Highstorms

[name_here]

Well, the epigraphs apparently either come from dying people seeing through time and space, or from the Heralds, or both. So I would not consider them emblematic of what the general population knew at any time in Roshar's history.

[happyman]

By the way, doesn't it strike you all as odd that the text fragment refers not to the Almighty, not to God, but to Honor? I missed it on all three readthroughs because I know the term and I'm familiar with it. But why would anybody on Roshar know or use that term?

No, it actually doesn't. During one of Dalinar's visions (the one with the Midnight Essences), the woman swears using the epithet "Three gods!" It's clear that at one point, the people of Roshar had a better idea of who was actually in charge.

How the information was lost is interesting. I would note that, given Odium's recent strategy, having people forget would be very much in his favor. That may have been part of what has happened.

[Wonko the Sane]

I recently had the weirdest coincidence explained to me. Now, this makes less sense cosmerically, but my father has only read WoK. He voiced a theory that Roshar was underwater. Now, think about it for a moment. Look back at Shallan's sketchbook, and remark on the appearances of the Rosharan flora and fauna. It seems rather plausible, doesn't it? He claims that the Highstorms are nothing more than the gripping power of the tide. This is not actually an acceptable theory, of course; the existence of Shinovar alone puts it down immediately. However, you have to admit that the parallels are very intriguing.

[CrazyRioter]

yeah, Brandon based a lot of the Rosharian plants and animals on tide-pool ecosystems.

[Tarontos]

I think Highstorms are of Odium. Why?

Epigraph of Ch.35.

Also, Alethkar is also in the east closest to the origin (along with natanatan). It was also the home of the radiants who protected from desolations.....it would make sense for them to be closest to Odium, the shield that protects other kingdoms. It would seem Honor was westward......closest to Shin where things are more "normal". Also High storms get stronger the closer we get to desolation (I can't find the quote for that, but it is there in the book)

It would seem the highstorms arising from the origin cannot be of honor.....but that does not make much sense as Dalinar seems Tanavast only during highstorms and Kaladin also rides the highstorms. Highstorm rain is also fertile.....so it could be of cultivation??

There is one explanation that has been discussed a lot......and makes sense.

Highstorms are Odium's destructive power but are being tempered and its destructive power mitigated by cultivation and honors power. That would explain fertile crem and also explain honors location.

That leads to interesting questions about stormlight...It is obviously related to highstorms but does that make it Odium's power?? That is a very unsatisfactory explanation.

This makes perfect sense.

Fact 1 the highstorms are destructive as is hate

Fact 2 the highstorms leave crem. Crem is fertile. Hate can be used to further a gole ,make it grow

Fact 3 storm light perfects not creates. As a rule hate will drive some one to perfect their skills.

[Wolfy]

Great speculations!

I do note a few things that I remember from the book.

Kaladin's dream storm-ride goes ocean to ocean, so the storms must pass around Shinovar, rather than end in the mountains shielding

Kind of like the way the mists retract from those funeral the influence of Ruin? I think mechanics like this will become pretty prevalent as we discover more about shards, especially those in degrade.

[Leuthie]

Look at the map. The shape of the land resembles a hurricane. I don't think the path of a Highstorm is linear. Also, Purelake is considered the eye of the Highstorms.

[Dros]

Look at the map. The shape of the land resembles a hurricane. I don't think the path of a Highstorm is linear. Also, Purelake is considered the eye of the Highstorms.

 

Which means the continent is spinning on an axis and what was in the West a thousand years ago, might be different than what is there now.  You picking up what I'm putting down here?

[Isomere]

@69, I support the idea that the highstorm is a part of the shattered shard of Honor. I actually think it is the largest remaining splinter of Honor, and was a contingency plan Tanavast set up if he were to be killed.

I posted some info about waveforms being the physical focus of all magic on Roshar here http://www.17thshard.com/forum/topic/3107-the-nature-of-splinters/?p=52889. Sound waves, light waves and probability waves all seem to work for powering magic.

The Highstorm is actually just a huge standing pressure wave which reverberates around Roshar. All such waves have amplitude, at least one node, and a period. The amplitude determines how powerful the Highstorm is (how much pressure gradient is in the stormfront) A node is a spot on the wave where the amplitude is zero and the period is the time between cycles. During a node, the chance of a highstorm hitting is zero which would correlate with the Weeping. The people use the Weepings to define time, so a year on Roshar depicts a full period of the Stormwave, not necessarily a full rotation around the sun.

The highstorm follows patterns that can be predicted based on mathematical equations. These seems to have probability features similar to the schrodinger equation in quantum mechanics. That means you cannot know for certain when a storm will come, or what season will be next, but you can find out how likely a given outcome is.

Stepping back a bit, what does a series of pressure waves traveling through the atmosphere create? Correct, sound waves. The Highstorm is music from Honor recorded to contain his Journal. It's sort of like a supernatural Ham Radio emergency transmission on a never-ending loop. Dalinar, Kaladin and at least one other dead guy somehow managed to tune in and could perceive the message contained in the storm.

[Cabbage]

Shoulden't the weeping be the perfect time for a desolation to take place? After all it there's no Highstrorm for weeks (except the one in the middle). No highstorm means no recharing of them spheres which will be a rather big pain in the chull for them surgebinders.

[Isomere]

Shoulden't the weeping be the perfect time for a desolation to take place? After all it there's no Highstrorm for weeks (except the one in the middle). No highstorm means no recharing of them spheres which will be a rather big pain in the chull for them surgebinders.

They last a lot longer than just a couple of weeks. I think the current desolation started with the death of Gavilar.

“I ask myself this same thing. How could we let this occur? The Desolations are well named. I’ve heard initial counts. Eleven years of war, and nine out of ten people I once ruled are dead. Do we even have kingdoms to lead any longer? Sur is gone, I’m sure of it. Tarma, Eiliz, they won’t likely survive. Too many of their people have fallen.” (From chapter 60)

Edited April 21, 2013 by Isomere

[Cabbage]

They last a lot longer than just a couple of weeks. I think the current desolation started with the death of Gavilar.

“I ask myself this same thing. How could we let this occur? The Desolations are well named. I’ve heard initial counts. Eleven years of war, and nine out of ten people I once ruled are dead. Do we even have kingdoms to lead any longer? Sur is gone, I’m sure of it. Tarma, Eiliz, they won’t likely survive. Too many of their people have fallen.” (From chapter 60)

Yes. I'm aware of this. My post seem to have been flawed though.

Well, assuming the "enemy" is planning to have a great assault, I assume it will be during the weeping. Humanity is quite defenseles during that period.

So I'm betting on at least some time during the course of the books Kaladin will be in hard trouble due to having a bit to many dull spheres.