When Swearing Oaths... WaT spoilers

[Through The Living Star She/Her]

So, I was wondering, when Radiants swear Oaths, do they all receive a massive outpouring of Stormlight in that moment?

We know from Kaladin, Lopen, and Huio that all Windrunners do. 

However, this does not happen with Shallan. In Shadesmar, she never received a bunch of stormlight, despite swearing her Fourth Ideal. 

To back up this fact, at the start of WaT, Shallan remarks that she wasn't sure if the absorption of Veil is the Oath or if it is the words she says to Abidi. I feel like if she had received a bunch of stormlight in the moment it would have been obvious which one it was. 

(Sorry, I will go in and put all the exact quotes in when I have access to my books)

Beyond that, when Venli swears her second ideal, I don't remember it ever saying that she got stormlight after swearing it. 

I don't really count Navani, as she is the one making the light, not receiving it when she swears her oath.

So, is it just Windrunners that receive stormlight right when Swearing their Ideals? If so, why? If not, then when have you seen it?

(Sorry if this has been mentioned before, and sorry if I'm not explaining this well.) 

 

 

[Trusk'our he/him]

14 minutes ago, Through The Living Star said:

So, I was wondering, when Radiants swear Oaths, do they all receive a massive outpouring of Stormlight in that moment?

We know from Kaladin, Lopen, and Huio that all Windrunners do. 

However, this does not happen with Shallan. In Shadesmar, she never received a bunch of stormlight, despite swearing her Fourth Ideal. 

To back up this fact, at the start of WaT, Shallan remarks that she wasn't sure if the absorption of Veil is the Oath or if it is the words she says to Abidi. I feel like if she had received a bunch of stormlight in the moment it would have been obvious which one it was. 

(Sorry, I will go in and put all the exact quotes in when I have access to my books)

Beyond that, when Venli swears her second ideal, I don't remember it ever saying that she got stormlight after swearing it. 

I don't really count Navani, as she is the one making the light, not receiving it when she swears her oath.

So, is it just Windrunners that receive stormlight right when Swearing their Ideals? If so, why? If not, then when have you seen it?

(Sorry if this has been mentioned before, and sorry if I'm not explaining this well.) 

 

 

You know, I don't recall any other non-Windrunners gaining Stormlight from swearing oaths (did Szeth do it at the end of WaT? I can't remember)

Windrunners have specifically been called out as close to Bondsmiths, which is why they get that load of Stormlight. I'd bet Stonewards would too, assuming they're the only orders (plus Bondsmiths) to do so.

Spoiler

https://wob.coppermind.net/events/171-oathbringer-release-party/#e8220

Questioner

What's with Kaladin being special with his oaths that he explodes with power every time he says it?

Brandon Sanderson

That is a function of Windrunners being very close to Bondsmiths, which has certain effects.

Questioner

Would other Windrunners also do that, as well?

Brandon Sanderson

Yep.

 

If this is the case, the RPG has yet another inconsistentcy.

Edited March 31 by Trusk'our

[Frustration]

It's just Windrunners, and is due to Adhesion

Spoiler

Questioner

What's with Kaladin being special with his oaths that he explodes with power every time he says it?

Brandon Sanderson

That is a function of Windrunners being very close to Bondsmiths, which has certain effects.

Questioner

Would other Windrunners also do that, as well?

Brandon Sanderson

Yep.

Oathbringer release party (Nov. 13, 2017)

EDIT: Lol, Trusk'our beat me to it

Edited March 31 by Frustration

[Through The Living Star She/Her]

Thank you guys! 

lol not sure how I missed that WoB. I thought I'd read them all. 

Edited March 31 by Through The Living Star

[Frustration]

11 minutes ago, Through The Living Star said:

Thank you guys! 

lol not sure how I missed that WoB. I thought I'd read them all. 

All of them?

Did you actually do it?

[Through The Living Star She/Her]

25 minutes ago, Frustration said:

All of them?

Did you actually do it?

