Pathfinder

The Sadeas army actively attacked their allies. The acting highprince led them. He was offered to come over, but he refused. Ialai chose Amaram to lead her princedom. She is responsible for any actions he takes in that office. The ruler of Alethkar (Jasnah) is within rights to seize all lands, assets, and titles for that. To me that is why Ialai fled Urithiru in disgrace.

Wax was talking to Miles when Wax states that Miles needs the Set to fuel his constant gold usage due to gold being expensive. If Miles was primarily tapping, then he wouldn't need a continual influx of gold to maintain his compounding to the extent of relying on the Set which he abhors. Also there is Kelsier and Wax being steel savants without any external problems shown. Brandon has stated he is considering reworking savantism because of it. So I do not think we can accurately say just because we do not see any obvious negative effects on Miles the brief time he may not be burning, that none could exist.

Conversely, this just gave me another idea. Fine dining restaurant specializing in meat dishes. Braised meats in minutes. Given the potential prices they could charge for rare cuts on demand, that may offset the bendalloy costs.

My assumption regarding bendalloy is because it burns quickly, and it is very expensive. The money you would make as a short order cook would not balance out the cost of bendalloy and how much you would need to maintain it daily over a work day. I agree regarding your points on ethics of soothing and rioting for therapeutic purposes.

Seems to me it is more a personal code than specific laws. WoB for reference below: IHeartMyKitten Would Szeth still have been chosen to be a skybreaker if Nalan'Elin had known that Szeth was willing to kill Adolin "on his own time" unlawfully without being compelled by his oathstone? Or did Nalan'Elin know about that and still think he'd be a good fit? Brandon Sanderson Nobody is perfect, and Nale knows this--but he has worse days than others. It's not so much the law, as willingness to follow a personal code, that Nale is most interested in. He's also more harsh with people once they join the order than before. So, he wouldn't have loved it, but it wouldn't have stopped him from offering. Stormlight Three Update #5 (Nov. 19, 2016)

Now she can totally not work for you. I respect your opinion. The only reason why I am commenting is the rest of your post was responding to other people's feelings for certain characters that you disagree with. So as I disagree with your thoughts regarding Jasnah, I thought I would mention a thread I authored where I examine Jasnah. Would you be willing to give it a shot?

He knows two things open the oathgates, spren blades and honorblades. He knows a member of bridge four was almost killed to steal the honorblade. So as far as dalinar is concerned, someone attacked bridge four, stole the honor blade, and activated the oathgate. No odium required. Sometimes the simplest answer is the best.

So just a third possibility to think on. What if it is possible to go directly between oathgates (Jah Keved to Shinovar for instance), but since you need a spren blade, the radiants limited travel to have to go through Urithiru to benefit from taxes. We see the exact same thing happen in Era 2 Mistborn Spoilers below:

Pewterarm moving companies Iron pullers working on building skyscrapers. Never have to worry about falling, you can just yank yourself back up onto the girder. Steel push short order cook. Make the food, throw it on a plate that is attached to a track, push the metal plate and the food flies on the track to the customer. Cadmium line management. For instance lets say you are at Disney land. have cadmium pulsers at specific points of the line. Group gets on the rollar coaster. Ride starts. All Cadmium pulsers along the line pulse till the ride is done. People get off, next group gets on. Rinse and repeat. Line appears to move super fast to those on line while time passes normally outside. No more frustrated line waiters. The only downside is people will need to be prepared to manage their time better

