Your Hopes and Theories

[Observer]

Thats interesting actually, maybe shardplate is similar to hemalurgic spikes for someone with the power to take control of them. Might explain the knights radiant giving up their shards.

You forget that Kaladin gets it too. Though that does go in sinc with the theory of Odium corrupting the shardthings.

[Straff Venture he/him]

You forget that Kaladin gets it too. Though that does go in sinc with the theory of Odium corrupting the shardthings.

Maybe the shardplate thrill, if it affects kaladin too, is actually 'the use of stormlight to enhance yourself' thrill, and therefore anyone using stormlight to power their own physical skills is affected by the thrill. Sorry if thats a bit hard to understand, I didn't word that well.

[Observer]

So Stormlight is of Odium? Unlikely.

[Straff Venture he/him]

Well stormlight comes from the highstorms, and the 'everstorm' is supposedly something bad on par with the true desolation which would obviously be caused by odium and the voidbringers. Its not certain, but I think that the highstorms (and therefore stormlight) are the equivalent of preservation's mists and Ruin's ash. I don't see why stormlight can't be originally of Odium and still a source of power used for good

EDIT: And Observer, I would say Honor's equivalent of the highstorms (or his worldly embodiment, so to speak), is the spren. These are not as obviously affecting on Roshar because Honor has less raw power than Odium.

Edited September 8, 2012 by Straff Venture

[Observer]

I thought we were going with the theory thatmost of Odium's power comes from the fact that he's never invested himself in anything.

[Straff Venture he/him]

In all honesty I hadn't thought of the reason for Odium's power, I just assumed he had a larger shard. You're probably right but I just want to bring some other possibilities to the table.

[Observer]

I assume that, if anything, the piece of darky rock Szeth was given would be Odium's investment, used for Voidbinding and such.

[Aethling he/him]

Not sure that you can equate the battle thrill with anything related to the shardplate or even stormlight. At some point it is mentioned as a racial characteristic of the Alethi(according to google books it is on page 415). Kaladin first experiences it with the staff in his village at a time it would have been very unlikely that he would have been carrying any spheres. I have always thought of it as more of an adrenaline dump type occurrence.

Dalinar getting sick has always been more of mental effect for me. He gets sick when he starts thinking of all the killing. It also roughly coincides when he starts really taking the book to heart and even mentions returning home to the king. It is his upbring conflicting with his developing way of thinking. He has simply matured. Even he mentions that without the plate he would be hard-pressed to fight due to his age.

Edited September 8, 2012 by Aethling

[Straff Venture he/him]

I admit relating the thrill to stormlight is a very long shot

[Observer]

The Thrill consumed Dalinar, giving him strength, focus, and power. The glory of the battle grew grand. He's stayed away from this too long. He saw with clarity now. They did need to push harder, assault more plateaus, win the gemhearts.

Dalinar was the Blackthorn. He was a natural force, never to be halted.

He was death itself. He-

He felt a sudden stab of powerful revulsion, a sickness so strong that it made him gasp. He slipped, partially on a patch of blood, but partially because his knees grew suddenly weak.

The corpses before him were suddenly a horrifying sight. Eyes burned out like spent coal. Bodies limp and broken, bones shattered where Adolin had punched them. Heads cracked open, blood and brains and entrails spilled around them. Such butchery, such death. The Thrill vanished

How could a man enjoy this?

Bolds mine. Now that I type it out, it sounds less and less natural than ever before.

[Aethling he/him]

Sounds just like what soldiers these days say about battle. Heightened senses, reflexes, strength, and awareness are all symptoms of an adrenaline rush/dump. Also, Beserkers and the like have become pretty much standard Fantasy types.

[Observer]

I recal it saying somewhere that the Thrill isn't just adrenaline, but something more.

[Riddlesinthedark he/him]

I recall it saying somewhere that the Thrill isn't just adrenaline, but something more.

Generations of warlike proto-Shin/Iri/makabaki/etc, gather to form a martial culture, they might just cultivate a hormonal response that bolsters the defense of Roshar.

Edited September 9, 2012 by Voldy

[Observer]

Point. I just can't see Brandon throwing in something as mildly obscure yet obvious element like the Thrill without using it later.