Kaladin's return to Hearthstone

[Assassin in Burgundy he/him]

Looking back on the ending of WoR, it states Kaladin is going to go back to Hearthstone, his hometown. His family, Laral, and Roshone are still (presumably) there, and I'm guessing that Kaladin won't be too happy to see the latter. I'm guessing either he will kill/imprison Roshone or follow the "I will protect even those I hate, so long as it is right," and defend against the transforming parshmen. Though then again, it might not be "right" to not persecute Roshone, because he did basically kill Moash's family.

Next, there's the matter of Laral. My guess is that she'll try and get close to Kaladin, then pretend to be shocked when he refuses. Or maybe Kaladin will be tempted be her and it create another conflict, albeit not as big as deciding whether or not to kill Elhokar.

Finally, there's Kaladin's family. Because him and Tien were ordered to serve a four-year tour (correct me if I'm wrong about that), his family still may not know that Kaladin was made a slave and Tien was killed, though the army may have sent back a letter describing their deaths and enslavements. I'm guessing that there'll be a lot of sadness over Tien's death, possibly hating and shunning Kaladin for breaking his oath to protect him.

So yeah, there'll probably be a lot of emotion in this part. What does everyone think?

[KnightRadiant she/her]

Seems you've posted this topic twice, but no harm done.

These could definitely become sources of conflict, though the latter might be slightly offset because Kaladin did write back when Tien died. At the same time he also let his parents know he was going to continue in the army.

[Jondesu he/him]

I really doubt his parents would be upset with Kaladin, unless they thought he'd run off instead of being enslaved. They also might have reason to think he's dead, since I don't know exactly what Amaram would have told them if he sent any news to them at all. 

As for Roshone, a Skybreaker would probably judge him and serve a sentence, possibly even execution, but Kaladin will likely have to protect him. I'm hoping for some justice in Kaladin perhaps needing to kill Roshone to protect someone else, such as his parents or Laral, though. 

I don't see Laral likely trying to sidle up with Kaladin. She's likely matured a bit now, and I suspect Kaladin will be shocked at what he sees, good or bad, but I don't think she'll really have even much romantic interest left for Kaladin, if she ever truly did. What Roshone may have done to her in this intervening time could have drastic effects, since I see him either not being very kind, or even being overly amorous. Being his wife cannot have been a pleasant experience for her, so only seeing the results will tell us if she became forlorn or vindictive, or something else.

jW

[CaptainRyan he/him]

19 hours ago, KnightRadiant said:

These could definitely become sources of conflict, though the latter might be slightly offset because Kaladin did write back when Tien died. At the same time he also let his parents know he was going to continue in the army.

I have always wondered if that letter never made it to his parents. While I can see Kal's father being too upset to write back to him I find it very strange that his mother never wrote. Or, perhaps, the return letter never made it to him? Either way, I would be very surprised if Kaladin's parents had simply just started ignoring their only remaining child.

[Radiant Returned he/him]

In case y'all didn't know, Sanderson has already posted the first Kaladin chapter from Oathbringer, it involves his initial return to Hearthstone. Doesn't cancel out completely any speculation you guys have said I don't think, (and I'm not sure I guess we're allowed to talk about this information? Released by Tor so). Still, I'll let someone who's more experienced on this forum use this information, I don't want to accidentally ruin anything for those readers who want to go into a new book without any sample chapters influencing them.

For those who want to read: http://www.tor.com/2014/09/30/brandon-sanderson-stormlight-archive-book-3-first-chapter/

[Brackcha he/him]

Well that was kind of a depressing chapter. I still personally think Kaladin will summon his blade to defend himself and his eyes will go back to being light, then Laral will see him and think he got a shard blade for her (as she seemed to be encouraging him to do in the flashback chapters in Wok) and there will be an embarrassing scene with Laral being all excited and stuff

[Argel he/him]

20 minutes ago, Brackcha said:

I still personally think Kaladin will summon his blade to defend himself

Oathbringer Kaladin spoiler

Spoiler

Well, he's out of stormlight when he arrives, so he will have to survive on his own for now. We don't even know if Laral will be around, and a lot could have changed since then.

