Where are the Honorblades?

[Aether]

I seriously seem to miss a lot of stuff. Can someone please put up the photo of the blades. I have the UK version and it doesn't seem to have them. Or I missed them.

Why don't my iPhone have Bluetooth? And how the bloody h**l do you upload photos to this thing??

Oh, well, I ended up just tweeting them:

- The Windrunner sword on the Part One page (same as on the cover)

- The Dustbringer sword on the Part Three page.

- The Skybreaker sword on the Part Four page.

 

The hilts are the glyphs for the mentioned Orders, though they are, as remarked upon, slightly more elaborate in design.

 

Edit: Ignore my twitter account, btw. I do not use it.

 

And here is the Windrunner, Dustbringer and Skybreaker glyphs for comparison.

Edited January 11, 2014 by Aether

[Bloodfalcon]

That Dustbringer sword looks impossible to hold. In fact, it could be a really cool lookin staff if the handle wasn't so pointy

Anyway, thanks for being so helpful, Aether.

[Aether]

That Dustbringer sword looks impossible to hold. In fact, it could be a really cool lookin staff if the handle wasn't so pointy

Anyway, thanks for being so helpful, Aether.

 

My pleasure  

[lookingglass]

Thank you Aether! I think they are in my vision but I just didn't notice them. Stupid move I know but hey I'm human.

[lookingglass]

Oh and on the subject of blades... Where are the rest of the radiant swords? Are they stored with the Honorblades?

[marianmi]

One radiant sword was just handed to Sadeas. Another one was given to Amaram by our hero.

[Argent]

Dalinar sees hundreds of Radiants (which is still only two orders) drop their Blades, and then comments that there are fewer than a hundred the world is aware of today.

[marianmi]

well, one was held by Mr. Davar, and I don't think the world knew about it.

the world is not aware of 10 heralds walking around.

the world is not aware of surgebinders walking around.

the world was not aware of the parshendi until 5 years before.

the world is not aware of many things. I'm sure they will turn up.

 

my theory: THE KANDRA HAS THEM

[Argent]

True, much is unknown. But Blades are useless of you keep them hidden - and the people of Roshar don't strike me as THAT subtle. A single Blade could not give you a very high political tank, but also the means to defend it. No, I believe the Blades have been either hidden or lost.

[marianmi]

Joking aside... i see a similarity between the atium cache and the blades cache

[Aether]

Also, there is the thought that the Honorblades has been found, but aren't recognized as such. Despite my better judgement, I'm finding myself in the "Szeth has an Honourblade"-camp, but if that is the case, I'm postulating that he is not aware of it.

Edited November 1, 2013 by Aether

[Meg]

Oh and on the subject of blades... Where are the rest of the radiant swords? Are they stored with the Honorblades?

 

I think it's save to say that the Shardblades are not stored with the Honorblades.

 

Some Shardblades that are around are already mentioned:

 

-- Oathbringer (Dalinar -> Sadeas)

-- Sunsraiser (Elhokar)

-- Adolin has one

-- Gavilar had one (I yet wonder were his Blade and Plate went ...)

-- Shallan's Blade

-- three Shardblades in Jah Keved (discovered in Interlude 9 TWoK)

-- Eshonai has one

-- Ym's chaser has one

-- Amaram has one

-- Szeth's Blade might be a Shardblade, too, though we don't know it

-- Brightlord Resi (full Shardbearer, fought a duel against Adolin, TWoK Ch. 58) and one or two more in Highprince Thanadal's army:

 

Brightlord Resi was the only full Shardbearer in Highprince Thanadal’s army—though their warcamp had three men who carried only the Blade or the Plate

 

-- (edit) Lyss has one (Jasnah Reading)

 

Dalinar's count on Shardblades:

 

There looked to be a good two hundred Shardbearers out there. Alethkar owned some twenty Blades, Jah Keved a similar number. If one added up all the rest in the world, there might be enough total to equal the two powerful Vorin kingdoms. That meant, so far as he knew, there were less than hundred Blades in all of the world. And here he saw two hundred Shardbearers gathered in one army. It was mind-numbing.

 

TWoK Chapter 52 "Recreance"-vision

 

edit: Added Lyss (I forgot her before)

Edited November 1, 2013 by Meg

[lookingglass]

Joking aside... i see a similarity between the atium cache and the blades cache

 

I agree. They are probably right under our noises...

[lookingglass]

I think it's save to say that the Shardblades are not stored with the Honorblades.

 

Some Shardblades that are around are already mentioned:

 

-- Oathbringer (Dalinar -> Sadeas)

-- Sunsraiser (Elhokar)

-- Adolin has one

-- Gavilar had one (I yet wonder were his Blade and Plate went ...)

-- Shallan's Blade

-- three Shardblades in Jah Keved (discovered in Interlude 9 TWoK)

-- Eshonai has one

-- Ym's chaser has one

-- Amaram has one

-- Szeth's Blade might be a Shardblade, too, though we don't know it

-- Brightlord Resi (full Shardbearer, fought a duel against Adolin, TWoK Ch. 58) and one or two more in Highprince Thanadal's army:

 

 

Dalinar's count on Shardblades:

 

It still seems that there are hundreds out there. I know Dalinar says there are about 200 but in his vision, Almighty says that the group of hundreds of radiants were the first so we have to assume there were more radiants thus more blades. Also before anyone says anything... yes I do know that some orders didn't fight

[Aether]

It still seems that there are hundreds out there. I know Dalinar says there are about 200 but in his vision, Almighty says that the group of hundreds of radiants were the first so we have to assume there were more radiants thus more blades. Also before anyone says anything... yes I do know that some orders didn't fight

Also, were not really sure whether or not that was every Stonewarden and Windrunner. There still might be more Shards from those two Orders alone.

