Pathfinder

No worries. I always feel I only comment when I have something fresh to add. I respect that you prefer your version, and I personally prefer my version. The only thing additional is just to clarify, Adolin strengthening Connection of the faux bond with Maya would be unconnected with reviving her if Dalinar assisted. I think Adolin acting honorably and within the oaths of the order is a huge help because it (in my opinion) provides a structure or "scaffolding" for Dalinar to channel the raw investiture into. What I am saying is in my opinion neither could fully accomplish it alone. Adolin strengthening his Connection to Maya will take him only so far. Dalinar shoving investiture into a shardblade will do nothing except shove investiture into a shardblade. But together, with the stronger connection acting as a guide, for the infusion of investiture to regrow what was lost, to me would restore the bond and enable both to play a crucial role. It could be built upon and alluded to further as Adolin and Dainar interact. Just a random for instance could be Adolin training. After finding out about Evi's death, Adolin has been keeping his distance from Dalinar. Dalinar finds him, but Adolin ignores him or tries to leave. Dalinar grabs Adolin while the blade is still out, and Adolin and Dalinar suddenly hear Maya's voice urging them to talk. Both surprised, Adolin is able to get out of Dalinar's hands and they separate for a bit. They both think on this more with the occasional interaction. Then it happens again. Adolin still not ready to open up to his father but willing to try to figure out what is happening, Dalinar and Adolin begin working together while researching with Shallan, Jasnah and the Stormfather. Through working together they open up, talk, and resolve their issues with each other and resolve to restore Maya. If the stormfather ends up against it, then there is the scene I presented regarding Adolin. So I got a little more wordy than I intended. Basically all I wanted to say, is totally feel free to prefer a focus on Adolin and Maya alone. I just wanted to make clear that the theory I have in mind wouldn't take anything away from Adolin, nor his accomplishments.

If you read just a little bit further back, Kaladin himself calls them traitors, and insane. So I do not think a verified agnostic (as per WoB) cares if they are the "pope". She did correct his misunderstanding. She said right after to "try and convince one to return". Baring that killing them. Let us take your comparison further. Let's say Jesus. Let us say the religion he is associated with is absolute verifiable fact (not causing a religious debate, just illustration). So we know for a fact Jesus can come back from the dead. If Jesus dying temporarily could save lives, is that not a sacrifice worth taking? That is the equivalency with the Heralds. They know the Heralds return to life. The Heralds have already done that countless times. They think there is a chance that one herald going back could hold back the fused temporarily. That would allow for some form of action (which I already covered in that post you are referencing, so I will not go overly in detail as its all there. Please give it another look over). The alternative is that you befriend the parshendi. To their knowledge everstorm comes around, fused possess parshendi, they then try to kill them. All that work and diplomacy then means nothing. So the crux of the issue, the core problem is the fused and how they possess the parshmen. So unless a means to stop the possession is found, they will be fighting a losing battle of attrition with an enemy that will just keep coming back. So given the information, if the horrible alternative (using her own words) would be the genocide of an entire people, then killing one person, who we know will come back, is a small price to pay. So no genocide is not on the table. She is trying to get through everyone's head how serious this situation is. You can't just say "I don't know", you can't just say "hey we will try to talk" because talking in the short term will accomplish nothing when the fused possess the parshman you were just talking to and tries to kill you. They already confirmed that the Heralds return when they give in under torture, and that is why it lasted so long, is Taln held it up alone. A herald could return, last two seconds, and come back, and there was nothing lost and nothing gained. But if it is possible to convince a herald to hold out for a week, or a month, or even a year, then that is time to learn how the bonding works. That is time to negotiate and make progress with the parshmen. It is time to find a way to stop the fused from returning. So I still maintain Jasnah is not a rabid dog who aims to blow up or kill everyone. She is a human being, and I do not feel she needs someone to "keep her in line" or "make her likable with the populace".

