Kholinar Surgebinders [WoR spoilers]

[+robardin he/him]

So Dalinar is a Bondsmith. Renarin is a Truthwatcher. Jasnah is an Elsecaller. And it seems pretty likely that Gavilar had been getting the proto-Bondsmith treatment with the visions and all, whether from the Stormfather or another spren.

Elhokar mentioned to Kaladin that "when he [Kaladin] came, the shadows went away", which could be a spren like what Shallan perceived Pattern to be early on (maybe moving on to a different target person?), similar to the "shadows" that Gaz thinks he sees in his blind spots (due to missing an eye, or is it...?), or something else entirely (...of Voidspren...?).

But Adolin seems unlikely to be a KR, who were all "broken" before bonding a spren, as Syl put it, and as WoB have implied.

We'll never know what Gavilar may have gotten broken over (guilt?), and any darkness is Jasnah's  past is as yet unknown, but Dalinar was certainly "broken" by the loss of his wife, and then his brother. Renarin has epilepsy and all sorts of self-image problems as a result. And we can see from his drunken ramblings to Kaladin at the end of WoR that Elhokar has massive (well-earned) self-image issues as well.

Adolin, though, seems the epitome of "I'm sexy and I know it". (Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle... Yeah...)

What's to become of him? Can he be the only Kholinar (by blood) who is not potentially a Surgebinder? His spontaneous offing of Sadeas in a side corridor is certainly something neither a Windrunner or Skybreaker would condone.

 

 

[Faceless Mist-Wraith he/him]

It's not entirely unlikely that Adolin could become a Radiant. Brandon has said that there are some orders who would approve of his actions. Maybe killing Sadeas will be the event that "breaks" him, allowing a spren bond to form. On the other hand, 4 Kholin Radiants already seems like a bit much to me. We may find out in Oathbringer.

[A Budgie she/her]

Yeah, I've heard of what Brandon said, and a lot of people tend to assume that it means Adolin will be a radiant. That is a bit much though, because I seem to remember hearing somewhere that he wanted the Knights Radiant to be unlike the typical white, male, chivalrous knights of stories. I'm pretty sure that was mentioned in the coppermind wiki- that was part of the reason for Lift, because she's so unlike that trope. Here's the link for that, by the way, if you want to confirm: http://www.theoryland.com/intvmain.php?i=1112#28
So that makes it sound like Brandon wants to have the Knights Radiant quite diverse, which they are so far. I think adding in Adolin as well as the rest (plus you mentioned potentially Elhokar could be one too) would be a bit of a stretch for that idea.
He still could be a Radiant, but personally I kind of hope not.

[maxal she/her]

1 hour ago, robardin said:

Adolin, though, seems the epitome of "I'm sexy and I know it". (Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle... Yeah...)

What's to become of him? Can he be the only Kholinar (by blood) who is not potentially a Surgebinder? His spontaneous offing of Sadeas in a side corridor is certainly something neither a Windrunner or Skybreaker would condone.

This is a rather simplistic view of Adolin... There is more to him than just being sexy.

9 minutes ago, A Budgie said:

Yeah, I've heard of what Brandon said, and a lot of people tend to assume that it means Adolin will be a radiant. That is a bit much though, because I seem to remember hearing somewhere that he wanted the Knights Radiant to be unlike the typical white, male, chivalrous knights of stories. I'm pretty sure that was mentioned in the coppermind wiki- that was part of the reason for Lift, because she's so unlike that trope. Here's the link for that, by the way, if you want to confirm: http://www.theoryland.com/intvmain.php?i=1112#28
So that makes it sound like Brandon wants to have the Knights Radiant quite diverse, which they are so far. I think adding in Adolin as well as the rest (plus you mentioned potentially Elhokar could be one too) would be a bit of a stretch for that idea.
He still could be a Radiant, but personally I kind of hope not.

Then this would make an argument for Adolin to become a Radiant: if Brandon is looking for diversity, then he can't just pick disparate people. If all the ones he picks are the street urchins, the poor people, the lowly and/or the outsiders, then he isn't making them diverse, he is merely making another trope.