I thought so, haha. I guess I might have missed a few... or I just forgot some of them. 

I haven't done the audio ones though. I haven't had the time to yet. 

[Frustration]

25 minutes ago, Through The Living Star said:

I thought so, haha. I guess I might have missed a few... or I just forgot some of them. 

I haven't done the audio ones though. I haven't had the time to yet. 

That's awesome. Welcome to the club, there are only a few of us insane enough to spend the effort to read all of them.

[Jult]

18 hours ago, Trusk'our said:

did Szeth do it at the end of WaT? I can't remember

Yes. He did indeed. You may not remember because the chapter ends and cuts away quite frustratingly when it happens.

Quote

"I am my own agent," Szeth shouted. "I make my own choices. I. Am. THE LAW!"

Light erupted around him. <END OF CHAPTER>

-WaT 133

Quote

He stood in a column of light, surrounded by Honorbearers - each of whom had fallen before him, arms raised to shade their eyes against the light. He felt whole. How long had it been? Whole of body - though he'd been out of Stormlight, this moment had restored him.

-WaT 135, Szeth two chapters later

So, it would seem it is not unique to Windrunners. There's a conversation in WaT 129 where Syl says it applies to all Radiants:

Quote

"When a Radiant says the Words," Syl agreed, "they don't just Connect to their Spren in the Cognitive Realm, they Connect to the Spiritual Realm. It's a mini perpendicularity each time. A confluence of power and Intent, and an alignment of self."

[Through the living Wahr He/Him]

I think the Reason with Shallan not getting the Stormlight could be the inherent weirdness she has with two bonded Cryptics one of those Bonds in a weird state between severed and intact and reswearing a bunch of her Ideals

[Through The Living Star She/Her]

What about Venli? Or Rlain? I don't remember the books ever mentioning that they obtained stormlight when swearing their oaths

[Frustration]

3 hours ago, Through The Living Star said:

What about Venli? Or Rlain? I don't remember the books ever mentioning that they obtained stormlight when swearing their oaths

3 hours ago, Through the living Wahr said:

I think the Reason with Shallan not getting the Stormlight could be the inherent weirdness she has with two bonded Cryptics one of those Bonds in a weird state between severed and intact and reswearing a bunch of her Ideals

Yeah none of them have any time when they get infused with Stormlight. In fact Szeth doesn't until he swears the fith ideal.

Personally I think it's just 5th ideal oddness

 

[Jult]

3 hours ago, Through The Living Star said:

What about Venli? Or Rlain? I don't remember the books ever mentioning that they obtained stormlight when swearing their oaths

Just checked. Unclear for Venli - the scene immediately cuts away as she says "Journey before Destination" (OB 120). And even less clear for Rlain. He spoke the words "offscreen". Tumi appears to him in RoW 111 and then in RoW 114 they're already bonded.

So, we didn't see them spawn mini perpendicularities. But we also didn't see them not spawn mini perpendicularities.

I tried to look into a few other scenes where I could remember oaths being sworn. And they were all pretty unhelpful in both directions. Lift speaks her 3rd oath in Edgedancer but it's noted that she embraced the ideal "in her heart" long before that (and we do see her wielding Wyndle as a weapon before she says it aloud). Plus, Lift isn't exactly a standard example of a Radiant.

20 minutes ago, Frustration said:

In fact Szeth doesn't until he swears the fith ideal.

I re-read Szeths earlier oaths too and they're like weirdly underwhelming in hindsight. Stormfather isn't even the one to accept them - his Skybreaker mentors do. But also you're right: not a mini-perp in sight. 

22 minutes ago, Frustration said:

Personally I think it's just 5th ideal oddness

That'd be a better explanation, but when Nale, Syl, Kaladin, and Szeth discuss it in WaT 129, they seem to think Szeth's 4th ideal would have been enough. There's a line on the Coppermind that says:

But I'm not sure where the "proportional to what numbered Ideal" bit comes from. I checked the referenced chapter (WaT 134) and don't see that stated anywhere (I could have missed it though).