Good points, and here is the WoB regarding Maya being Edgedancer Kaladin al'Thor I noticed my last time reading Words of Radiance that there were several times-- vines that were on Adolin's shardblade as he summoned it. So I was wondering if maybe the Radiant who used it had was an Edgedancer? Brandon Sanderson You are right. Kaladin al'Thor You mentioned before that it would be possible to revive a dead shard[blade], but it would be very difficult-- Brandon Sanderson Very difficult. Kaladin al'Thor Like I think what you said is that it would have to be the same person that broke the bond? Brandon Sanderson That would be the-- Yeah. Kaladin al'Thor So if it was an Edgedancer's blade if he made those same oaths could potentially he… Brandon Sanderson That would most likely not be enough. Something else would have to happen. Good guess though. LOL, hey no worries, to each their own.

I think that could be a beautiful moment for Adolin. Just picture him standing before the grandness of the stormfather, saying with absolute sincerity "I am not asking for myself, nor for the ability to become a knight radiant. I am asking for Maya. Let her live again. Let her choose. If what we share even has the chance to bring her back, I feel it is worth the risk. If I am not worthy, at least she would be whole again. At least she could return to her family, and if she so chose she could find another. Someone worthy of her. Our world has forgotten those we have betrayed. Those oaths we have broken. Let me help Maya be remembered. Let me help give her a chance." Then after they restore Maya, she can choose to bond Adolin. When the stormfather warns her like he did with Syl, she can turn to him, stand up for Adolin and claim Adolin for her own. See? How is that not beautiful and poignant for Adolin? How is that taking anything away from his moment with Maya (not saying you said that, but using your post to illustrate the point)

So I have brought this up elsewhere so I will try to be concise. I do not think that a political alliance of any sort is necessary to Jasnah's rulership. 1. She does not need an heir. She has Gavinor. She will have no problem stepping back when it is his time to rule considering (as per WoB), part of the reason she left Alethkar during Elhokar's rulership, is to give him space and one less shadow to live under. She respected his right to rule, and gave him distance so he wouldn't feel compared to her. She loved him in her way. 2. Kaladin is agnostic (as per WoB) so would not be a champion of the Vorin religion to help bring the ardents to her rule. 3. Jasnah has shown her capability of bringing together disparate groups (ardents, stormwardens, and scholars) and have them work together towards a common goal (this was when they were researching the gemstone archive. Navani marvels at her capabilities to accomplish this) 4. The government (as per WoB) relies on a "might makes right". You are only a highprince if you get enough people to follow you as such, and this usually involves an army. Dalinar, Shallan and Adolin all feel the highprinces would only listen to Jasnah. Brandon has said (another WoB) that Jasnah would be called the Queen because that is what she will tell them to call her. Jasnah has trained to be a ruler her entire life. She has the skill, the intelligence, and the experience. 5. I get people have different views on Jasnah, but it tends to annoy me when people continually say Jasnah needs someone there to stop her from making a huge horrible decision. It makes her out to be a rabid dog that will just lash out and bite unless there is someone standing next to her with a rolled up news paper to smack her snout and say "no jasnah, bad girl bad girl, we don't do that!". She is a human being. She has compassion. She has intelligence. She makes mistakes and tries to do better. Her whole schtick is about learning from the past, which the story of the king who didn't trust his family is foreshadowing of this. Against all logic, her love and trust of Renarin prevailed. She did that by herself. Jasnah listens to those she respects and those that bring forward well thought out reasonable conclusions. She is not a foaming at the mouth wardog. So for me the idea that she has to be in a relationship with someone politically or otherwise, just so she wont blow up the world I feel is very reductionist towards the character. No problemo. Again, don't want you to feel I am saying you are wrong to see these things in a potential relationship between them. I just personally don't see it. Our views can totally exist side by side, and wait to RAFO The countries are already allying under Dalinar as High King. Each kingdom rules their own people, but when it comes to the world war, they defer to Dalinar. That was how Elhokar built it when he paid fealty to Dalinar. So there is no need for Alethkar to ally or join with Thayla or Jah Keved. One, they already technically did under the alliance under Dalinar, and two the other countries if anything would feel threatened that Alethkar is trying to use the desolation to consolidate power and take over other countries. So again, I just do not see any need politically for Jasnah to marry anyone.

