Let's think ChronoLOGICALLY! (Spoilers to most Cosmere books)

[Codcake]

To start things off, let's remember that all Cosmere events are background happenings throughout the many different novel. Meaning, they are not the focus of any of the novels. The main plot of each book and/or group/s of books each have their own respective focus.

 

Moving on, Odium's main focus is to destroy. This is important to remember for later...or throughout... your call. He wishes to be or become the most powerful being in the Cosmere.

 

Now, the chronological part:

 

Prior to Elantris: Oduim has already been there, destroyed that (Devotion and Dominion). Probably roughly 10 years prior to the novel. He has a way of using natural disasters to change things up a bit. (i.e. this is when the gods are fighting, this will come up again later.) (For those who do not know, I am speaking of the Chasm forming) So, logically unless another shard goes to Sel it is unnecessary for him to return.

 

The Emperor's Soul: Odium doesn't need to be there as he has already destroyed that. (the events of this novel take place on Sel). See previous note.

 

First Mistborn era Trilogy: It is unlikely that Odium is or has been present during these books, as he has probably already been trapped on Braize after or during his destruction of Honor on Roshar. (Also, we know that all the natural disasters on this planet where caused by the Lord Ruler) I believe it has been stated that Odium has been trapped on Braize for quite some time.(But not too long, you'll see later) Also, since there will be a third era Mistborn series, that seems like the most likely time for Odium to show up on Scadrial. (Or the inhabitants of Scadrial going to him...)

 

Moving on...

 

Warbreaker: Since this is after first era Mistborn, but prior to Stormlight Archive, Odium is probably on Braize, as previously stated, at this time.  We do know that Endowment is there though, (on Nalthis) alive and kickin'.

 

Shadow for Silence in the Forests of Hell: I do not know what Shardworld this is on, nor do I know what aspect/s is/are there. But,... it is after first era Mistborn and before Stormlight Archive. So,... Odium is not there or influencing anything during this novel.

 

Stormlight Archive novels: Ok, so we know where Odium is (Braize). But, due to proximity he is influencing things on Roshar. Now, let's pause here to bring up some other things.

 

How trilogies usually work. First book, heroes win. Second book, villains win. Third book, heroes win and the story is over. Yay. Well, not in Brandon's grand scheme. Can't be. You cannot have Odium stuck on Braize for the entirety of The Stormlight Archive books. Also, he can't lose at the end of those novels. If this were true then why keep writing Cosmere books. You can't just bring in a new villain partway through and go "Oh, hey, yeah, there's this new guy and he is worse than the last. Bwahahahaha." ... So, logically Odium will either succeed at getting off Braize and since he was in the neighborhood, kill Cultivation on the way. I mean, he was already in town, might as well stop on by and kill a shardbearer. When should this happen you might ask? At the end of book five. Here's why, there is supposed to be a fifteen year gap from book five to book six due to some big event... Like the end of the Desolations...(natural disasters, remember?) because Odium has left the building. But, the books continue, because as I said, the Cosmere events are not the MAIN events in the novels. They are the background fluff. (Albeit they are the most interesting fluff I've ever seen. And I've seen cotton candy.)

 

Onward Fearless (and probably bored with me) Adventurers...

 

Alloy of Law: Due to this being a transition novel from one Mistborn era to another, what better time to screw with readers. We will leave it at that. All speculation is automatically allowed. Any Shardbearer (excluding dead ones...) can do whatever they want!

 

Shadows of Self, or Second Mistborn era: This takes place 342 years after the events of The Hero of Ages. Which means all the books between first and second Mistborn eras happens in under 342 years. Geez, Odium had little time to sit around on Braize. But wait, if Elantris is only hundreds of years (not thousands) of years prior Mistborn, and Stormlight is before Second era Mistborn, then... Oduim could not have been trapped on Braize for too long (relatively speaking for a "god"). Now, we have not seen any natural disasters in this series yet. (the flooding was caused by Bleeder, therefore not natural disaster). We can likely conclude that Autonomy showed up, which would explain Bleeder acting all revolutionary. Rise up against Harmony she says. Foil hats everyone. And, this could explain the rusting on the spike at the end. It is an direct effect to the metal not allowing Harmony (Sazed) to control people. Good for Autonomy (Bavadin), not sure how this is useful to Odium... Except that if Autonomy were attempting to break apart Harmony (due to the speculation that he may have a desire to make sure the shards were autonomous) it would then give Odium a leg up on Sazed because he would no longer have two shards. So, Autonomy isn't the new worse villain, he is the transition villain in the transition era. Oh, hmm that makes sense if we are leading to a final Mistborn era that should and most likely involve the end of Brandon's Cosmeric Conflict with Odium.

