Pathfinder

As in a unit to measure against. There is a WoB that state that breaths are not an exact science. That individual breath (not divine breath) quality can vary from person to person) I haven't commented on your other points because we are in agreement, so I have nothing to add.

Yep, Vasher had to instruct her on the commands to use on herself. He did not use a command on her. I believe it is also mentioned either in the book or in the annotations that Vasher offered to teach Denth how to do the same to help him forget, and Denth refused.

Its the story of the "Ghastly Gondola". The main character is a leecher. She pursues a man that is believed to be Nazh (I feel it was confirmed to be Nazh, but not sure if I can recall where). Nazh uses a "spirit gun" to fire what appears to be a shade at her, which dissolves the metal it hits. She touches the gun while burning chromium, and the gun stops working for a bit.

I thought the chulls were bred as beasts for burden and their gemhearts were too small or non-existant for use? If I recall correctly, it was gumfrems that were harvested for their meat as well as their gemhearts (heliodor) for soulcasting meat. Having just pulled up the quote from oathbringer as I typed this, I think where the confusion came in, is it says "chull-like"

Yep. That if they are far away from their summoner, it takes longer for their "self" to travel to that location in the physical realm, from where-ever they currently are which is why there is a difference in heart beat number.

There is a WoB that is difficult to find, so may take me a bit, where it confirmed that humans once knew about the gemhearts in the parsh, but the knowledge was lost over time. Also considering how the parsh gemhearts look different than the polestones which are used for soulcasting, I could see it not being important enough to humans to maintain the knowledge and pursue. Also the description lends it to be easily overlooked. It is small and encased in bone. I think you would have to know what you were looking for in order to locate it.

Lol this actually makes me begin to wonder if you would end up with spren/human hybrids.

Mistborn Era 2 spoilers

here is it: Questioner Is there any effect on a Shardblade if the deadeye is really far away from where the Blade is? Brandon Sanderson Define really. Questioner The one that's trapped on the ship. Let's say they're taking him to the far side of Shadesmar, but the dude that owns that Blade lives in... Brandon Sanderson We will deal with that in the books. There is an effect, but that's not enough of an effect. Overlord Jebus Considering no one says that their Shardblade is acting weird in two and a half thousand years. Brandon Sanderson That happens all the time in Shadesmar. If you were able to get it off the planet, it would have an effect. Questioner If you as the owner of the Shardblade were offworld and you tried to summon it, that would be the effect? Brandon Sanderson Either way. But you can't take spren off-world. I mean, you can, but you can't really. Really all that I have in the notes for it to do right now, is to add slightly more time. So you're like, "That's weird that felt like not ten heartbeats, it felt like twelve." But it's like, you're on another planet, then it's suddenly speed of light type stuff. So suddenly it's like, "This is taking three years instead. That's a pretty big deal!" ...So I've got a few weird speed of light things mixed into the cosmere, and that's one of them. Emerald City Comic Con 2018 (March 1, 2018)

The metal acts as a gateway to the power of preservation. The type of metal acts as a shape of the gateway resulting in a certain power. Compounding hacks this by changing what the output is, but still being fueled by the power of preservation instead of personal stores. So theoretically it would not matter what matter is used, so long as the hack works, resulting in the output being soulcasting instead of allomancy. Do we know for a fact that it is not a hack to fuel divine breath with stormlight? I was under the impress both are hacks, but just awakening was not figured out yet.

Ah good, I am glad you understand my intentions. The same WoB I posted regarding the blood, mentions this part: Brandon Sanderson Could a spike be used to give abilities to spren? That’s not going to work really well. Now that is specifically regarding spiking, so could have no connection, but I feel what is causing the issue, is with how heavily invested the spren is. Just like when people say can a mistborn become a radiant, Brandon says yes, but that there is already investiture in those cracks, so it is going to be harder. So I read that portion as the same with breaths. Trying to give breath to a spren, regardless whether on the physical or the cognitive, would run into the same problems. There is another WoB on awakening that mentions how the more damaged a lifeless is, the more breath is required to give it that sense of being "as it was", leading up to if it was just a skeleton, you might as well just awaken cloth and wood (his words). So you may need the godking's hoard of breaths to do what you are positing. I just think a bondsmith can dodge that issue because they can manipulate connection, and investiture directly (it appears to me at least).

