Adolin Radiancy? (Potential Spoilers)

[FlatLine]

It's probably been brought up already here, but I'm just finishing a read through and I thought I'd discuss it anyway. 

 

I think Adolin, if he becomes a radiant, will be a Dustbringer. I just have that feeling. Their two orders: 

 

Division: Some kind of heat order. 

 

 

 

“

Smoke curled from the occasional patches of growth or heaps of burning corpses. Even some sections of rock smoldered. The Dustbringers had done their work well.”

—Kalak's thoughts in the wake of Aharietiam^[1] 

 

 

 

Abrasion: Sliding around like lift, can you imagine Adolin being able to do this on the battlefield? He'd be unstoppable. 

 

 

"Also know as the Releasers, they claimed to have been misjudged by the people because of the nature of their powers and the similarity in their name to the Voidbringers."

 

 

Kind of how people misjudged Adolin on his dueling skills? eh, eh? 

 

 

"...particular for their similarity to the word "Voidbringers." They did also exercise anger in great prejudice regarding it, though to many who speak, there was little difference between these two assemblies."

 

 

Some people have mentioned that Adolin's actions at the end of WoR could lead him down a dark path, maybe of the void bringers. I think he will be discovered and banished by the king, which will lead him even further to be broken and form a bond struggling from bitterness and trying to do the right thing. 

 

When summoned, the mist it forms from is in the shape of vines..

 

So this might point towards that the blade, the spren, was an edgedancer spren. We do know that edgedancers and Dustbringers shared an order, so maybe they are similar? This comes into mind that Adolin might be able to revive his sword and create a bond that way. 

 

​Adolin is probably my favorite character and I loved his character growth in WoR. So what do you guys think about this theory? About Adolin? 

Edited May 4, 2015 by FlatLine

[Curious Anamaximder he/him]

I don't think Adolin will be a Radiant. But if he is I will upvote you.

[CHOUTAGOD he/him]

I hope he dosent become a radiant either. The Kohlins already have 3 Radiants. Not much but much too much!!!!

[natc]

The Edgedancer theory has been gaining traction lately actually.

[StormingTexan he/him]

Yeah there was a pretty recent thread with some pretty strong arguments for Edgedancer but everything is super circumstantial IMO including the original post here. No offense intended it is fun to speculate but seems like everyone kind of interprets traits Adolin has and associates it with the order they think he should belong to. 

 

I kind of agree with the 2nd and 3rd comment here that Adolin will not end up being a radiant. Of course this is also just speculation. 

[maxal she/her]

Since I probably am the greatest Adolin fan over here  I can point you towards all the nice theories we have had on him. As for his Blade, it is an Edgedancer blade, it has been confirmed.

[SmurfAquamarineBodies he/him]

Plot twist. He becomes an Elsecaller.

[maxal she/her]

It's probably been brought up already here, but I'm just finishing a read through and I thought I'd discuss it anyway. 

 

I think Adolin, if he becomes a radiant, will be a Dustbringer. I just have that feeling. Their two orders: 

 

Division: Some kind of heat order. 

 

 

Abrasion: Sliding around like lift, can you imagine Adolin being able to do this on the battlefield? He'd be unstoppable. 

 

Alright. Adolin will become a Dustbringer has been one of the most popular Adolin theory and it probably still is. It seemed like a no-brainer at the time. Most people were working under the assumption the patterns of book 1 and 2 where Kaladin and Shallan were both the flashback and the featured KR would repeat itself for all books. It thus lead us to make up a list of the next Radiants, arguably the same as the announced flashback. It seemed to work as confirmed Radiants such as Renarin, Jasnah, Lift and Dalinar were listed as having a "book". Book 3 was supposed to be Szeth book and the tentative name has been, for a while, Skybreaker. It seemed like another no brainer that Szeth would become a Skybreaker. Eshonai being named on the back cover of WoR and being defined as "The Explorer" lead us to assume she would become a Willshaper. Taln that may or may not be Taln should then be the Stoneward. Who was left? The last spot in the flashback alignment and the Dustbringers. 

