thejopen27

They are an order of knights, all magical, all great individual powers. I imagine the more martial orders don't just stand aside and let the "scholars" do the leading. I imagine the Windrunners who trace their lineage to the herald of kings and the Honorspren don't just stand aside for the cold, brutal logic of the Elsecallers and I doubt the Skybreakers could let the freedom loving, order breaking Willshapers have access to the levers of government without Skybreaker input. The passages in WoR from "Words of Radiance" imply the Truthwatchers are mostly aloof and mysterious and keep their own council while the Willshapers are absent from tower politics. The Lightweavers are artists, that leaves only the Elsecallers as scholarly Radiants inclined to seek leadership and play at inter-radiant Politics. I bet there was likely a council of a leader or representative from all ten orders who met in the top room. Some orders likely voted for a rep, some sent their leader, some their oldest or wisest member, some their most politically inclined... maybe all three bondsmiths were invited. We see the top room in Words of Radiance that has ten thrones and ten pedestals for the spren of the Radiants. Some orders likely cared more for inter-radiant politics than others.

It's not an industrial revolution if the population doesn't abandon farming and country life for the city and industrial jobs. The industrial revolution wasn't from individual technology, it was from the mass production of goods. Roshar has technology that is highly complex, requires skilled labor, and specialized knowledge. It's a technological revolution, not an industrial one. Roshar is in the midst of a peasant/slave revolt, not an urban revolution. Alehtkar was in the early stages of the Russian revolution when all of a sudden the Haitian revolution broke out.

dang, you got me there...

I really hope we see Thude, Abronai, Zuln, and Venli's mother along with the rest of the thousand in book 4. They are the strongest willed, most determined to oppose Odium Listeners who self selected themselves into a group. I really want to see Venli and Rlain both interacting with them and both groups trying to get the thousands to trust them.

All of the Radiants have more unique abilities than just the one Resonance. Just looking at Windrunners, Kaladin has the ability to "move with the wind" using the flow of air pressure to sense attacks and move preemptively. He also has the ability to ride Highstorms in dreams (and maybe consciously with more practice) and see what's happening in the world in real time, as it actually is. Shallan has the strange ability to go into a trance and see important scenes while also having the ability to show people better versions of themselves and transform them inside. All the orders have unique combinations and we don't know enough to know them all yet.

I'm very curious to see if/when Hesina makes it to Urithiru which of the major Lighteyes recognize her.

Surrendering would also allow the capture of the shards as the shards would be a concession in any surrender.

He doesn't seem the type to think in terms of what he deserves. Based on his one moment of Sanity, he seems to view his duty and service as good and moral and a righteous and just cause.

I think all the Radiants use their powers in more than just the physical. Kaladin is awfully good at attracting people to him and getting them to follow him. Shallan is really good at showing people things that transform them. Lift seems to naturally be able to work smoothly with anyone and seems to be able to heal mentally as well. I wouldn't be surprized if Skybreakers were naturally good at dividing people as the in-world Words of Radiance implies.

We don't know that Taravangian is either right or telling the truth about Dova being Battar, it could be any of the female Haralds except Shallash or not at all (but likely). We know it can't be Ash and Chana doesn't really fit with what we know about her, but what she's doing fits as a corruption of Loving/Healin, Wise/Careful, or Learned/Giving. Dova could be Paliah, Battar, or Vedel easily. If Paliah IS in the Palanaem, then it's unlikely another Herald is also there unless we learn that either Battar and Paliah or Vedel and Paliah were like sisters or lovers or best friends or something and they always go together. I like Vedel for Liss as Liss slips into the cracks of society and is able to change how she communicates similar to what we know of Edgedancers. It would be a good corruption of Loving and healing to be a selfish, cold blooded, mercenary killer who killed for pay.