There is a WoB that seems to imply that Radiant soulcasters do not need gemstones to soulcast, only stormlight Not sure Odium's forces are going to employ the same past approaches considering everything we have seen Odium do so far is different than in the past. The Everstorm is new. Possessing Sadeas's men is new (the fused was surprised that Odium could do that). Setting up a human as Odium's champion seems new (past references to Yelig-nar states voidbringers using it). To me it looks like all Odium has been doing is trying something new. Depends on where you are talking on Roshar. Like Earth, there are some places more fecund, and other places barren. Not irrelevant. Confirmed by Taravangian. They are the ones that let the fused in. I have spoiled the reading below, and bolded the pertinent portion: Nightblood is the big game changer. Taking out a fused permanently as per WoB is very jarring for their side. Theoretically kill enough parsh, and you run out of bodies for the fused. Additionally once it is learned that the parsh have to willingly allow the fused to bond, and the info spread that the original owner of the body is dead as result, it may become harder for the fused to gain additional bodies. I like this question a lot. Could newer radiants on the human side bond highspren that were bonded to killed radiants on Odium's side? Given Szeth, I think it is possible. I agree. Navani is a prime example of this with her painrial and flying ship sketches. We know as per WoB that a radiant soulcaster can soulcast directly from a highstorm. I think that means they can use stormlight directly, but that at this time is vague. But considering Dalinar can directly infuse with stormlight occasionally, I think that opens possibilities for Jasnah and Shallan. I do not think they will be able to feed everyone indefinitely. Not at all. But I think it is a good stop gap, with the addition of Lift and Renarin using regrowth to increase food production. Then hopefully they will get Urithiru working again. To me Rlain would be with Kaladin because 1. he doesn't know about the surviving remaining parsh that fled before the everstorm 2. listeners have been awoken all across Roshar. Rlain could claim to be from another land and that would explain his lack of fluency. Though can you reference where it is stated Rlain is not fluent in Alethi? Because I do not recall that ever being mentioned I respect your personal preference to have Shallan researching with Jasnah. Personally I feel Shallan has to be off by herself to grow, as discussed by Shallan and Jasnah in Oathbringer. That she blossoms when there isn't someone hanging over her shoulder. To me it appears that Shallan took a lot of steps back in Kholinar, but I see things differently. Shallan was avoiding all these things while in Urithiru. She seemed to back pedal (in my opinion) because once she left, she had to face a lot of these issues. But I think that is where progress lies with Shallan. Being off by herself without a mentor makes he confront her issues. With Hoid popping up occasionally to offer just a nudge and encouragement, I think the search for Sja-anat will help Shallan miles. But we are totally entitled to disagree on our perspectives of this. So my one thing is, you assume they will remain in Alethkar. I think they will go to all sorts of locations, but the main part of the arc will be away from Urithiru. Venli and Sja-anat are not at Urithiru. To me that does not mean the only option is having to stay at Alethkar for the entire duration of the novel. Nothing to me says that they can't meet up piece meal over the course of the first portion of the book. So for instance Kaladin, Shallan, and Rlain meet up with Lirin. They then pursue a goal that takes them elsewhere, resulting in Shallan tracking down Sja-Anat, and Rlain running into Venli, and then include the various interactions and issues that arise from that. I see the first portion as getting everyone in place, and then the narrative goes from there. My only thing is considering the nature of Renarin and Jasnah's work, I couldn't see them sharing much outside of closed doors. So the availability of spectators being around to see their discussions and work would be limited. I think it would make more sense not to see it at all, than from another individual's perspective. But once again, like I said twice now, I am not overly attached to the idea. I could just as easily see Dalinar and Adolin working together awakening Maya instead. That still does not equate (to me) with PoVs meaning a character is being dropped or getting more attention. All it means is there is an important reason to know what the character is thinking in that moment. There have been plenty of times where Shallan, Kaladin, and Dalinar have all been in the same room, but different characters have had PoVs at different times. It doesn't mean one character is more important than another. It means that character had a thought that was needed to be heard, or an impression that furthered the story, so that was the character chosen for the PoV. Same reasoning that Brandon is going through regarding Eshonai vs Venli flashbacks. He asks himself what makes sense for the scene, and what can that individual's thoughts bring to the table. I do not see spotlighting being the goal, personally. That is true. So Dalinar and Adolin can work on reviving Maya while Navani is around them without a PoV. Again, personally I just do not see what is such a big deal on who does and does not get a PoV.

Well we do know at least that fused killed by nightblood don't come back/reincarnate. We have a WoB on that. I will add it momentarily. edit: here is the WoB Questioner My question is not really a question, it's more of a theory. How Odium keeps the Fused around is more if he has them tied to his essence, so it's like he's essentially fishing them out of the Spiritual Realm and since their minds are left behind in the Cognitive Realm and their minds are *inaudible* damaged, because their spirits are separated and it just pulls them back. I'm 100% convinced Nightblood did kill the thunderclast, because Nightblood consumes all investiture, that's something I asked you back at Barnes and Noble a couple years ago, during Christmas and you said your soul is investiture. So my thought is, that thunderclast isn't coming back any time soon. Brandon Sanderson You are correct on that one. Questioner When I saw that, my thought was, "Yep, It's dead." Other people were like, "I don't know, will it come back?" Nope. Brandon Sanderson I'll tell you this. They have not run into something like this before, and there will be ramifications of what happened there. Questioner That is fun to know. Brandon Sanderson If you are used to death having no consequence, and suddenly your friend vanishes forever... Questioner Yeah I, know I already thought of that. They're going to fight over Nightblood. Brandon Sanderson Mmm. Idaho Falls signing (July 21, 2018)