 

Adolin was the perfect choice to fit within the last spot, except.... Adolin is not getting a flashback book: Shalash is and she is no Radiant. Theories have then sprouted that she may forsake Heraldry to become a Dustbringer....

 

This has all since gone into chaos as Brandon did state the patterns of book 1 and 2 have nothing to do with the next books. He also stated we would get multiple Radiants per order as soon as book 3. 

 

The conceptual argument often brought forward, often by me I must say, has been disapproved. 

 

As for the less conceptual arguments, Dustbringer were an angry order, feared by all whose main attributes were brave and obedient. Wasn't Adolin the picture perfect portrait of the brave and obedient boy? On the surface, perhaps, but not on the inside and sprens are concerned by the inside, not the wrapping.

 

I too thought for the longest time Adolin creating explosions on the battlefield while running around like a ribbon of wind using abrasion would be awesome.

 

 

 

Some people have mentioned that Adolin's actions at the end of WoR could lead him down a dark path, maybe of the void bringers. I think he will be discovered and banished by the king, which will lead him even further to be broken and form a bond struggling from bitterness and trying to do the right thing. 

 

 

 

 

So this might point towards that the blade, the spren, was an edgedancer spren. We do know that edgedancers and Dustbringers shared an order, so maybe they are similar? This comes into mind that Adolin might be able to revive his sword and create a bond that way. 

 

​Adolin is probably my favorite character and I loved his character growth in WoR. So what do you guys think about this theory? About Adolin? 

 

The dark path... Everyone brings it forward, but no. Adolin is not going down a dark path: every single questions on the matter have led Brandon do imply the contrary. He may not have said it directly, but the idea Adolin may go evil is probably not going to happen as it would be completely out of character for him to do so.

 

Which brings us to THE most popular Adolin theory: he will revive his Blade. This has been heavily foreshadowed and has not been disapproved by Brandon. At the time, people have brought forward the wine things to support the idea the Blade may have been an Edgedancer. It did not catch on all that much because most people just cannot picture Adolin as an Edgedancer, besides, it did not befit the conceptual argument listed above as we already have Lift as an Edgedancer.

 

However, it happened someone did ask Brandon about the Blade and the answer has been quite telling. The Blade is an Edgedancer and yes, it was possible to revive it.

 

In other words, if Adolin revives his Blade, then he becomes an Edgedancer, which has now since become my favorite Adolin theory.

 

Edgedancer are said to be elegant, refined and deadly as they ride across the battlefield like ribbon of winds. Edgedancer are loving, caring persons and healers.

 

What is Adolin? What is his most defining attribute? Is it really bravery? Adolin is brave, nobody is going to dispute that, but is he braver then Kaladin? Dalinar? Nope. Not that we could see. He comes across as hothead, but is he really one? When does he lose it? The answer to this question is rather telling: when people threatens his family.  He gets angry, he gets very defensive and protective as he sees as his duty to take care of them. In other words, his most driving attribute is not bravery as his implications on battles led us to believe, but love and care are truly driving him forward. Every single cool thing he does can be traced back to love. 

 

In any way, this has been my leading theory for a few months and I have duly tried to convince everyone of it, so feel free to ask more questions.

[FlatLine]

Yeah don't you guys think Adolin will be a Radiant? The desolation is coming and there were tons of Radiants in the past. 

 

Edit:

Thanks for all the info Maxal! I don't think it's a problem that he doesn't have a book. The past experience are just there to enhance the story, but not be essential par say. Pretty much like you explained!  

 

It's very interesting to think of Adolin becoming an Edgedancer. What do you think he will do in the third book? I mentioned that I think he's going to be exiled for killing Sadeas.

Edited May 5, 2015 by WeiryWriter
please don't double post, use the edit feature

[Aleksiel]

I second everything maxal said. My headcanon is Adolin becoming an ED via reviving his Blade. We know from a WoB it's possible, but extremely difficult. Who's better than Adolin to revive a Blade? There is foreshadowing for that. Chekov's gun basically demands someone to revive a Blade - it has been talked about in WoR and we know it can happen, although I do not think we'll see it more than once in the series.