Also, Kaladin still has the slave brands, right? That could make things interesting...

[Jondesu he/him]

6 minutes ago, Argel said:

Oathbringer Kaladin spoiler

  Hide contents

Well, he's out of stormlight when he arrives, so he will have to survive on his own for now. We don't even know if Laral will be around, and a lot could have changed since then.

Also, Kaladin still has the slave brands, right? That could make things interesting...

Related to that spoiler:

Spoiler

No Stormlight should be required to summon Syl as a Shardblade; she formed into a sword in his hand before all the spheres went out if I remember correctly.  He won't be able to use his Surges, but would still have the blade and I expect his eyes will still change while he uses it.

The slave brands will definitely be an interesting twist, and I wouldn't be surprised if he works past those within that arc, though he may retain them either permanently or until the end of the first half of the series, we'll see.

jW

[Radiant Returned he/him]

Personally, I bet at least one if not both of his parents are dead, because Kaladin can never be happy. On that same theme, I bet Roshone is alive just to piss Kaladin off some more. 

[Argel he/him]

6 minutes ago, Radiant Returned said:

Personally, I bet at least one if not both of his parents are dead, because Kaladin can never be happy. 

Or missing to make it even worse.

[thegatorgirl00 she/her]

If his parents are gone, I wonder if anyone will actually recognize him and believe his story. He left five years ago, and he changed a lot since then. What are the chances that they believe the surgeon's son got slave brands, a shardblade, and became captain of the king's guard? 

[Radiant Returned he/him]

2 hours ago, thegatorgirl00 said:

If his parents are gone, I wonder if anyone will actually recognize him and believe his story. He left five years ago, and he changed a lot since then. What are the chances that they believe the surgeon's son got slave brands, a shardblade, and became captain of the king's guard? 

I think Roshone would recognize him, and if he did scoff at him, I mean, he's got a Shardblade, not to mention magical Radiant powers. The Shardblade alone marks him as an important person in Alethi society and probably makes him outrank just about everyone around. 

[dayman]

In my opinion, it would be more interesting if things are surprisingly similar to where he left them and he has to deal with all that in his new situation. I think it's more likely that it'll be the old "you can never really go home" situation (b/c home his gone/changed). 

 

Also, I had forgotten he was even heading home. Is this made clear? It's been a long time...

Edited August 2, 2016 by dayman

[Argel he/him]

Yeah, it's clear. The new Oathbringer chapter just released is specifically about Kaladin heading back to Hearthstone.

[Humpty he/him]

I am hoping he acts like it doesn't even know her (Laral) then right before he leaves says with amusement  "congrats or your marriage"

[Vissy]

That would be way too passive-aggressive for our dear Kaladin.

 

/sarcasm

[goody153]

 I sincerely hope Kaladin brings whoever is left in hearthstone to Urithru and hopefully that means Laral and it plays around his nostalgia and familiarness. I would like to see the reactions of bridge four and maybe Shallan and others who think Kaladin is too busy for woman. Maybe she'll end up as a scribe for him.

I think there'd be conflict with Roshon maybe he'll save him and later let dalinar deal with him. But i heavily doubt Sanderson will reuse the plot of Kaladin struggling with his oath and vengeance though it will probably appear later like wayy later again i suspect.

[Erklitt she/her]

At some time, Kaladin will have to stop considering himself as a slave. I could imagine that facing his past, dealing will all those reunions (pleasant and unpleasant), especially dealing with Roshone in a mature way, might help him there.

[Killik he/him]

His parents may not even be in Heathstone still.  Lirin spoke of leaving the town, but was too emotionally tied to the people there.  

The army must have some kind of record keeping and reporting system on soldier deaths.  I'm sure word has reached home about Tien at this point.  Not sure what it would have said about Kaladin.  Death?  Deserter?  Either way Kal's parents would see it as a loss of both sons and that could certainly have shifted his position on staying put.

