Thoughts, Theories, and Ideas

[Ineffable]

Okay, so I'm not sure if any of these things have been posted yet, seeing that I didn't scroll through all 4k+ posts, but I have a few thoughts. I'm rereading TWOK again, for the 100+ time, in anticipation for Oathbringer. Here's what I've been thinking so far, (since I haven't gotten very far due to work and life on this current reread):

~ How did the Radiants use ShardPlates if the Stormlight interfered with their powers?

~ Voidbringers are said to be made of stone, but Parshendi aren't made of stone. The preface mentions something of "thunderclasts", we haven't been introduced to them yet.

~ The ten people in the beginning of the first book are the Ten Heralds. Why would the Vorin people worship them if they abandoned them?

~ How are the Heralds connected to the Desolations? Why would they be tortured after each one?

~Elhokar sees Cryptics -he mentions something about "many lines for a head" and confuses them with assassins in the shadows. What could he possibly be hiding that would attract a Cryptic to him?

So far that's it for my current position (although the last one is from memory and not where I'm up to. I'm not even positive it's in TWOK and instead in WOR.)

[Hyarmenatan]

Hi, majority of this has already been theorized, but to sum it up for you :

1) The exact mechaninc of Shardplate creation is not yet revieled. One of the theories about it is that each part of a Shardplate is made of a separate minor spren, like windspren. Another theory states that it is purely artificial construct created by forming stormlight into the shape of Shardplate. If it was artificial creation that had been damaged, it would likely seek for sources of stormlight to rebuild itself. Did you refer to the certain part of Plate stealing Stormlight from a certain Radiant? 

2) There are likely more than only one type of Voidbringers - you mentioned thunderclasts and Parshendi yourself, and thunderclasts are (possibly) made of stone only. Also, Parshendi's skin is described to be like marble. Maybe it simply only looks like a stone, and in legends it had been twistetd that it actually is stone?

3) Vorin religion worships them, because Heralds lied to the people. Vorinism believes Heralds are no longer around, because after the Last Desolation Voidbringers are finally pushed away from Roshar and Heralds followed them to the Tranquiline Halls to reclaim the long lost paradise too. That's the Vorin doctrine. 

4) We don't know yet. One of the theories I support is that Cryptics are very well organized and thorough in their actions and they simply like to stick around people of importance to watch them and be aware of what is going on the the Physical Realm. 

 

Also, welcome to the Shard! 

[Ineffable]

Ah okay. I always thought Parshendi skin to be described as "marble" due to the patterns being marbled, like a marbled steak or marble stone variances. Their "armor" has always been described as carapace, which as I'm sure you know, is a lot softer than stone. I was thinking their stormform is more like the Essences described in one of Dalinar's visions -the one he has right before the fateful betrayal of Sadeas, where the Radiants say that it wasn't a Voidbringer. 

As for Elhokar and the Cryptics, while he may be important, that would also bring the assumption that Shallan is important too, or was before she revealed herself to be one of the Radiants. Pattern was with her when she killed not only her mother, but her father as well, since she killed both of them with Pattern. Also, why can Syl automatically transform when brought out as a Shardblade (spear) and it takes Shallan ten heartbeats to call upon Pattern as his Shardblade form? We know it's Pattern since, one, she doesn't hear screaming in her mind when holding it, and two, it shrinks when she needs it to escape the highstorm tides when her and Kaladin fall into the chasms. 

[Hyarmenatan]

1 hour ago, Ineffable said:

that would also bring the assumption that Shallan is important too, or was before she revealed herself to be one of the Radiants

There is also a confirmed fact that spren tend to gather around people who are already actively bonded to other spren. This lead to speculation that either Shallan's brother or father, or both, were also a Radiants or proto-Radiants. There are some interesting threads on Lin Davar using possibly fake soulcaster (like Jasnah) to create resources in their lands. Helaran is theorized to possibly be one of the Skybreakers-in-training. Spren tendency towards gathering around already existing Surgebinders also explains why so many Kholins display abilities.

1 hour ago, Ineffable said:

since she killed both of them with Pattern

I don't think Pattern was present when she killed her father. Was he?