I totally respect that you feel you would like a narrative where it is only Maya and Adolin working towards awakening Maya, but I just wanted to add a bit because with all due respect I feel the term"deus ex machina" gets used too often and very often it is used incorrectly. The whole purpose of the trope is that when a situation comes about where there is no means of escape, no means of resolution for the heroes, when based on everything we have seen and know about the world there is no way for the heroes to triumph or have a happy ending, a literal "god" shows up, takes pity and snaps its fingers making everything suddenly resolved/ok. This is brought up when narratively there was no foreshadowing, or indication the ultimate resolution is at all possible. That is why the resolution feels cheap, or unearned. Now it could be argued that Dalinar's uniting of the three realms was a deus ex machina. But I argue it was not. We know Dalinar can "boost" other radiant's abilities (Shallan's lightweaving). We know as per the Stormfather that Dalinar has spiritual adhesion and that power involved bringing things together. We see him hear the very soul of the stones and reunite it as it calls to him to be one once more. We see him against the Stormfather's will, form it into a shardblade-esque key to use the oathgate. So we know Dalinar can manipulate investiture in ways we have never seen before, and that he can also access the spiritual realm in some ways while doing so. So when all of this is lined up, Dalinar bringing together the three realms and summoning stormlight does not come so far from left field that to me it is a deus ex machina. Now adding to that, we now see that Dalinar can bring the three realms together. Dalinar can communicate with the soul of an object. And finally Dalinar can produce and focus raw investiture. So by its very definition if Dalinar were to help Adolin awaken Maya, it would not be a deus ex machina. Now you are perfectly entitled to not prefer that narrative. I just feel we should shy away from such terminology when to me it is not applicable. I personally think it could be a wonderful moment shared and a deeper bond grown between Dalinar and Adolin, while taking nothing away from Adolin's accomplishment while remaining Reamatically sound and viable by Dalinar helping Adolin awaken Maya. But understandably to each their own

i appreciate that. Yeah I sympathize with Kaladin. I think it would have been best for him to (in the best case scenario), have provided his information to a subordinate who would then attend the meeting in his stead while he got to meet with a military therapist to go over what he experienced to work through it in a healthy manner. Unfortunately it appears mental health is one of the areas of medicine not passed down from the heralds and sadly under treated. I feel had the knights radiant still been a thing, there would have been windrunner superiors who had gone through the same thing to offer the emotional and mental support he would need to help him through the 4th oath. Yeah I disagree that Amaram has sought her appreciation. More he has a view of how a proper Vorin woman should act, and she tells him where he could stick it lol. I respect that you see it that way and I wish you luck with your theory. I do not see it that way, but I can see how you would. Either way I am sure Brandon will do a wonderful job of it, so I am not overly attached to my own interpretation that I would have a problem if they did end up together. I agree I feel it was icy but in my opinion not because he is a man. I will explain further below I am in agreement with SLNC, we see Jasnah having great respect for Dalinar (a man), a wonderful friendship with her versitilian brethren (of which one is a man), and a fond respect for Taravangian (based on the side he shows the world, and also a man). I think she has an anger towards a type of men, as evidenced by the alley, but I do not think she lumps all men together.

