Excerpt from Words of Radiance: Chapters Ten, Twelve, Fourteen and Interlude 1

[Kurkistan]

Also on earth animals... didn't someone mention skyeels clutching rats?

 

Rats are like the roaches of the mammals. They can and will live anywhere. Some trade ship with grain from Shinovar probably brought them along at some point, and then the rest was history.

[+eveorjoy]

I am not sure that Kaladin's chapter is the last in part 1 since its chapter 12 and according to the twitter post, there should be 13 chapters, but I agree about the cliff hanger. I wonder what is in the 13th one, especially since according to that post, last chapter is Kaladin's. . Or maybe things changed since the post.

 

Peter explained that Kaladin's 2nd chapter was split at the time of the screen cap. It was put back together in later drafts. There are only 12 chapters in part one.

[Duskshard]

Does no one else think that it can be read as there being 3 dead bodies in Shallans chapter "red carpet once white" 2 women (1 being her mother) and a man?

[Robot Aztec]

ow about what if Amaram apologises to kal when he sses him and says that he is regrets it would be INTERESTING and then question if he si sinecer or if he is faking abecuase kalinar teamup goes good

[Aleksiel]

ow about what if Amaram apologises to kal when he sses him and says that he is regrets it would be INTERESTING and then question if he si sinecer or if he is faking abecuase kalinar teamup goes good

 

Apologizing for something like this is not near enough and I don't think Amaram can redeem himself to Kaladin unless he dies protecting Kal or something. But Amaram didn't lie about how he got the shards, so perhaps he won't deny if Kaladin confronts him. Honestly, what happens between the two of them is what I'm dying to find out.  

[Argent]

The Amaram-Kaladin scene could go a dozen different ways. I fully expect Dalinar to be around too, because his take on the conflict is important to both parties. A Kaladin also has his relationship with Syl, who is probably going to be doing a whole lot of "Kaladin, stop!" and "Kaladin, don't!" In many ways this is going to be an early climax in Words of Radiance.

[The Rooster]

Remeber When Szeth killed the King of Jah Keved?  He was able to do Full Lashings without touching the surface, he thought of it as "Spraying a full lashing".  Tho I'm looking forward to Kaladin earning himself this elite skill, I hate the nomenclature.  Every time it said Szeth sprayed a lashing I pictured him having lashing ducts and shooting stormlight like a skunk...   Gross.  Here's hoping Kaladin has an improved vocabulary over Szeth!

[Shardlight]

I'm new to this place so sorry if I missed this somewhere else, but when Adolin took Salinor's blade Salinor had to touch the gem to release his bondon the blade.

Salinor let the Blade slip from his fingers. Adolin took it and knelt beside Salinor, holding the weapon with pommel toward the man. “Break the bond.”

Salinor hesitated, then touched the ruby at the weapon’s pommel. The gemstone flashed with light. The bond had been broken.

 

 

 

What happened when Kaladin won the blade from the Shardbearer in WoK and then Amaram took it? Did Kaladin have a bond that had to be broken or hadn't a bond been established yet? Does he still have some kind of bond to Amaram's blade?

[The Rooster]

I'm new to this place so sorry if I missed this somewhere else, but when Adolin took Salinor's blade Salinor had to touch the gem to release his bondon the blade.

 

 

What happened when Kaladin won the blade from the Shardbearer in WoK and then Amaram took it? Did Kaladin have a bond that had to be broken or hadn't a bond been established yet? Does he still have some kind of bond to Amaram's blade?

It's most likely auto-broken when the shardholder dies.  Kaladin offed that mofo with a spearhead to the face!.

 

Edit:  Kaladin never touched the blade.  They carried it around on a pillow or blanket.  The gem flashed when Amaram picked it up.

Edited January 29, 2014 by AG Rooster

[Aleksiel]

The Amaram-Kaladin scene could go a dozen different ways. I fully expect Dalinar to be around too, because his take on the conflict is important to both parties. A Kaladin also has his relationship with Syl, who is probably going to be doing a whole lot of "Kaladin, stop!" and "Kaladin, don't!" In many ways this is going to be an early climax in Words of Radiance.

 

I think we will see what happens at first from Dalinar's POV and he won't be able to make sense of what is going on. Didn't he see Kal's glyphs in WoK? He should have warned Kaladin about Amaram. 

 

 

I'm new to this place so sorry if I missed this somewhere else, but when Adolin took Salinor's blade Salinor had to touch the gem to release his bondon the blade.

 

 

What happened when Kaladin won the blade from the Shardbearer in WoK and then Amaram took it? Did Kaladin have a bond that had to be broken or hadn't a bond been established yet? Does he still have some kind of bond to Amaram's blade?

 

Nice catch. I haven't seen a discussion on this.

[Rew]

• Huh. Why are the listeners' genders malen and femalen? What makes them different from male and female? 

 

• Aaand here the genders are male and female. Maybe the previous addition of 'n' at the end of each is just some English quirk.