 

1 hour ago, Ineffable said:

why can Syl automatically transform when brought out as a Shardblade (spear) and it takes Shallan ten heartbeats to call upon Pattern as his Shardblade form?

Shallan's need to wait 10 heartbeats to summon the Blade comes from her own, inner lies. She initially refuses to admit what Pattern, and what she herself is, because her Radiancy was something that broke her family - without it, her mother woudn't have tried to kill her, Shallan wouldn't have had to kill her mother, Lin wouldn't have to cover for her and wouldn't have gone insane, which lead himself to be killed. She is in a serious denial state and suffering from the PTSD. It's her coping mechanism to act like Pattern is a common (dead) Shardblade, not an alive one.

[Aleksiel]

11 hours ago, Ineffable said:

How did the Radiants use ShardPlates if the Stormlight interfered with their powers?

Based on Dalinar's visions Shardplate worked differently - from glowing to being summoned and dismissed at will (at least parts of it, but I'd hazard this applied to the whole Plate).

12 hours ago, Ineffable said:

Voidbringers are said to be made of stone, but Parshendi aren't made of stone. The preface mentions something of "thunderclasts", we haven't been introduced to them yet.

Most information about the Voidbringers is lost, a copy of a copy or a folklore leftover. Chasmfiends too were described as Voidbringers and Jasnah dismissed it. We don't have complete and reliable sources and don't know how many types of voidbringers are there. Honor didn't seem to think it was important enough to explain any of this in his visions 

12 hours ago, Ineffable said:

The ten people in the beginning of the first book are the Ten Heralds. Why would the Vorin people worship them if they abandoned them?

This was answered above, it is because they lied. 

12 hours ago, Ineffable said:

How are the Heralds connected to the Desolations? Why would they be tortured after each one?

There are some WoB (Word of Brandon) about this - they would trigger a new Desolation if they remain on Roshar, so they had to go to Damnation (apparently only Taln being there was acceptable, could be related to the rest forfeiting their heraldic roles). I think there was also another how a Desolation starts when one of them breaks under the torture. We don't know more yet.

12 hours ago, Ineffable said:

Elhokar sees Cryptics -he mentions something about "many lines for a head" and confuses them with assassins in the shadows. What could he possibly be hiding that would attract a Cryptic to him?

He sees spren in the mirror, it could be Cryptic, it could be something else. That last possibility aside, Cryptics are about self-awareness. Elhokar lies to himself he is a good king and slowly realizes he isn't, which could be a powerful truth. 

Welcome to the forum! Ask if there's anything else 

[thejopen27 he/him]

As for the Cryptics, they seem to be watching kings. They are following Elhokar and when Shallan first sees them again there are several around Taravangian. I don't think Elhokar is a potential Radiant, I think the Cryptics are watching important people.

I vehemently protest to any implication that Lin Davar is a potential Radiant. He beat his servants, wife, and sons, he ordered the assassination of his son, and most of all, he was under the influence of a shadow (Odium or one of his Unmade) that exacerbated and emboldened his madness and darkness. As far as Shallan's mother, I don't think all members of the Skybreakers are surgebinders, some like Heleran are given normal shards while others, like the man watching the door in Yeddaw are just grunts. I think Shallans mother and her friend were initiates of the Skybreakers, but not Surgebinders.

One of the themes I've noticed is how time warps history to create myths and distorts important information. The Lighteyes were in charge because they were Radiants who had actual light in the eyes, the Dawnsingers were the Listeners uncorrupted by Odium, the Parshmen were the Voidbringers, the shardblades are dead spren, Humanity was from a different planet and are refugess on Roshar from Ashyn, not the Tranquiline halls, the nobility overthrew the church and servants of the lost Radiants and subjugated them and told everyone that they were lying, the Radiants didn't betray the betray the world, they just resigned, the Heralds abandoned us rather than continue to be tortured, etc.

[Humpty he/him]

I think the true definition of a Voidbringer is any type of creature that has bonded a voidspren. Just my thoughts on the subject anyway..