[Dros]

Does anyone know if a Shardblade appears when a wielder dies if their not holding it at the time? I know it stays in the physical realm if they die while holding it, but what happens when they haven't summoned it? I'm trying to remember if that's ever been mentioned, but my memory is failing me.

[Argent]

It appears near their body.

[Dros]

Ah, thank you, Argent. So, they're somewhere on Roshar, perhaps in the "hands" of folks like Shallan who have tried to keep such a thing secret or just simply lost or hidden too well over the years.

[Scott]

Roshar is a fairly dangerous environment.  It would be easy for someone with a Shardblade to fall off a ship and drown, with the sword appearing beside him and sinking to the bottom of the sea.  They could fall into a chasm never to be seen again, or killed by an animal or a highstorm in the wilderness.  I think crem would cover anything left out for long enough, so there could be blades anywhere...

[Argent]

Again, I doubt either one of those is common. 

• If you have a Shardblade, you will most likely want to make this fact known to the world. The amount of prestige, power, and wealth even a single Blade can grant is incredible. Shallan's situation is, I think, unique in this regard. Generally, there is no need to hide your Blade, but there are many reasons to reveal it.
• Losing the Blade due to the harsh environment is slightly more plausible, but not much. Short of the ocean floor, all of Roshar is accessible to people with Shardblades, so a search party will find your corpse and Blade if you get lost somewhere in the wilderness. People keep close enough track of those things, so you can be sure somebody will come after them. Crem might be an issue, but at this point we are looking at several rare events, all happening to the larger fraction of all the Shardblades in existence. A few may have been lost to similar causes, but most of them? I don't believe it.

[Scott]

Good points, and I mostly agree.  I think few of the blades would have been lost.  Here's how I could see the timeline going down:

 

The Recreance occurs.  The soldiers grabbed the blades and started fighting with each other so it's safe to assume the command structure would fall apart.  Many that do not have both a blade and a plate would flee.  I'm sure some of them took off into the wild with their new treasures to protect themselves, and a few probably met unfortunate ends.

 

Once the dust settled, the shardholders would get prestige and power and probably became kings, rulers, or warlords. They would have made a point of gathering as many other shards and shardbearers under their banners as possible.  As time went on, these people died.  If they died in battle, someone would publicly claim the shards.  However, if they died in a plot or assassination, the shards would have been taken by the killers.  I doubt that an assassin would reveal that they had a Shardblade, especially if it was a known blade, and likewise if the Ghostbloods took a shard.  They would use it for their own purposes but they wouldn't come out and announce themselves.

 

This would explain why so few blades are known about currently.  Most of them are in the hands of people who aquired them in their shady lines of work, and wouldn't want to draw attention.

Edited November 1, 2013 by Scott

[Leonardus]

Hmmmm the Honorblades most likely are not sitting in a field in the middle of god knows where. Personally I think the blades are either hidden by someone (The shin or Ghostbloods come to mind) and while the Parshendi may be influenced by a herald its not very probable they they got ahold of an Honorblade.

 

As for the Shattered Plains supposedly great magic was involved, perhaps the Radiant Dustbringers had something to do with it? I see their surge as destroying rock or maybe disintegrating it(soulcasting could also have been involved),This could also tie in with how the Radiants seemed to have turned against mankind since utterly ravaging a plain could be seen as a malevolent action. 

Edited November 1, 2013 by Leonardus

[Honor]

I disagree that a large number of shard blades would be held by criminal/assassin types. It just doesn't seem likely to happen, as we know it is tough to get blade or plate without having some yourself. Most shard bearers are very well known nobles surrounded by other soldiers and guards to just mysteriously die and have their blade or plate stolen. And if an organization like the Ghostbloods currently had a large number, they could easily attack and overwhelm any foe and get the rest of the shardblades.  There wouldn't really be a need for secret plots, no one could oppose them.  I can see a small number being secretly held by a few individuals in unusual circumstances, but as has been stated by others, having shard blades and/or plate has too many advantages to keep it secret.

 

As further reinforcement Szeth mentions at one point he didn't have time to fully study who held what shards in the area on one of his missions.  I take that to mean it is fairly easily accessible knowledge that who owns what shard is kept track of by people. So people would notice if shards and plate randomly disappeared in probably the past couple of hundred years of Roshar's history.  I could see that some during the initial fighting after the Recreance being lost or hidden. etc.  Again that doesn't really explain why there are currently so few known blades and sets of plate.

[marianmi]

It would be sooo funny if the parshmen have them

Right under everyone's noses...

[Beautor]

It would be sooo funny if the parshmen have them

Right under everyone's noses...

 

It would be really funny, but Eshonai's reading contradicts this.

 

In it Eshonai comments that she is one of their last shardbearers.

 

I think the mystery of the missing shardblades and shard plate will come out as we learn more about the various KR orders. I do like the theory that the blades and plate are created or grown by each surgebinder as they reach a certain level.

Edited November 8, 2013 by Beautor