Dalenthas Posted March 29, 2014 Report Share Posted March 29, 2014 So, please forgive me if this has come up before, I didn't see it in my (admittedly brief) review of the topics at hand.I have a theory about what powers a Bondsmith would have, and why they are so rare. As we all know, Surgebindings are created through bonding with spren. What if the power of a Bondsmith includes the ability to simulate that kind of bond? As in, empower other people with Surgebinder like powers? I'm sure most of you see where I'm going with this. The theory basically comes down to this. I believe that the reason that the bridgemen (Dalinar's bodyguards, specifically) are glowing in the final battle is not because they've all gained Radiant powers, but because Dalinar's budding powers were manifesting. He can give them the basic package (strength, speed, stamina, healing), but he can't hand out Surges. We see Lopen use Stormlight, not to show that he's gained powers, but to show that the range of Dalinar's powers isn't terribly limited, if at all. I'm not sure what limits there would be on said power, but obviously the people benefiting from it have to supply their own Stormlight, at the very least. He's not Investing in them, but rather using his Investiture to allow them to access Investiture on their own, if that makes sense. Of course, half of this hair-brained theory comes from the fact that I'm just guessing wildly at what "Axial Interconnection" means. I, of course, have NO idea what makes one version "Soft" and another "Strong". My only other theories involve Quantum Mechanics, and I highly doubt that Bondsmiths have powers over gluons and mesons... There are still a few holes in my theory, the largest being that the Stonewards, who also have access to the Surge of Tension couldn't possibly have access to the same powers, as their much (historically) greater numbers would basically mean that nearly everyone on Roshar would have access to Stormlight usage... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaellok he/him Posted March 29, 2014 Report Share Posted March 29, 2014 There are still a few holes in my theory, the largest being that the Stonewards, who also have access to the Surge of Tension couldn't possibly have access to the same powers, as their much (historically) greater numbers would basically mean that nearly everyone on Roshar would have access to Stormlight usage... Well, when you have the remnants of a god on your side, and all of humanity is fighting against the virtual tide of hell and a nearly unstoppable wave of demons, having huge portions of the population of the world able to use Investiture isn't really all that crazy of an idea. I don't think you're right, but I definitely don't think that widespread access to Stormlight is a reason against. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moogle Posted March 29, 2014 Report Share Posted March 29, 2014 (edited) So, please forgive me if this has come up before, I didn't see it in my (admittedly brief) review of the topics at hand. I have a theory about what powers a Bondsmith would have, and why they are so rare. As we all know, Surgebindings are created through bonding with spren. What if the power of a Bondsmith includes the ability to simulate that kind of bond? As in, empower other people with Surgebinder like powers? I'm sure most of you see where I'm going with this. Yes, this happens, but it's not Bondsmith specific. A lot of Radiants can have 'squires', where the person in question is devoted to the Surgebinder, so they get to use Stormlight but not Surges. The theory is explained best here. We've also got WoB on them existing. Interestingly enough, it's Windrunners that seem to get the most squires, not Bondsmiths. Q: Shallan has this awesome Memory thing going on, Jasnah seems to have a really powerful geolocation thing, Kaladin is a really good fighter - are those just their traits, or is there something supernatural going on? A: There is something supernatural about those. Each Order... Well, how about this. If you look at scholars' interpretations, there are some scholars who think that these things are not supernatural in the past, and some who think that they are. But, if you look, many Lightweavers had powerful mnemonic abilities. Q: So it's definitely tied to the Orders? A: It's tied to the Orders. Now, I am not going to say that you've got them all 100% correct, but each Order, there are things that come with the Order, things that do not add up from simple the "you get this power plus this power," there is something else going on. And I would say that for Windrunners, watch the number of squires and the power of the squires... these are abnormal for the Windrunners. Q: And each Order's squires are somehow different from the other Orders'? A: Yeeeaaaa... some Orders don't have them. Q: But some have more? A: Yea. Edited March 29, 2014 by Moogle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CabbageHead he/him Posted May 8, 2014 Report Share Posted May 8, 2014 We've also got WoB on them existing. Interestingly enough, it's Windrunners that seem to get the most squires, not Bondsmiths. Was doing a little thinking about this, and I think Brandon has a wonderful little play on the privileges and duties of command going on here. Kaladin, as a windrunner, gets the most squires, so outsiders might see him as having the most power. However, Kaladin, the ex slave, is now free, but with each oath is sinking deeper and deeper into a self-chosen slavery; the duty to protect others. This is reinforced a few times through the book; Kaladin's freedom tattoo will not take, and when he arrives in Urithiru the thing that strikes Shallan most about him is not that his eyes have changed, but that he still bears his slave brands. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aleksiel Posted May 8, 2014 Report Share Posted May 8, 2014 They are Kaladin's squires and it has been going on for a while. You should look for squires in the first book too. (And I'm not talking about the prelude.) source Considering how the Order of the Bondsmiths was said to have had 3 members at one point and it wasn't uncommon number, they might not be among the Radiants with squires. It depends on how reliable is in-world WoR. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick Star Posted May 9, 2014 Report Share Posted May 9, 2014 When Brandon says that the amount of squires that Kaladin has is "abnormal for the Windrunners", does he mean that Kaladin has more squires than a Windrunner should have? If so, that could add another dimension to Kaladin's future role in the series Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aleksiel Posted May 9, 2014 Report Share Posted May 9, 2014 When Brandon says that the amount of squires that Kaladin has is "abnormal for the Windrunners", does he mean that Kaladin has more squires than a Windrunner should have? If so, that could add another dimension to Kaladin's future role in the series I read more like Kal having more than any previous Windrunner, but he's in unusual position after all. Is it save to say there isn't limit on how many squires he can have as long as they follow him and are loyal (and whatever else is needed for the squire bond)? If so, then he might get even more squires. With only him in his Order, a 1000 squires might even be too few, I'd say. Our beloved characters are in much need of more power - both Radiants and squires, because they seem in huge disadvantage being only four (six with Jasnah and Lift, but only two of them can actually fight) against the hordes of the Voidbringers... If Dalinar can have squire bond with his soldiers, that wil be extremely helpful, but I doubt it. To my understanding, Bondsmiths are supposed to unite everyone and it seems discriminating to be more bonded to some than to others. Hope that sentence made sense, because my wording was far from the best. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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