Bort

Some interesting posts, but I have to say I'm in the faction that believes the fourth oath will be about forgiving himself for his failures, or maybe accepting that there are some who cannot be protected, and they should be abandoned to protect those still living. Or something like that.

I believe they still have a part to play, even if not as active combatants, but maybe as sources of information about the enemy. Some will probably become enemies, and others will be worthless. That's what I reckon at least.

Yes, but you can never outrun the storm.

I don't think this is true. I believe that Renarin knows. I think he saw it.

I think his internal conflict makes the bond between him and the Nightwatcher more likely. After all, she also deals with polar opposites - a boon and a curse. The question is, which is which? Plus, Cultivation said something to Dalinar about the Nightwatcher not yet understanding humanity, so maybe she sees bonding someone who is being pulled in two very different ways at the same time to be fascinating.

Can I just add (although this is a comment on what was discussed on page one, so may have already been mentioned, if so, sorry), that it is not true that dead Blades cannot change their shape. Granted, they don't have the freedom a 'live' Blade has, like Syl or Pattern, but they can adapt, otherwise after the Recreance, men wouldn't have been able to install the gemstones into the Blades that allowed them to be bonded.

Something I thought would have been mentioned here by now, which would answer why the Sibling slumbers. What if, in the process of capturing and imprisoning B-A-M, Melishi dies? We've seen and heard what that does to a bonded Spren, in the form of Syl. It makes sense to me that, if Melishi dies, her bond will shatter, and the Sibling goes to sleep, like Syl did.

Could the collective 'We' refer to a single being, made up of smaller pieces, like an aiman?

Wishful thinking, methinks, or do you really expect him to answer all our questions?

@BlackYeti Ah, you were the guy down by the front then? I didn't get to ask a question although you may have heard me if you were close to the end of the line for the signing. I was the guy that exclaimed about three signings and two RAFOs. The question I asked in Oathbringer was: Do Geranid and Ashir have anything to do with the creation of new Shardplate? The answer, of course, was RAFO.

Thanks Ookla. Much appreciated.

I'm sorry to disappoint, but my question for Brandon probably won't receive quite the same reaction this time. It is two-pronged. 1. How cosmere-aware is Steris? Reason: She has done a number of things that strike me as odd, and is one of the few people on Scadrial who talks about the cosmere that isn't a Kandra. 2. How much fun was she to write? Reason: She starts off in Alloy of Law as quite a flat character, but by Bands of Mourning, she is hilarious. My signing question for Brandon is about Shardplate, just like my question in Words of Radiance. That one got a compliment out of him - I had teased free another secret Still, if you hear someone asking those questions, feel free to come and say hi. Also, do you think we should try to arrange for everyone to start chanting something at Brandon? I'm thinking (Oathbringer Spoiler) Edit: I remember seeing somewhere, someone was going to be selling 17th Shard / Brandon Sanderson pins at one of these events. Do we know if the Newcastle event will have any available? Edit 2: See you tomorrow

Well, there is already speculation that the Stormform Voidbringers could be the Windrunner equivalent, which would mean that the Fused in the today's chapter would be of a different order.

I think it's going to be more about finding a way to save the enemy while in the field.

So, a bit like Kaladin's relationship with, well, everyone, really.

@What's a Seawolf? I so wish I still had upvotes left today That is epic.

Maybe this is what happened with all of those discarded Shardblades that seem to be missing. Odium claimed them, woke the Spren and corrupted it to do his bidding. The yellow Spren might be an actual Honorspren, but one who has been broken in such a way that they now, basically, serve Odium.

Voidlight: This may well be confirmation of one of my very first 17th Shard theories. Before I even knew what Unmade were, I suggested that Gavilar's sphere held voidlight (or Odilight). Good Yellow Spren: I doubted they were ever good guy spren. It makes sense though - Kaladin used to get Syl to go find other members of Bridge 4 while in the chasms. The Anti-Radiant could be doing the same with his/her yellow spren. The Fused: Listener equivalent of Radiant, I'm guessing. Gloryspren: Brilliant, throwaway line. Yes, Gloryspren are connected to one of the orders of Radiant, it's in the pictures that were released a few weeks ago, of the four Heralds. One has Lifespren, one has Windspren, one has nothing (apparently, but I suspect the shards of crystal are Creationspren), and the last has Gloryspren. I don't think they are the Spren that are bonded by the Radiants, but are the 'lesser cousins' of the bonded Spren (which I believe will make up their Plate, when they get it). In fact, on the subject of their Plate... Windspren: Precursor to Kaladin getting his Plate, I'm guessing.

I have a sneaking suspicion that it's going to be Shallan that works out that Adolin is the killer. Pieces of the story she picks up from Adolin will connect with pieces of the story she has picked up as Veil or Brightness Radiant. What will happen next though? Will she do the right thing and turn him in, or will she help him craft some lies to help him avoid his fate? And if she does that, how will he react to it?

Great choices guys, but I'm going to have to go with Way of Kings.

This is one of the reasons why I wonder if the Plate was bound to the Radiant Spren, rather than the Radiant him/herself. Once the bond between Radiant and Spren was broken, the Spren's mind was broken, and they were, for all intents and purposes killed, hence the screaming, which doesn't happen to Plate. So, how does that leave our poor non-sentient Spren? Locked to a specific form because their guiding mind has been severed, and unable to communicate with anyone or anything? Or, does Plate come from expectation? Once the Spren have formed up and created the Plate, are they then form locked because that is what is expected of them? Or maybe they've been recorded that way? Oh, here is an interesting way of asking the question... "Does Shallan's (or anyone else's) sketches of Shardplate help or hinder it's attempts to adapt to it's wearer?"

I knew I had missed something important...

I agree. I don't think the Spren that make up Plate will be sentient. The clues are there. Patterns comments and contempt about Creationspren - "They don't do anything, they just are..." (Paraphrasing) Syl's comments about attracting Spren of her own - What if they are not bound to the Knight, but rather their Spren? This could also explain why, if the Plate-spren are still alive, they do not change form, or even seem to recognise their wearer. The fact that someone can pick up and use someone else's Plate without having to get proper permission from the owner. Kaladin using someone's helm during the 4-on-2 dual in WoR comes to mind here.

I think of the Stormlight powering Plate as 'feeding' the Spren that make up the Plate. This is why, when a piece breaks, feeding it extra stormlight will allow it to heal faster. I also think the Shardplate is alive, in a sense, but doesn't require bonding like the Blade does, which is why Kaladin was able to use the helmet as a weapon during the duel, and why it can still mold itself to the contours of the wearer. The impression I got from Brandon hen I asked him about this was that the gems in the Plate came after the gems in the Blades, although I wouldn't want to claim that this had been confirmed.