 

I just read it as an alternate plural ending - similar to, IIRC, how there is a (-n) ending for plurals for some of the other creatures on Roshar - e.g. santhyd - santhydin.  This is just then more pointing to the Listeners as being more native to Roshar than humans? 

 

Question to ask Brandon I guess...

[ccstat]

Does no one else think that it can be read as there being 3 dead bodies in Shallans chapter "red carpet once white" 2 women (1 being her mother) and a man?

I read it as at least 3 bodies, probably more, but with only two gender-specified (i.e. the woman is her mother). She is being carried away by her father, and "in the room behind him, dark corpses stretched out on the floor." A few steps later, she is carried over the unbloodied woman in white (her mother). I can't tell if "the man who bled" is there next to Shallan's mother or if he is one of the corpses already mentioned.

 

• Huh. Why are the listeners' genders malen and femalen? What makes them different from male and female?
• Aaand here the genders are male and female. Maybe the previous addition of 'n' at the end of each is just some English quirk.

I just read it as an alternate plural ending

I agree with Morsk's post on the previous page--gender characteristics are suppressed or latent except in mateform, so other forms receive a different designation. I interpret it loosely as "male-ish and female-ish".

Edited January 29, 2014 by ccstat

[Isomere]

It would be very appropriate if Adolin becomes Kal's sparing partner. Given how hard Szeth had to work to kill Gavilar, I'd assume a consummate duelist in full plate would give Kaladin a run for his money.

[Shardlight]

It's most likely auto-broken when the shardholder dies.  Kaladin offed that mofo with a spearhead to the face!.

 

Edit:  Kaladin never touched the blade.  They carried it around on a pillow or blanket.  The gem flashed when Amaram picked it up.

 

Cool, thanks for finding that. I guess that answers that question.

[dionysus]

Have we discussed the revelations about the Shattered Plains much? 

 

 

They marched over the uneven surface of the plateaus and saw only natural rock, never knowing that they traversed the bones of a city long dead.

 

 After so many years, there wasn’t much left. Ruins of ruins, one might call them. The works of men and listeners alike did not last long before the might of the highstorms.

 

The storms were unpredictable. Sometimes huge sections of rock would break free from formations, leaving gouges and jagged edges. Other times, spires would stand for centuries, growing—not shrinking—as the winds both weathered and augmented them.

 

 

If the entire Shattered Plains were one city that must have been one huge city. Like a city so big the technology we see in Stormlight Archive so far couldn't possibly sustain it. (Though Soulcasting food would probably solve alot of the input problems to the city.) Also interesting that this city was both human and Parshendi, though maybe not necessarily at the same time.

 

Archaelogists would feel like they had died and gone to heaven if they could study Rosharian ruins. Crem really is amazing.

Edited January 29, 2014 by dionysus

[ccstat]

Much of the Shattered Plains had once been populated, but the largest city had been here at the center. So now the ruins of her people made their home in the ruins of a dead city.

I think that means multiple cities or at least towns near each other, but not a sprawling metropolis.

[dionysus]

I think that means multiple cities or at least towns near each other, but not a sprawling metropolis.

 

Possibly. Deep down I hope that the plateaus themselves are the crem covered ruins, and not stuff on the plateaus. Like each plateau is a irregularly shaped city block with centuries of crem deposits and wind erosion.

Edited January 29, 2014 by dionysus

[ChocolateRob]

The problem with Sigzil's test is he wasn't prepared to take quantitative measurements. He needs to study how stormlight is stored in the gemstones and maybe bring something to measure time next time.

 

He is a pioneer in a field of study that has not existed in 4000 years if it ever existed. He will get the hang of it. I hope this is not the last we see of his research. I'd be happy with pictures of his notes if nothing else.

 

Hmmm, how to improve his quantifying?

 

First off, let's try timing. How about you try song? With a group of people singing the same song you can use measures of verses, lines and words with some accuracy, just pick a nice repetitive song. What is the Alethi equivalent of ten green bottles or 12 days of christmas? (or I know a song that will get on your nerves).

 

Next you need ten freshly infused clearchips, try to get them from all around the camp and of different ages if possible (to randomize the chances that they were not manufactured together).

 

The last element would be ten objects of the same standardized weight. Whatever the Alethi would use to weigh grain or some such, call it 1 Rosharan Kilogram weight or 1RKG. Random rocks would be far too imprecise.

 

OK, begin the first experiment. Quality -

Start the team singing the 'ten days of weeping' and infuse a new weight to the wall at the start of each line, wait until they start to fall off. Do they all fall at perfectly timed intervals in the order they were attached? If so it would appear that each chip has an equally measured amount of stormlight in it. The quality of the cut seems irrelevant but feel free to try again with larger amounts of chips. If they fall off more randomly then it would appear that there are differences between chips, in this case you need to repeat the experiment until you find a control group that attach the weights for the same amount of time.

Hopefully though quality will prove to be a very minor factor if one at all, otherwise you may need to find a control group for each experiment.