 

We know the Second ED Oath (the first specific to them) is about remembering the forgotten. A nice parallel, thought not really a proof - Adolin constantly reminds himself of his mother, who Dalinar forgot completely. Adolin hasn't named his Blade because he feels he should not give the Blade a name that wasn't his/hers. How awesome would it be for him to learn the real name? He's not enforcing a name on his Blade, which should mean something.

 

He speaks a lot to his Blade, explaining himself, what he's doing, what's happeneing, which could help the Blade regain a little of his

consciousness.

 

Adolin has a ED personality - refined (he even used this exact word to describe himself), easy-going, deadly warrior, who cares about people most lighteyes don't look at twice. Not focused on the big picture and strategy like Dalinar or Jasnah, but more into little things that matter. 

 

So I expect him to break next book, creating an opening for a Nahel-bond and may be even say on Oath in the next book. I thought he's perfect for ED even before we got the confirmation his Blade is ED spren, which made it even better because before that I wasn't able to make up my mind on what would be better - him reviving the Blade or being an ED, but now he can have both in canon.

 

One of the common arguments against it is that Lift is our ED. There will be more than one Radiant from some Orders and she's be a main character in the second half, so it can work perfectly fine. Another common argument is then we would not have a candidate for a DB, but I think Redin would be good one - the bastard heterochromatic son of the now dead king of Jah Keved, who obeyed his father in everything.

[maxal she/her]

Yeah don't you guys think Adolin will be a Radiant? The desolation is coming and there were tons of Radiants in the past. 

 

Edit:

Thanks for all the info Maxal! I don't think it's a problem that he doesn't have a book. The past experience are just there to enhance the story, but not be essential par say. Pretty much like you explained!  

 

It's very interesting to think of Adolin becoming an Edgedancer. What do you think he will do in the third book? I mentioned that I think he's going to be exiled for killing Sadeas.

 

I think the majority of fans do believe Adolin will become a Radiant. I have never made a poll on the matter, so it is hard to gauge. Before the announcement his Blade indeed was an Edgedancer, Adolin will become a Dustbringer was the most popular assumption, together with him reviving the Blade. 

 

I personally think Adolin not becoming a Radiant would be a waste of a good character. He is in a unique position right now: the only non-Radiant major character which may become one, on screen. All of the other Radiants already had started bounding their sprens before we met them. Sure we saw Kaladin and Shallan's progression, but their breakdown was left for the flashback. Not Adolin. Adolin is not broken, though I do think he has weakness that will be capitalized on in the next book, but he will break. He is also a very rare character: we do not get many of him in fiction in general and in fantasy in particular. We get tons of Kaladin: the under-dog, the self-made man, the introspective slightly depressed male protagonist who had a hard life.... Very common. However, the extroverted charming prince who had it all and is forced to face losing all he ever had due to circumstances outside his hands is never told. Or very rarely told, so I am deeply rooting for it.

 

I am unsure what will happen in next book, but I am starting to think banishment won't happen. Brandon did state there was a legitimate moral ground that justified Adolin's actions. He also said his actions did not violate some of the morality on Roshar. An older WoB have him claimed Jasnah's actions are much more darker then Adolin's... So if Dalinar goes this hard on his son: he will have to go even harder on his niece... I dunno. My current thoughts are son and father will have a huge fall down and Adolin will end up disgraced and isolated from his love ones. It'll drive him mad: he'll crash down. We will see Adolin being broken down and a shell of himself, but some "event" (probably harm coming towards his family) will force him to choose his journey. Eventually, Dalinar should realized how much he loves his misguided son and being the Bondsmith did not mean being so rigid. Anyway, kind of hard to predict. I have thousands of possible scenarios 

 

 

 

So I expect him to break next book, creating an opening for a Nahel-bond and may be even say on Oath in the next book. I thought he's perfect for ED even before we got the confirmation his Blade is ED spren, which made it even better because before that I wasn't able to make up my mind on what would be better - him reviving the Blade or being an ED, but now he can have both in canon.