So I already typed a lot of my response to a lot of your points in a prior post earlier in this thread. I do not want to digress you and others from expressing your opposing opinions by rehashing it. I totally respect your right and valid reasons for believing as you do. I try only to respond when I feel I have something new to bring to the table. Now having said that, if you would refer to page .........and just as I was going to reference it, I realized it was on another thread with a similar premise. So I will attempt to link it below: https://www.17thshard.com/forum/topic/67284-ob-kaladin-jasnah-the-case-for-political-marriage/?page=4 The TLDR version. First I do not believe Amaram approached Jasnah amicably at all. He continually harassed her as she had to steadily escalate her refusal and he still disregarded it. She was pushed to her actions and stood up for herself. Second, I view the interaction with Kaladin very differently. She was trying to act professionally and logically during a war council. Kaladin understandably upset from his experience was unfortunately not in the right mental and emotional state. Not saying he was wrong to feel the way he did. However if he comported himself in the professional manner as a captain in the military, he should have had alternative suggestions on how to seek common ground with the parshendi while taking into account the fused. One such idea off the top of my head is talking to Rlain about the function of bonding with a spren. Rlain would have told them (which they didn't know at the time), that the parshmen must open themselves up to the bond in order for it to happen. That piece of info would open up a counter Public Relations campaign to win the hearts and mind of the awakened parshmen. But where they stood at the time is a never ending returning enemy, that no matter how you get along with the parshmen, they can change into enemy fused at the drop of the hat. What was Kaladin's well reasoned reaction? "I don't know". What did he do when Jasnah tried to figure out a way to prevent the genocide of the fused and buy them time to find a way to deal with the fused? "Are you insane!". One thing I do not see people consider is Jasnah was considered insane when she was younger. She was locked in a dark room where she screamed herself hoarse and felt betrayed and hurt by the ones she loved. And she is supposed to take well when someone calls her nuts? So I see the interaction as a mentally and emotionally exhausted Kaladin lashing out at the closest person available, and an exasperated and frustrated jasnah trying to accomplish some sort of plans to be proactive during what is the literal apocalypse returned. Her smile was one of victory that she finally got some sort of agreement out of Kaladin so that something could be at least done moving towards progress. Based on my reading of Jasnah, Kaladin did not conduct himself in any way that would impress her, nor cause her to think of him in a favorable relationship light. Sorry I meant to keep this brief considering I was referencing a post where all these points were already made, but I got carried away. Nonetheless ships are very personal things, and I am not saying you are wrong and I am right. You see these things in their relationship and I wish you the best in it. I just interpret the character and the situation differently. I wish you luck with your theory!

No problem. I understand what you are saying. All I said was I interpret it differently. I feel what both Adolin and Dalinar have done by living the ideals is strengthen their Connection (using big c on purpose) to the spren. I do not feel Maya is "improving". I think what Adolin and Dalinar are/were doing was (as referenced in a prior post) insulating the wiring a bit more. They are receiving more because they are slightly improving the already jury rigged connection. But just like a plug wired directly to the eletrical wires, you are not going to get the same effect as a fully installed socket. That is why the socket needs to be repaired first. So everything Adolin has done, has strengthened a faux connection, but it is still a faux connection. Personally, off the cuff and with no real evidence to back it, I think Dalinar has to provide a huge infusion of investiture via his stormlight producing ability, but focused through Adolin and Maya to regrow the portion missing, and super charge the bond for it to become an actual nahel bond fully restored. That is my interpretation of the information we have at hand. Both yours and mine can co-exist till we get more information. Hmmm trying to add your quote to my existing post but it sorta split off so not sure how this will ultimately show. to respond 1) ehhh, I respect that is how you interpret that scene. For me he said it was a swordsman's tradition of respecting your blade. Viewing it as an extension of yourself. A form of sword kata, like Kaladin with his staff/spear. My point is common or not, over thousands of years, with generations of wielders, if the number of possibilities can be brought to 1, then it certainly can be brought to 2, 3, and so on. It doesn't matter if it is a 1 percent chance. 1 percent of 10,000 is still 100 people which is a very significant number. edit: to illustrate. taking a lot of off the cuff numbers so this is in no way concrete, but lets crunch some. According to the coppermind, Dalinar sees in his visions about 300 shardblades. He comments that there are less than 100 shardblades known of (20 in Alethkar, 20 in Jah Keved, 5 in Thayla, and 1 each in a bunch of other kingdoms). So lets lowball it and say there are 50 shardblades for us to play with. Now we need to know how much time it has been since the Recreance. WoB says "around 2000 years ago or more". So again lets low ball it at 2000 years. A random google search says there are roughly 80 generations in 2000 years. So we have 50 shardblades, assuming one person holds on to that one shardblade for the entirety of their life (without being killed, stolen, passed on early, etc), that gives us 50 people. 50 people over 80 generations gives us 4,000 people. 1 percent of 4,000 is 40. Now that is not counting that we don't know if of those 50 blades, 90 percent are windrunner, or they are equally distributed amongst all the orders, of which there are 10. And I cannot possibly imagine how to calculate the probability based on all those numbers. But for me if even a 1 percent chance can yield potentially 40 people (no matter how badly all that math was calculated), then I think that is a decent chance someone other than Adolin could have gotten a blade, acted honorably, held to the sword traditions and restored his blade if that was all that was required to do so. 2)We do see signs of "improvement" ( I put quotes because as I typed to Caldaris, I do not personally term it improvement. I view it as a strengthening of a faux bond. It didn't get "better". It just reinforced what was already there. It will certainly assist in my opinion when the outside addition comes into play to restore the "socket" and I stress I am not saying Adolin is doing nothing, nor diminishing his accomplishments. I just do not view it as a vector on a scale that is increasing in numeric value.) with Dalinar's blade oathbringer when he is able to hold it and it whimpers instead of screaming because it remembers his oaths. Much like Maya with Adolin, just Adolin at the time could not hear the difference because he is as yet not a bonded radiant to hear it.

