Awesomeness Summoned Posted March 11, 2014 Report Share Posted March 11, 2014 Judging by Taln's reaction speed at catching the blow darts, I would hazard a guess that holding the blade doesn't actually grant the heralds all their power. Their full strength either comes from having the bond to the blade (which isn't given to those who hold it, it stays with the herald) or from inherent abilities Honor gave them when they became heralds that are not directly reliant on the blade. People who hold the honorblades aren't bonded to it like the shardblades and only get a small measure of the herald's full power. I'm sure a herald with blade in hand would lay some whoop chull on Szeth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneSedai Posted March 12, 2014 Report Share Posted March 12, 2014 This has actually been really bothering me! I could almost swear that at some point someone references the other nine honor blades still being in Shinovar. I'm going to look it up to confirm when I get a chance. The fact is, though, that Talinel's blade should never have remained at all. And 'Ten Honorblades' is definitely referenced often. Additionally in the epilogue of WoK, Talinel falls unconscious and his blade falls to the ground without disappearing (despite him still being alive). Honestly I took that to mean that it had to be his honorblade, otherwise it would have disappeared. So in theory, the blade Dalinar took from Talinel has no reason not to be an honorblade. I really don't see Wit taking the honorblade and swapping it for a shardblade. The only other thing I can think of is that the blade Talinel had didn't disappear because he wasn't bonded to it, and I suppose he could have banished his own. I'm definitely going to need to look up and see if the number of blades remaining in shinovar is referenced. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
18th Shard Posted March 12, 2014 Report Share Posted March 12, 2014 The Heralds could also have a ton of investiture already innately within them. Yes they consume stormlight a whole lot faster. That doesn't matter because the Heralds are like Splinters. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chromium Compounder Posted March 12, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 12, 2014 This has actually been really bothering me! I could almost swear that at some point someone references the other nine honor blades still being in Shinovar. I'm going to look it up to confirm when I get a chance. The fact is, though, that Talinel's blade should never have remained at all. And 'Ten Honorblades' is definitely referenced often. Additionally in the epilogue of WoK, Talinel falls unconscious and his blade falls to the ground without disappearing (despite him still being alive). Honestly I took that to mean that it had to be his honorblade, otherwise it would have disappeared. So in theory, the blade Dalinar took from Talinel has no reason not to be an honorblade. I really don't see Wit taking the honorblade and swapping it for a shardblade. The only other thing I can think of is that the blade Talinel had didn't disappear because he wasn't bonded to it, and I suppose he could have banished his own. I'm definitely going to need to look up and see if the number of blades remaining in shinovar is referenced. The main evidence in my mind that it's not Taln's Honorblade is that after becoming a Radiant, Dalinar heard screams while holding the blade. I suppose it's possible that there was something else about the blade that caused the screaming, but every other time we've had a radiant touch a blade and hear screaming it was because the blade was a dead spren. If touching an Honorblade caused Radiants to hear screaming, then Kaladin should have heard screaming when he took Szeth's blade (which is actually Jezrien's). And when they mention the 'other blades' they refer to the 7 others. Three blades are accounted for. Jezrien's was carried by Szeth, but is now with Kaladin. Taln's, which we've been debating its location. And I read somewhere that there is WoB which says one of the other heralds went back and reclaimed their blade after abandoning the Oathpact. That leaves 7, which many believe to be in Shinovar (me included), but the parts that mention them are kind of vague so we can't know for sure. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneSedai Posted March 13, 2014 Report Share Posted March 13, 2014 I did look back, and Szeth specifically mentions the other seven...which are presumably in Shinovar. So I suppose the big question to take away is why Talinel had a different blade. I do agree that the screaming means Dalinar's blade cannot have been an honorblade. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arook Posted March 14, 2014 Report Share Posted March 14, 2014 Another thing to think about is that an honor blade bonds in a different manner then a shard blade. Honor blades don't permanently change eye color. I wonder if when a herald returns its like coming back from the dead and they need to re bond to the blade. Thus explaining why when Tailnel dropped his blade it did not disappear, also honor blades when bonded to a herald should not reappear next to their body when they die. Szeth's bond to an honor blade has to be different then a heralds bond. I don't think a non herald can fully bond to an honor blade. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chromium Compounder Posted March 14, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 14, 2014 Another thing to think about is that an honor blade bonds in a different manner then a shard blade. Honor blades don't permanently change eye color. I wonder if when a herald returns its like coming back from the dead and they need to re bond to the blade. Thus explaining why when Tailnel dropped his blade it did not disappear, also honor blades when bonded to a herald should not reappear next to their body when they die. Szeth's bond to an honor blade has to be different then a heralds bond. I don't think a non herald can fully bond to an honor blade. I doubt they have to re-bond to their blade, and I think I remember something at the beginning of WoK saying that their blades don't vanish when dropped. Instead they vanish when the Herald dies. I'm guessing they can choose to make them vanish like how a shard bearer can choose to keep their blade from vanishing. It's a different situation of course for when a non-herald like Szeth bonds an Honorblade. It probably makes it behave more like a Shardblade, other than of course giving Surgebinding. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the.summer.scholar Posted March 14, 2014 Report Share Posted March 14, 2014 I've been wondering that as well. The only thing I can think is that Hoid switched them at some point before it got to Dalinar. I'm almost positive that you are right about Hoid switching it out for a regular Shardblade. I read through the Epilogue of tWoK last night and Taln's Honorblade is described as being long, narrow and like a spike. However, the blade that Dalinar summons in the confrontation with Amaram is described as being wider than most and "cleaver-like." We know that Wit's been collecting powers from the Cosmere, so I think it's safe to say that he was in Kholinar that night to get himself an Honorblade. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darmad Posted March 14, 2014 Report Share Posted March 14, 2014 WoB that "you can't bond an Honorblade, but it can be given to you." Seems to me that implies a Herald with an Honorblade would be a very different beast than someone who had it on loan. Seth got the capability, but not the instincts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arook Posted March 15, 2014 Report Share Posted March 15, 2014 That explains Szeth's eyes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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