 

One of the common arguments against it is that Lift is our ED. There will be more than one Radiant from some Orders and she's be a main character in the second half, so it can work perfectly fine. Another common argument is then we would not have a candidate for a DB, but I think Redin would be good one - the bastard heterochromatic son of the now dead king of Jah Keved, who obeyed his father in everything.

 

Ambitious? Oath by the end of next book? I hope he will learn his Blade's name by the end of the book, but no oath. Not yet. That or he'll end up in the ditch, half-dead  and his recovery will be featured in the next book, where he will find his path.

 

Brandon said Lift would have a flashback book, but he never said that book, featured in the second half, would also be the Edgedancer book. Edgedancer book could be book 4, as far as we know and Lift book may simply be her flashbacks. Whatever role she has to play may not be exploring the order... 

 

We can find someone else for DB. Adolin is just not the overly angry lashing type anyway. Anger is what he feels when people threatens his loved ones.

[Aleksiel]

Ambitious? Oath by the end of next book? I hope he will learn his Blade's name by the end of the book, but no oath. Not yet. That or he'll end up in the ditch, half-dead  and his recovery will be featured in the next book, where he will find his path.

 

Brandon said Lift would have a flashback book, but he never said that book, featured in the second half, would also be the Edgedancer book. Edgedancer book could be book 4, as far as we know and Lift book may simply be her flashbacks. Whatever role she has to play may not be exploring the order... 

 

We can find someone else for DB. Adolin is just not the overly angry lashing type anyway. Anger is what he feels when people threatens his loved ones.

 

Hey, a fan can hope! I consider saying an Oath in the right circumstances to be what revives the Blade, but that may not be the case. However, Kaladin and Shallan revived their spren with a new Oath, so it makes sense for Adolin to have to say the words (and some other unknown stuff) for his Blade to be revived, which is when we'll get its name. I do not think we can learn its name before the spren has conscious again and for that it need to be revived.

[FlatLine]

Hey, a fan can hope! I consider saying an Oath in the right circumstances to be what revives the Blade, but that may not be the case. However, Kaladin and Shallan revived their spren with a new Oath, so it makes sense for Adolin to have to say the words (and some other unknown stuff) for his Blade to be revived, which is when we'll get its name. I do not think we can learn its name before the spren has conscious again and for that it need to be revived.

 

 

Do we know if the Spren are attracted to the person before or after they have said the first oath? Just thinking it would probably have to be before. I think I remember Syl saying she was attracted to Kaladin before. Adolin would definitely need to revive the blade first and the spren or I would assume the blade would start screaming, can you even say the oaths before bonding a spren? 

[FlatLine]

Is Lift really going to be a main character? I really dislike her... 

 

 

I am unsure what will happen in next book, but I am starting to think banishment won't happen. Brandon did state there was a legitimate moral ground that justified Adolin's actions. He also said his actions did not violate some of the morality on Roshar.

 

So on page 583 in WoR: "Adolin took a gulp of wine, not trusting himself to reply. I should just get up and walk away. But he didn't. A small part of him wished for Sadeas to provoke him, push away his inhibitions, drive him to do something stupid. Killing the man right here, right now, would likely earn Adolin an execution-or at least an exile. It might be worth either punishment."

 

and then page 584:

 

"He'd find a way to force this man into the dueling ring. Killing Sadeas now-no matter how much he deserved it-would undermine the very laws and codes Adeline's father was working so hard to uphold."

 

These passages are really telling on what will happen if Adolin kills Sadeas. If Dalinar wants a unified kingdom it would be bad to look like he's favoring his own family. I remember when Adolin was telling Kaladin about duels how there was tradition that meant a lot to light eyes. I'm guessing killing Sadeas was a very cowardly event in other's eyes. He also mentioned that leaving one's allies on the battlefield didn't mean much, but insulting a high prince was bad. 

 

So even though he could be considered right to kill him, I doubt he get's away with it that easy. 