For my part, I want the best possible story arc for Adolin and I wouldn't want the author to pass down on a great one just because it would be more convenient if Adolin didn't make it. I love the Stormlight Archive because Adolin is a character in it, so my personal wishes would be for him to find a way to grow in a satisfying manner, despite all the negative odds being stacked against him. I want his story arc to be compelling, interesting, ground-breaking, amazing in part because his characters deals with other aspects than the very typical "hero's journey". It make him stand out and it makes him more interesting to readers such as myself whom have started to believe hero's journey tends to be repetitive. Thus, if finding his own way puts him on the path towards Radianhood, then I am all for it. If it brings him elsewhere, then I am all for it, providing it makes up for an equally satisfying story arc which I currently doubt, but we will have to wait and see.

[+robardin he/him]

1 hour ago, Faceless Mist-Wraith said:

It's not entirely unlikely that Adolin could become a Radiant. Brandon has said that there are some orders who would approve of his actions. Maybe killing Sadeas will be the event that "breaks" him, allowing a spren bond to form. On the other hand, 4 Kholin Radiants already seems like a bit much to me. We may find out in Oathbringer.

I kind of hope so. I like Adolin, and I'd imagine it would be a little upsetting to him to find literally everyone in his immediate family were Radiant but him.

I like the idea that him "snapping" and killing Sadeas could be him... Snapping, so to speak. I hadn't read that Brandon mentioned that action being in line with some other Orders.

 

[Fallen_Ash]

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But Adolin seems unlikely to be a KR, who were all "broken" before bonding a spren, as Syl put it, and as WoB have implied.

I'm reading WoR for the third time, and I feel really dumb for not figuring this out before. Do all people need to "break" before they become Surgebinders, to let the investiture manifest, just like they need to Snap on Scadrial? It makes total sense, but I've never thought about it that way before (I guess when Syl said "They were all broken" I took it more in the figurative sense. Silly me.)

I personally think Adolin is more likely to become a KR than Elhokar, because I can't imagine Elhokar sticking to any oaths or thinking unselfishly. If Adolin gets chosen by an order because of what he did to Sadeas, I can see that order being totally at odds with Kaladin and Dalinar, since they would not likely approve of Adolin's method of justice. I think such division in the ranks would be a fantastic added challenge. They're all trying to work together to stop Odium, but they also have to deal with the fact that they have wildly different views of morality. 

As to what order he could be, I'm kind of leaning towards Stonewards, since he is prettt stubborn in general, and his actions could be seen as taking care of the dirty but necessary job that no one else would do. He's very upfront and forthright, and he's a soldier. He would belong to an order that takes action, rather than using sneakier methods or trying for diplomacy. (I think Dustbringers is another popular option but I don't know enough about them to say.)

[Meganagem]

Ooooooh. I have to say that the minute Adolin broke/snapped and killed Sadeas I thought for the first time that he may become Radiant!

I thought, "Here's something that can make or break him, that will define the rest of his path." 

Sadeas attempted to murder Dalinar and/or Adolin a few times. Surely there's something in that, to justify his actions in taking his life. Or would we all prefer that he did it the Alethi way and waited on a formally pronounced dual or something? " Upright, forthright, soldier" sounds like a handy sort of Knight. 

Elhokar. Storms, I love him now. Did his spren leave him because of his jealousy towards Kaladin? Something about Kal changed something within Elhokar which changed the behavior of the spren. I don't know nearly enough about the orders to even know if such a thing is likely or possible. Reminds me of Syl leaving Kaladin when he wasn't living up to his oath..... 

 

 

 

[maxal she/her]

2 hours ago, Fallen_Ash said:

I'm reading WoR for the third time, and I feel really dumb for not figuring this out before. Do all people need to "break" before they become Surgebinders, to let the investiture manifest, just like they need to Snap on Scadrial? It makes total sense, but I've never thought about it that way before (I guess when Syl said "They were all broken" I took it more in the figurative sense. Silly me.)

I personally think Adolin is more likely to become a KR than Elhokar, because I can't imagine Elhokar sticking to any oaths or thinking unselfishly. If Adolin gets chosen by an order because of what he did to Sadeas, I can see that order being totally at odds with Kaladin and Dalinar, since they would not likely approve of Adolin's method of justice. I think such division in the ranks would be a fantastic added challenge. They're all trying to work together to stop Odium, but they also have to deal with the fact that they have wildly different views of morality. 

As to what order he could be, I'm kind of leaning towards Stonewards, since he is prettt stubborn in general, and his actions could be seen as taking care of the dirty but necessary job that no one else would do. He's very upfront and forthright, and he's a soldier. He would belong to an order that takes action, rather than using sneakier methods or trying for diplomacy. (I think Dustbringers is another popular option but I don't know enough about them to say.)

