Gwylon Posted July 27, 2015 Report Share Posted July 27, 2015 Theory: Shardplate is made of the storm light wisps coming from a Surgebinders skin. This explains how they could hold stormlight so efficiently and why it doesn't cause screams. If any has any other ideas of modifications it would help. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darkness he/him Posted July 27, 2015 Report Share Posted July 27, 2015 It would explain why present-day Shardplate blocks other sources of investiture. It also fits well with why the Shardplate needs gemstones to power it. It doesn't really explain how Shardplate regenerates over time when given enough Stormlight (slowly through gemstones, not in a single Highstorm. No mention of anyone leaving it outside during a Highstorm). My other issue is that the Radiants' betrayal killed their spren (arguably severing the Nahel bond and preventing Surgebinding; Kaladin lost his ability when Syl was dying), iirc the Shardplate on them faded slowly, but otherwise did not stiffen up or become unpowered (as it should have without the addition of gemstones). Interesting side note: It does seem that the Shardplate has some sort of awareness of itself as a whole: I recall the Alethi being concerned about starting the regrowth process before the enemy can regrow the entire plate out of a salvaged kernel. Regrowing the plate from any one fragments renders the other fragments useless, larger fragments are easier to regrow, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alfa he/him Posted July 28, 2015 Report Share Posted July 28, 2015 Stormlight is at least it's Energy source. Without stormlight you won't be able go a single step in it. I think, that Shardplate is not exactly stormlight in solid form, but something else... through not exactly a Fabrial.But, "modern" Shardplate seems to differ from "ancient", because the windrunners in Dalinar's vision could fly. This is going more in the direction of the Shardplate-is-Stormlight-theory, but I think that there is one missing element, which we don't know yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 28, 2015 Report Share Posted July 28, 2015 Something like this? http://www.17thshard.com/forum/topic/30569-shardplate-is-crystallized-stormlight/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
natc Posted July 29, 2015 Report Share Posted July 29, 2015 Stormlight is at least it's Energy source. Without stormlight you won't be able go a single step in it. I think, that Shardplate is not exactly stormlight in solid form, but something else... through not exactly a Fabrial. But, "modern" Shardplate seems to differ from "ancient", because the windrunners in Dalinar's vision could fly. This is going more in the direction of the Shardplate-is-Stormlight-theory, but I think that there is one missing element, which we don't know yet. Szeth says the gems and lashings interfere, but would a radiant even need the gems in the first place? Kaladin could power the helm he put on his hand using only himself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gwylon Posted July 29, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 29, 2015 (edited) Szeth says the gems and lashings interfere, but would a radiant even need the gems in the first place? Kaladin could power the helm he put on his hand using only himself. That was a fact I forgot about. The helm drained his storm light to repair the crack. Means that it doesn't need gems to repair only a source of stormlight? EDIT: Stormlight is at least it's Energy source. Without stormlight you won't be able go a single step in it. I think, that Shardplate is not exactly stormlight in solid form, but something else... through not exactly a Fabrial. But, "modern" Shardplate seems to differ from "ancient", because the windrunners in Dalinar's vision could fly. This is going more in the direction of the Shardplate-is-Stormlight-theory, but I think that there is one missing element, which we don't know yet. The Radiant should be the source of stormlight if it absorbs the wisps that would normally leak. Edited July 29, 2015 by Windrunner Please don't double post, thanks!:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Firehead13 Posted August 1, 2015 Report Share Posted August 1, 2015 Though it was never explicitly stated, I always got the impression that shardplate was just an extension of a radiant's spren abilities/order abilities as opposed to stormlight. Kaladin says oath one:surgebinding, oath two: spren as weapon, oath three: materialize shardplate? There seems to be a direct correlation between oaths taken and powers granted, so until Kal hits oath 5 I'm going to be waiting for him to make his own plate 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vicsmith1412 Posted August 1, 2015 Report Share Posted August 1, 2015 Though it was never explicitly stated, I always got the impression that shardplate was just an extension of a radiant's spren abilities/order abilities as opposed to