[Argel he/him]

3 hours ago, goody153 said:

I sincerely hope Kaladin brings whoever is left in hearthstone to Urithru

Nearest Oathgate is probably Kholinar? And would you trek there without knowing how bad off it is? That's assuming they can get there before the next Everstrom passes through -- they have to assume it will hit again until they know otherwise. So more likely they fortify up. If Kaladin can get enough Stormlight, he could fly ahead to Kholinar to check on it. IIRC, Kaladin knows Dalinar has not heard back from Kholinar, so even though he doesn't know about the riots, he knows something was up before the Everstorm hit them.

[goody153]

32 minutes ago, Argel said:

Nearest Oathgate is probably Kholinar? And would you trek there without knowing how bad off it is? That's assuming they can get there before the next Everstrom passes through -- they have to assume it will hit again until they know otherwise. So more likely they fortify up. If Kaladin can get enough Stormlight, he could fly ahead to Kholinar to check on it. IIRC, Kaladin knows Dalinar has not heard back from Kholinar, so even though he doesn't know about the riots, he knows something was up before the Everstorm hit them.

I'm don't really remember how the map of Stormlight looks like at all. So i suppose it's difficult for this to happen ? what about flying(falling) there? assuming there's another highstorm coming soon oh damnation nevermind he can't bring everybody with him

well whatever i just hope he somehow brings Laral into Urithru .. though i suspect kaladin's trip is short i bet he's gonna go alot of places before going back

Edited August 3, 2016 by goody153

[Toaster Retribution he/him]

The one guy we can be sure about being in Hearthstone is Roshone. He has too much history with Kaladin for them not to have an encounter. And it would add conflict to Kaladins storyline. 

I think its 50/50 on Hesina and Lirin being there. But I am sure that Kaladin will meet at least his father again sometime. Maybe not in Oathbringer, but sometime.

Laral, I think will be there. I think she has some kind of part to play. Wonder if she will have a relationship with Kaladin? 

Kaladin meeting Jasnah (and Hoid), would not surprise me at all. After all, Kaladin and Hoid have a tradition of hanging out together for a story, and I can see that continuing. 

Then, Kaladin is supposed to go to Kholinar. I can see him meeting Jasnah and Hoid there. Alas, he wont be spending the entire book in Hearthstone. Hopefully we will get to see Aesudan as well. I want her too have an actual appearance!

[Pathfinder]

2 hours ago, goody153 said:

I'm don't really remember how the map of Stormlight looks like at all. So i suppose it's difficult for this to happen ? what about flying(falling) there? assuming there's another highstorm coming soon oh damnation nevermind he can't bring everybody with him

well whatever i just hope he somehow brings Laral into Urithru .. though i suspect kaladin's trip is short i bet he's gonna go alot of places before going back

Kholinar is to the south east of Hearthstone. Given that in a preview chapter:

Spoiler

Kaladin states he could have flew from Aladar to Sadeas in minutes (roughly based on my recollection) compared to taking two days of walking

implies to me that aerial travel would be possible. However we do not know how much stormlight it would require for how many people, and how he would control all their gravitational trajectories instead of just setting and forgetting (pointing gravity in a direction, and the person shoots off). There is also the fact that in the preview chapter:

Spoiler

He has run out of all his stormlight and they are undergoing the weeping, so he may or may not be able to get his hands on stormlight for a bit. 

I cannot recall if you could get additional stormlight from the everstorm however. Finally regarding the oath gate, all save Urithuru are locked, and how to unlock them at this moment we do not know how. 

[DSC01 he/him]

I think that it would be interesting if the disarray in Hearthstone (after the Everstorm blows through and gives all the Parshmen Stormform) actually brings out the best in Roshone, and Kaladin finds him governing well for once in his life. It's not that I want him to be redeemed or anything--the guy's a total jerk--but that would be interesting.

The one thing that I'm really hoping does not happen is for Kaladin to find that someone important, whether one or both of his parents, Laral--whoever--is missing, and he decides that he needs to go on a mission to find them. Nothing is more annoying than a subplot that requires a character to put their activities related to the main arc on hold. As much as I like The Wheel of Time, there are hundreds (maybe thousands) of pages dedicated to characters doing anything at all besides what they ought to be doing with the end of the world at hand. That's not to say that I'm opposed to any of the characters being missing; I just don't want Kaladin to put being a Radiant on hold to run around looking for them. 