It feels like a bit of a retcon to be honest. Although maybe we just don't have enough information?

[Trusk'our he/him]

1 hour ago, Frustration said:

Yeah none of them have any time when they get infused with Stormlight. In fact Szeth doesn't until he swears the fith ideal.

Personally I think it's just 5th ideal oddness

Could also be that he was then "close" to both the Bondsmiths Ishar and Dalinar at the time (through sworn oaths, shared history, and/or physical proximity).

1 hour ago, Jult said:

There's a line on the Coppermind that says:

But I'm not sure where the "proportional to what numbered Ideal" bit comes from. I checked the referenced chapter (WaT 134) and don't see that stated anywhere (I could have missed it though).

Be wary of trusting the Coppermind, friend. Ruin's tendrils have crept into its archives over the eons. . .

But seriously, a lot of the time the Coppermind isn't exclusive to good points, quotes, and reminders, but false fan interpretations put in as pure unfettered fact.

[Nitpicking]

Dalinar's Third Oath was enough to open a perpendicularity, of course. Then as a Bondsmith, he kept that ability, but it was never as dramatic as that first time.

Navani's First oath left her so infused with Light that she could heal a fatal-otherwise wound and blind Odium's Sword.

[Through The Living Star She/Her]

I don't think the Bondsmiths really count, as they are making the light, not getting a perpendicularity when they swear an oath. Sorry does that make sense? 

[alder24]

19 hours ago, Through The Living Star said:

What about Venli?

Venli didn't, but Eshonai did get Stormlight after swearing an Oath. Maybe not to the levels of a glowing mini-perpendicularity like Kaladin had, but she got enough light to survive for quite a long time underwater. RoW ch 117:

Quote

YOU WERE HIGHLY INVESTED WHEN YOU DIED, a voice said. It rumbled with the sound of a thousand storms, echoing through her. SO YOU PERSIST. FOR A SHORT TIME.
Invested? Eshonai thought.
YOU WERE RADIANT WHEN YOU DIED. YOU COULDN’T SAY THE WORDS, UNDER THE WATER, BUT I ACCEPTED THEM ANYWAY. HOW DO YOU THINK YOU SURVIVED THAT LONG WITHOUT BREATHING?

[Frustration]

14 hours ago, Nitpicking said:

Dalinar's Third Oath was enough to open a perpendicularity, of course. Then as a Bondsmith, he kept that ability, but it was never as dramatic as that first time.

Navani's First oath left her so infused with Light that she could heal a fatal-otherwise wound and blind Odium's Sword.

Dalinar started forming the perpendicularity before swearing the ideal, it's a native bondsmith power.

And Navani didn't get light from the ideal, but from the Sibling, who caused the entire pillar to glow.

2 hours ago, alder24 said:

Venli didn't, but Eshonai did get Stormlight after swearing an Oath. Maybe not to the levels of a glowing mini-perpendicularity like Kaladin had, but she got enough light to survive for quite a long time underwater. RoW ch 117:

She was also in a highstorm at the time.

[alder24]

3 hours ago, Frustration said:

She was also in a highstorm at the time.

Oh, good point, that can explain Stormlight then. 

[Jult]

Got one more. When Elhokar starts to swear his first ideal, he also starts to glow. And Moash has to put in a good bit of extra effort to get all the Stormlight out of him. I don't think we see him breath in any Stormlight prior, but I only skimmed the chapter. So, he maybe made a connection to the SR.

On 4/3/2026 at 6:06 PM, Trusk&#x27;our said:

but false fan interpretations put in as pure unfettered fact.

That's probably what's happening on that page. The referenced chapter does mention the light from when Szeth swears his 5th ideal. I think whoever wrote the Coppermind entry assumed that the intensity of the light was correlated to the level of the ideal. It's not the wildest leap in logic... But probably shouldn't have made it to the Coppermind without confirmation - especially written in such a matter-of-fact way.