So I haven't responded up until now because I think I adequately covered all my thoughts on the matter, so felt there was no reason to continue. You both are obviously entitled to state your thoughts and I wish you luck with them. I did have one thing to add however. Regarding this much to do about Jasnah smiling rarely. Jasnah did actually smile at another man after a heated back and forth. His name is Amaram. It was when he kept pursuing her to talk and she kept avoiding him. Then he confronted her in person. She told him to leave. He again persisted. She retaliated in kind. He began to summon his shardblade. She summoned stormlight ready to turn him to smoke and smiled. I do not think anyone can see that scene, and think that she has deep feelings for him and found him attractive by feeling challenged. So I feel a little too much is being attributed to her smiling. But that's just my own thoughts on the matter.

I readily admit when I am in error. I always thought agnostic meant when you believe there is something more, but cannot as of yet define it. That is incorrect. So I agree Dalinar is a theist. I have seen Brandon confirm that Kaladin is an agnostic, so I lumped him and Dalinar together incorrectly.

That's great and I respect your opinion, but just like I said before, in my opinion you cannot restore investiture out of nothing. Syl said you break a rock in half, the rock is not dead, it is still a rock, but the rock is still missing a chunk. If you have a brick in a wall, and break a piece leaving a hole in its place, you are still missing a piece. Patching the hole with putty does not magically make it a whole brick once more. To me the bond fills the cracks of the person, creating like an umbilical cord connecting the person and the spren. The description of the WoB reads to me that the chord and a portion of the spren was ripped out. I am sorry but I can't read that WoB any other way. All Adolin in my mind has is a taped on bond, made slightly stronger by his actions. Dalinar did the exact same thing with Oathbringer evidenced by him holding the blade and it whimpered instead of screaming because it remembered the oaths he kept. I have a hard time believing over the centuries no other person bonded to a shardblade ever acted honorably and treated their blade well, when doing so was a tradition from Adolin's own mouth. So for me, if the only requirement to revive a shardblade involves holding true to the code of the radiant order that coincides with the blade, then it should have happened already. I still maintain something extra needs to be done to rebuild what was taken away from Maya and then Adolin can successfully bond her from what he has already strengthened. I am not saying Adolin has done nothing. All I am saying is something in addition needs to be done. But as the information we have is little, it still very much falls into the realm of personal opinion on all sides. So I wish you luck with your theory!

Actually we do not know that heralds do not get resonances. We only know in Jezerin's particular case he did not get squires because none of the heralds did and that happened to be the resonance that the windrunners get (strength of squires). I have bolded the relevant part. Ray745 You have stated that each Knights Radiant order gets their own unique ability, for lack of a better word, due to the combination of their surges. For instance, you have stated this ability for the Windrunners is strength of squires. My question - is this due to the Nahel bond, or just inherent in the surges combining. Would a non-Radiant get these abilities from the Honorblades, or would they be out of luck due to no Nahel bond? Brandon Sanderson Good question! The unique abilities have more to do with the powers interacting, same as how twinborn will often manifest some odd side effects of the powers interacting. But there are limitations. For example, Jezrien didn't actually have any squires, as none of the Heralds did. Also note to the side about comparing the heralds to the radiants, WoB below, bolded pertinent portion WindRunner88 [PENDING REVIEW] (paraphrased) So far during The Stormlight Archive we've seen that the spren bond appears to have some distinct advantages (i.e. armor, more efficient Stormlight consumption, access to a variety of weapons) over what Tanavast via the Oathpact provided the Heralds. With the exception of Nale, and the fact that the Heralds had no need for Stormlight, can you please tell me one way in which a Herald had a distinct advantage over a level 5 Radiant of their corresponding order? Brandon Sanderson [PENDING REVIEW] (paraphrased) Rebirth. *pause* The Heralds had access to raw levels of power that no Radiant could obtain.

