian said:

Yeah, some sort of raiding might develop. I also would believe a duel focused society, like the Warcamps.

I was more thinking of, like, Valhalla and stuff, but raiding is an interesting-and understandable- outgrowth of that.

[Use the Falchion]

I was imagining a Progression Fantasy-esque series for Valor. (Rather than the Progression Fantasy-adjacent that Stormlight falls into.) Invention could totally get a LitRPG series, where they grant Investiture based on the ingenuity of the person involved. 

 

That being said, I like the ideas here! There could be a fun dynamic between the ideas of valor being seen as putting oneself in risky situations in order to "help one's family" vs valor being "duels of honor." 

[LewsTherinTelescope]

On 1/29/2026 at 7:53 PM, Trusk'our said:

(given Taravangian's experience with heightened emotions drawing the Shard to him)

I actually think the surge of bravery he gets is from Valor (although Odium definitely still appreciates it in its own way). Earlier in the book she was listed as the one Shard who Sazed thought might help, it comes right after ambiguous lines that might be someone speaking to Taravangian (a trick Brandon has used before), the description is written the same way existing Shardic descriptions are, and the bravery is italicized multiple times and then listed separately from the other emotions later for some reason.

Spoiler

Whimsy was not terribly useful, and Mercy worries me. I do think that Valor is reasonable, and suggest you approach her again. It has been too long, in her estimation, since your last conversation.

Spoiler

Taravangian cried out, his shoulder afire with pain, his body broken. His plans had been silly. How had he thought to outthink a god when stupid? He couldn't do that when smart. No wonder he’d failed.

Did you fail?

The sword is here.

Odium is here.

Cold steel bit Taravangian’s skin as Szeth stabbed him right in the chest. At the same moment, Taravangian felt something pushing through his fear, his pain. An emotion he’d never thought to feel himself. Bravery.

Bravery surged through him, so powerfully he could not help but move. It was the dying courage of a man on the front lines charging an enemy army. The glory of a woman fighting for her child. The feeling of an old man on his last day of life stepping into darkness.

Bravery.

Spoiler

Passion. Hatred. Today, Taravangian was only passion. Hatred, fear, anger, shame, awe. Bravery. The power loved these things, and it surged around him, enveloping him.

Plus, Wind and Truth puts a lot of emphasis on the "where is Valor?" question, suggesting in my opinion that she's more relevant to the story of Stormlight than the other Shards. The book also associates her with Endowment, who insists she's got a plan to handle Rayse and whose Returned created and brought a sword to Roshar that did in fact get used to kill Rayse in the same scene as the bravery moment.

In that case, I think the Intent would be what's described there:

Quote

It was the dying courage of a man on the front lines charging an enemy army. The glory of a woman fighting for her child. The feeling of an old man on his last day of life stepping into darkness.

From this I get the idea of sort of... "I am unbroken", kinda similar to the "valorous in the face of trials" proposal. The man charging an enemy army refuses to let fear define him. The woman fighting for her child leaves a legacy that will survive her death. The old man stepping into the darkness remains himself as he leaves on his own terms. Taravangian strikes down a god when asked to bow. There's this sense of celebrating staying true to who you are no matter the threat or your fate, almost a less harsh and more supportive/idealistic counterpart to Autonomy.

[Trusk'our he/him]

2 hours ago, LewsTherinTelescope said:

I actually think the surge of bravery he gets is from Valor (although Odium definitely still appreciates it in its own way). Earlier in the book she was listed as the one Shard who Sazed thought might help, it comes right after ambiguous lines that might be someone speaking to Taravangian (a trick Brandon has used before), the description is written the same way existing Shardic descriptions are, and the bravery is italicized multiple times and then listed separately from the other emotions later for some reason.

  Hide contents

Whimsy was not terribly useful, and Mercy worries me. I do think that Valor is reasonable, and suggest you approach her again. It has been too long, in her estimation, since your last conversation.

  Hide contents

Taravangian cried out, his shoulder afire with pain, his body broken. His plans had been silly. How had he thought to outthink a god when stupid? He couldn't do that when smart. No wonder he’d failed.

Did you fail?

The sword is here.

Odium is here.

Cold steel bit Taravangian’s skin as Szeth stabbed him right in the chest. At the same moment, Taravangian felt something pushing through his fear, his pain. An emotion he’d never thought to feel himself. Bravery.

Bravery surged through him, so powerfully he could not help but move. It was the dying courage of a man on the front lines charging an enemy army. The glory of a woman fighting for her child. The feeling of an old man on his last day of life stepping into darkness.

Bravery.

  Hide contents

Passion. Hatred. Today, Taravangian was only passion. Hatred, fear, anger, shame, awe. Bravery. The power loved these things, and it surged around him, enveloping him.

Plus, Wind and Truth puts a lot of emphasis on the "where is Valor?" question, suggesting in my opinion that she's more relevant to the story of Stormlight than the other Shards. The book also associates her with Endowment, who insists she's got a plan to handle Rayse and whose Returned created and brought a sword to Roshar that did in fact get used to kill Rayse in the same scene as the bravery moment.

In that case, I think the Intent would be what's described there:

From this I get the idea of sort of... "I am unbroken", kinda similar to the "valorous in the face of trials" proposal. The man charging an enemy army refuses to let fear define him. The woman fighting for her child leaves a legacy that will survive her death. The old man stepping into the darkness remains himself as he leaves on his own terms. Taravangian strikes down a god when asked to bow. There's this sense of celebrating staying true to who you are no matter the threat or your fate, almost a less harsh and more supportive/idealistic counterpart to Autonomy.