stormlight. Kaladin says oath one:surgebinding, oath two: spren as weapon, oath three: materialize shardplate? There seems to be a direct correlation between oaths taken and powers granted, so until Kal hits oath 5 I'm going to be waiting for him to make his own plate From the moment his shardblade appeared, I thought this would be the result of one of the oaths as well. I believe that shardplate is yet another extension of Syl's powers being used for Kaladin, and follows the logic of his surges, or the same for another pair. I do believe it will be further along than oath three, though; Shallan might be support for this, as she seems to have gone beyond summoning her own weapon by at least one "truth" and does not yet have shardplate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CJ Feboris Posted August 9, 2015 Report Share Posted August 9, 2015 What about the windspren that were swirling around Kaladin in the storm while chasing Szeth. They seemed to protect him. What if the "cousins" of the bounded spren provide the Shardplate. Presumably this would happen after the next oath, it would also explain how the knights in Dalinar's visions could "materialize" parts of their plate, like the helm, without carrying them around. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alfa he/him Posted August 9, 2015 Report Share Posted August 9, 2015 In one of Dalinar's Visions, Dalinar realizes, that the Radiants equip and unequip their helmets really fast, and he does not see, where the helmets go. I think this speaks in favor of the Shardplate-is-Spren-theory. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Witborn Posted August 9, 2015 Report Share Posted August 9, 2015 That's been suggested before and seems to be supported by this WoB: INTERVIEW: Jan 17th, 2015 Firefight Tour - El Cerrito, CA (Paraphrased) QUESTION My question was about Shards actually. So at the end of Words of Radiance Syl is turning into a Shardblade as well as other different weapons. And Kaladin has a whole bunch of Windspren around him. And I am wondering if that is a precursor to Shardplate? BRANDON SANDERSON I think you are a very smart man and you are asking wise questions. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CJ Feboris Posted August 10, 2015 Report Share Posted August 10, 2015 From the moment his shardblade appeared, I thought this would be the result of one of the oaths as well. I believe that shardplate is yet another extension of Syl's powers being used for Kaladin, and follows the logic of his surges, or the same for another pair. I do believe it will be further along than oath three, though; Shallan might be support for this, as she seems to have gone beyond summoning her own weapon by at least one "truth" and does not yet have shardplate. So here's a question that may need its own post, does Shallan speak two truths or just one more at the end of WoR? She uses the oathgate and says "a deep truth." Then pattern does the room vision quest with here where she says that she hates him, are they the same or different? And what did she gain by doing this/these? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gwylon Posted August 10, 2015 Author Report Share Posted August 10, 2015 In one of Dalinar's Visions, Dalinar realizes, that the Radiants equip and unequip their helmets really fast, and he does not see, where the helmets go. I think this speaks in favor of the Shardplate-is-Spren-theory. This doesn't explain why it feeds off Stormlight to mend itself and it produces no screams when Kaladin touches it. If it was made of stormlight then a Radiant could unsummon a helm a some other part and absorb it then remake it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CJ Feboris Posted August 10, 2015 Report Share Posted August 10, 2015 This doesn't explain why it feeds off Stormlight to mend itself and it produces no screams when Kaladin touches it. If it was made of stormlight then a Radiant could unsummon a helm a some other part and absorb it then remake it. There is also the fact that BS doesn't like to do what is expected. Since the blade/weapon/shield/needed tool is a spren then I think many will naturally jump to this conclusion and it seems too simple for Brandon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AerionBFII he/him Posted August 10, 2015 Report Share Posted August 10, 2015 I have been leaning towards the idea that it is forged from Stormlight... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
natc Posted August 11, 2015 Report Share Posted August 11, 2015 This doesn't explain why it feeds off Stormlight to mend itself and it produces no screams when Kaladin touches it. If it was made of stormlight then a Radiant could unsummon a helm a some other part and absorb it then remake it. I'm not sure why they would even scream if there was no nahel bond to kill them over, if we're going with the plate being made of things like windspren and such. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts