Spoilers- Kaladin's extra blade

[weebojello]

For some reason I feel like Zahel is a likely candidate.  I feel like Kaladin may trust him, and the Radiants could certainly use someone to train them, spar with, that sort of thing.  If you have Windrunner abilities, you can't just spar with anyone, not to your true ability.  And there may be other connections with Zahel and Szeth, so it would be fitting in a way.

 

I agree on Zahel. With nightblood around, Zahel evening the odds seems appropriate. Dalinar or even Adolin remain obvious choices as well, but in the end, I think Zahel would be an awesome master for it.

[akintu]

I would love to see that fight, Zahel and Szeth with eachother's former weapons

 

For real, it's too good to pass up.

[Bramble Thorn]

Yeah, if the Heralds are reestablished, either with Old or New members, they need to be Heralds with BOTH Nahel bond and Honorblade. That way they can take a spren of their associated order, and swap blades. Double the surges, double the fun.

 

Also, Shardblades are seemingly indestructible, but Shardplate is not, let alone the fabrial half-shards. One really good reason for Kaladin to keep an honorblade is so he can have a indestructible Honorblade in one hand, and a indestructible sprenshield in the other. 

[name_here]

On the other hand, the Honorblade apparently eats stormlight very, very quickly. Given that Kaladin already has trouble with burning through his stormlight reserves too fast, I don't think it would be a good idea to give it to him. However, extra surges or not, Dalinar is an experienced Shardblade wielder who cannot use a normal Shardblade.

[Andrew C]

 

Now this may just sound crazy, but is it possible for Kaladin to keep the honorblade and use 2 shardblades? I know that you cannot wield 2 dead shardblades (Otherwise someone would be doing it), but would still apply to an honorblade and a living shardblade? 

 

"Dual wielding" is just an invention of MMORPGs that are loot-based.

There is almost no practical reason to have a weapon in each hand in a real fight. In real combat historically, most people wealthy enough to afford armor and fighting unmounted either used a sword and shield, a two-handed sword, or a one-handed sword with nothing in the offhand.

The latter style was most common in duels.

[taxilian he/him]

I don't know - I feel Adolin may get the Honorblade for a time, merely due to the fact that he's probably a little moody now that even Renarin is a Radiant and Kaladin trusts in Adolin's sense of honor. Also, it seems like he is going down the path of the Skybreaker (killing Sadeas, Adolin's skill at arms), and I can imagine some scenario where Adolin loses/gives up the Honorblade but comes back at a critical moment as a Skybreaker who has already trained in basic lashings (like Szeth).

Skybreakers are sticklers for the law -- Brandon has stated that the skybreakers wouldn't like what he did (I don't have the exact quote right now, but you can find it if you look). If you look at what we see of Nalan he very carefully kills legally. He becomes a constable so that he's able to "legally" work in the country, and then he only kills those who have broken a law or whatever. If anything, I strongly suspect Adolin could be targeted by the skybreakers for having done that.

[Witless]

As a side note Kaladin is probably the most capable of defending the Blade if the Shin Stone Shamans come to reclaim it.  He is the best fighter/most accustomed to his powers of the junior radients.  Worst case scenario six or seven honorblade wielders come for him he can fly away and he will only have to fight one maybe two, depending if the pressure surge allows the user to fly.

[Velnica]

The main thing Adolin brings to the table is that he is a master duelist/fighter in full Plate with a Blade. The Honorblade won't work in conjunction with Plate, so I don't think he's a good fit.

 

Umm, did I miss this tidbit of info in the book? Where was it stated?

[Aleksiel]

I doubt the Stormfather would approve if Dalinar took the Honorblade. He told him he would be a Radiant without Shards; I don't think there's a loophole in it. The Honorblade felt bad to Syl, so I don't think it's an option. Perhaps if Dalinar could somehow get his hands on a Dawnshard, but that's not likely as of now. 

[Roarsach]

Since the Stormfather refuses to be a blade for Dalinar - perhaps Kaladin's acquiring Szeth's honor blade could be a present to him? Thoughts?

 

dont have the book with me, but i dont think he refused, just said that he would not allways help.

 

Think Brandon has a plan for Adolin, and i have a feeling that the KR is it, but on in the orders we know.

 

[Aleksiel]

dont have the book with me, but i dont think he refused, just said that he would not allways help.

 

Think Brandon has a plan for Adolin, and i have a feeling that the KR is it, but on in the orders we know.

 

 

Here it is:

 

 

I WILL NOT BE A SIMPLE SWORD TO YOU , the Stormfather warned. I WILL NOT COME AS YOU CALL, AND YOU WILL HAVE TO DIVEST YOURSELF OF THAT . . . MONSTROSITY THAT YOU CARRY. YOU WILL BE A RADIANT WITH NO SHARDS.

 

So, the Stormfather made him abandon the Shardblade and refused to be one for him. Syl's negative reaction towards the Honorblade makes me think that would be unacceptable option for the Stormfather as well since it's just another reminder of a grand betrayal. 

[Roarsach]

Here it is:

 

 

So, the Stormfather made him abandon the Shardblade and refused to be one for him. Syl's negative reaction towards the Honorblade makes me think that would be unacceptable option for the Stormfather as well since it's just another reminder of a grand betrayal. 

 

Thanks for the refresh

[Rybal]

Here it is:

 

 

So, the Stormfather made him abandon the Shardblade and refused to be one for him. Syl's negative reaction towards the Honorblade makes me think that would be unacceptable option for the Stormfather as well since it's just another reminder of a grand betrayal. 

 

Syl didn't have a negative reaction to the Honorblade, though.

[tigvsben]

Yeah, I don't know what sort of temper tantrum the Stormfather would throw if Dalinar suggested wielding the Honorblade, but the spren don't treat it as an abomination, just a dangerous and powerful tool.

 

 

The Honorblades are what we are based on, Kaladin. Honor gave these to men, and those men gained powers from them. Spren figured out what He’d done, and we imitated it. We’re bits of His power, after all, like this sword. Be careful with it. It is a treasure.

 

So whereas the dead Shardblades are abominations, the Honorblade is a treasure

[taxilian he/him]

Umm, did I miss this tidbit of info in the book? Where was it stated?

 

“Szeth leaped backward as the Shardbearer swung upward with his Blade, slicing into the ceiling. Szeth didn’t own a set of Plate himself, and didn’t care to. His Lashings interfered with the gemstones that powered Shardplate, and he had to choose one or the other.”

Excerpt From: Brandon Sanderson. “The Way of Kings.” iBooks.

[name_here]

"Dual wielding" is just an invention of MMORPGs that are loot-based.

There is almost no practical reason to have a weapon in each hand in a real fight. In real combat historically, most people wealthy enough to afford armor and fighting unmounted either used a sword and shield, a two-handed sword, or a one-handed sword with nothing in the offhand.

The latter style was most common in duels.

 

Uh, actually it historically was pretty common to fight with a one-handed sword and a knife or similarly-sized weapon in the offhand. Usually the secondary weapon would mostly be used to parry, but I imagine that people occasionally got a chance to stab with it. Dalinar actually uses a sword-and-knife style of Smokestance in one of the WoK visions. Adolin never dual-wields, but he sometimes used his Shardblade one-handed and punched with his offhand. Admittedly, I think that's mostly a style for unarmored people. Armor means not having to parry much.

 

I will agree that there is no reason to dual-wield standard Shardblades. They're simply too big and clumsy to effectively control two of them at once. However, I could see an ambidextrous knight with two live shardblades making good use of them by doing sword-and-knife and rapidly switching which is which.

[lordofsoup]

I would have to imagine that dual wielding something like a Shardblade would be possible because you don't have to swing it that hard and because Kaladin would have the strength to do so because of Stormlight. I thought that dual wielding is impossible because swords are too heavy to properly use with your offhand.

[Shale]

Somebody with a living Shardblade could use an Honorblade as a main weapon and keep the Shard in a smaller form as an off-hand weapon like a parrying/stabbing knife, or even a dedicated shield. It might not be a practical way to allocate your resources, but it'd be damnation cool.

[PudgyNinja]

Uh, actually it historically was pretty common to fight with a one-handed sword and a knife or similarly-sized weapon in the offhand. Usually the secondary weapon would mostly be used to parry, but I imagine that people occasionally got a chance to stab with it. Dalinar actually uses a sword-and-knife style of Smokestance in one of the WoK visions. Adolin never dual-wields, but he sometimes used his Shardblade one-handed and punched with his offhand. Admittedly, I think that's mostly a style for unarmored people. Armor means not having to parry much.

 

I will agree that there is no reason to dual-wield standard Shardblades. They're simply too big and clumsy to effectively control two of them at once. However, I could see an ambidextrous knight with two live shardblades making good use of them by doing sword-and-knife and rapidly switching which is which.

 

If a knight had two bonded spren, I imagine he'd typically keep one as a sword and the other as a shield, but since they can transform almost instantly, he'd switch them up, two swords, two shields, sword in left hand, shield in right, depending on the situation.