People need to be broken to receive the Nahel bond as they need to have the required cracks within the soul in order to accept the investiture. In other words, the spren fills in the gaps, the cracks as the knight progress towards full Radianhood. What we do not know is how much "brokenness" one needs to have in order to be a suitable vessel for the Nahel bond. Kaladin and Shallan's backstories have both been horrible which tends to have us, readers, think life threatening tragedies need to happen in order for someone to break enough for a bond to happen. However lesser knights such as Renarin and Jasnah seem to indicate one needs not to have been physically/mentally tortured in order to be deemed suitable, but this has yet to be confirmed. It isn't currently entirely clear, but most of us believe a soul can be broken by a variety of events which may or may not involve physical pain.

For my part, I tend to see proto-knights as people standing at a cross-roads and being faced with a choice: give up, take the easy way out or stand up and fight for something bigger than oneself. For instance, Kaladin chose to give up the Shards, chose a life of misery as a bridgemen as opposed to an easy death, chose to fight for their freedom even knowing his chances of success weren't that high. Shallan ultimately chose to tell the truth, to make a leap of faith and to grow into the woman she needed to be to figure out the location of Urithiru. Dalinar chose to stand by old written words of honor in a country were selfishness rules and when all laughed of him, calling him weak, he stood up strong. Lift chose to help the neglected, the forgotten even if it meant losing her life.

They all made choices, hard choices, choices which cost them something but, in the end, they did it because it was the right thing for them to do. This cross-road, this moment where one has to make a difficult choice forms what I would refer to as "brokenness". A choice isn't hard if you do not lose something by making it. 

Adolin, I think, is standing right there. He made a choice, a hard one, a difficult one because it goes against everything he has been taught, it goes against the rules the father he loves and worships has imposed onto him, but it was, ultimately, possibly, the right one. In other words, Adolin more or less created his own cross-road where he has to choose which man he wants to be and while this man might not end up being a Radiant, this man certainly isn't the man Dalinar tried to shape out of him.

I too cannot imagine Elhokar as a Radiant as I too cannot see him stop behaving in a selfish way. I do not believe the sprens he sees are visiting him to grant him a Nahel bond as nothing in his personality and actions seem to indicate he has a potential there, not when he is so set onto his own personal glory. I personally feel dissension within the Kholin family would be extremely interesting to read and I have always pinned Elhokar as being the "kid" Dalinar vouched too strongly for, the one he loves too much, in a blind way while Adolin is the one he has the hardest time having real emotions for. Since I read The Thrill (spoilers for Dalinar's flashbacks here, do not read if you do not want to know),

Spoiler

I suspect it might be because Adolin resembles the mother Dalinar hated

, but we have yet to read more onto this particular story. This strikes me as an interesting conflict as Dalinar would be forced to chose which "kid" he'll ultimately listen/protect: the one he has transferred the love/guilt for his dead brother on to the point of not seeing his wrongs or the one he has been known to be cold/hard for fear he might do wrong if given any leeway. 

Stonewards however aren't one of my top picks for Adolin. Based on the little we know of them, they were soldiers known to "stand" when all else failed. They were stubborn and they would defend a "dangerous pass" to the cost of their life if need be which quite frankly does not seem to be Adolin's type. I think we must keep in mind Adolin never wanted to be soldier, this has never been a choice career for him and his battle scenes read very differently than Dalinar's where everything is about the killing, the massacre and the Thrill. Adolin's are about fighting down the Thrill, trying to keep a cool head and figuring out the best way to win a battle without losing too many men. In other words, fighting is a game of the mind for him, not a game of brawn. Adolin would also never purposefully trap his men into a lost battle: as long as he has a way out, he'd take it once he decides he can't win. He isn't prideful nor nearly stubborn enough to just stay and die. We see it during the 4 on 1 duel: while he is willing to fight it, he isn't willing to die just to avoid having to step out and admit defeat.

As strange as it might sound, I'd say Adolin probably is an "intellectual soldier": he thinks with his head whenever stuck in a battle more than he thinks with his physical strength. All his battles have been about him outwitting his enemy: doesn't strike me as a Stoneward. He sincerely falls more inline with Cultivation aligned orders.

Edited December 29, 2016 by maxal

[Fallen_Ash]

26 minutes ago, maxal said:

However lesser knights such as Renarin and Jasnah seem to indicate one needs not to have been physically/mentally tortured in order to be deemed suitable, but this has yet to be confirmed. It isn't currently entirely clear, but most of us believe a soul can be broken by a variety of events which may or may not involve physical pain.