 

Well, to sum things up. I believe that Odium causes natural disasters. These disaster are either the fight between gods or the aftermath of the smashing a shard. Since there hasn't been any on Scadrial, I believe Autonomy to be there, not Odium. I also think that at the end of the Desolations (in the Stormlight novels),  that Odium has left the Greater Roshar system and is moving on. I also believe that we will not see Odium on Scadrial until the third Mistborn era (which I do believe Brandon has said would be the end of his Cosmere inspire books).

 

That is interesting...

 

Your thoughts!

 

[WayneSpren he/him]

You're probably right about not seeing Odium on Scadrial for a while. There was a WOB that Sazed is the most powerful thing in the cosmere at the present.

 

To be nitpicky, though, the last books are probably going to be Dragonsteel.

 

Edit: Oh, and welcome to the forum! Would you like a welcome cookie?

Edited November 4, 2015 by WayneSpren

[Voidus]

A couple of notes:
Odium didn't go to Sel 10 years before Elantris
 

 

 

MI'CHELLE

I know that you've answered this before, but we don't have citation yet. Was the earthquake caused by Odium's visit to Elantris? You've answered that one before, I believe.

BRANDON SANDERSON

I don’t know if I have. I think I’ve given implications without a strict, direct answer on that one.

MI'CHELLE

And what are the implications, so I can know if I'm thinking of the right answer?

BRANDON SANDERSON

What do you think I've said?

MI'CHELLE

I think you've said, no it isn't.

BRANDON SANDERSON

The Seons existed before the earthquake.

MI'CHELLE

But was the earthquake caused by Odium?

BRANDON SANDERSON

When Odium visited there were no Seons.

JOSH

Okay.

MI'CHELLE

But that doesn't answer the question about the earthquake, so that's interesting to note.

BRANDON SANDERSON

See what I'm saying?

So it may have been caused by him, but not directly and he was around a long time before it actually happened.

Also people who hold a Shard are Shardholders, Shardbearers is the Alethi term for people with Plates and Blade (Just a bit of nitpicking)

Also there's nothing to say that Odium has to stick around after Stormlight, that I know of the only major series set significantly after Stormlight is the third Mistborn trilogy which could very well focus on the people of the cosmere rather than Shards, or it could introduce the God Beyond, someone attempting to reuinite Adonalsium, Bavadin causing trouble, plenty of potential story without Odium.

[Bort he/him]

I'd also like to point out that, technically, Odium isn't a bad guy. He's the nasty part of the good guy with everything else that kept his hatred in check stripped away. He is not, however, the ultimate Cosmere 'bad guy'.

[Codcake]

To Waynespren:

 

Don't know why you pointed out the WOB about Sazed being the current most powerful entity in the Cosmere. (Thought that point was made as to why Autonomy was there...) On the note of Sazed being the most powerful entity, it would make sense (to me at least) that Autonomy would be there to de-unite Sazed (break him back apart into two aspects). If the first trilogy a god is made (Harmony), then the good guys win. In the second he (Harmony) is pulled apart, then the bad guys win. Which could lead to Odium being of equal or more power to come in the third trilogy, which is safe to assume the good guys win at something. Also, on a side note I have grown to call a trilogy of trilogies a trinity of trilogies, sounds cooler than a triad I suppose... And I do not need a cookie (thank you), but I will take one of those RAFO sandwiches Sanderson hands out. Always hungry for RAFO.

 

Also, I agree that Dragonsteel will be this HUGE thing, not just some story about a Shardholder. Something bigger, like reuniting Adonalsium or the like. I also never said the third era novels will be his last, just his last involving Odium. If Harmony were to separate, then it would be a good enough reason for Odium to strike, but as this is all speculation it doesn't matter.

 

To Voidus:

 

I wasn't clear on the point I was attempting to make. The main point was the natural disaster part. They seem to follow him around...

 

Sorry for the misuse of Shardbearer vs. Shardholder.

 

I never said Odium had to stick around (during Stormlight), I said he wouldn't. As this is all speculation it doesn't actually matter.

 

To Bort:

 

You cannot say that Odium is not "technically" a bad-guy. Odium is a bad guy, Rayse may not be, but Odium is. He goes around murdering people... Murder is bad.