I will reply to all in one go. First I do not feel Sazed ever was an atheist. He is a theist/agnostic. There was just not one particular set of beliefs he prescribed to. Ultimately he did end up questioning these beliefs, but that does not mean he was an atheist. It would be ironic for Jasnah to take up the shard of honor and instruct the ardents in all the ways that she is not a god. I have said before and I will say again, you can be very cosmere aware and still very much be an atheist. Whether or not Jasnah ascends changes nothing. The knights radiant were seen as gods, yet they were just normal people with powers anyone could theoretically attain. So too with the shards. Anyone with the right means and know how can attain one of the shards and hold the power. Doesn't mean they are suddenly deities worthy of worship. People with more money than us have more power. Does that mean we should worship them as gods? Of course not. In every example they have just as many flaws as anyone else. They just have more power to push around. Now to be clear, Agnostic (Dalinar and Kaladin), and believers (Navani, and Shallan) can just as easily exist in the cosmere as well. I am just saying finding out about Shards and such does not mean "ah well guess the atheists were disproved, they now have to change their beliefs". You can most certainly exist in the cosmere, have the knowledge of Khriss, and still be a firm atheist.

I was not going to go through the effort of replying as I had responded to all these points in my prior posts, so if you after having already read those, you still disagree, then its reached the point of agreeing to disagree. These are extinction level events that still nearly wiped out humanity even with the inclusion of the heralds, and a fully staffed army of fully oathed radiants. If a dam has broken in the past, and people are concerned of flood waters, while you only got to experience a slight rising in the water level from a casual rain storm, does not mean the past rain storms that did break the dam are weak. It just means you have not experienced the full strength of that past rainstorm yet. Odium was convinced he would win with Dalinar. he didn't need his full forces. Things will change when we reach book 4 and 5. But as I said, I already made these points, so I am unsure what the purpose is to persist. Thank you. Lol depending on the individual effected it would do nothing. Two of the heralds also have access to regrowth which as per Renarin accelerated healing with natural healing to an insane level, and that is just a normal radiant, not counting a herald.

I was given the impression by the book that they just don't have enough trained pilots to give new pilots time to train. I mean I think the logic is if you include even those you kicked out, you would risk losing even more fighters due to lack of skill/knowledge on top of lack of experience. But I didn't actively crunch numbers so I could be off.

My instinct is to say no. Spiking requires intent. You have to intend to spike someone for an ability. Piercing them at the right spot is what determines the ability, so to me the moment the spike pierces the right location with the right intent, the ability or what have you is then stored in the spike. All leaving the spike in the person accomplishes is prevents decay of the charge in the spike while surrounded by blood. We do not know the method required to keep a person alive after they are spiked. The implication to me is something must be done to prevent them from dying from the removal of the attribute, not just the physical removal of the spike. Either way it still would not be ethical because the person's "soul" who was spiked would be irrevocably damaged.

I think that would be a very powerful and beautiful way to humanize the trauma the spren went through when the oaths were broken and the climb back to sapience

Not sure if they are aware "in world", but "out world" we know as per WoB using hemalurgy regardless if you survive or you are elderly and going to die anyway, "you" end up horribly mutilated. So spiking the elderly before they pass is still harming them irrevocably. I honestly believe there is no way hemalurgy as we know it can ever be ethical or not harmful. I state that viewing medallions as a separate creature, even if they were potentially developed through hemalurgy.