I don't know what's going on in Renarin's mind, but as to Jasnah's "brokenness" I think there's a clue in her reaction to killing the men in the alleyway. Shallan even thinks "What happened to this woman?" implying Jasnah may have been severely (physically or emotionally) injured by the type of men she killed. If that's the case, she's managed to grow from it and become a strong, self-assured woman (on the outside) but she also cuts herself off from feeling, and as her behavior towards the rapists suggests, she has not gotten over whatever happened to her. 

Quote

In other words, fighting is a game of the mind for him, not a game of brawn. Adolin would also never purposefully trap his men into a lost battle: as long as he has a way out, he'd take it once he decides he can't win. He isn't prideful nor nearly stubborn enough to just stay and die. We see it during the 4 on 1 duel: while he is willing to fight it, he isn't willing to die just to avoid having to step out and admit defeat.

As strange as it might sound, I'd say Adolin probably is an "intellectual soldier": he thinks with his head whenever stuck in a battle more than he thinks with his physical strength. All his battles have been about him outwitting his enemy: doesn't strike me as a Stoneward. He sincerely falls more inline with Cultivation aligned orders.

I can definitely see that. You're right; he is an intelligent fighter. He's all about strategy in his duels, and it pays off. And he was prepared to surrender during the disadvantaged duel (good thing he couldn't because then we wouldn't have gotten the "Honor is dead. But I'll see what I can do" line that made me cry while reading at work). 

As for known spren who don't seem to mind murder for a good cause, we have cryptics and inkspren. In terms of power, are you thinking Adolin might be an Edgedancer, with their "elegant, graceful deadliness"? And then obviously Dustbringers, which are also fighters and share a surge with Edgedancers. 

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I too cannot imagine Elhokar as a Radiant as I too cannot see him stop behaving in a selfish way. I do not believe the sprens he sees are visiting him to grant him a Nahel bond as nothing in his personality and actions seem to indicate he has a potential there, not when he is so set onto his own personal glory.

Yeah, he acts like he's seeing cryptics like Shallan did, and they might be drawn to his lies, but I don't think he has what it takes to face his truth like Shallan did. 

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Since I read The Thrill (spoilers for Dalinar's flashbacks here, do not read if you do not want to know)

What is this and how do I read it.

I personally think Dalinar vs. Adolin would be more compelling because Dalinar already knows that Elhokar is an idiot and I can't really see him being that big of a threat in the future. With the Everstorm coming and Odium raining down, Elhokar childishness feels like something that can be put on the back burner. 

[maxal she/her]

53 minutes ago, Fallen_Ash said:

I don't know what's going on in Renarin's mind, but as to Jasnah's "brokenness" I think there's a clue in her reaction to killing the men in the alleyway. Shallan even thinks "What happened to this woman?" implying Jasnah may have been severely (physically or emotionally) injured by the type of men she killed. If that's the case, she's managed to grow from it and become a strong, self-assured woman (on the outside) but she also cuts herself off from feeling, and as her behavior towards the rapists suggests, she has not gotten over whatever happened to her. 

That's the thing, we do not know. Until we do know, we are within the realm of pure speculation. Something terrible might have happened to her or perhaps to her former ward, we haven't been privy to any of the details. 

53 minutes ago, Fallen_Ash said:

I can definitely see that. You're right; he is an intelligent fighter. He's all about strategy in his duels, and it pays off. And he was prepared to surrender during the disadvantaged duel (good thing he couldn't because then we wouldn't have gotten the "Honor is dead. But I'll see what I can do" line that made me cry while reading at work). 

As for known spren who don't seem to mind murder for a good cause, we have cryptics and inkspren. In terms of power, are you thinking Adolin might be an Edgedancer, with their "elegant, graceful deadliness"? And then obviously Dustbringers, which are also fighters and share a surge with Edgedancers. 

When Dalinar fights, it is all about strength, about being bigger, meaner, stronger than the opponent. It also is about creating as much damage as possible while Adolin is about being smarter. I find it an interesting distinction in between father and son. Adolin is smart, smarter than Dalinar, but he hasn't been trained to use his mind outside the battlefield.