The questioner was discussing oathgates, so that term brings it up. WoB below: Questioner Did humans come to Roshar through Shadesmar? Brandon Sanderson It is technology or magic closer to how the Oathgates work. But it was like that. It's not canon but right now that's what I have. It's not canon because there are certain things I have to work out before that can work... By the way I'll just say to the tape recording that I haven't canonized, like for instance if they traveled to Shadesmar to get to Shinovar from Ashyn. Right now I have that not being via Shadesmar, but the mechanics of that might not work out, and I might have to default to Shadesmar. So there's certain things, you'll see, where I say, "This isn't the canon answer, it's where I have things right now." Overlord Jebus So Urithiru might end up being a spaceship after all. Brandon Sanderson It's not that. Right now I have them using something closer to Oathgating, but it opens up a huge can of worms, when I'm not requiring direct-- When I'm sending through Spiritual Realm it opens up cans of worms, and I have to just make sure the mechanics on that are tight before I do it. Emerald City Comic Con 2018 (March 1, 2018)

I have sufficiently answered your questions in the prior post and provided the quotes and WoB as requested. if they are not the answers you were hoping for, that is your issue not mine. The end papers do not match the actual descriptions of the heralds. In world characters do not recognize the heralds based on in world descriptions till Jasnah got their actual descriptions. That is the extent of my comments, and the extent of which I wish to respond.

So responding to all three (Necessary Eagle, Elwynn, and Karger) with WoB below: Blightsong How does corrupted investiture work, like Nightblood? Brandon Sanderson Oh, Nightblood. Again, this is a definition of what somebody feels is a corruption. For instance, there are spren that people would feel are corrupted. But that's corruption where the mixing of different Shards has changed things, and I think a lot of times when people say corruption, what they're meaning is the mixing of Shards' powers. Blightsong So is there a mixing of Shards' powers happening with Nightblood? Brandon Sanderson *smirks* RAFO. That's the natural question, I'm glad you asked it. Blightsong Ok, uhhh, so something similar is happening with Gavilar's sphere, right? Brandon Sanderson *contemplative silence* RAFO. OdysseyCon 2016 (April 8, 2016)

I am happy to answer all your questions and provide all the quotes and WoB below. I will go post by post to make sure I cover it all Not clearly wrong. Further references below Oathbringer Page 436 The crowd had gathered around a man standing on a large boulder. Tall and confident, the man was in his thirties, and he wore white and blue. He had an Alethi feel to him, except… not quite. His skin was a shade darker, and something was faintly off about his features…. Storms, Dalinar thought, feeling a chill. This was Jezerezeh’Elin himself, Herald of Kings. The greatest among them. Wait. Did the king have dark eyes? Amaram would base his expectations on the herald's appearance on religious texts, and artworks such as the endpapers. That is why I referenced it. Here is the full scene with Amaram: Words of Raidance Page 1061 “Please, Great Prince” Amaram said, getting the Herald to his feet with some difficult. The man was enormous, as tall as Amaram but built like a wall. The dark brown skin had surprised him the first time he’d seen the man – Amaram had, somewhat foolishly, expected that all of the Heralds would look Alethi. The Herald’s dark eyes were, of course, some kind of disguise. So I have the quote from the book (referencing Baxil's Mistress), I have the WoB confirming Baxil's Mistress is Shallash, and I have the WoB where Brandon literally states how dark of a skin color Shallash is. Way of King's Page 707 Their mistress walked ahead of them, the only other person in the hallway. She wasn’t Emuli – she didn’t even seem Makabaki, though she had dark skin and long beautiful black hair. She had eyes like a Shin, but she was tall and lean, like an Alethi. Questioner About the woman that's in the interlude who's destroying paintings. Brandon Sanderson Yes, Ash. Or Shalash, the Herald Shalash. Questioner Oh. I was just wondering who she was. Brandon Sanderson Yes, the Herald Shalash. The daughter of Jezrien. Arcanum Unbounded release party (Nov. 22, 2016) Brandon Sanderson Taln has what we'd call black skin pigmentation. So does Ash (the woman from the Baxil interlude.) Same for Sigzil. Fun fact: in the original draft of The Way of Kings, Taln shared equal screen time with Kaladin. In the revised version, for a multitude of reasons, I moved Taln's story further back in the series. He'll eventually get a book of his own. General Reddit 2016 (July 13, 2016) As per the quotes from the books as well as the WoB I posted above, it is refuted. I have provided the references above. I have shown you above why I think the way I do, and the confirmation of those thoughts. I believe I have covered all your questions.