Because of the increased force and thereby speed of the object in flight, you would need more stormlight to create a stronger lashing effect to cause the path to curve away enough in the shorter period of time that it takes the object to reach you. Not as much as indicated by Jace, but slightly more than indicated by you in my opinion.

Run of the mill because he was not invested. As per Brandon, you just need to be "open". Openness can include madness. It can also include other states of the mind.

I am fine with that. Exclude Heralds, Rashek (and any other fullborn), and Vin powered by the mists. Theoretically we could say Elantrians are directly powered by a shard, but given that they have to draw the aon first, I think that balances things out. Thoughts? OP?

Theoretically with a shardblade kaladin can always cut new projectiles out of anything, and they would have the added bonus of not being metal so would not be affected by Vin's pushing and pulling I will comment on reverse lashing stormlight use further down, but that is a point where a radiant uses all its abilities from one pool while a mistborn draws from multiple pools WoB confirm you can only lash in a direction, but you can dispel the lashing, and or lash other directions as needed with speed, which Kaladin does on multiple occasions to change direction. WoB below: Balyne In WoR, when Kaladin is chasing Szeth through the storm, could he have just Lashed himself to Szeth and followed automatically? I realize he was new to his abilities and may not have thought of it, but is it possible? Brandon Sanderson One thing about Lashing that is counter-intuative to people who know physics is that Lashings are usually in a direction, not toward an object. It means that physics wise, it's not actually increasing the gravitational pull of an object--but sending you a direction. I did this because of just this type of question; it made the magic too powerful. Reverse Lashing does cost the least, but it depends on what you are doing. What Jace probably recalled is how Kaladin used all his stormlight to pull all the arrows in the air to his shield to protect bridge four. As per the WoB above, you cannot pick a person or object to lash as it would be overpowered. Personally I think slicing up the coins into even smaller bits of metal to make them useless to Vin would be better Keep in mind that although Vin can maintain a push on a metal object, it is directly away from her. All the lashing would need to do is alter the course enough to miss Kaladin. It would probably need more stormlight than for arrows or spears given the force behind it, but all you are doing is veering it off target rather than stopping it. Yes lashing an object at Vin would be picking a direction and letting it go. Difference is Kaladin could choose any direction. For instance Kaladin could put multiple lashes on an object and let it go to curve its trajectory while Vin cannot do that. The lashing would need to be a bit stronger due to the added force behind the push, but I feel since you are still just altering the flight path slightly vs directly attempting to stop it, that it wouldn't require much more.

I think that is an awesome idea!

Using comic books as an example, Rashek would be like superman as you said, while the heralds would be like Franklin Richards with matter, energy, and reality manipulation. That is why I feel the Heralds as they were originally directly fueled by Honor could take Rashek I understand. I do feel the need to point out since he has a prohibition from directly harming people, he would seek powers, and employ them in more subtle ways in order to accomplish his same goals. All he has accomplished says to me that if that prohibition was not in the way, what he would do and accomplish would be far more scarier. But I recognize this is purely opinion based. I have to disagree with you here. We know via WoB that the honorblades were originally powered directly by honor. It was only because of Honor's shattering that they no longer work quite the same way, coupled with the subsequent users not knowing how to fully employ their abilities (for instance Szeth believing they require 10 heartbeats, so it thereby takes 10 heartbeats to summon). When have we seen an individual fueled directly by a shard? Vin when fighting the Inquisitors and as you mentioned Marasi/Wax with the bands. Vin was able to steel push the trace elements of Kredik Shaw and level the building. So using that metric as a guide, why would the surge of transformation fueled directly by honor be limited? What is to stop a Herald from turning an entire city into smoke? What is to stop a Herald from increasing the gravitational pull of an area the size of Alethkar enough to turn everything to pulp? I can go on with cohesion, tension, division, abrasion, transportation, regrowth, illumination, and adhesion. So then I say by proxy, if the Heralds held this level of power, and had to fight off to hold off an enemy that they barely defeated, then we have not seen anywhere near what Odium can bring to bear yet. I think their power levels do in fact relate to each other.