 

Experiment 2. Time -

This time infuse a weight to the wall every day at the same time until the last of the spheres go dun by themselves. Did they remain for the same amount of verses/time each day or for progressively shorter periods in a measurable arc.

 

Ex3. Size - compare chips, marks and broams. Does one broam hold the same amount as 20 chips?

Ex4. Type - compare chips of each type of sphere. Are they equal? Is one type stronger? Does each have it's own strength? Are you going to break the economy by only ever using diamonds thereby increasing their value?

Ex5. Surface Area - does a 1rkg ball fall off faster than a 1rkg cube?

Ex6. SquareCube Law? - Do 2 chipsworth hold a 2rkg weight for the same length of time as 1 chipsworth holds 1rkg? Do 2 chipsworth hold 1rkg for twice as long as 1 chipsworth does? Is Syl messing with the experiments for fun when you aren't paying attention?

 

Probably all very boring but that's research for you. Get on with it Sig.

[Moogle]

Good thoughts there, ChocolateRob.

 

The thing I'm interested most in is Stormlight decay rate. Do all spheres go dun 4 days from the time they were infused? What's the relationship between gem size, Stormlight-stored, and Stormlight decay? Assuming the amount of Stormlight used on a Full Lashing and the length of the Lashing follows a linear relationship (you'd want to find a way to verify this), you should be capable of gleaning the relationship between gem size and the other things with a lot of testing and recharging.

[TomR]

Possibly. Deep down I hope that the plateaus themselves are the crem covered ruins, and not stuff on the plateaus. Like each plateau is a irregularly shaped city block with centuries of crem deposits and wind erosion.

 

Something I noticed on my latest re-read, when Dalinar has the vision of Nohadon, it starts out with him looking at the room he's in: "The ceiling was far above, carved from the rock in geometric patterns that looked faintly familiar. Circles connected by lines, spreading outward from one another…"

 

At the time I was wondering if it was meant to be a map of the Shattered Plains, if the circles were plateaus and the lines were permanent bridges they put up way back when.  I'd pretty much forgotten about it until seeing the Eshonai chapter again, though.

[Moogle]

Something I noticed on my latest re-read, when Dalinar has the vision of Nohadon, it starts out with him looking at the room he's in: "The ceiling was far above, carved from the rock in geometric patterns that looked faintly familiar. Circles connected by lines, spreading outward from one another…"

 

At the time I was wondering if it was meant to be a map of the Shattered Plains, if the circles were plateaus and the lines were permanent bridges they put up way back when.  I'd pretty much forgotten about it until seeing the Eshonai chapter again, though.

 

Sounds more like the Surgebinding chart.

[Shardlet]

Sounds more like the Surgebinding chart.

 

Less likely to my mind.  He recognized the KR symbol (well, what became the KR symbol) that Nohadon was wearing.  Seems like he would have likewise recognized the pattern on the ceiling if it was the same. 

[kkchaitu]

It's most likely auto-broken when the shardholder dies.  Kaladin offed that mofo with a spearhead to the face!.

 

Edit:  Kaladin never touched the blade.  They carried it around on a pillow or blanket.  The gem flashed when Amaram picked it up.

 

I completely overlooked that gem flashing thing there. Now I have to go back and read the chapter where Dalinar gives up his blade to Sadeas and see what happened there. Thanks for pointing this out.

[Duskshard]

Good thoughts there, ChocolateRob.

 

The thing I'm interested most in is Stormlight decay rate. Do all spheres go dun 4 days from the time they were infused? What's the relationship between gem size, Stormlight-stored, and Stormlight decay? Assuming the amount of Stormlight used on a Full Lashing and the length of the Lashing follows a linear relationship (you'd want to find a way to verify this), you should be capable of gleaning the relationship between gem size and the other things with a lot of testing and recharging.

 

Judging by the quote from Shallan below, I would say that spheres (at least some denomination of sphere) last a good bit more that 4 days.

 

 

Shallan fished in the pocket inside her safehand sleeve, digging out some more spheres to replace those dimming in the goblet. The ones her hand emerged with, however, were completely dun. Not a glimmer of Light in them.

She frowned. These had been restored during the previous highstorm, held in a basket tied to the ship’s mast. The ones in her goblet were two storms old now, which was why they were running out. How had the ones in her pocket gone dun faster? It defied reason.

 

 

 

To get a rough idea of how long her spheres held the stormlight we need to get a rough idea of how often highstorms occur. Do we have an answer for that?

 

I don't believe that they've experienced 2 highstorms in only 4 days, that just doesn't seem likely to me. 

[Moogle]

Less likely to my mind.  He recognized the KR symbol (well, what became the KR symbol) that Nohadon was wearing.  Seems like he would have likewise recognized the pattern on the ceiling if it was the same. 

 

It seems quite likely Nohadon would have been wearing the same symbol as the one on the ceiling. It's also likely that modern times have simplified the Surgebinding chart. What confused Dalinar were the lines connecting everything. The Double Eye of the Almighty is likely just eight spheres surrounding two 'pupils'.