I do agree with your second sentence, but it doesn't matter because the aspect has manipulated his actions.

 

To everyone:

 

Whomever may view this, I am not trying to be a jerk to any of the individuals I happen to confer with. These thoughts just seem to make sense to me. (They may not to you, and that is fine).  Also, I am just trying to solidify my thoughts and points. (Wrote most of this in a haste and may not have been too entirely clear) These are just my thoughts about a large puzzle with limited pieces.

 

Please enjoy the reads that Nodnarb Nosrednas has given to us.

[Voidus]

I'll never assume that someone is disagreeing with me just because they're a jerk, if everyone agreed with me all the time all of my conversations would be way more boring, nothing like trying to convince someone of a theory to get me excited

On the natural disasters I'm inclined to agree that he caused the chasm but WoB has been vague on the point, it happened a long time after he left and Brandon still hasn't confirmed that it was caused by him.  It could have been caused by a big enough splinter of Devotion or Dominion, in which case his vaguery would make sense since the splinter was caused by odium but not the disaster itself.

[hoidhunter he/him]

What up?  Welcome to the forum!  

 

While I do agree that Odium is most certainly a very bad guy...however...I honestly feel that the situation you describe right before the Bwahahahaing may actually come to fruition.  While it's not really referred to in the books we've seen so far, some Q&A with Brandon has seemed to indicate that there is someone(s) something(s), that was having it out with old adonalsium back in the day...and that mysterious something or other is still hanging around.

 

Aside from the "force that opposed Adonalsium", we've still got quite a few shards to get through my friend...you never know if odium's only rolling around making trouble on other planets because some other shardholder is threatening to cut up his mother and feed her to axehounds (I don't honestly think that this is the case...but you see what I'm getting at I'm sure).  

 

As to "odium causes natural disasters"...maybe...but not specifically.  I would say that "this is what happens when gods fight" is a little more accurate.  I mean...at the end of Mistborn we get some perspective of Preservation and Ruin squabbling, which has some serious side effects for the landscape...but when they actually get into it and kill each other...nobody on the ground really seems to notice.  Bear in mind that Devotion and/or Dominion were dead before the Reod actually happened...but this has already been addressed.

 

I'm always wary to speak with too much certainty about what is coming up in the cosmere lest I end up with cosmic egg on my face...but that has never stopped me from wildly speculating about what I think or hope is on the horizon in the cosmere.

 

Have lots of fun doing the same...and again welcome to the forum...have a complimentary upvote on me!

 

P.S. Silence takes place on a relatively unimportant shardworld called Threnody...I don't believe there is actually a shard living there...but one may have visited a long time ago resulting in weird magic goings on.

[natc]

I'd also like to point out that, technically, Odium isn't a bad guy. He's the nasty part of the good guy with everything else that kept his hatred in check stripped away. He is not, however, the ultimate Cosmere 'bad guy'.

Well, the Shard of Odium isn't bad anyway, as you say, but whether Rayse's actions while bound to Odium can be considered evil is subjective. More so as we don't actually know the motives.

Hatred isn't strictly bad, but Odium isn't only hatred, there's a guy commanding that force of hatred, and seems to intentionally prefer pure hatred over diluting that intent with other shards to increase his power. He's probably completely under its influence by now, but he made a choice.

[hypatia she/her]

The chronologically event is something of a hobby of mine.

Without the dates of book release:

The first part we are witnesses is...

..the prelude in WoK and a great part of Dalinar's visions.

Followed 3000 years later (+/-) by ...

...Rasheks ascension.

Then - more than 100 years but not 1000 before FE- ...

...Elantris.

The first book and TES roughly at the same time looking at the other events.

Now we know there will be Elantris 2 - about 10 years later.

That's surprising - we will go back in time on Sel.

On with...

...1. triology Mistborn.

Some time later..

..Warbreaker.

There I think of this Terriswoman. Whoever she is - she comes between HoA and AoW - there is only one Shard on Scandrial - Harmony. Perhaps she was there on Sazed's plan.

...SA.

And the actual point ...

... AoL and SoS.

Odium's visit on Sel probably was before the prelude on Roshar and I was allways asking myself, why this hadn't destroyed the civilisation on Sel.

Yes, there are problems, but I would have thought of an greater impact.

And another point with Sel - even with the second book we don't see the actual time, only history.

But it is necessary to release this book before the 3. trilogy Mistborn.

This leads me to the question - what's the status quo on Sel at the time of the next trilogy?

How much had technology and magic, society and culture evolved in all this years?