I also really, really don't want Kaladin to end up in jail again or something like that. He can summon his blade any time he wants, Stormlight or no, so that should be enough to quickly resolve the inevitable confrontation with guys who consider him a lowly Darkeyes and escaped slave to be resolved. I don't want some contrived reason that no one will take him seriously. We've already had two books of Kaladin being largely looked down upon, despite the fact that he is a freaking KNIGHT RADIANT. That's been more than enough, thank you.

[galendo]

On 8/2/2016 at 0:28 PM, thegatorgirl00 said:

If his parents are gone, I wonder if anyone will actually recognize him and believe his story. He left five years ago, and he changed a lot since then. What are the chances that they believe the surgeon's son got slave brands, a shardblade, and became captain of the king's guard? 

Pretty good, I'd say.  Five years isn't really all that long.  I occasionally see people from farther back than that, and while I might not necessarily recognize them at first, as soon as they introduce themselves I immediately see the resemblance.  I'd say it's fair odds that Kaladin might not be recognized if he doesn't introduce himself, but as soon as he does, I doubt there'll be any excuse for mistaken identity.

9 hours ago, Argel said:

Nearest Oathgate is probably Kholinar? And would you trek there without knowing how bad off it is? That's assuming they can get there before the next Everstrom passes through -- they have to assume it will hit again until they know otherwise. So more likely they fortify up. If Kaladin can get enough Stormlight, he could fly ahead to Kholinar to check on it. IIRC, Kaladin knows Dalinar has not heard back from Kholinar, so even though he doesn't know about the riots, he knows something was up before the Everstorm hit them.

Well, maybe.  The thing to remember is that the Everstorm 1) will have already taken them all by surprise, and 2) is coming from the wrong direction anyway.  So really, they might not have much reason to stay where they're at (other than, of course, the fact that it's their home).  It might technically be safer to flee than to try to hunker down in a city that's already been wrecked -- there could be all sorts of hidden structural deficiencies, for instance; buildings just waiting until the next Everstorm to collapse.  Plus, how much work does it take to get a city Highstorm-ready, if you don't have soulcasters?  I'm guessing it takes years.  It's not like Hearthstone has a bunch of ardents with soulcasters who can whip up some defenses in the blink of an eye.

The people of Hearthstone probably don't have years, especially if the Voidbringers are at their door.

Not saying it will happen or it won't, but it's not at all unreasonable to suppose that a significant portion of the population might prefer a city beyond the reach of the storms over one that's been decimated by them, even if getting there's a bit of a risk.  Highstorms can be dangerous, especially in the open, but they're survivable.  Making the trek to Alethkar might actually be less dangerous than staying.  After all, I can't imagine the Everstorm's going to leave much of their crops intact, so even if they stay they're probably looking at starvation in the relatively near future.

5 hours ago, DSC01 said:

The one thing that I'm really hoping does not happen is for Kaladin to find that someone important, whether one or both of his parents, Laral--whoever--is missing, and he decides that he needs to go on a mission to find them. Nothing is more annoying than a subplot that requires a character to put their activities related to the main arc on hold. As much as I like The Wheel of Time, there are hundreds (maybe thousands) of pages dedicated to characters doing anything at all besides what they ought to be doing with the end of the world at hand. That's not to say that I'm opposed to any of the characters being missing; I just don't want Kaladin to put being a Radiant on hold to run around looking for them.

I sort of agree with you that this wouldn't be very exciting, but it's not like it would be out of character, either.  I mean, Kaladin's pretty much a Radiant because he goes around helping people that it's not expedient to assist.  If Kaladin's parents aren't around, I very much expect him to make finding them a priority.  I could even see this leading toward another Ideal, something like "I will help those in front of me" (i.e., rather than neglect them so that he can maybe assist people who he might or might not be able to find and who might or might not need his help anyway.  I haven't worded this very well, but hopefully you get the idea).

But yes, I certainly don't want Kaladin to become Perrin.  (Cue Stormfather voice:) DO YOU HEAR ME, BRANDON SANDERSON?  DO NOT MAKE KALADIN INTO PERRIN!

That should do it.  Brandon wouldn't go against the Stormfather, would he?