You could even make a fun connection to Valor's draconic nature since they can use their natural power to affect people's emotions. 

Kind of like how Cultivation was probably inspired to give boons as a reflection of her draconic lineage. 

[LewsTherinTelescope]

13 hours ago, Trusk'our said:

You could even make a fun connection to Valor's draconic nature since they can use their natural power to affect people's emotions. 

Kind of like how Cultivation was probably inspired to give boons as a reflection of her draconic lineage. 

Oooh, I hadn't considered that. I'm guessing it's not mechanically the same, since Taravangian doesn't have a Tamu Kek, but the idea that she operates that way because it's how she's used to operating makes a ton of sense to me.

[pureintonation she/her]

On 1/30/2026 at 3:53 AM, Trusk'our said:

We don't have any true idea what Valor's Intent is yet, other than her name.

I'm going to throw out my best guess, that it deals in some way with hardship and overcoming it, proving yourself through it. Simple courage feels a bit off, since Odium is actually pretty well aligned with courage (given Taravangian's experience with heightened emotions drawing the Shard to him). In other words, being valorous in the face of trials.

Under this reasoning, a hypothetical magic system aligned with Valor could work through D&D style methods, where the bigger the dangers you face the more power you're granted for having defeated it and you slowly power up over time.

Fighting might be a niche example though. Perhaps you could prove yourself through other hardships, and the more strenuous the trial the more Investiture is gifted to you by the system (with a particularly heavy focus on Spiritweb cracks caused by stress and trauma).

This following doesn't really answer the question posed here, but that's how I imagine Whimsy's magic system to work. Like in Everything Everywhere All At Once, where the more statistically unlikely an action is, the better you can access your parallel lives' skills. Except, like, different. Maybe the more randum xD an action, the more access to Investure you get or something...

[Jult]

Medelantorius' definition of (lower-case v) valor will matter in some way too - just as Ati's take on Ruin shifted the Intent towards 'gradual decay' instead of 'wanton destruction'. 

Defining "valor" is tricky because it's kind of a vague term. I feel like I see it most often used to describe someone "bravely heroic", but bravery and heroism are pretty vague themselves.

Does "heroic" that mean you're strong? Honorable? Dutiful? Kind? Selfless? A protector? A leader? A savior?

Does "bravery" mean that you have no fear? Or that you act despite your fears?

If Medalantorius is a typical example of a Cosmere dragon (Tanavast does describe her as "the great dragon god"), her definition of "valor" may not be a very progressive definition. Tanavast also describes her as a "warrior". And he's convinced she will support him against Odium.

If I had to guess based on the limited info that we have.. I'd say Medalantorius would define valor in an old-school "might makes right", "glory in combat" kind of way. Which makes her absence even weirder. You'd think someone with that mindset would want to fight. So, why isn't she?

 

As for her magic system, I'm imagining almost a mirror of Endowment's mechanics. One where power can be transferred between individuals, but where it can't be given and must be forcibly taken. From a narrative point of view, there'd have to be some rules involved. Otherwise, the strongest people in the system could just farm the weaker ones indefinitely. Maybe all the previous posts are influencing my opinion a bit, but I also can't help but picture some kind of dueling viking-adjacent culture. Maybe one where you need to issue/accept formal Challenges where you wager your current Investiture? Something similar to the way the Alethi wager Shards in their arena duels.

[Qianweilian He/him]

4 minutes ago, Jult said:

Otherwise, the strongest people in the system could just farm the weaker ones indefinitely.

Attacking a foe significantly weaker than you is neither heroic nor brave.

[listerfeend]

24 minutes ago, Jult said:

Maybe all the previous posts are influencing my opinion a bit, but I also can't help but picture some kind of dueling viking-adjacent culture.

I don't have much of an idea on what Valor's magic system would look like, but we already have a viking-adjacent culture on Sel, so I sort of doubt Brando would go that route...That's not to say he wouldn't, but it seems, to me, like he'd have something different. Maybe something closer to Feudal Japan/Samurai culture

[Jult]

44 minutes ago, Qianweilian said:

Attacking a foe significantly weaker than you is neither heroic nor brave.

By your definitions (and mine!). But, from what we know about Cosmere dragons, they generally seem to have a twisted mentality where the powerful have a right and duty to rule (though most of individuals we've met seem to break this alleged mold). If Medalantorius has a similar mindset, I could see her nurturing a culture where the "heroic" thing to do is to take power out of the hands of those who haven't been trained to use it. Where taking on more power is considered "brave" because it gives you more responsibility and makes you a bigger target.

25 minutes ago, listerfeend said:

I don't have much of an idea on what Valor's magic system would look like, but we already have a viking-adjacent culture on Sel, so I sort of doubt Brando would go that route...That's not to say he wouldn't, but it seems, to me, like he'd have something different. Maybe something closer to Feudal Japan/Samurai culture

True. Though Komashi is already pretty Japan-heavy. There's plenty of warrior cultures to choose from. Spartans, Romans, or Huns would probably work too. Not that he'd have to pick just one. Or even needs to use real-world inspiration at all.

[Verdance he/him]

The name Valor gives us just as much insight into the Shard’s intent as Honor does. A traitor or cheater could likely still be approved by Valor.

Wind and Truth spoilers:

Spoiler

After all, Honor didn’t understand true honor, just oaths. The ending to Wind and Truth makes that pretty clear.

A Shard’s Intent doesn’t necessarily have to align with the human definition of their name. Which is annoying.