She obviously didn't write it in Hearthstone, but Kaladin is only 20 and Hesina is likely in her mid-40s. She could have been a prodigy and she wrote a book she was really proud of at a young age (Shallan is only 18). She publishes her book, it's widely scorned and viewed as heretical, she is not accepted with the other scholars because she's darkeyed, and she falls in love with an intense young, darkeyed surgeon. In love, not accepted in town, and disappointed by the reception to a book she was really proud of she abandons scholarship and leaves with the surgeon to his small hometown... It could happen. I've wondered the same thing. EDIT: Someone pointed out that Hessi references scholarship done by Jasnah in the book, so Hesina could only have done it from Hearthstone, or the family didn't move to hearthstone until after Kaladin was born.

I’ve been trying not to read preview chapters

In the afternoon of the day he died, Gavilar offers the gem containing Ba-ado-Mishram to Eshonai with the intention to return the Listener gods and the cycle of desolations. In Szeth’s prologue in Way of Kings we see Gavilar give the gem to Szeth and tell him not to let the Parshendi have it. Did he change his mind in the meantime? It seems like he has had a change of heart about his plans in the six-eight hours between events. Did Nale and Kalak speak to him? One of the other Heralds? it’s my speculation the sphere contained Ba-ado-Mishram but there is no proof. I’m assuming the sphere Gavilar shows Eshonai is the same he gives to Szeth. is this the same gem both times? Does Gavilar get it back or does he have more than one? did he change his mind or does his plan just require the Parshendi don’t have that sphere?

Yes, Taln will likely be one, but just as we saw Malaga before Ash becomes a Dustbringer I suspect we will see a less important Stoneward sooner.

I just wanted to start a list of minor questions people have going into Rhythm of War. Put them all in one place so maybe we can put our heads together to solve them. This is meant for minor questions, not major plot points. my Questions: Was Danlan Marakothra a member of the diagram or just working with Graves because she believed his stated goal? What happened to her and will we ever see her again? Where is Kalak? I’ve never seen any theories I find credible about where he is, what he’s up to. Who is Dova? Is she really a herald? Is it Battar, Paliah, Vedel? Who is Navani’s family? Is she from the senior Kholin branch? A family killed by the Kholin brothers? Sister to another high prince? Same questions but for Aesuedan. Where are Hesina’s parents? Is she a bastard daughter or a lord or is one of her parents just a low dahn lighteyes that married a darkeyes? What happened to Tarah? Will she come back into the story? Kaladin’s story? Will Laral? What happened to Redin after he killed his father? What does Brandon have planned for him? Who will be the first Stoneward we see? Who will be the next member of Bridge 4 to attract a Spren? is Lys the assassin one of the Heralds? Is she Chana? Vedel? What are the oldbloods? How many are there and when did they rule? let me know what your minor questions are?

I still don’t believe the Sunmakers propaganda about how bad the heirocracy was. I still think it was just a group of servants of radiant who tried to hold together order using some fabrials.

Maybe Skybreakers are faster in a straight line, but Windrunners can make turns and stops faster. Kaladin almost seems to be pushed along by the wind some of the time.

I would be shocked if Kaladin doesn't swear his 4th Ideal in Rhythm of War. I would also be surprised if we don't see Shallan and Dalinar achieve the 4th Ideal. I imagine Jasnah will then reveal that she's been 4th Ideal with Plate the whole time.

I wonder if in the original Dragonsteel (where Dalinar was first written) Hoid did oppose Dalinar who was a tyrant.

I think Ash will fully renounce her Lightweaver powers and her role as the Herald of Beauty. If characters take up the oathpact again, I think it will be the ten main Radiant characters with their matching blades.

