[OB] Shardplate and Immortal Radiants

[Storyspren]

I'm sure this has been postulated before in various forms but I can't find exactly where to post this crazy theory. Apologies if this is the wrong place.

I'll be brief.

Theory:

Shardplate is grown or extruded just like parshendi armor. It, like carapace armor, is a second skin.

Postulated: Existing shardplate retains its basic decorations and structure while conforming to its bearer even if not we'll documented in drawings/paintings.

Fact: Shardblades not from current Knights radiant are only MOSTLY dead. 

Corollary 1: Shardplate is still connected to Knights radiant of the past who are only MOSTLY dead.

Corollary 2: those undead Knights radiant did not slam their Shardblades into the ground abandoning them, seeing as their shardplate still works.

Corollary 3: The spren/Shardblades of the undead radiants are out there somewhere in the cognitive thus accounting for the missing Shardblades.

OK just wanted to log this theory somewhere.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Wandering Investor]

8 hours ago, Storyspren said:

Shardplate is grown or extruded just like parshendi armor. It, like carapace armor, is a second skin.

Shardplate, the alive version, can be dismissed and re-summoned. This is shown in Dalinar's visions where the Radiants dismiss their helmets and talk about dismissing the full suit, although the dismissal and re-summoning isn't shown on screen, as that might hint at what shardplate is. So I'm not sure how accurate a comparison to parshendi plating is. Its much more similar to a shardblade. I subscribe to the theory that the armor is made of lesser spren.

OB sploiler:

Spoiler

"Well, it’s said to regrow on its own, even now that it is separated from its master from so long ago.”

Sanderson, Brandon. Oathbringer: Book Three of the Stormlight Archive (p. 339). Tom Doherty Associates. Kindle Edition. 

This quote indicates that the armor is truly seperated from its previous master and still functions. This aligned with the radiants that abandoned both their blades and armor long ago.

 

And I'm not sure there is any evidence for the ancient radiants to be alive. Radiants are long lived, but not immortal. Plus, the SF and other spren would likely know of them. 

[Calderis he/him]

As @Wandering Investor said, we know Shardplate is not "grown."

There's also the addition that Shardplate runs off gemstones, and when they are out of stormlight it is basically just a heavy armor statue. 

Blades were accidently bonded through the addition of gemstones centuries ago. All things considered, it makes quite a bit of sense that after adding a gemstone to a Shardblade and getting a benefit, someone looked at the decorative statues of Radiant armor still laying around and went... "wait a second..." 

[Storyspren]

5 hours ago, Wandering Investor said:

Shardplate, the alive version, can be dismissed and re-summoned. This is shown in Dalinar's visions where the Radiants dismiss their helmets and talk about dismissing the full suit, although the dismissal and re-summoning isn't shown on screen, as that might hint at what shardplate is. So I'm not sure how accurate a comparison to parshendi plating is. Its much more similar to a shardblade. I subscribe to the theory that the armor is made of lesser spren.

OB sploiler:

  Hide contents

"Well, it’s said to regrow on its own, even now that it is separated from its master from so long ago.”

Sanderson, Brandon. Oathbringer: Book Three of the Stormlight Archive (p. 339). Tom Doherty Associates. Kindle Edition. 

This quote indicates that the armor is truly seperated from its previous master and still functions. This aligned with the radiants that abandoned both their blades and armor long ago.

 

And I'm not sure there is any evidence for the ancient radiants to be alive. Radiants are long lived, but not immortal. Plus, the SF and other spren would likely know of them. 

If it were a perfect analogy it would be called a "same thing," not an analogy.  

For parshendi they seem to be more fused with their spren. For the human spren it seems more like the relationship between ents and trees. When they hang out trees get more entish and ents get more treeish. So on this theory the Knights themselves project their armor but proper armor can come on and off which is precisely why shardplate has sections that can be dismissed and resummoned. By contrast, Parshendi bodies are by nature a blend of spren and parshperson. It's only together that they form a complete being (With the notable exception the sprenless form, in which they lack full sentience. But then they are arguably incomplete.)

Regarding that quote, the "it is said" part indicates that this is just an in world theory. And we know that in world theories tend to be incomplete or backwards.

[Storyspren]

3 hours ago, Calderis said:

As @Wandering Investor said, we know Shardplate is not "grown."

There's also the addition that Shardplate runs off gemstones, and when they are out of stormlight it is basically just a heavy armor statue. 

Blades were accidently bonded through the addition of gemstones centuries ago. All things considered, it makes quite a bit of sense that after adding a gemstone to a Shardblade and getting a benefit, someone looked at the decorative statues of Radiant armor still laying around and went... "wait a second..." 

They run off gemstones, yeah. Knights radiant also run on gemstones.

Grown is just a half metaphor. Maybe extrude or produce is a better word. As the parshendi grow armor, so Knights radiants create their own second skin out of storm light. 

Above is in defense of the crazy theory.

I really am convinced though that the gemstone addition to Shardblades was no accident though. That will get clarified.