Just a side note, red is not the only color that can indicate "corruption" of investiture. So can black. Brandon Sanderson Anyway, Nightblood is named for the smoke he leaks, and he originally had a different name when he was created. Vasher himself dubbed the sword Nightblood after he had used it to kill the woman he loved. The blackness that leaks out is actually corrupted and consumed Breaths, the ones that Nightblood leeches off anyone who draws him. Warbreaker Annotations (April 25, 2011)

So I have included all the WoB associated with the endpapers that I was referring to. Dalinar comments how in the visions Jezerien looks different than he expected. Amaram is surprised by Taln's appearance, and assumes his dark eyes is a disguise. Shallash is darker skinned than the end papers show. It is the in world artist's interpretation based on what the culture passed down. Brandon's inspiration is like the Sistine chapel. They are not accurate representations of the Heralds because the culture does not want imagery that contradicts their beliefs to be passed down. So Taln is a "light eyes". Shallash has lighter, more tan Alethi coloring, and so on. Questioner I was wondering about the pictures in the cover of this [Oathbringer]. Are they specific characters in the book, or just art? Brandon Sanderson They are the Heralds. I went to some artists and said, "Do me your rendition of something that would be on the Sistine Chapel in-world for the Heralds," so that's four of the ten. So that is what we ended up with. Idaho Falls signing (Dec. 29, 2018) Questioner Are these old Radiants? Brandon Sanderson Those are Heralds. That's Ash, who you'll see that the very end of this [Oathbringer]. That's Jezrien who's also near the end. You haven't met her [Vedel] yet. Ishar, you have heard about. And it's identified in this book who he is. But those are artist interpretations of them, in-world. They're like the Sistine Chapel versions of the Heralds. They might not look exactly like that, but that is an in-world interpretation of them by an artist. Footnote: Question refers to the Oathbringer endpaper art FanX 2018 (Sept. 8, 2018) Blightsong Who drew [the Oathbringer endpapers]? Are they in-world art? Brandon Sanderson These are in world paintings done by the Oilsworn, one of the people Shallan studied when practicing her art. The actual paintings were done by the Oilsworn's real-world counterpart, Dan Dos Santos, who did the cover of Warbreaker. There are two more pieces in the back, done by someone else, which are also in-world art pieces. They're all part of a larger theme, and are equally gorgeous. Phantine I assume these are paintings of heralds, then? Brandon Sanderson These two [in the front of the book] are Ishar and Ash. The back two are Jezrien and Vedel. ConvolutedBoy Ash is so much more...shiny than I expected, but I guess that's Lightweaving for you. I love the space background too. Brandon Sanderson Remember, these are in-world artifacts. So this is how someone painted her from their imagination, based on lore. These are Rosharan versions of the paintings of the prophets along the top of the Sistine Chapel. General Reddit 2017 (Oct. 20, 2017)

Those four are potentially not accurate. They are contemporary in world artists. So it is the equivalency of renditions of jesus, buddha, and so on. The artwork is going to be made in the view of the prevailing culture, which is why all appear primarily Alethi. There is a WoB on this.