Yes, I think Ash will be our lead Dustbringer character and Taln will swear to his own order and be our lead Stoneward. I get the sense from Ash that she doesn't care for being known for art, beauty, and light and seems to prefer to destroy things. There were nine people around Dalinar at the gap in the Thaylen City walls, Kaladin-Windrunner, Szeth-Skybreaker, *Ash*-Dustbringer, Lift-Edgedancer, Renarin-Truthwatcher, Shallan-Lightweaver, Jasnah-Elsecaller, Venli-Willshaper (in the background), *Taln*-Stoneward, plus himself as Bondsmith. he looks around and sees only the seven humans he already knows and says "There should be three more" and then right away Taln and Ash stumble up to him. He doesn't count Venli as she is not showing any signs of being Radiant but somehow Dalinar knew there should be ten people present, likely one for each order of Radiant. Dustbringer is the only order not counted for, Shallan is already the Lightweaver, and Ash seems much more into destruction than creation at the moment. If she is one oath higher than Kaladin (the 4th Ideal), then she is still repressing it and hasn't resworn it yet, because she hasn't said a truth since she admitted her sword was different and she hasn't demonstrated any ability to create plate. Maybe you're right and Lightweavers don't have plate...

I'm interested to see Skybreaker vs Windrunner flight. I would imagine that adhesion gives Windrunners a major advantage, especially with their strange ability to be guided by the wind and aided by windspren. I would bet no one is as good as Windrunners over short distances in the air.

Different orders get their surges at different times. Ym didn't know his sprens name or what it was but was healing, Stump didn't even realize she was healing people. I bet Truthwatchers get their healing earlier than Edgedancers. I did forget Hoid, I forgot about him while I was trying to remember if Vathah had said the first ideal. I think the nine characters who gathered around Dalinar at the end of Oathbringer are the new heads of the orders and will all achieve the 5th ideal. I couldn't find him ever committing to an answer on Shallan. I don't think Shallan has ever gotten close to having plate and hasn't even seemed to show hints of it yet like Kaladin and Dalinar have. If she was a 4th Ideal Lightweaver, then I think she still needs to reswear it.

double post

Where are they now: Windrunners - Kaladin = stuck on the edge of the 4th, but on the 3rd Teft = Just swore the 3rd and earned his blade Lopen = Just swore the 2nd and became a Windrunner The rest of Bridge 4 = Still first ideal squires (except maybe Drehy and Rlain and some of the new recruits) Skybreakers - Nale = 5th ideal skybreaker but broken and too rigid and strict, controlling the others, none have gone past the 4th Szeth = Recently swore the 3rd Ideal, is just meeting his spren and will start to train in Division Others = Lots of 4th, 3rd, 2nd, and squires sworn to Nale or controlled by him Dustbringer - Malata = Likely a 3rd ideal radiant due to her sword and her use of Division Ash = Likely has not met her spren yet but may have attracted one (my speculation) Edgedancer - Lift = 3rd Ideal radiant with a blade and all surges Adolin = May be awakening his dead Cultivation spren blade, no oaths Truthwatchers - Stump = unknown but probably at least the first ideal Ym = Deceased but maybe the first Ideal Renarin = Unknown how he is different due to his spren being corrupted by Sja Anat but may be a 3rd Ideal Radiant. Lightweaver - Shallan = Likely of the third Ideal, but it's confused by her regression and recovery. Must have been 3rd ideal as a youth, but regressed to basically nothing. Has stated four deep truths since the Cryptics returned to her. I suspect one to reawaken Pattern, one each to reswear the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd. I think the truth "I am terrified" that first gets her into Shademar was just to reawaken the bond that had been basically dead. Tien = Deceased, likely a proto-radiant who hadn't yet sworn the 1st ideal Elhokar = Deceased, killed on the verge of swearing the 1st Ideal Vathah = A squire to Shallan, has likely not sworn any ideals Hoid = A 1st Ideal Lightweaver who bonded with the spren in the process of bonding Elhokar before he died. Elsecallers - Jasnah = Only known Elsecaller, likely of the 4th ideal making her the only new Radiant of the 4th Ideal Willshaper - Venli = Only known Willshaper, only of the 1st Ideal but the first ever Singer Radiant Eshonai = Originally attacted Timbre, died before swearing any oaths Stoneward - Taln = The herald of the Stonewards but likely has not yet drawn a Stoneward Spren Bondsmith - Dalinar = A 3rd Ideal Radiant sworn to the Storm Father. I doubt he skipped Ideals as he didn't get plate from all those Glory Spren 2 others yet to emerge = The Sibling and the Nightwatcher remain unbonded