I am certainly thinking Adolin should be an Edgedancer, all that with his Blade and everything, but mostly because I find their overall behavior fits better with his character. I can see Adolin doing all he can to help/save others, I can see him momentarily forget the larger scale plan because he spontaneously took notice of an injustice (Kaladin being sent to prison for instance). I can see him growing in to become an odd mix in between the deadly, the gracious and the elegant while I do feel a smart intellectual spren would do wonders with him, much more than a battle oriented one. Adolin just always goes for the unexpected, the life turning action, the one liner which wasn't script for him and whenever I read his character, I read the classic rich boy being forced into being the heir of a fortune while slowly starting to have issues dealing with all of those expectations being placed on him. I find it a fascinating trope as such characters always have interesting unexpected growth. 

Dustbringer used to be a contender, but I do not personally consider it an option anymore. Adolin might be brave and obedient, but his greatest moments are those where he chose to not be brave nor obedient which to me highlights quite well his unsuitability for this order. Killing Sadeas was also about disobedience, it was about breaking down the life which was set out for him. It was about change being brought forward in the worst possible way. 

And I really, really want to read about it.

54 minutes ago, Fallen_Ash said:

What is this and how do I read it.

I personally think Dalinar vs. Adolin would be more compelling because Dalinar already knows that Elhokar is an idiot and I can't really see him being that big of a threat in the future. With the Everstorm coming and Odium raining down, Elhokar childishness feels like something that can be put on the back burner. 

The first four flashback chapters for Dalinar which are available in Unfettered II. They are really good. 

I think Dalinar is completely blinded when it comes to Elhokar and he truly sees him as something he is not. There's the whole rich family relationships: as the heir, Adolin gets to hardness, the strictness while as the younger son, Renarin gets the love and the care. Elhokar, as the beloved nephew of a man Dalinar feels guilty over, well he gets the easy way out, but then again, there isn't much Dalinar could have done except take over the kingdom and for all his wrongs, this would have been terrible. Elhokar is not a bad king, he isn't a great one, but he isn't terrible either. He might just be what they need, in a weird way, but I have always felt Dalinar had a harder time expressing his softer feelings when it comes to Adolin. He is cold for his eldest son, disinterested and seems to see him as someone he needs fit within a square box.

 

[Watchcry he/him]

I feel Adolin is a perfect fit to become a Willshaper. He's always off on exploration missions of late. He is his own person and has his own way of doing things. He is also pretty resolute but also erratic at times. 

Edited December 30, 2016 by ANRILU
Misspoken phrase

[Tarion]

I've been re-reading Way of Kings with the idea that Adolin's sword was originally a Cultivationspren like Wyndle and that he could potentially reawaken it.

And while he's not there yet, I think he's on the way to being an Edgedancer. 

Twice he's gone out of his way to act in ways that fit with the "I will remember those that have been forgotten" Oath. When he protects the whore from Sadeas' officer, and when he is imprisoned alongside Kaladin. He's someone who, at his best, defends the overlooked. 

His passion is duelling, despite the war going on. This fits with the Edgedancer tendency to focus on small things rather than more important things. 

He's also described as graceful a lot which seems to fit with the Edgedancers.

Finally, there's the weird obsession with luck and lucky objects that both he and Lift have  

[maxal she/her]

19 minutes ago, Tarion said:

I've been re-reading Way of Kings with the idea that Adolin's sword was originally a Cultivationspren like Wyndle and that he could potentially reawaken it.

And while he's not there yet, I think he's on the way to being an Edgedancer. 

Twice he's gone out of his way to act in ways that fit with the "I will remember those that have been forgotten" Oath. When he protects the whore from Sadeas' officer, and when he is imprisoned alongside Kaladin. He's someone who, at his best, defends the overlooked. 

His passion is duelling, despite the war going on. This fits with the Edgedancer tendency to focus on small things rather than more important things. 

He's also described as graceful a lot which seems to fit with the Edgedancers.

Finally, there's the weird obsession with luck and lucky objects that both he and Lift have  

Good. This is very, very good. It is easy to overlook those small things happening with Adolin, but I too have found re-reads tend to highlight the signs he might end up being a good fit, even if he has a great deal lot of work left to be done. I like you noticed the obsession over luck or the strange believe into weird superstition most likely because they are reassuring. It is a hard one to catch.

Here are a few others for you, but it contains Edgedancer spoilers, so I'll put them within spoiler tags.

Spoiler

 

Lift refuses to learn how to read. The Vizirs, back in Azir, tried to teach her, but she always seemed to wander elsewhere, to not listen instead of focusing on learning. However, she ends up being pointed at for her ignorance and now she is back in Azir, I suspect she might make a bigger effort to learn. This being said, despite her lack of formal education and her inability to read, she comes across as a rather smart kid.