[maxal she/her]

Do we know if the Spren are attracted to the person before or after they have said the first oath? Just thinking it would probably have to be before. I think I remember Syl saying she was attracted to Kaladin before. Adolin would definitely need to revive the blade first and the spren or I would assume the blade would start screaming, can you even say the oaths before bonding a spren? 

 

Before. Since Adolin's Blade once was bonded to a Radiant, it is assumed he would need to say, at least, the first oath to revive it.

 

 

Is Lift really going to be a main character? I really dislike her... 

 

 

 

 

 

So on page 583 in WoR: "Adolin took a gulp of wine, not trusting himself to reply. I should just get up and walk away. But he didn't. A small part of him wished for Sadeas to provoke him, push away his inhibitions, drive him to do something stupid. Killing the man right here, right now, would likely earn Adolin an execution-or at least an exile. It might be worth either punishment."

 

and then page 584:

 

"He'd find a way to force this man into the dueling ring. Killing Sadeas now-no matter how much he deserved it-would undermine the very laws and codes Adeline's father was working so hard to uphold."

 

These passages are really telling on what will happen if Adolin kills Sadeas. If Dalinar wants a unified kingdom it would be bad to look like he's favoring his own family. I remember when Adolin was telling Kaladin about duels how there was tradition that meant a lot to light eyes. I'm guessing killing Sadeas was a very cowardly event in other's eyes. He also mentioned that leaving one's allies on the battlefield didn't mean much, but insulting a high prince was bad. 

 

So even though he could be considered right to kill him, I doubt he get's away with it that easy. 

 

The legal punishment for the unjustified murder of a Highprince is either death or exile. However, Adolin may have had causes enough to justify his actions, so he may get away with a lesser sentence. After all, Sadeas slaughtered half their army, tried to have Dalinar assassinated and uttered threads witnesses, had there been any, could interpret as an open war declaration. In any advent, I do think he Kohlins will find enough loophole to save guard Adolin, but not his reputation.

 

Dalinar needs to unite and not divide. He wants a unified kingdom, but can he do it while he divides his family? Is the sacrifice of a son worth it? If Dalinar punishes his son too harshly, then he divides his family over the murder of a criminal and fails at maintaining his oath, but if he lets him go unpunished he divides the kingdom which again violates his oath. His only solution is to find a way to keep everyone united and it won't happen if he just sends his son away, heart broken and alone. 

 

I just do not think the banishment plot line will happen. 

[FlatLine]

 "If Dalinar punishes his son too harshly"

 

It's the king that will probably be making the decisions about what happens to Adolin. If the king decides to banish Adolin, then I don't think it would affect Dalinar's oaths. It's going to be very interesting to see what happens though.. Adolin had a lot of character growth in the last half of WoR.

[maxal she/her]

 "If Dalinar punishes his son too harshly"

 

It's the king that will probably be making the decisions about what happens to Adolin. If the king decides to banish Adolin, then I don't think it would affect Dalinar's oaths. It's going to be very interesting to see what happens though.. Adolin had a lot of character growth in the last half of WoR.

 

Everyone knows Dalinar is the one ruling the country: I doubt Elhokar will have the nerves to banish his young cousin. In any cases, no matter how I look at it, to be brought up properly, the exile story line would require to put a very strong focus on Adolin in order to be executed appropriately. 

 

I agree Adolin has had a lot of character growth in WoR. Back in WoK, most people hardly acknowledged he even existed despite him occupying his fair share of POV. I do love how Brandon is sketching Adolin so far... presenting him as a pretty outside with nothing to offer on the inside only to later show us how many layers are hiding within. However, it has the downside many readers still take Adolin for the spoiled, arrogant, dumb jock he projects onto others and fails to see the intelligent and sensitive man he hides inside.

[FlatLine]

Everyone knows Dalinar is the one ruling the country: I doubt Elhokar will have the nerves to banish his young cousin. In any cases, no matter how I look at it, to be brought up properly, the exile story line would require to put a very strong focus on Adolin in order to be executed appropriately.