Why five for group 1? Why not thirteen? I was merely throwing out my thoughts based on the info at hand. If it doesn't fit for you, you are perfectly entitled to feel that way. For me it works. As I said, so as not to derail this thread I have included a link to the thread discussing Maya, and where I go into at length the thoughts behind and mechanics I base my theory on. Feel free to continue this with me there. Otherwise I feel it possible for Dalinar to work with Adolin to revive his blade. You do not. To each their own Not a single event. Jasnah tried to access Urithiru via an oathgate she discovered prior to the oathbringer book but was unable to because the other side (Urithiru) was locked. That is why it required them to get there from the Shattered Plains first. All the other gates were locked from Urithiru except the Shattered Plains. When they got to Urithiru, they tried to go elsewhere, but the other side was locked. Which is why Taravangian mentioned having Malata to unlock his side, Lift at Azir, and why it required Kaladin flying over to Thaylenah to unlock theirs. Both sides have to be unlocked in order to transport. If either side is locked, then transportation cannot take place. The soulcaster and regrowth I was referring to was to keep the people at Urithiru, and the Shattered Plains fed. Further, depending on how much could be produced, it could aid the recovery of Theylenah. Otherwise Theylenah and Azir have their own means of maintaining. The main issue I see is that Urithiru does not have the means to maintain the population it currently holds till it is awakened. Soulcasting and regrowth is a stop gap till then. A stop gap possible at the moment because Dalinar has a limited ability to recharge spheres. Then you know the brief discussion regarding the transition?

Dalinar as a bondsmith, bonded to the stormfather, a being who knew the sibling and what happened to it, coupled with his powers regarding connection I think is qualified to work with Navani, who is a scholar regarding the potential fabrial/spren that is Urithiru. Considering the continual survival of the population of Urithiru is dependent on getting it working again, personally I feel it would be important to rate high on Dalinar's to do list. Finally as per the structure suggested and put into place by Elhokar, Dalinar is the ruler of Urithiru. Just like as a highprince it was his responsibility to govern the warcamps and not just the war, so too (to me) it would be Dalinar's responsibility to see to the overall function of Urithiru. Jasnah oversees the Alethi. Adolin oversees whats left of his princedom. So to put it bluntly back, you are entitled to your opinion, but it is not a cut and dry. I already explained my theory regarding Dalinar, Adolin, and Maya revival at length in other threads. I will give the bullet points, but if you really want the full theory I will link you to where I go into it further elsewhere. I do not want to detract or derail this thread on the subject of Maya and Adolin 1. Dalinar already sensed Oathbringer gaining sapience 2. Dalinar's entire schtick, as per the stormfather is bonds, connection, and uniting 3. When Dalinar pulled all three realms together Maya reacted, as well as Taln 4. Dalinar and Adolin working together in their capacities (high king of Urithiru and highprince) could result in interactions that might trigger further reaction from Maya. Over time little bits here and there build up, till they try it out. 5. The gain is the potential revival of all the past killed spren, which could lead to convincing the hold out spren that hate humans to join up and bond radiants, as well as give additional spren to bond even more radiants. I would appreciate if you do not refer to my theory as foolish. You are perfectly entitled to disagree. To each their own. It is not a case of radiants being sure or not. It literally happened. As in those were the events that transpired at the end of Oathbringer. They cannot transport to oathgates that are locked. A sprenblade or honorblade is needed to unlock from both sides. The oathgate was unlocked from Urithiru which allowed the fused to attack. That is literally what happened in the book. I would say the spren bond in a more personal manner than skewed. What does that have to do with soulcasters making food and water, and regrowth increasing food supply via growing fields to assist in the economy? Have you had a chance to hear the latest reading from Rhythm of War?