Adolin refused to learn how to read glyphs stating it never seemed important to him. Surely he has lessons, but it appears those didn't work out so well as he comes across as practically illiterate. Despite this, Adolin has shown his smartness throughout his strategy making and his quick thinking when put through harsh situations.

Lift ran away from Azir because she feared other people's expectations would turn her into someone she is not. 

Adolin grew up in a palace and has grown up into being exactly what other people expect of him. His entire behavior tends to be about him trying to be exactly who his interlocutor expects to see. It might be why he sounds so at ease with Kaladin, because Kaladin does not expect anything out of him.

Both characters have a hard time juggling with how other people perceive them, both fearing losing themselves out of endless effort to please. Lift sees and fears it. Adolin never got the chance to see it: he grew up into it. Expectations were placed on him even before he was born, hence he became what was asked of him which clashes with who he feels he should be. The small stances he makes are him being him just as the small stances Lift is making are her being her.

 

I see a lot of similitude in between both characters, but Lift is having an easier growth into Radianhoofd because her past as a street urchin makes it easier for her. Adolin has to process the fact he is the heir of an entire princedom, the set of rules the father he worships wants him to follow, societal expectations wanting him to be someone he might not be and so on before he can start growing into a Radian.

He might never make it. He has too much left to learn and he doesn't evolve into the right environment to learn.

[Yezrien]

I'd love to see Adolin join one of the less combat-oriented orders. He's built his whole identity as a warrior, and I think his self-worth is tied to his amazing talent for violence. It would take some impressive growth and perspective-shifting for him to find fulfillment outside of battle. And that'll be a cool subversion to the whole 'patriarchal teutonic knight' cliche.

His breaking will probably be a direct result of murdering Sadeas. The honorable people, like Dalinar and Kaladin, will turn against him. He might even lose his shards. Stripped of all his strength, his friends, and his identity, he'll hit rock bottom, and confess that he made a mistake. That some problems can't be solved by violence. Somehow, he'll pledge to never do that again, and that'll turn out to be one of his KR mantras. Maybe from an order we haven't seen yet.

[elezraita he/him]

I suspect that Renarin has had certain internal struggles over the years that have left him broken enough to be susceptible to the Nahel bond. As a character from a different book from a different author once said:

"Teccam explains there are two types of secrets. There are secrets of the mouth and secrets of the heart.

Most secrets are secrets of the mouth. Gossip shared and small scandals whispered. There secrets long to be let loose upon the world. A secret of the mouth is like a stone in your boot. At first you’re barely aware of it. Then it grows irritating, then intolerable. Secrets of the mouth grow larger the longer you keep them, swelling until they press against your lips. They fight to be let free.

Secrets of the heart are different. They are private and painful, and we want nothing more than to hide them from the world. They do not swell and press against the mouth. They live in the heart, and the longer they are kept, the heavier they become.

Teccam claims it is better to have a mouthful of poison than a secret of the heart. Any fool will spit out poison, he says, but we hoard these painful treasures. We swallow hard against them every day, forcing them deep inside us. They they sit, growing heavier, festering. Given enough time, they cannot help but crush the heart that holds them."

That truth may apply here...Who knows, though? Maybe there was some hugely traumatic event that caused Renarin to snap, and we just haven't seen it yet.

[maxal she/her]

40 minutes ago, Belzedar said:

I'd love to see Adolin join one of the less combat-oriented orders. He's built his whole identity as a warrior, and I think his self-worth is tied to his amazing talent for violence. It would take some impressive growth and perspective-shifting for him to find fulfillment outside of battle. And that'll be a cool subversion to the whole 'patriarchal teutonic knight' cliche.

His breaking will probably be a direct result of murdering Sadeas. The honorable people, like Dalinar and Kaladin, will turn against him. He might even lose his shards. Stripped of all his strength, his friends, and his identity, he'll hit rock bottom, and confess that he made a mistake. That some problems can't be solved by violence. Somehow, he'll pledge to never do that again, and that'll turn out to be one of his KR mantras. Maybe from an order we haven't seen yet.

I think Adolin has been built for others to view him as a soldier, a warrior, but his inner monologue speaks of someone different. Dalinar has hinted in WoK Adolin did not enjoy the warfare. I have always took it Adolin's growth, if it happens, would happen outside the battle field.