WoB state the distance from the spren to the blade does matter for the number of heartbeats it takes to summon. However he said you would practically have to be on the other side of the planet, or on another planet to notice a slight difference (like one extra beat for instance). As a side note, this WoB, is why I also feel the summoning of the perpendicularity, bringing the three realms closer together, is what resulted in Maya summoning in less heartbeats, and responding. To me there is less distance. Many disagree. But felt the need to include that information.

I believe a Radiant can use the mists directly, but as it is sourced from a different shard and magic system, that it would require a hack to accomplish.

We do know a radiant soulcaster could fuel their soulcastings from a highstorm directly, so I see no reason why a radiant couldn't fuel their surgebindings directly fueled from a perpendicularity.

Not just living beings. Objects as well. not just conscious beings. Objects as well. The spiritual realm is outside time. It is all places and all times. That is where the power of the shards resides. That is why an allomancer can burn metals anywhere in the cosmere. The cognitive realm is location and time dependent. That is why the dor being shoved into the cognitive realm resulted in power users on Sel being location dependent. Sanderson is considering using the spiritual realm as the means to teleport, but it is not canon yet as he still has to work some things out. Cognitive shadows can be "alive" but not have all three aspects connected. I am not sure we have confirmation of that. Not saying it is wrong, but I do not know if we have anything explicitly saying that is how it functions. Shardblade severs the soul without harming the physical yet that causes death. That is left ambiguous on purpose. The spiritual aspect is separate from the soul. The spiritual aspect returns to the spiritual realm, and "something" "possibly" goes "elsewhere". In world individuals theorize it is the beyond, but what the beyond is, and if it even exists is meant to be left ambiguous by Sanderson. A cognitive shadow is when you are suffused with investiture enough to create a "petrified wood" effect. We do not know that "death" is required to create one. Brandon has not confirmed this. Only that Hoid is worried about Nightblood We know Nightblood is a danger, and it can consume massive amounts of investiture, but we do not know it will destabilize the three realms and their connections. Unless I missed a WoB.

Well we do know it is possible to hack magic systems to be fueled by other magic systems. We just do not know how. The closest we have seen is compounding. Brandon calls it hacking himself. So theoretically, if a radiant found a way to fuel soulcasting with allomancy, then they could potentially get a never ending supply for soulcasting. As in, burn a common metal like steel to receive investiture directly from preservation (like how allomancy works normally). Convert this incoming investiture to fuel the soulcasting you intend to do. With the remaining investiture, soulcast more steel, that you can then burn, to soulcast more.

So first, to be clear, I do not want you thinking I am trying to disprove your theory or say you are wrong. Just trying to add information to work within your theory. I do wish you luck with it. The reason why hemalurgy is different in the physical vs the cognitive for spren, is hemalurgy requires flowing blood. In the physical the spren do not have that. In the cognitive, the WoB implies they do. So it isn't so much that hemalurgy only works on spren because it is the cognitive realm. It is hemalurgy only works on spren when they are in a form that has "flowing blood" for the spike to work on. I will add the WoB in an edit when I pull it up. Also I believe there is a WoB regarding doing to a shardblade what is done to a lifeless, and Brandon gave the same response. I will pull that one up as well. Mr. Suit Can spren - like Syl - be pierced by hemalurgic spike? Will it give some effect? Brandon Sanderson Yes. A spren can be pierced by Invested metal… Oversleep Could it be spiked? Brandon Sanderson Could a spike be used to give abilities to spren? That’s not going to work really well. Oversleep Could you steal from a spren? Brandon Sanderson Yes, you could steal the Investiture of a spren. Any Investiture can be used in a spike if you know what you’re doing. It’s actually not that hard to use one on a spren. Oversleep Because I thought you said Hemalurgy needs moving blood. Brandon Sanderson It needs, uh, yeah… there are places where spren have more physical form, more tangible form. Questioner Roshar? Brandon Sanderson No, no, no, not Roshar. Questioner The Cognitive Realm on Roshar? Brandon Sanderson Yeah, if you go to the Cognitive Realm on Roshar the spren act differently than they do. Oversleep So you could spike in the Cognitive Realm? Brandon Sanderson Yeah I’ll leave a RAFO with you on that. That’s your fifth one. So there are ways to get any Investiture into Hemalurgy if you know what you’re doing. But yeah this is not something that would be a common use for Hemalurgy. Let’s just say that. Oversleep We do not concern ourselves with common uses. Brandon Sanderson Yes, I know you don’t. But yeah Hemalurgy, when you’re spiking into somebody you… you’ll see when we get around to it. Kraków signing (March 21, 2017) Looks like the WoBs I was thinking of regardless lifeless was regarding turning someone killed by a shardblade into a lifeless.