That is why I considered potentially Dalinar and Navani as the prevailing theory (though not confirmed) is that Urithiru is a giant fabrial powered by the 3rd bondsmith. I figured Navani would be the most interested in researching it, and potentially even bonding it, and Dalinar already being a bondsmith could assist, taking an interest in the things she loves, unlike Gavilar. Though I could see Jasnah and Renarin working together on it, while Dalinar and Adolin work on his shardblade. The reasoning for that is because of a personal theory that Dalinar can infuse Maya with investiture, bridging the gap, and helping heal what was torn out. Theoretically as long as they keep the associated oathgate locked, they would not have to worry about further incursions on either side of the war. The reason the fused were able to attack in Oathbringer was because either Malata unlocked it, or they used the honorblade that was stolen to unlock it, enabling the fused to teleport in. Now having stated the above (where I mention the locking mechanism), I whole heartily agree the oathgates will be both a major advantage and disadvantage with focus on attacking and defending. Instant transportation from one side of Roshar to another is too great an ability to ignore. Interesting thoughts. The fused are certainly already acting in opposition to these points. They are watching the humans closely for budding radiants, so evacuating them quickly as they arise would be paramount. Although it would not be an instant fix, I think Dalinar's recharge powers will do much to help maintain the economy by giving the radiants a means to use their powers to help maintain Urithiru till it is awoken (soulcasting for food, regrowth for healing and increased food generation and so on). The everstorm is already clearly being used as a weapon (lightning strikes focused on specific areas), so I do not think it would be far fetched at all regarding the highstorm, though the stormfather might be against the idea. Every time that is mentioned, I end up picturing the dragon riders of pern with the thread. That does nothing to answer your questions, but I like the imagery. Oh I am sure there will be more lightweavers, I totally agree with you, though Sja-Anat's location I think differently. At the very least I think it is safe to say till Shallan makes contact, Sja-Anat will not be hanging out at Urithiru, so for me it would not make sense to group her with people that potentially would be staying there. The WoB state that this book is mainly about these three main characters. We know for a fact that it is Venli's book, so that says to me she is one of those three main characters which also means it is unlikely (to me) that group one would be hanging out at Urithiru. Finally because of the reading, I feel we know Kaladin won't be at Urithiru, that makes three. So for myself, I feel Shallan, Kaladin, and Venli have to be in group 1. Adolin does not make sense to me because I do not see what he could bring to such an endeavor. He is a ruling highprince now. On one hand it could be said he would come with to help gather the people of Kholinar in exile, but most of his people are located at Urithiru, needing him there to rule. Lirin I feel is among the group because of the other reading. That makes 4. Lift I don't see helping. Renarin I feel needs to be back at Urithiru working on his abilities, and understanding Urithiru with Jasnah. It was mentioned earlier via WoP that the lack of Rlain in Oathbringer was intentional, so I feel this would be a perfect time for Rlain to come and try to help his people. So that is why the five I came to were Kaladin, Venli, Shallan, Lirin, Rlain. Everyone is of course welcome to disagree and have their own picks, but those are mine and the reason behind them. That is why I include them, in my opinion, in group 1 We got bits of Jasnah and Renarin in Oathbringer regarding Renarin's spren, I figured this would be a natural extension of that. As it would be focusing on the present, and working out what to do in the future, I don't think it would take away from digging into both characters in the backhalf, which will focus on their individual pasts. But I am not overly attached to them being PoV, So as I said I could easily see Dalinar and Navani, or Dalinar and Adolin instead. See I guess that is the difference between me and a lot of other people, apparently you included. I don't see having PoV or not having PoV, as elevating or reducing a character. Navani had some PoVs in Way of Kings, Words of Radiance and Oathbringer. Didn't change her standing among the cast one whit. Renarin had none till Oathbringer. Again didn't change his standing one whit. Jasnah had none in Way of Kings, none in Words of Radiance, and a few in Oathbringer, and yet again in my opinion, didn't change her standing whatsoever. So personally I do not see why Navani continuing to get PoVs or some other characters getting them or losing them ultimately matters. I base my picks on what I feel the characters could or what I think they would be doing within the plot and at what location. Not what kind of importance getting in their head would accomplish or not, because I feel it does not affect their importance one way or the other. Could be. Could be Navani and Jasnah focus on Urithiru while Dalinar and Szeth work through their history. (Btw, for some reason the website bolded that sentence, not me) Like I said earlier in this post, I think working through Renarin's abilities, and Jasnah's feelings for her cousin would not reveal anything about the past because it would focus more on the present and how it effects the future. Their flashblacks to me would still remain quite mysterious, but at the same time enable the tidbits we have been getting across the prior three books. But once again, I am not overly attached. I am fine with it being through other parties, such as Navani or Dalinar. Those two would make sense to me to be interested in, and have the knowledge to assist/look into. Personally I think it means seeing Venli meeting the voidspren, learning about the transition. Learning about the voidforms, and how to bring about the desolation. Also might involve learning the voidbringer's version of the past that she might learn from the voidspren. I agree.