 

I think Elhokar is going to start stepping up as king though in the next book. I don't see a problem with Adolin being a very strong focus. The only thing is it seems a little too predictable. 

 

I agree Adolin has had a lot of character growth in WoR. Back in WoK, most people hardly acknowledged he even existed despite him occupying his fair share of POV. I do love how Brandon is sketching Adolin so far... presenting him as a pretty outside with nothing to offer on the inside only to later show us how many layers are hiding within. However, it has the downside many readers still take Adolin for the spoiled, arrogant, dumb jock he projects onto others and fails to see the intelligent and sensitive man he hides inside.

 

I liked his foreshadowing of Adolin when Kaladin saw him help out the whore and stand up against one of Sadeas' men. But yeah I agree. Adolin has grown up with luxury, but he's obviously different than other lighteyes. That is at least what I saw in the first book. 

[hoidhunter he/him]

The Edgedancer theory has been gaining traction lately actually.

I love a good pun...good job.

[Rybal]

Slightly off topic, but as I was reading this and people are talking about the implications of his killing Sadeas, I can't help thinking that we're ultimately going to see some sort of Trial by Combat. It would fit directly in with the Alethi mindset to have something like that and would suit Adolin. However, there would still be questions of how that would be implemented.

 

I could even see a situation where he revives his blade before the fight, nearly kills his opponent (because he's that good), and uses Regrowth to heal him, thus showing that he is now a Radiant.

[maxal she/her]

Slightly off topic, but as I was reading this and people are talking about the implications of his killing Sadeas, I can't help thinking that we're ultimately going to see some sort of Trial by Combat. It would fit directly in with the Alethi mindset to have something like that and would suit Adolin. However, there would still be questions of how that would be implemented.

 

I could even see a situation where he revives his blade before the fight, nearly kills his opponent (because he's that good), and uses Regrowth to heal him, thus showing that he is now a Radiant.

 

I have thought of trial by combat, but it could also go very badly. If they settled for that, you can be sure they will try to oppose Adolin someone they are sure he will not beat. Besides, there is also the fact Adolin currently has a broken arm, it would be difficult for him to fight a duel.... maybe he is foolish enough to try...

 

If Adolin revives his Blade before the combat, he would be a newbie. No doubt healing his opponent would be above his new powers, but I am kind of hoping for a more dramatic arc here when it comes to the Blade revival story plot.

[FlatLine]

I have thought of trial by combat, but it could also go very badly. If they settled for that, you can be sure they will try to oppose Adolin someone they are sure he will not beat. Besides, there is also the fact Adolin currently has a broken arm, it would be difficult for him to fight a duel.... maybe he is foolish enough to try...

 

If Adolin revives his Blade before the combat, he would be a newbie. No doubt healing his opponent would be above his new powers, but I am kind of hoping for a more dramatic arc here when it comes to the Blade revival story plot.

Broken Arm? I feel like I should know this, but obviously missed it.

[maxal she/her]

Broken Arm? I feel like I should know this, but obviously missed it.

 

He broke his wrist during the last fight against Szeth. He then stupidly uses it to thrust a knife into Sadeas eyes. One of the rules of healing broken bones is NOT to put any weight on them and complete immobilization, which he is not getting right now (no mention of a cast or anything). In any advent, I doubt his Plate is able to nullify broken bones, which means Adolin is out of the fighting circuit for at least 6 weeks, providing it heals right. Other alternative is Renarin figuring out how to heal it for him.

[FlatLine]

So most likely a broken wrist and a bunch of other injuries.

[maxal she/her]

So most likely a broken wrist and a bunch of other injuries.

 

I think it is pretty sure it is broken as he did hear a "snap" sound and 5 days later, he still could not use it. We could also mention the number of times he managed to fall on his head in WoR assorted to the number of times he mentions his head hurts. Unless Brandon was trying to fill-in pages of useless text, which would be very un-Brandon like, I doubt he put so many mentions of the same thing for nothing.

 

It has been one of my main arguments for going into SA3, Adolin is not in a good physical shape right now.