So I am necroing this thread because I feel this is new information pertinent to the discussion. I believe this WoB strongly hints a champion has not yet been selected, and will be selected at a later date, so the contest is still very much on the table: Questioner At what point when writing Dalinar's character did you realize that he was going to become the <champion>? Brandon Sanderson Ah, I am not going to answer that, because you're answering about future books. Sneaky, sneaky. There you go, that's not confirmed yet. DragonCon 2019 (Aug. 29, 2019)

It seems a breath is not enough investiture to get through the natural resistance of a heavily invested entity like a spren/shardblade as per WoB. Though interesting thought! The reason why I feel a bondsmith is different is because they seem to be able to jump the connection hoop and can enhance the surgebinding of other radiants. That coupled with Dalinar being able to manifest a perpendicularity, I feel satisfied the need for a massive infusion of investiture, coupled with the capacity to jump the hurtle of connection. Questioner Can you awaken a Shardblade? Brandon Sanderson Can you Awaken a Shardblade? A Shardblade would already be defined as Awakened, by the magic systems. Questioner And what about the Plate? Brandon Sanderson Plate would already be defined as probably too heavily Invested to Awaken because it already is. Oathbringer release party (Nov. 13, 2017) Questioner So is it possible to Awaken a Shardblade? That's the question-- that's my question for you. Brandon Sanderson Um... With the magic system of Awakening, you mean? Questioner Yeah. Brandon Sanderson So, all forms of Investiture strongly resist other forms of Investiture. Questioner Makes sense. Brandon Sanderson *brief interruption* Nightblood is essentially an Awakened... Trying to do that. Questioner 'Cause he shows up in Words of Radiance, right? Brandon Sanderson Yes. So, it-- let's just say it'd be very, very hard. Because it's like saying, "Can-- I want to turn on a lightbulb that's been turned on." Yes, you can... maybe... I don't know what that even means. It's already Invested. It's already Awakened. Calamity release party (Feb. 16, 2016) Questioner If you were to try and Awaken a dead Shardblade with Awakening, like you can with a metal sword, would that be possible, or what would happen? Brandon Sanderson That would probably not work. Not probably. That would just not work. Orem signing (Dec. 21, 2017)

To me it is a rabbit hole considering the title of the thread is regarding the morality concerning Dalinar. Not the criteria of who is or is not a main character. Personally who I view as main characters have disagreed with Dalinar in line with the story. I felt it would be easier if you just named the individuals you would like to see head but with Dalinar.

@Steel Inquisitive and @Isilel Windrunners were classically used as scouts in prior desolations (WoB back this up). Now that doesn't mean that Kaladin could not find himself in a rulership role, but I do not think basing on him being a windrunner as a reason for him to be a ruler. So if your criteria is it has to be: 1. a main character 2. a unique definition of what you define as a main character 3. cannot be a radiant at this time Then why didn't you just say you wanted conflict between Dalinar and Adolin instead of saying a main character? Instead of all this criteria to eliminate everyone else except Adolin? And there is no way in Braize am I going to go down the rabbit hole of whether Adolin is or is not a main character. Excellent point

The original quote didn't say protagonist. Gawx, Fen, and most definitely Elhokar are main and important characters to the narrative of Oathbringer (also Way of Kings and Words of Radiance in Elhokar's case). I disagree with Lift. She is not a dumb kid, and has greater depth than you give her credit for. Considering what happened between her and Nale, I think she knows more regarding Dalinar than you give her credit.

But what kind of conflict are you looking for? Wouldn't being antagonistic towards one of the protagonists label that character an antagonist?

There is a WoB confirming that the whole inception of Way of Kings is about an Uncle having conflict with his King nephew who is ruling poorly. Elhokar isn't an antagonist, and constantly buts heads with Dalinar throughout Way of Kings and Words of Radiance. In Oathbringer, Lift, Gawx, and Fen are all not antagonists, and but heads with him repeatedly.

The entire plot of Way of Kings and Words of Radiance involved the high princes resisting following Dalinar. Many flat out refused and sided with Sadeas. Even Elhokar bumped heads with Dalinar and frequently did not follow/listen to him. Oathbringer involved foreign rulers resisting following Dalinar. Many flat out refused and sided with the enemy. So there are plenty of people at odds with Dalinar.