Not having a PoV does not mean dropping a character. Adolin can have just as much characterization (in my opinion) without PoV's as with. Jasnah had next to none, and Renarin had none for the longest time, and to me both are amazing characters. I also mentioned that I could see alternatively group two or three being Dalinar and Adolin. edit: also to add as per the below WoB, two of the characters in group one will get barely any viewpoints, and one of the two may not get any at all. So even if Adolin is included in group one, he could potentially not receive any viewpoints. Brandon Sanderson Hello, all. Time for another update on your book. (See the last update HERE, if you are interested.) This post WILL have Oathbringer spoilers, and slight spoilers for Book Four. So if you are concerned about those things, here is the no spoiler update: I just passed the 50% mark! The book is looking good so far. Moshe had some very enthusiastic and positive things to say about the first chunk I sent him. I'm still hoping for a Christmas 2020 release. Now, for slight spoilers. At this point, I've finished the second chunk of the book. This means I've finished viewpoint cluster two, for those who are following along. If you aren't, or if this confuses you, I whipped up a little visualization. This book, as I've said before, starts with all the characters together--then splits into three groups of viewpoints. The first group is the largest, and the most involved, with five viewpoints characters. Two of these, however, will have only a few viewpoints (and one might just appear in other viewpoints, save for an interlude.) Really, this is the story of three characters, and forms the core arc of the book. The second viewpoint cluster, which is the one I've now finished, follows two characters on a very involved--but more narrowly focused--plot. The final cluster takes two remaining viewpoint characters, and touches lightly upon what they are doing, without going into quite as much depth as the other two groups. Now that group two is finished, I have turned my attention to group one--the most difficult of the sequences to write. This should take me a few more months. After that, I'll write group three and the interludes. One issue I've been having with the book is the flashbacks. I'm not 100% sure they'll work the way I planned them to. In that case, it's possible I will toss them and doing them from Venli's viewpoint instead. I'm excited to write more Eshonai, but there's a real chance that the viewpoints will feel like fluff, as Venli is the one who knew the secrets happening behind the scenes among the Listeners at the time. This might be a place where I have to kill my darlings and just do what makes the most sense for the narrative, even though the other way (with Eshonai having the flashbacks) always appealed to me from a "this is less expected" angle. I can't say for certain, and my gut says that--in abstract--more people would enjoy reading about Eshonai as a character, but would find the chapters a little boring and out of place. Venli flashbacks would, instead, be filled with cosmere mysteries and answers that will be more interesting. We'll see how it goes. I haven't written the flashbacks yet, so we'll need to see about them as I write. Otherwise, how do we look? Well, my trip to France and Spain really took a bite out of my writing time. We're hovering right at about 30k words behind (with 200k finished of a projected 400k.) 30k behind is roughly one month behind. (We've been about this far behind since I started on the book, as touring delays continue to eat up any progress I make catching up.) Hopefully, September will involve a lot of good writing time, as I don't have any trips planned except for Dragon*Con this weekend. Of course, come October, it's back on tour. (France and Israel this time.) The goal is still to try to finish by January. Getting halfway took basically five months, however, and there are only four months left in the year. If I don't hit January for finishing, we're likely looking at a spring 2021 release. As always, thank you for your patience and enthusiasm. Also, as always, I promise that I do consider these goals of when to finish only to be goals--not hardfast rules. I will take the time I need to make the book great, and if it comes down to delaying the book or releasing a novel that isn't ready, we WILL delay. I will not be sending replies to this thread to my inbox, so there's a good chance I'll miss your comments. If I do, just let me say thank you again! Brandon Stormlight Book Four Updates (Aug. 26, 2019)

Its the name of one of the paths you can take in the game.

I think for: Group 1 Kaladin Shallan Venli Rlain Lirin The reasoning is Shallan will use illusions to allow Kaladin to infiltrate. Lirin will be their point of contact. Rlain will begin working within the parsh to try and bring them to the human's side, and Rlain will result in contact with Venli. At least that is my theory Group 2 Renarin Jasnah The reasoning is because I think they will work together to figure out what is the situation with his spren. I would also be fine with this being Group 3 instead, as not too much can be delved into these two till the back 5 of the series, as per Brandon Group 3 Navani Dalinar The reasoning is I think Navani and Dalinar will work together trying to figure out Urithiru to revive the Sibling. Alternatively Dalinar and Adolin to work together reviving Maya.

In that case then you have no disagreement from me. That is why I picked the scenes I did. Because her confident exterior hides a deeply nuanced individual. Personally I think she will remain in the background (like Renarin) till the back half of the Stormlight archive, when they both will come into the forefront, and we will learn more of their earlier lives that made them into the people they are "today".