[tigvsben]

While we're distracted by proper allocation of Shardblades into various weapon slots let me cast my vote for summoning a bonded spren as a Shardarrow for use with with a Shardbow. There's no way you wouldn't ruin someone's day firing a shard at them from a hundred yards away before re-summoning it for round two. Heck, if they stood in a nice column you could wreck everyone's day with one shot.

[AerionBFII he/him]

Personally i think Kaladin should keep Jezrien's Honorblade as a Symbol for being the leader of the Windrunners.

The third Oath allows the Spren to become a Shardblade the Fourth Oath may allow Shardplate or Syl might have to choose to be one or the other. I think he should keep it and return it to Jezrien or become a Herald himself. Can't explain why but it makes me uneasy the thought of him just giving it away.

 

I think that Adolin and Kaladin are getting along better but i think they have a conflicting motion on honor/justice and i don't think he should have it just because he feels left out.

[PudgyNinja]

While we're distracted by proper allocation of Shardblades into various weapon slots let me cast my vote for summoning a bonded spren as a Shardarrow for use with with a Shardbow. There's no way you wouldn't ruin someone's day firing a shard at them from a hundred yards away before re-summoning it for round two. Heck, if they stood in a nice column you could wreck everyone's day with one shot.

 

The only problem I see with this is that, so far, we've only seen spren take the form of rigid objects.  Something flexible, like a bow, might be beyond them.  I guess you could make a spear thrower.

 

Also, would a Shardarrow be that lethal?  You'd need a head/spine shot for it to be really effective.  It would't be able to sever a limb the way a blade does.  If it just passed through, say your shoulder, it would do damage, sure, but a real arrow would probably be just as bad, maybe worse, given the bleeding.  I guess, given that they don't weigh much, you could shape it so that it has a ridiculous-sized head, increasing the chances.  

Edited March 13, 2014 by PudgyNinja

[zandi she/her]

 

 

Personally i think Kaladin should keep Jezrien's Honorblade as a Symbol for being the leader of the Windrunners.

That's definitely a possibility.  There is still chance it could belong to a different herald (small I know). I suppose it is possible that somehow they will discover which Herald it belongs to (assuming it is Jezrien) and run into that Herald (Jezrien) and return it and then that Herald will regain their former glory...or lose it to someone on the dark side.

 

But I still like the idea that it will go to someone (Dalinar) who can't have a shard blade through no fault of their own.

Edited March 13, 2014 by zandi

[udbw834]

Probably - but for the moment Nin seems to be on the wrong side and Dalinar needs a blade...so until then? 

 

 

Why does he need a blade? He's pretty much acknowledged that his days as a warrior are over. The Stormfather said "YOU WILL BE A RADIANT WITH NO SHARDS" and I don't see any reason not to believe a literal reading of that. I think he meant exactly what he said and that Dalinar getting around that with an honorblade would be a betrayal of his deal with the Stormfather. 

 

 

In Chapter 3 Jasnah said to Shallan:

 

But don't fear that you will soon find yourself swinging a sword, child. The archetype of Radiants on the battlefield is an exaggeration. From what I've read - though recards are, unfortunately, untrustworthy - for every Radiant dedicated to battle, there were three who spent their time on diplocay, scholarship or other ways to aid society.

 

I think Dalinar will be one of those. His days as the Blackthorn are over and now his path is to unite Roshar and coordinate the defense against the Voidbringers. Over the next several books he will become too important to be risked on the battlefield.

[Grunion]

I think, even if Dalinar does not use the honorblade, that it is now in his keeping.

 

This is when Kaladin arrives at Urithiru

 

One of the figures pointed down toward where Dalinar and the rest of them stood. Kaladin separated from his men, dropping off the steps and floating over the army. He landed on the stones in stride, carrying a Shardblade on his shoulder, his long officer’s coat unbuttoned and coming down to his knees.

 

He still has the slave brands, she thought , though his long hair obscured them. His eyes had become a pale blue. They glowed softly. “Stormblessed,” Dalinar called.

 

“Highprince,” Kaladin said.

“The assassin?”

“Dead,” Kaladin said, hefting the Blade and sticking it down into the rock before Dalinar. “We need to talk. This—”

 

Sanderson, Brandon (2014-03-04). Words of Radiance (Stormlight Archive, The) (p. 1050). Tom Doherty Associates. Kindle Edition. 

 

He is then interrupted by Navani. But it seems to me is wants to talk to Dalinar about the Honorblade, which he was about to indicate. I doubt he wants to haul it around with him when he heads to Hearthstone, so it makes sense he would leave it with Dalinar.